Bookcited!: A Libraries NI podcast for all things library

Killing Time with Alan Bennett: Our Book of the Month

Join Jillian and Pete as they dive into our Book of the Month for November 2025 — Killing Time by the incomparable Alan Bennett. 

Prize Predictions: Inside the Booker Shortlist

Who will claim the Booker crown? Join Jillian, Pete, and Conor as they dive into this year’s shortlist, share their predictions, and debate the contenders ahead of the big announcement. 

Out of this World with RB Kelly

In this Bookcited podcast, Jillian and Conor sit down with Belfast sci-fi author RB Kelly. It’s a deep dive into imagination, genre-bending creativity, and the power of storytelling to connect and inspire.[Music by Shane M.] 

Writer. Musician. Civil servant. Rónán Hession brings it all to Bookcited

Quiet lives, loud impact - Rónán Hession on kindness, creativity, and 'Leonard and Hungry Paul'.[Music by Shane M.]

Author Jane Casey

Jane Casey talks to Jillian and Peter about the challenge of writing crime series, finding new stories to tell and maintaining the ‘will they, won’t they’ dynamic between Maeve and Josh, the two main characters.[Music by Shane M.]

Manga specialist Lucy Forrester. From Pow! to Plotlines - A Crash Course in Comic Culture. What Is a Graphic Novel?

Comic connoisseur Lucy, teams up with fellow aficionado Conor to guide Jillian through the colourful world of comics, graphic novels, and manga.[Music by Shane M.]

Author Jo Spain

Crime, characters, and killer twists! Jo Spain joins the Bookcited podcast to talk thrillers, screenwriting, and storytelling secrets. Don’t miss it![Music by Shane M.] 

Author Elly Griffiths

From romance to mysterious ancient remains with the Ruth Galloway series and now time travelling detectives, Elly Griffiths tells Peter and Jillian about her long and varied writing career. [Music by Shane M.]

Award-winning children’s author Piers Torday

Join Jillian and Pete as they deep dive into children’s author Piers Torday’s career – from vampires to werewolves and how engaging children in reading has become his life’s work. [Music by Shane M.]

Mystery, Maps, and a Baby in a Barrel – Garrett Carr’s Wild Literary Journey

Writer and mapmaker Garrett Carr takes us off the beaten track — from Killybegs to Belfast, from borders to barrels — and into the hidden stories of people and places. Now based in Belfast where he teaches Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University. Garrett’s debut novel, The Boy from the Sea, was named an Observer Best Debut of 2025.[Music by Shane M.]

100 years of The Great Gatsby

Jillian, Conor and Gatsby superfan Susan discuss a century of champagne, chaos and the American Dream - all set against the glittering backdrop of the Jazz Age.[Music by Shane M.]

Good Relations Week - Book recommendations with Karen Moreland

Book of the Month is The Lost Bookshop

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods is the Book of the Month for October - let Jillian and Pete whet your appetite for the story as they discuss everything from faeries to magical buildings, via Dublin and Paris.[Music by Shane M.]

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

Three lives, one magical bookshop, and a story that spans generations — Jillian and Pete explore the charm and mystery of The Lost Bookshop in October’s Book of the Month Bookcited episode.[Music by Shane M.]

Grief, ghosts, and Galway with Elaine Feeney

Dark humour, family secrets, and fierce storytelling as Elaine lets us go mad in our own way!Jillian and Pete talk to her about her new book set in her home turf of Athenry, Galway. Rich with history and drama, Elaine brings the story to life in her own imitable way.[Photo of Elaine Feeney, credit: Julia Dunin Photography; Music by Shane M.]

From Vera to Shetland - Author Ann Cleeves

How a charity shop book led to Vera and Shetland. Peter and Jillian chat with crime queen Ann Cleeves about the lucky find that launched a TV empire, her love of coastal communities, and the stories behind the stories![Music by Shane M.]

Book of the Month is House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

Set primarily in colonial Penang in 1921, The House of Doors is a richly layered historical novel that interweaves personal memory, political upheaval, and literary inspiration. [Music by Shane M.]

Len Pennie – Poyums with a point

Len came to public notice during lockdown with her popular Scots Word of the Day on TikTok which is now into its fifth year! Her passion for the Scots language along with her troubled past have inspired her to write enormously powerful and emotive performance poetry. Her first book of poems ‘Poyums’ recently won her a coveted award as British Discovery Book of the Year. Jillian and Peter chat to Len about her journey so far and her plans for the future.[Music by Shane M.]

Homegrown Crime with Linda Hagan

Join Jillian and Peter as they talk all things crime with Linda, a retired school teacher who has found her second career as an author. She is onto the 9th book in her popular crime series based around Carrickfergus and Belfast featuring Detective Inspector Gawn Girvin.[Music by Shane M.]

Fiction at Queen's University Belfast with Jane O'Neill

Bringing Contemporary Fiction to Campus: A Conversation on Reading, Rest, and Relevance with University Librarian Jane O’Neill from McClay Library at Queens, Belfast as we welcome a new chapter in Student Wellbeing.[Music by Shane M.]

Agatha Christie and our Appetite for Crime with Mark Aldridge

Mark Aldridge – a renowned Agatha Christie Historian – joins Jillian and Pete in this episode to talk about Agatha, her life, her writing and the lasting appeal of her novels – as well as divulging some little known facts about the Queen of Crime!
[Music by Shane M.]

Love and Laughter with Emma Heatherington

Join Emma as she chats to Jillian and Peter, sharing all about her writing journey as well as giving a health update following her recent diagnosis. Listen as she shares how she continues to write the captivating romances which she is well known for, whilst inspiring readers, juggling family and managing health challenges.[Music by Shane M.]