Always Take Notes
Episodes
#227: Michelle Paver, novelist
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, recorded live at Wimbledon BookFest, Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist Michelle Paver. Born in Nyasaland (now Malawi) to a Sou...
#226: Anthony Horowitz, novelist
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Simon and Rachel speak to the prolific novelist Anthony Horowitz. Anthony is the author of the teen spy Alex Rider series, which h...
#225: Susan Choi, novelist
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Rachel and Simon speak to the American novelist Susan Choi. Born in Indiana to a Korean father and Jewish mother, Susan is the auth...
#224: Dean Koontz, novelist
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Dean Koontz. The author of over 120 books, Dean is published in 38 countries and has sold 5...
#223: Sarah Perry, novelist
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist Sarah Perry. Sarah is the internationally bestselling author of four novels - "After Me Comes the Flood" (2014)...
#222: James Alistair Henry, screenwriter and novelist
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the screenwriter and novelist James Alistair Henry. James first started writing while working as a bookseller. He joined...
#221: Eimear McBride, novelist
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Eimear McBride. Born in Liverpool to Irish parents, Eimear studied acting before pursuing writing. Her debut ...
#220: Anthony Cheetham, publisher
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the veteran British publisher Anthony Cheetham. Anthony began his career in 1966 at the New English Library, where his fi...
#219: Jacqueline Wilson, novelist
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, recorded in conjunction with Hay Festival, Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Jacqueline Wilson. Born in 1945, Jacqueline wrot...
#218: Jesse Armstrong, screenwriter
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, recorded live at the London Library, Simon and Rachel speak with the screenwriter Jesse Armstrong. Born in Shropshire and educate...
#217: Hallie Rubenhold, historian
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to the historian Hallie Rubenhold. Born in Los Angeles, Hallie moved to Britain as a graduate student; after completing an MA ...
#216: Viet Thanh Nguyen, novelist and academic
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and academic Viet Thanh Nguyen. Born in Vietnam, Viet came to the United States as a refugee in 1975. He co...
#215: Jojo Moyes, novelist
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Jojo Moyes, live at Hay Festival. Jojo started her career as a journalist before publishing her debut novel...
#214: Ben Macintyre, journalist and author
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to the journalist and author Ben Macintyre. Ben is the bestselling author of books including "A Spy Among Friends", "Agent...
#213: Diana Evans, novelist and journalist
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist and journalist Diana Evans. Born and brought up in London and Lagos, Diana started her career as a journalist. ...
#212: Andrew O'Hagan, novelist and non-fiction writer
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist and non-fiction writer Andrew O'Hagan. Born in Glasgow, Andrew is the author of seven novels – including "B...
#211: Dani Shapiro, novelist and non-fiction writer
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist and non-fiction writer Dani Shapiro. Dani is the author of 11 books; her memoirs include "Slow Motion", "Dev...
#210: Joshi Herrmann, founder, Mill Media
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with Joshi Herrmann, the founder of local journalism startup Mill Media. Joshi founded The Mill, a newsletter cover...
#209: Nnedi Okorafor, novelist
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Nnedi Okorafor. Nnedi is a prolific writer of science fiction and fantasy for adults, young adults and childr...
#208: Ben Okri, novelist
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Ben Okri. Born in Minna, Nigeria, Ben came to England as a child. He attended school in London before returni...
#207: Clair Wills, author and academic
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to the author and academic Clair Wills. She is the Regius Professor of English Literature at the University of Cambridge and t...
#206: Tim Winton, novelist
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist Tim Winton. Widely considered one of the greatest living Australian writers, Tim has written 13 novels; h...
#205: Hannah Barnes, journalist and author
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the journalist and author Hannah Barnes. Hannah worked at the BBC for 15 years, specialising in investigative journalism f...
#204: Michael Lewis, journalist and author
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with journalist and author Michael Lewis. Michael grew up in New Orleans and in the 1980s he worked on Wall Street. His first...
#203: Clare Alexander, literary agent, Aitken Alexander Associates
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the literary agent Clare Alexander. For the first portion of her career she worked in publishing, starting out in 1973 in...
