About Blabbing with Booksellers - a Waterstones Brighton Podcast.
Meet the Booksellers of Brighton Waterstones as we chat about our favourite books, authors and unique passions for reading.
Hosted by fantasy-fan Phil, we'll be chatting everything from Fiction, Classics, Non-Fiction, Fantasy, Horror as well as Manga and Graphic Novels and even just waxing lyrical about authors we love.
We also hope to chat to visiting authors, discuss upcoming events and generally nerd out together about our love of all things bookish!
Episode 13 - Ling Ling Huang - Natural Beauty, Immaculate Conception and Second Nature
Phil was absolutely over the moon to be joined by one of his favourite authors, Ling Ling Huang.
Together they talk about Ling Ling's creative process, journey into writing "accidental horror", what it's like working at a high level in two different creative mediums, and even how becoming a parent has changed her relationship with her art.
A wonderful chat and a pleasure to host her on our podcast.
Books mentioned:
Ling Ling Huang:
Natural Beauty
https://www.waterstones.com/book/natural-beauty/ling-ling-huang/9781804369876
Immaculate Conception
https://www.waterstones.com/book/immaculate-conception/ling-ling-huang/9781804369999
Second Nature (releasing April 2027)
Robert Jackson Bennet - The Tainted Cup
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-tainted-cup/robert-jackson-bennett/9781399725392
Patrick Radden Keefe - Empire Of Pain
https://www.waterstones.com/book/empire-of-pain/patrick-radden-keefe/9781529063103
Lucy Rose - The Lamb
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-lamb/lucy-rose/9781399619752
Phil is joined this week by Children's Bookseller Alex and our wonderful guest Katie Kirby!
We were thrilled to host Katie in the store to chat all things Lottie Brooks, touching on Katie's creative process, reading tastes, future plans and more!
Books mentioned:
Lottie Brooks!
https://www.waterstones.com/books/search/term/lottie+brooks
Judie Blume - Are you there God? It's me, Margaret
https://www.waterstones.com/book/are-you-there-god-its-me-margaret/judy-blume/9781529043068
Virginia Evans - The Correspondent
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-correspondent/virginia-evans/9781405971553
Caro Claire Burke - Yesteryear
https://www.waterstones.com/book/yesteryear/caro-claire-burke/9780008742768
29 Sept 2026
Episode 11 - Steven Lenton - Illustration, Children's literature and more...
A wonderful episode in which Phil was able to invite Brighton-based illustrator Steven Lenton into his home.
Phil is very familiar with Steven's work, reading many of the books he has illustrated to his young toddler and so it was a treat to dig into Steven's creative process, sources of inspiration and future projects.
A fun one as always.
Please don't forget to like, share, rate and subscribe!
Books mentioned:
Roald Dahl - The Witches
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-witches-the-roald-dahl-clothbound-collection/roald-dahl/9780241827697
Rachel Morrisroe and Steven Lenton - How To Grow...
https://www.waterstones.com/book/how-to-grow-a-unicorn/rachel-morrisroe/steven-lenton/9780241392201
Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam - Tracey Corderoy/Steven Lendon
https://www.waterstones.com/book/shifty-mcgifty-and-slippery-sam/tracey-corderoy/steven-lenton/9780857631466
Genie and Teeny - Steven Lenton
https://www.waterstones.com/book/genie-and-teeny-make-a-wish/steven-lenton/9780008408206
Brume - Jérôme Pélissier/ (https://www.waterstones.com/author/j-r-me-p-lissier/2463854) Carine Hinder (https://www.waterstones.com/author/carine-hinder/2463855)
https://www.waterstones.com/book/brume-volume-1/j-r-me-p-lissier/carine-hinder/9781662641244
8 Sept 2026
Episode 10 - Lucy Rose
This week Phil was delighted to be joined by the author of one of his all-time favourite books. That book is The Lamb. The author is, of course, Lucy Rose.
A wonderful chat in which Lucy digs into her writing process, the ongoing success of The Lamb, her approach to creativity post-neurodivergence diagnosis, upcoming work and even a mutual love for Dungeons and Dragons.
25 Aug 2026
Episode 9: Adam Wright and Andy Feist of "Action Your Potential"
We're back with a super interesting episode this week. Phil's guests are Adam and Andy from "Action Your Potential", an actionable neuroscience company whose aim is to educade people in neuroscience and psychology to create positive change through understanding.
