Jeremy Vine, Angela Griffith, Dermot O'Leary, Mark Goodier, Shaun Keaveny and The Reverend Kate Botley share their favourite festive fiction with Sara.

Maybe you'll discover a book for your own stocking!?

Marjan Kamali joins Sara from Boston USA to talk about her brilliant new novel, 'The Lion Women Of Tehran'.

This book has been four years in the making and Marjan is thrilled to have it out in the world. It's a story of friendship, feminism, and political activism, set against three transformative decades in Tehran - and we think it's a cracking read!

Marjan interviewed her Mum a lot for research, to learn about Tehran in the 50s and 60s - and also delved into the family recipe book to make the food as authentic as it could be!

As well as discussing the novel, and her own writing journey, in true Book Club styel Marjan also recommends us a book that she has been reading and enjoying!

Remember we love to hear from you about what you've been reading and enjoying recently, so drop us a line anytime! radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk

Niall gives us some brilliant writing tips - and shares a little of his own writing routine too. As well as talking about his brilliant new novel, which takes place in the same village as his previous. He tells Sara about his fascination with this made-up village - Faha - and why he doesn't want to leave it on the page.

The novel tells the story of Doctor Jack Troy and his daughter, Ronnie.

Doctor Troy was born and raised in the little town of Faha, but his responsibilities for the sick and his care for the dying mean he has always been set apart from his community. A visit from the doctor is always a sign of bad things to come. His youngest daughter, Ronnie, has grown up in her father's shadow, and remains there, having missed her chance at real love – and passed up an offer of marriage from an unsuitable man.

But in the advent season of 1962, as the town readies itself for Christmas, Ronnie and Doctor Troy's lives are turned upside down when a baby is left in their care. As the winter passes, father and daughter's lives, the understanding of their family, and their role in their community are changed forever.

This week's listener reviewer is Rosa Miller from Bedfordshire. She gives us a review of our latest Book Club choice - "Playground" by Richard Powers - as well as telling us her Top 5 reads of this year.

Sara also quizzes Rosa about her book group! (they've been going for over 9 years, and have read over 50 books dontcha know!?)

We also hear from three authors about their brilliant new novels, which were published earlier in the year. We absolutely loved reading them and hope you will too? They are:

"The Coast Road" by Alan Murrin "Margo's Got Money Troubles" by Rufi Thorpe "The Ministry Of Time" by Kaliane Bradley

(and each author gives us a great book recommendation too)

Remember, you can get in touch with us anytime you like to tell us about what you have been reading, recommend us something or apply to be a listener reviewer! The email is: radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk

*Please be aware that this episode contains discussions of adult themes

Our latest Book Club choice is 'Playground' by Richard Powers.

Richard won the Pulitzer in 2019, for his novel 'The Overstory' and his latest book is an epic tale told through three different stories, covering themes of AI, the environment and our shared humanity.

Sara chats to Richard about his love and fascination with coral reefs, his writing processes and whether publishing a book gets any easier.

This week on the Radio 2 Book Club podcast, Sara welcomes listener reviewer Sadia Rana to share her Top 5 Reads of 2024 so far. She has been reading really widely and recommends us five different novels, new and old, from Patrick Hamilton to Sebastian Barry. We also hear from three bestselling authors about their latest novels, all of which were chosen for the Radio 2 Book Club earlier in the year. Abir Mukherjee tells us about his standalone thriller 'Hunted'. Marian Keyes discusses her sixteenth novel, 'My Favourite Mistake'. And recent Booker Prize shortlistee, Percival Everett, talks about his re-telling of Huckleberry Finn, 'James'. And remember if you'd like to be a listeners reviewer, you can get in touch with us any time via the email: radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk

Our latest Radio 2 Book Club choice is 'The Glass Girl' by Kathleen Glasgow. It's officially a Young Adult book, but can be enjoyed by all readers (14+). It tells the story of Bella, a teenage girl on the brink, and the bumpy road back to recovery. Kathleen joins Sara to talk about her inspirations for this novel, her writing processes and why she still loves journalling. They also talk about balancing humour with dark themes and why books like this are so important for teenagers today. We hear an extract from the audiobook as well - and learn a bit too much about Sara's husband's spooning habits!

Sara features three books that her and the team have loved reading recently. These are:

You Are Here by international bestselling author David Nicholls.

Alter Ego by debut novelist Helen Heckety

Table For Two by international bestselling author Amor Towles.

Each author joins us to talk about their novels, the inspiration behind them and give us a book recommendation of their own too.

We're also treated to a snippet of Radio 4's Book At Bedtime adaptation of David Nicholls' book - read by Sally Phillips.

Remember, you can get in touch with the Radio 2 Book Club at anytime. We always love to know what you're reading and any new authors you have discovered. The email address is: radio2bookclub@bbc.co.uk