Call me insular, but I love books about, well, books. Which is why I loved Nick Hornby’s The Complete Polysyllabic Spree – witty entries about the wonderfully diverse books he was reading – and why I’ll be adding Susan Hill’s Howards End is on the Landing – an epic journey through her plentifully stocked bookshelves – to my Christmas wish list. What better way to sniff out new books than to inspect the shelves of some great writers?

With that in mind, what could be better than a show featuring authors talking about books? I was very annoyed to miss the two episodes of Radio 4’s Open Book in which ten contemporary authors championed a neglected classic. The four choices were put up for the public vote, the most popular title winning the chance to get adapted into a radio play. For instance, Colm Toibin proposed Esther Waters by George Moore. I have never heard of the book nor author (shame on me) but considering I loved and flew through Toibin’s Brooklyn last month, I’m paying his suggestion notice.

Thanks to the wonders of the BBC’s rather wonderful websites and their iPlayer, you can join me in catching up with the shows here (18th Oct) and here (25 Oct) while I ponder what my neglected classic would be…

Lesley-Ann Crooks, Sales & Marketing Manager