Bookshelfie: Women’s Prize Podcast

DEC 16, 2025

<div>Broadcasting legend Clare Balding tells us why the Celebrity Traitors’ castle was the perfect place to finish writing her latest book, how the author of a ‘bonkbuster’ that was banned from her school became the person who got Clare into novel-writing, and the animals and women in literature who have captured her imagination. Clare grew up in the countryside surrounded by horses and dogs, reading everything from Jilly Cooper to Henry James. A keen rider, she competed as an amateur flat jockey during her teenage years, winning Champion Lady Rider in 1990. She is now one of Britain’s leading broadcasters, receiving the BAFTA Special Award and RTS Presenter of the Year Award for her expert coverage of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and is an ardent campaigner for better coverage of women’s sport. Clare hosts her much-loved Ramblings series on Radio 4, taking her across the British Isles exploring its landscape and its storytelling. She is also a bestselling and award-winning author of numerous books and children’s novels, including her autobiography, My Animals and Other Family, which won the National Book Award for Autobiography of the Year. Her debut novel for adults, Pastures New, is a love letter to the countryside and the kindness of small communities, told with Clare’s characteristic warmth and wit. Clare’s book choices are: **Black Beauty by Anna Sewell **Riders by Jilly Cooper **The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid **Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus **Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize’s BookshelfiePodcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the biggest celebration of women's creativity in the world and has been running for over 30 years. </div> <div>Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! You can buy all books mentioned from <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/clare-balding-my-five-favourite-books">our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org</a>- every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. </div> <div>This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. </div>

45 MIN

DEC 9, 2025

S8 Ep22: Bookshelfie: Angela Scanlon

<div>Irish broadcaster, podcaster and author Angela Scanlon discusses why Marian Keyes was so inspirational to her, how an unexpected honeymoon reading choice had her bawling, and why choosing not to get your nails done is a radical act. Angela is best known for hosting shows on the BBC and RTÉ as well as her weekend breakfast show on Virgin Radio. Her first major documentary, Oi Ginger! aired in 2014, trending worldwide and showcasing her ability to dig deep into a subject matter. The success of the show led to a follow-up series, Angela Scanlon: Full Frontal, where she tackled taboo subjects such as extreme makeovers, fitness and nudity. Since beginning her work with the BBC, Angela has hosted The One Show and cult classic Robot Wars alongside Dara O’Brien, as well as coverage of T In The Park and the BAFTAs. In 2022 Angela published her debut book Joyrider: How Gratitude Can Help You Get The Life You Really Want. Part memoir, part self-help guide, Joyrider sees Angela chart her own journey into the world of self-development. This year has seen Angela launch the Get A Grip podcast, alongside co-host Vicky Pattison. Described as the ultimate group chat, Angela and Vicky discuss everything from motherhood and navigating newly-wed life to pop culture, internet drama and much more. She’s also the founder of jewellery brand frkl. and the online community, Hot Messers. Angela’s book choices are: **Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes **Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy **A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride **Trespasses by Louise Kennedy **I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman by Nora Ephron Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize’s Bookshelfie Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the biggest celebration of women's creativity in the world and has been running for over 30 years. Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! You can buy all books mentioned from <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/angela-scanlon-my-five-favourite-books">our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org</a> - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. </div> <div>This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. </div>

58 MIN

DEC 2, 2025

S8 Ep21: Bookshelfie: Sian Eleri

<div>Radio 1 DJ Sian Eleri discusses her love for Welsh language writing, the power of a creative vocabulary and why home is such a complicated subject. Sian is one of the biggest music tastemakers at BBC Radio 1 and shares her love for music across three shows at the station – Future Artists, Power Down Playlist and Chillest Show – as well as hosting a weekly show for Selector Radio, a global station celebrating British music. Named Music Week’s Rising Star in 2021, Sian has judged some of the UK’s biggest music prizes, including the AIM Independent Music Awards, the Youth Music Awards, the Welsh Music Prize, the BRITs and the prestigious Mercury Music Prize, which she presented to this year’s winner Sam Fender. She is also the host of The Voice Wales in her native Welsh language, which is returning soon for season two. Sian previously presented the BBC Three series Paranormal, Rolling Stone UK’s Future of Music, and is currently filming a documentary series about the Welsh artist, Gwen John, for BBC Cymru. Sian’s book choices are: ** Llyfr Glas Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros ** Notes On An Execution by Danya Kukafka ** I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman ** Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy ** Arrangements in Blue by Amy Key Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize’s BookshelfiePodcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the biggest celebration of women's creativity in the world and has been running for over 30 years. </div> <div>Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! You can buy all books mentioned from <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/sian-eleri-my-five-favourite-books">our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org</a> - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. </div> <div>This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. </div>

47 MIN

NOV 25, 2025

S8 Ep20: Bookshelfie: Lily King

<div>Award-winning author Lily King joins us from the road during her book tour to explore how women finding themselves and love are such big topics in her favourite books. Plus, she tells us the novels she returns to over and over again for comfort; and why Virginia Woolf has been such an important writer in her life. Lily has written six novels which have been published in 28 languages. Her 2020 novel, Writers & Lovers, won the New England Society Book Awards, was a New York Times Notable Book and was chosen as a top-ten best book of 2020 by The Washington Post, NPR, People Magazine, and The LA Times. Her 2014 novel Euphoria won the Kirkus Award, the New England Book Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Award, as well as being named one of the 10 Best Books of the year by The New York Times Book Review. Her latest novel, Heart the Lover, was released in October and was an instant New York Times bestseller. Lily’s book choices are: ** It's Not the End of the World by Judy Blume ** To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf ** I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith ** Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf ** The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize’s BookshelfiePodcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the biggest celebration of women's creativity in the world and has been running for over 30 years. </div> <div>Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! You can buy all books mentioned from <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/lily-king-my-five-favourite-books">our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org</a> - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. </div> <div>This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. </div>

34 MIN

NOV 18, 2025

S8 Ep19: Bookshelfie: Debbie Wosskow

<div>Multi-exit entrepreneur, investor and one of the UK’s most influential business figures, Debbie Wosskow OBE discusses the gender pay gap in writing, her fearlessness in asking men for money, and why the Women’s Prize Trust is so important. Debbie is best known for founding the home-swapping platform Love Home Swap and co-founding the women’s network AllBright. She has built and scaled multiple successful businesses, advised the UK government on the sharing economy and now co-chairs the Invest in Women Taskforce, driving hundreds of millions of pounds of investment into female-led companies. A former board member at the Women’s Prize Trust, Debbie is Executive Chair of The Better Menopause, a company that produces science-backed nutritional supplements for women navigating perimenopause and menopause, a Board Member of The Mayor of London’s Business Advisory Board and a Non-Executive Director at Channel 4. She is also the co-author of the business bestseller, Believe, Build, Become - How to Supercharge Your Career. Debbie was awarded an OBE in June 2016 for services to business & received Freedom of the City of London 2019. Debbie’s book choices are: ** All my Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews ** Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt ** Piranesi by Susanna Clarke **Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ** We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize’s BookshelfiePodcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the biggest celebration of women's creativity in the world and has been running for over 30 years. </div> <div>Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! You can buy all books mentioned from <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/debbie-wosskow-my-five-favourite-books">our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org</a> - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. </div> <div>This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. </div>

54 MIN

Bookshelfie: Women’s Prize Podcast

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