麻豆约拍

Roy Jenkins presents the annual All Things Considered book review programme, and this year's selection has already been collecting prizes to wide acclaim.

The master story teller John Le Carre described one of the books we are looking at as 'a monumental achievement, profoundly personal, told with love, anger and great precision.' Another, said to echo Dickens and Dylan Thomas, is hailed as 'one of the most memorable historical novels of the past decade.' And a third has been lauded as 'thriller of the year' - 'unputdownable'

Each of them touches on important issues of faith, but whether our guests will agree on the plaudits we're about to find out - and in case they don't, they've brought along something from their own shelves to recommend, so they'll be happy at least once today.

Joining Roy Jenkins are Joanna Penberthy, Bishop of St Davids; George Craig, former civil servant and a regular voice with Weekend Word on Good Morning Wales; and historian Dr Elin Jones from Ystrad Mynach, chair of the mental health charity Hafal.

The books we have been reviewing:
Conclave by Robert Harris
East West Street: by Philippe Sands
The Essex Serpent: by Sarah Perry

And our guests' personal choices:
Flame in the Mountains: Williams Pantycelyn, Ann Griffiths and the Welsh Hymn. Essays and translations by H A Hodges, Edited by E Wyn James
English Voices: Lives, Landscapes, Laments by Ferdinand Mount
Carols before Dawn and other Welsh Christmases by Patrick Thomas.