My TBR list continues to grow at a rate of knots thanks to the likes of book podcasts such as You’re Booked, presented by Daisy Buchanan. Not that it’s a bad thing. I love discovering new authors, hearing about books that are up my street, and enjoy listening to people talk about books they are passionate about— which is the basic premise of this podcast.

In a typical episode, Daisy’s guests reveal the books they read as a child, the books that have had an impact into their adult lives, the books they are excited to read, and often, they talk about their own writing process and work. Some recent episodes have seen Daisy go to her guest’s house, browse their bookshelves and flick through the books being spoken about.

Today’s episode features Fearne Cotton, broadcaster, podcaster, author and publisher. Having just published her first novel, Scripted (the podcast was recorded on publication day), Fearne began by discussing how different the process of writing fiction is as opposed to the non-fiction she usually writes. She regards her non-fiction as an extension of the diaries that she kept as a teen—honest inner monologues. She spoke about enjoying the freedom that writing non-fiction affords her as she didn’t have to worry about her characters being judged in the way she does in her non-fiction.

When I first began writing and sharing my diaries, I was very guarded. As I became more confident in my own voice (and the diaries received a warm reception), I began to write more openly about my thoughts and feelings. Honesty is crucial. Vulnerability allows for a deeper connection, and humour is a great way of getting an audience on-board. Fearne mentions a couple of books that I’m keen to read for these reasons: Spectacles, the comedian Sue Perkins’ autobiography and Paloma Faith’s MILF.

Whereas I have the memory of a goldfish when it comes to plot, author, and title (another reason I write a list of all that I’ve read!), Daisy shares plotlines and details of books with ease. She never fails to amaze me with her eclectic reading repertoire, always suggesting books that her guests may like to read based on their preferences.