#202: Philippe Sands, author and lawyer
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to the author and lawyer Philippe Sands. He is the author of books including "East West Street", which won the Baillie Giff...
#201: Reni Eddo-Lodge, journalist and author
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to the journalist and author Reni Eddo-Lodge. She started blogging and writing journalism while a student; one post, publishe...
#200: Frederick Forsyth, novelist
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the 200th episode of Always Take Notes Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist Frederick Forsyth. He began his career in the Royal Air Force in...
#199: Paula Hawkins, novelist
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Paula Hawkins. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989. She worked as a journalist fo...
#198: Richard Dawkins, non-fiction author
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and bestselling science writer. His first book, "The Selfish Gene", published i...
#197: Eleanor Moran/Kate Ruby, TV producer and novelist
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to Eleanor Moran, a television producer and novelist. Eleanor started her career at the BBC as a script editor before becoming...
#196: Robert Harris, novelist
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to Robert Harris, the bestselling historical novelist. Robert worked as a journalist, and wrote several non-fiction books, bef...
#195: Carissa Broadbent, novelist
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to Carissa Broadbent, author of the "Crowns of Nyaxia" and "War of Lost Hearts" series. Before turning to writing, Carissa work...
#194: Kevin Barry, novelist and short-story writer
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to Kevin Barry, a novelist and short-story writer. Kevin is the author of four novels and three story collections. His awards...
#193: Abi Morgan, screenwriter and playwright
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to Abi Morgan, a screenwriter and playwright. Abi earned her first professional stage credit in 1998 with "Skinned"; since then...
#192: Harlan Coben, novelist
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Harlan Coben. Harlan's suspense novels are published in 46 languages and have been number-one bestsellers i...
#191: Anna Funder, non-fiction author and novelist
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to the non-fiction author and novelist Anna Funder. After training as an international human-rights lawyer in Australia, Anna...
#190: Toby Mundy, literary agent and executive director of the Baillie Gifford Prize
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Simon and Rachel speak with Toby Mundy, the CEO of the UK office of the international literary agency Aevitas Creative Management, a...
#189: Naomi Klein, non-fiction author
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the non-fiction author Naomi Klein. Her debut book, "No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies", sold more than 1m copies...
#188: Hugo Rifkind, journalist and novelist
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with Hugo Rifkind, a journalist who has just published his second novel, "Rabbits". Born and raised in Edinburgh, Hugo studied...
#187: Pari Thomson, editorial director for picture books, Bloomsbury, and children’s author
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with Pari Thomson, editorial director for picture books at Bloomsbury and also a children's author. After an international chil...
#186: Hisham Matar, novelist and non-fiction writer
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and non-fiction writer Hisham Matar. Born in New York to Libyan parents, Hisham spent his childhood in Tripo...
#185: Bettany Hughes, historian
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the historian Bettany Hughes. A specialist in ancient and medieval history, Bettany is the author of five books: “Hele...
#184: Paul Theroux, novelist and travel writer
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux. Born in Massachusetts, as a young man he worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in...
#183: Madhumita Murgia, journalist and author
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the journalist and author Madhumita Murgia. She is currently the Financial Times' first Artificial Intelligence Editor...
#182: Nicholas Shakespeare, novelist and biographer
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and biographer Nicholas Shakespeare. He began his career as a journalist, working for the Times and the ...
#181: Juliet Mabey, co-founder and publisher, Oneworld Publications
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to Juliet Mabey, co-founder and publisher of Oneworld Publications. She established the company in 1986 with her husband, Nov...
#180: Jo Nesbø, novelist
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with Jo Nesbø, one of the world's bestselling crime writers. Jo's writing career began when he was commissioned to produc...
#179: Jhumpa Lahiri, novelist and short-story writer
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist and short-story writer Jhumpa Lahiri. Her bestselling debut story collection, “Interpreter of Maladies”, ...
#178: Adam Thirlwell, novelist
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Adam Thirlwell. The author of four novels - the first of which, "Politics", was published in 2003 ...
