The Book Alchemist Heather Suttie

Dr Lesley McDowell is a novelist and writer of non-fiction, she was a lecturer in English Literature at St Andrews University, then became a full-time freelance literary critic, writing for publications like The Herald, The Scotsman, The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement and others.
Her first novel, The Picnic, was published in 2007, and her second –Unfashioned Creatures - about Mary Shelley’s Scottish childhood friend, was published in 2013. We discuss the books she loves and her latest novel, Clairmont.

Seb McKay is probably Oscar Wilde's biggest fan, he loves reading and words are his life. Seb is a self confessed nerd; he loves Japanese culture, shares the bookshops he loves and how a year of reading dangerously changed the way he reads.
We discuss the books and authors which have great meaning for him:
Blurb Your Enthusiasm by Louise WilderClaire Keegan's So Late in the DayWhite Teeth by Zadie SmithGirl, Woman, Other by Bernardine EvaristoThe Travelling Cat Chronicles Hiro ArikawaOther People's Beds by Anna Punsoda Paradise Rot by Jenny HvalEarthlings by Sayaka MurataConvenience Store Woman by Sayaka MurataPriestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood The Portrait of Dorian Gray Weird F***s by Lynne Tillman

Donna Ashworth is a Sunday Times bestselling author, poet and lover of words who found fame with her work in her 40s. She originally self-published her work.
Celebrity fans include Fearne Cotton, Tess Daly, Elizabeth Day, Mark Owen, Davina McCall, Susannah Constantine and many more.
Donna's current book Wild Hope is a #1 bestseller since its release in 2023. We discuss her journey and finding hope and comfort during life's most challenging times.
We discuss Louise Hay, Bryony Gordon and The Goddess Path by Kirsty Gallacher.

Mike Kernan is an avid reader and has written a few books himself. We discuss his journey to becoming a self-published author of The Fenian and Stopping to Rain, plus the books he loves including the works of John Boyne, and William McIlvanney and we discover who the best editor in his life is.

Dr Rhona Morrison is a retired, Scottish forensic psychiatrist, artist, and author of her memoir, ‘I don’t talk to dead bodies: the curious encounters of a forensic psychiatrist’.
We discuss big life changes, finding your groove in your 50s. Plus the books snd authors she loves including:
Adam Kay and This is Going to HurtVal McDermid's booksGraeme Armstrong's The Young TeamGuy Grieve's Call of the Wild
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Shari Low has written 40 rom com novels and sold millions of books. She started writing in her 30s and has also written a trilogy with Ross King MBE.
We discuss her writing journey, overcoming self doubt, her love of libraries. Plus her favourite authors and books which include:
Jackie CollinsTai Pan by James Clavell Autobiography Of a Geisha by Sayo Masuda The Rise, The Fall and The CatchJilly Cooper, Sydney Sheldon, Judith Krantz Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Enjoy!