Our first Book Club pick of 2026 is 'The Poet Empress' by debut novelist, Shen Tao.

The book is an epic tale of female empowerment, love and the power of words. It might also win the award for best cover of the year!

Shen talks to Sara about world building, her inspirations for the protagonist and why she loves the Fantasy genre so much. She also mentions the eight unpublished novels which went before this one, confirming that you should never give up!

We also get a book recommendation from Shen - and - play a clip from the Audiobook of 'The Poet Empress' (*please note this clip features the burying of a young child, which some listeners may find upsetting or triggering)

Here's the book blurb:

As the emperor lays dying, the once-great Azalea Dynasty plunges towards civil war. While its princes plot for power, a more hidden war - to become the next empress - occupies the imperial court.

Wei Yin - peasant girl turned concubine to the cruel Prince Terren - has already endured unimaginable suffering. Ripped from her family, she has no title, no allies, and no escape. But she does have a secret . . .

In the shadows of the palace, surrounded by enemies, she is learning a skill forbidden to women. Because when words are weapons and poetry holds an ancient magic, the fate of a girl - and a nation - can both be rewritten. All she has to do is compose the perfect poem - a tale so powerful, it can kill any man, even the next emperor.

Louisa Steel - one of our superstar librarians - joins Sara for a natter about books.

They chat about the Radio 2 Book Club panel, reading ruts and why book clubs are good for getting you out of your comfort zone.

Louisa also shares her Top Five Reads Of The Year (well, of 2025). They are:

The Offing by Benjamin Myers

James by Percival Everett

Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold

Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jessie Q. Sutanto

Our last book choice of 2025 is The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell.

Alex joins Sara for a chat about the novel, the inspiration behind it, the obstacles that come with writing a time travel narrative and working out a writing routine for busy working mums.

We also hear a clip from the audiobook - and - Alex gives us a great book recommendation too. (one that keeps cropping up!)

Here's a little more info on The White Octopus Hotel:

London, 2015

When reclusive art appraiser Eve Shaw shakes the hand of a silver-haired gentleman in her London office, the warmth of his palm sends a spark through her. His name is Max Everly – curiously, the same name as Eve’s favourite composer, born one hundred sixteen years prior. And she can’t shake the feeling that she’s held his hand before . . . but where, and when?

The White Octopus Hotel, 1935

Decades earlier, high in the snowy Swiss Alps, Eve and a young Max Everly wander the winding halls of the grand belle epoque White Octopus Hotel, lost in time. Each of them has been through the trenches – Eve in a family accident and Max on the battlefields of the Great War – but for an impossible moment, love and healing are just a room away . . . if only they have the courage to step through the door.