#177: Philippa Gregory, novelist and historian
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist and historian Philippa Gregory. She began her career in journalism and worked at BBC Radio before publishing ...
#176: Henry Jeffreys, drinks writer
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to the drinks writer Henry Jeffreys, who won Fortnum & Mason Drink Writer of the Year for 2022/23. Henry is the author of fo...
#175: Kassia St. Clair, journalist and author
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to the journalist, author and former co-host of Always Take Notes, Kassia St. Clair. She has written for Architectural Diges...
#174: Adam Sisman, biographer
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the biographer Adam Sisman. After an initial career in publishing, Adam's first book, a biography of historian A.J.P. T...
#173: Victoria Hislop, novelist
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Victoria Hislop. After studying English at university, Victoria worked in book publishing, PR and journalism....
#172: Anjan Sundaram, journalist and author
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with Anjan Sundaram, an award-winning author, journalist and television presenter, whose war correspondence has won a Frontlin...
#171: Sarah Braybrooke, publishing director, Ithaka Press
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with Sarah Braybrooke, publishing director at Ithaka Press, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK. Sarah started her career in public...
#170: Frank Cottrell-Boyce, author and screenwriter
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce. "Millions", his debut children's novel, published in 2004, won the CIL...
#169: Helen Macdonald, nature writer and novelist
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the nature writer and novelist Helen Macdonald. "H is for Hawk", a memoir of grief and falconry published in 2014, won sev...
#168: Lee Child, novelist
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist Lee Child, one of the world’s leading thriller writers. Lee - real name James Grant - was born in Coventry...
#167: Megan Nolan, novelist and journalist
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist and journalist Megan Nolan. Her essays and reviews have been published by the Guardian and th...
#166: James Daunt, managing director, Waterstones, CEO, Barnes & Noble
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to James Daunt, who runs both Barnes & Noble, the world’s largest retail bookseller, and Waterstones, the largest retail bo...
#165: Francesca Main, publisher, Phoenix Books
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to Francesca Main, publisher of Phoenix Books, an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group which in turn is part of Hachette. Sh...
#164: Albert Read, managing director, Condé Nast Britain
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with Albert Read, who runs magazine publisher Condé Nast in the UK and recently published a book called "The Imagination Mu...
#163: Abigail Bergstrom, literary agent and novelist
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the literary agent and novelist Abigail Bergstrom. She started her career at the publisher Simon & Schuster in 2011; by 2...
#162: Nels Abbey, author and co-founder of the Black Writers Guild
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with Nels Abbey, a British-Nigerian writer, media executive and satirist who co-founded the Black Writers Guild in 2020 in ...
#161: Sophie Lambert, literary agent, C&W
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the literary agent Sophie Lambert. After working as a bookseller and a book buyer in London for several years, Sophie move...
#160: Jed Mercurio, screenwriter and novelist
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the screenwriter and novelist Jed Mercurio. A former hospital doctor and Royal Air Force officer, Jed made his entry int...
#159: Carrie Plitt, literary agent, Felicity Bryan Associates
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the literary agent Carrie Plitt. She began her career in publishing in the rights department at Penguin, before moving to ...
#158: David Wolf, editor, Guardian Long Read
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to David Wolf, who runs the Long Read section of the Guardian newspaper, publishing in-depth reporting, profiles and essays. ...
#157: Sally Hayden, journalist and author
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to the journalist and author Sally Hayden, who won the Orwell Prize for Political Writing in 2022 for her book "My Fourth Tim...
#156: Fraser Nelson, editor, The Spectator
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with Fraser Nelson, who has edited the Spectator magazine since 2009. Previously a financial journalist with the Times and po...
#155: Karolina Sutton, literary agent, Creative Artists Agency
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the literary agent Karolina Sutton. After a brief stint in advertising, she got a job as an agents' assistant and quickly ...
#154: Ian McEwan, novelist
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist Ian McEwan, the critically acclaimed author of 17 novels and two short-story collections. His first published...
