World Book Club

This month Kate Grenville talks about her best-selling novel The Secret River. Her first work for five years since she won the Orange Prize, The Secret River was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize soon after publication. Set in 1806 and based on the true story of Kate’s first Australian ancestor, this is a dramatic and evocative historical novel set between the slums of nineteenth-century London and the convict colonies of Australia. Told through the eyes of William Thornhill and his family The Secret River examines the timeless themes of ownership, belonging and identity against a backdrop of Aboriginal Australia.Book list:Title: The Secret River Author: Kate Grenville Publisher: Canongate Books ISBN-13: 978-1841956824 If you'd like to take part in a future World Book Club, here's your chance.Lionel Shriver will be discussing his bestselling novel We Need to Talk Kevin on Tuesday 12th May 2009.Please submit your question for Lionel Shriver in the comment section on the form below or ring us on (+44)

Mohsin Hamid talks to Harriett Gilbert and an invited audience about his bestselling novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2007 Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a sparse, gripping, short novel that tackles the complex issues of Islamic fundamentalism and America's 'war on terror' with sympathy and balance.Book list: Title: The Reluctant Fundamentalist Author: Mohsin Hamid Publisher: Penguin ISBN-13: 978-0-141-02954-2If you'd like to take part in a future World Book Club, here's your chance. Egyptian writer Nawal El Saadawi will be talking about her classic novel Woman at Point Zero on Friday 3rd April 2009 and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will be discussing her bestselling novel Half of a Yellow Sun on 7th April 2009.Please submit your question for Nawal El Saadawi or Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in the comment section on the form below or ring us on (+44) 207 5571619.

Harriett Gilbert talks to David Guterson about his novel Snow Falling on Cedars.

Harriett Gilbert talks to Toni Morrison about her novel Beloved. Recorded in January 2009.(Photo: BBC)

Harriett Gilbert talks to Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott about his epic poem Omeros, which explores ancient themes of displacement and exile in a modern Caribbean setting.

Harriett Gilbert talks to Alice Walker about her novel The Color Purple.

American writer Annie Proulx talks about her prize-winning novel 'The Shipping News' and her short story 'Brokeback Mountain'.

David Lodge discusses his acclaimed novel 'Nice Work'.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the first publication of the acclaimed African novel ‘Things Fall Apart’, we are repeating the memorable World Book Club with bestselling Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe.

American author John Irving discusses his bestselling novel 'The World According to Garp', the tragicomic lifestory of the author TS Garp.

Harriett Gilbert talks to Khaled Hosseini about his book The Kite Runner.

Best-selling English writer Sebastian Faulks talks about his heart-rending novel of love and war, Birdsong.

Best-selling American author Jane Smiley discusses A Thousand Acres, her ambitious re-imagining of Shakespeare's King Lear transposed onto an Iowan farmstead, which won the Pulitzer Prize.

American crime writer Patricia Cornwell talks about Post Mortem, the first novel in her celebrated Kay Scarpetta series.

Irish writer Edna O'Brien discusses The Country Girls, her novel about adolescence set in 1950's Ireland.

Italian author Umberto Eco discusses his novel The Name of the Rose, set in a 14th Century Franciscan monastery and answers questions from an invited audience.(Photo: Umberto Eco)

American crime writer Sara Paretsky talks to Harriett Gilbert about her detective novel 'Indemnity Only'.

A special fifth-anniversary edition of the World Book Club with the Sri Lankan-born, Canadian author Michael Ondaatje who discusses his best-loved novel 'The English Patient'.Image: Michael Ondaatje, Credit: Prakash SinghAFP/Getty Images

Harriett Gilbert talks to American author Armistead Maupin about his novel Tales of the City.

Thomas Keneally discusses his novel Schindler's Ark published in 1982 - released as Schindler's List in the USA. It is based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, who is credited with saving hundreds of Jews in Poland and Czechoslovakia from death during World War II by employing them in his factory. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert.(Photo: Tom Keneally) (Credit: BBC)