19 - Emma And The Slice Of Jason Donovan Infused Revenge
Guest presenter Sylvia is guessing Emma's book and she's detecting some cake and Jason Donovan infused revenge...but will she be right?
8 Dec 2022
18 - Alexandra And The Untapped Author Resource Of Smell
It's Christmas but has today's author written a festive delight or something very unChristmassy? Only Ellie can find out in the latest instalment of our mystery author podcast with our guest, Alexandra...
3 Mar 2022
17 - Stacey And The Current Affairs Breakfast
Stacey thinks that breakfast is very 'current affairsy' and her books all have a very strong connection - but will Ellie guess what Stacey's book is about based on 3 books which influenced her book? Find out in the latest instalment of the mystery author podcast.
POTENTIALLY SPOILERY CONTENT WARNING: Features discussions around sex, the sex industry, infidelity, exploitation and trafficking.
17 May 2021
16 - Ivy And The Creative Lightning Bolt To The Heart
Ivy arrives with plenty of rock n roll energy and then sets a surprisingly serious tone. But will this put guest guesser Corrie off? Will she guest what Ivy's book is about? Find out in another mystery author podcast...
Note: This was recorded just before all that pandemic stuff kicked off.
12 Mar 2021
15 - Dan And The Perils Of Making Tea On A Hercules C130
We've all done strange things in our lives...but delivering a vacuum cleaner to the British Embassy in Iraq? That's not something you do every day (I mean, imagine the carbon footprint for a start!) So, is our mystery author Dan's book a heartracing thriller set in Iraq? Chief guesser Ellie doesn't think so...
NOTE: This was recorded in January 2020...hence why we're all in the same room!
14 Feb 2021
14 - Ava And The Sudden Appearance Of An Apple And Brie Sandwich
Sometimes things go wrong. And that's fine. Totally fine. In fact, letting something slip in our mystery author podcast isn't always that much of an issue because a book cannot be defined by one aspect alone...
WARNING: this episode contains strong language and a racial slur used in the context of describing racist toys.
3 Oct 2020
13 - Casey And The Tale Of The Vigilante Trucker
Casey chats to us from the other side of the Atlantic, but what is her book about? Ellie's gone out on a limb and guessed a vigilante trucker is involved in the plot but what are the chances of that having anything to do with Casey's book...
28 Jul 2020
12 - John And The House That Was TARDISing Out Of Control
When asked as a child which disciple she'd like to be in the Easter play, co-host Ellie answered 'Jesus'. What does this tell us about Ellie? Well, essentially very little. And challenging preconceptions is what Poking Books is all about. So, has this episode's mystery author John achieved something more than being voted most negative IT journalist in the Miller Freeman's PR Audit Guide to UK IT Scribes? As you'll find out by the end of the episode, he certainly has.
19 Jun 2020
11 - Ned And The Great Cheese War Of 1766
Quizmaster Corrie Pitfield covers for Ellie in this 'cheesy' edition of Poking Books. Corrie decides early on that she's sussed out author Ned's book, while Ned hurls all manner of facts at her (something he used to do years ago on a market stall with his father, apparently). But is Corrie heading along the right path or is Ned's book about something else entirely? Join us for the latest edition of the literary guessing game podcast to find out.
4 Jun 2020
10 - Yaba And The Smited Poker Game
Yaba, the first Black African woman to study at King's College, Cambridge, seems determined to rebel against the podcast. And Ellie and Mark are oddly enjoying her derailing the show. But will Ellie guess what Yaba's book is about? Find out in the latest episode of the literary guessing game podcast...
20 May 2020
9 - Lucy And The Two Trees Who Were In Love
In a special episode for Mental Health Awareness Week, Ellie meets Lucy and she's damn sure her book's about mental health, which (spoiler alert) it is. Plenty of humour and talk of trees falling in love and 'stealth Bowie eyes' on the way but also a raw and honest chat about darkness and embracing it.
4 Apr 2020
8 - Irenosen And The Dimension-Hopping Monks
Ellie may not guess what Irenosen's book is about but Irenosen is having too good a time to care. She's dying to help Ellie though. And her book choices are eclectic to say the least. Will Ellie guess? Tune in to find out in the latest episode of the literary guessing game podcast...
4 Mar 2020
7 - Max And The Steady Stream Of Stick Insects
Today's podcast is a simultaneously hilarious, spacey, relevant and urgent. Max has until 11th March 2020 to fund his book. Search 'hobble' on unbound.com to support the book and make sure you sit back and enjoy the podcast before or after. This episode could very much have been called 'Pet Cemetery' but that name was already sort of taken. Also, things take unexpectantly dark turn as Ellie outlines her post-death wishes. Interesting times.
29 Feb 2020
6 - Sophie And The Fruitbowl Of Plastic Dinosaurs
Sophie has awesome hair, many tattoos (one of them Neil Gaiman-related) and fruitbowl full of plastic dinosaurs. But what is her book about? And will Ellie guess correctly? She's definitely got one thing right about Sophie's book....
12 Feb 2020
5 - James And The Distinct Lack Of Regular Assassination
James is keen on pubs. That's clear from the start. But do pubs have anything to do with what his book is about? Ellie thinks so, but will she guess correctly? Another installment of the literary guessing game podcast...with a twist*! (That may well have been a clue!) In other news, Ellie ponders what her favourite crime is...
23 Jan 2020
4 - Noo And The Um Bongo Congo Escapade
Noo is making some outrageous claims. Like being the only person to have drunk Um Bongo in the Congo. And she's not a fan of Bob Geldolf's book on Africa. Does Ellie smell a travel book? We shall see in the latest episode of the literary guessing game podcast...
18 Dec 2019
3 - Sam And The Silence Of The Hamster's Igloo
Sam has an amazing jacket. Ellie will talk about this a lot in this podcast. In fact there will be a lot of tangents in this episode. The title very much comes from an unexpected (but hilarious) tangent. Will we get to the heart of the matter, though? What Sam (of amazing jacket fame)'s book is about? Will Ellie guess correctly? Only time (and listening to this podcast) will tell.
4 Dec 2019
2 - Ashley And The Feline Chekhov
Mark has brought another author home to meet Ellie and he's particularly good at keeping her guessing. He has a cat named after a famous Russian playwright and once taught a former Mayor of London's son, but what is Ashley's book about...
19 Nov 2019
1 - Wallis And The Kumquat Conudrum (aka Basic Orange)
In the inaugural* episode of Poking Books, Ellie meets Wallis, an author who once had a hair with 50 splits which she kept in a mauve matchbox. But what's Wallis's book about? And will Ellie guess before Wallis reveals the truth...
*Nice word, that - 'inaugural'
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