#153: Tessa Hadley, novelist and short-story writer
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist and short-story writer Tessa Hadley. She is the author of eight novels, including "Accidents in the Home" (2...
#152: Orlando Figes, historian
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to Orlando Figes, author of nine books on Russian and European history which have been translated into over 30 languages. Bor...
#151: Moya Lothian-McLean, contributing editor, Novara Media
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to Moya Lothian-McLean, contributing editor at Novara Media. She began writing articles about music for Vice in 2015 while ...
#150: Mohsin Hamid, novelist
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Mohsin Hamid. Born in Lahore, he grew up mostly in Pakistan but spent part of his childhood in California and ...
#149: Merve Emre, author, academic and literary critic
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to author, academic and literary critic Merve Emre. After a stint as a management consultant, she completed a PhD and taught En...
#148: Oliver Bullough, journalist and author
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak to the journalist and author Oliver Bullough. After studying history at university Oliver moved to Russia, where he worked fir...
#147: Tina Brown, journalist, editor and author
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak to the journalist, author and editor Tina Brown. She began working as a freelance journalist as a student and contributed to pu...
#146: Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, academic and author
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the academic and author Robert Douglas-Fairhurst. After undergraduate studies and a PhD at Cambridge, Robert moved to Oxfo...
#145: Kit de Waal, novelist and short-story writer
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist and short-story writer Kit de Waal. Born in Birmingham to an Irish mother and a Caribbean father, she worked ...
#144: Marlon James, novelist
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with novelist Marlon James. Born in Jamaica in 1970, his novel "A Brief History of Seven Killings" won the Man Booker Prize in ...
#143: Perminder Mann, CEO, Bonnier Books UK
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with Perminder Mann, CEO of Bonnier Books UK. She was the first member of her family to go to university, where she studied dra...
#142: Irvine Welsh, novelist and screenwriter
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with novelist and screenwriter Irvine Welsh. Born in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Welsh moved to London in 1978 where he immer...
#141: Lauren Child, children's author and illustrator
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with children's author and illustrator Lauren Child. She set up her own lampshade company and worked at a design agency before ...
#140: Colin Thubron, travel writer and novelist
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and travel writer Colin Thubron. Colin worked in publishing in London and New York before writing his first t...
#139: Antonia Fraser, historian and novelist
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the historian and novelist Antonia Fraser. She began her career in the 1950s as an assistant to George Weidenfeld, the co-...
#138: Sebastian Junger, journalist, author and film-maker
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with journalist, author and film-maker Sebastian Junger. Attracted since childhood to “extreme situations and people at the e...
#137: Monica Ali, novelist
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Monica Ali. Granta named her one of their brightest young British novelists in 2003 ahead of the publication ...
#136: David Mitchell, novelist
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with novelist David Mitchell. Raised in Worcestershire in England, Mitchell later spent eight years living in Japan. The author...
#135: Sian Meades-Williams, journalist and author
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with journalist and author Sian Meades-Williams. She has written for publications including the Guardian, the Independent, the...
#134: Toby Harnden, journalist and author
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the journalist and author Toby Harnden. A dual British and American citizen, Toby spent a decade as a Royal Navy officer b...
#133: Ruth Ozeki, novelist
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Ruth Ozeki. In the 1980s Ruth worked in film, first as an art director and production designer for low-budget...
#132: George Packer, journalist and author
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with journalist and author George Packer. A staff writer for the Atlantic and a former staff writer for the New Yorker, George ...
#131: Christina Patterson, journalist and author
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with journalist and author Christina Patterson. She began her career in publishing and worked as a literary programmer for the ...
#130: David Nicholls, novelist and screenwriter
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and screenwriter David Nicholls. In 2009 David's novel "One Day" was a global bestseller, published in 40 lan...
#129: Maggie Fergusson, author and journalist
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel and Simon speak with the author and journalist Maggie Fergusson. After studying history at university, Maggie briefly worked in finance before ...
#128: David Shelley, CEO, Hachette UK
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Simon speaks with David Shelley, Group CEO of Hachette UK. After studying English at university, David entered the publishing industry in the 1990s as...