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On New Year’s Eve, we look back at some of the interesting books and stories from the year, with the help of Joe Haddow.

Joe hosts the Book Off podcast and has led the Radio 2 Book Club since it launched in 2010. Earlier this year, he hosted the Booker Prize podcast, interviewing the judges, authors and award winner Bernardine Evaristo.

The rapid rundown of the year features an interview with Caroline Criado Perez, whose assiduous research for her book, Invisible Women: Data Bias In A World Designed for Men, has been recognised with a Royal Society Book Prize and book of the year at the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards.

Liz Hyder talks about her debut novel which has been selected as The Times’ Children’s Book of the Year 2019.

Kemi Alemoru talks about gal-dem’s young adult anthology, I Will Not Be Erased, a collection of stories in which writers of colour address their teenage selves.

We also meet newcomer Ronan Hession who sent Leonard and Hungry Paul into the world, and found a very warm welcome for his characters and story of kindness.

The other books discussed are:
Bernardine Evaristo - Girl, Woman, Other
Margaret Atwood - The Testaments
Lucy Ellman - Ducks, Newburyport
David Nicholls - Sweet Sorrow
Philip Pullman - The Secret Commonwealth
Angie Thomas - On The Come Up
Juno Dawson - Meat Market
Holly Bourne - The Places I've Cried In Public
Kit De Waal - Becoming Dinah
Kiran Millwood Hargrave - The Deathless Girls
Madeline Miller - Circe
Natalie Haynes - A Thousand Ships
Claire Adam - Golden Child
Elizabeth Macneal - The Doll Factory
Candice Carty-Williams - Queenie
Lemn Sissay - My Name Is Why
Elton John - Me
Brett Anderson - Afternoons With The Blinds Drawn

Made for Radio 4 Extra.