It's a fascinating and very different episode with some incredible insight and reading recommendations for those looking to create some change in their lives through better habits.
Books discussed:
Action Your Potential
https://www.actionyourpotential.org/
Atomic Habits
https://www.waterstones.com/book/atomic-habits/james-clear/9781847941831
Courage To Be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-courage-to-be-disliked/ichiro-kishimi/fumitake-koga/9781760630737
The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-artists-way/julia-cameron/9781788164290
The Dose Effect
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-dose-effect/tj-power/9780008667290
Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir
https://www.waterstones.com/book/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/9781529157468
The Hotel Avocado - Bob Mortimer
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-hotel-avocado/bob-mortimer/9781398529656
Being You - Anil Seth
https://www.waterstones.com/book/being-you/professor-anil-seth/9780571337729
Incognito - David Eagleman
https://www.waterstones.com/book/incognito/david-eagleman/9781782112464
Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker
https://www.waterstones.com/book/why-we-sleep/matthew-walker/9780141983769
11 Aug 2026
Episode 8: Tim Pope - I Shoot Rockstars, working with The Cure, David Bowie, Queen and more!
Phil is beyond excited to share this episode with you all.
He sat down with legendary director Tim Pope to chat all about his new book "I Shoot Rockstars" and his life and career working with, alongside and around some of the biggest names in music.
As a lifelong music nerd, this was a fun one to record and the book sounds fantastic. Be sure to check it out when it releases on 13th August 2025 - limited signed editions are available on Waterstones.com
Books discussed:
I Shoot Rock Stars - Tim Pope
https://www.waterstones.com/book/i-shoot-rock-stars/tim-pope/9781035448210
The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
https://www.waterstones.com/books/search/term/the+wasp+factory
Flicker - Theodore Roszak
Candide - Voltaire
https://www.waterstones.com/book/candide-and-other-stories/voltaire/9781857151305
Cognitive Dissident: Conversations With The The's Matt Johnson - Matt Johnson and Jason Wood
https://www.waterstones.com/book/cognitive-dissident/matt-johnson/jason-wood/9781915841650
Easy Riders Raging Bulls - Peter Biskind
https://www.waterstones.com/book/easy-riders-raging-bulls/peter-biskind/9780747544210
High Concept - Charles Fleming
https://www.waterstones.com/book/high-concept/charles-fleming/9780747542629
Curepedia: The Story of The Cure - Simon Price
https://www.waterstones.com/book/curepedia/simon-price/9781474619356
Every Man For Himself And Go Against All - Werner Herzog
https://www.waterstones.com/book/every-man-for-himself-and-god-against-all/werner-herzog/michael-hofmann/9781529923865
Dream Brother - David Browne
https://www.waterstones.com/book/dream-brother/david-browne/9781857029895
4 Aug 2026
Episode 7 : Meet David - Personal Development, Self Help, Sci Fi and more!
This week Phil sat down with David, another Senior Bookseller from the store who is found mostly amongst our Non-Fiction work.
It's a wonderful chat in which David opens up with vulnerability about his journey with Personal Development and Self-Help and how that informs not only his worldview, but also his interactions with customers in our store.
Recommendations aplenty in this one so here's a list of which titles came up:
Rupert The Bear Annual
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-rupert-annual-2026/rupert-bear/farshore/9780008682262
Simple Electronics - Ladybird Books
Richard Dawkins - Selfish Gene
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-selfish-gene/richard-dawkins/9780198985389
Richard Dawkins - The God Delusion
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-god-delusion/richard-dawkins/9781804997123
Anil Seth - Being You
https://www.waterstones.com/book/being-you/professor-anil-seth/9780571337729
Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-alchemist/paulo-coelho/9780722532935
Richard N Bolles - What Color Is Your Parachute?
https://www.waterstones.com/book/what-color-is-your-parachute-2023/richard-n-bolles/9781984861207
Harper Lee - To Kill A Mockingbird
https://www.waterstones.com/book/to-kill-a-mockingbird/harper-lee/9781784752637
John Williams - Stoner
waterstones.com/books/search/term/stoner+williams
Ursula K Le Guin - The Word For The World
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-word-for-world/ursula-k-le-guin/sarah-shin/9781068591815
Jeff VanderMeer - Annihilation
https://www.waterstones.com/book/annihilation/jeff-vandermeer/9780008139100
21 Jul 2026
Episode 6: Norman Cook/Fatboy Slim
I hope it goes without saying that I was utterly thrilled to be able to chat to Norman Cook for this episode. He's a worldwide musical megastar and is now dipping his toes into new waters with the release of his wonderful book, a photographic restrospective look at his career entitled "It Ain't Over ... 'Til The Fatboy Sings".
We chat about everything from cultural influence, the composition of the book itself, music videos, the experience of playing iconic music venues and the sense of togetherness, community and connection that is central to his work.
A really fun and interesting chat and I'm thrilled to be able to share it with you.
7 Jul 2026
Episode 5: Sunyi Dean - The Book Eaters, The Girl With A Thousand Faces, and more!
I was over the moon to be joined by Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters and the fantastic new title; The Girl With A Thousand Faces.
Join us as we chat about Sunyi's journey as an author, take a closer look at both of her full length novels with some wonderful insight into her creative process, cultural influences and narrative structure.
Sunyi's Book Recommendations:
Harbour Of Hungry Ghosts - Eliza Chan
https://www.waterstones.com/book/harbour-of-hungry-ghosts/eliza-chan/9780356526607
When Sleeping Women Wake - Emma Pei Yin
https://www.waterstones.com/book/when-sleeping-women-wake/emma-pei-yin/9781529440706
There Is No Antimemetics Division - QNTM
https://www.waterstones.com/book/there-is-no-antimemetics-division/qntm/9781529953176
23 Jun 2026
Episode 4: Meet Steve - Sci-Fi, Space, Kid's Books and more!
In this episode we meet Steve, a senior bookseller who works primarily on the Children's floor of our store. He's a space-obsessed, Sci-Fi enthusiast who loves to learn and inspire young readers through humour, imagination and fun.
A really lovely episode. There's something here for everyone.
Books discussed:
Don't Trust Fish - Neil Sharpton
The Lost Robot - Joe Todd-Stanton
Butterfly Garden - Harry Woodgate
Monkeypig - Huw Aaron
Sleep Tight Disgusting Blob - Huw Aaron
Huge Numbers - Richard Elwes
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Robert Rankin - Trout Mask Replica
Robert Rankin - The Anti-Pope
The Ascent Of Rumdoodle - W. E. Bowman
Wildlands - Brogan Murphy
Murder by Narwhal - Alex T. Smith
Grimstink - Daniel Peake
Mallory Vale and the Curse of Maggoty Skull - Martin Howard
People Need People - Benjamin Zephaniah
Fungus The Bogeyman - Raymond Briggs
Sophie's World - Jostein Gaarder
9 Jun 2026
Episode 3: Kim Curran
I was absolutely delighted to be joined by Irish Times Best Selling Author Kim Curran this week.
I adored both The Morrigan and Brigid, both of which are steeped in Irish folklore and mythology, using Kim's unique voice to tell the stories of two of the most incredible women of Western mythology and history.
Join us as we chat all about Kim's journey into writing, her exploration of different genres, deep dives into both The Morrigan and Brigid as well as brief look at what the future holds.
See you on the shop floor.
26 May 2026
Episode 2: Meet Rich - Horror, horror and more horror!
In this episode I'm joined by Rich, one of our managers at the Brighton store. Anyone that follows our social media channels will be familiar with Rich's top tier Horror recommendations. An avid reader, passionate bookseller and all-round great guy, this was a real treat of a chat.
Books mentioned:
J.R.R Tolkien - The Hobbit
Stephen King - Carrie/Pet Semetary
Caroline Bicks - Monsters In The Archives
Stephen Graham Jones - Buffalo Hunter Hunter
Kylie Lee Baker - Bat Eater
Keith Rosson - Crone
Dead Ink Publishing
Alice Evelyn Yang - A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing
Lucy Rose - The Lamb
Will Maclean - Solace House
12 May 2026
Episode 1: Meet Sam - Events, Lit Fic and more.
For our first ever episode, I was thrilled to be joined by the lovely Sam.
Sam works as the Head of Events at Waterstones Brighton as well as a bookseller on the shop floor. We chatted about life as an Events Manager, recent Lit Fic reads, a few all-time favourites and some upcoming releases Sam is excited about. Get ready to add to that TBR!
Books Discussed:
Melissa Auf Der Maur - Even The Good Girls Will Cry
Lucy Rose - The Lamb
Sarah Gilmartin - Service
Douglas Stuart - Shuggie Bain/ Young Mungo/ John Of John
Maggie O'Farrell - Land
Chris McQueer - Hermit
Marilynne Robinson
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