For many of us, the coming of a new year is the time when we resolve to try and quit our bad habits and make a clean start. For most, overindulgence in the things we crave is relatively benign, but for some it is an addiction that causes untold harm to themselves and those around them.

Sebastian Wocker is a journalist, musician and recovering addict. In his memoir The Joy of Addiction: Confessions of a Teenage Wastrel, he gives an unflinching account of his descent into the abyss of drug and alcohol dependency.

As the highly ironic title suggests, the book is a tragicomedy, offering both an insight into the mind-set of an addict and an invaluable message of recovery.

Join Sebastian and Red as they explore some of the causes and effects of drink and drug dependency, and how to find a road to recovery.

Manda Scott is a novelist, podcaster and shamanist practitioner. After building a reputation as one of Britain’s leading crime writers, she achieved international recognition with her highly acclaimed series of historical novels about the warrior Queen Boudica, and a quartet of spy thrillers set in ancient Rome.

More recently she had been devoting her time to her podcast Accidental Gods and believed that she had done with writing novels.

But then she realised that it was providing her with the material she needed to weave a tale that modelled her hopes for a better future. The result is Any Human Power, a thriller that Manda describes as a Thrutopia, and which blends mythology, technology and compassion to offer a pathway for positive social change.

Join Manda and Red as they explore shamanism, sustainability, and an author’s duty to address global crises.

Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Széll for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books.

Each fortnight Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write.

David Tatel is a recently retired US Federal Appeals Court judge who has spent a lifetime championing equal justice for all.

During nearly 30 years’ service on America’s second most powerful court, he ruled on many landmark cases and earned a reputation for his clear-sighted legal opinions.

Diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa aged 15, he has been legally blind for his entire adult life. Now in his 80s he has published his autobiography, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice, in which he not only looks back over his career but also reflects on the years he spent denying and working around his sight loss, before finally embracing it as an essential part of his identity.

Bestselling novelist Helen Simonson revels in setting strength of character against small-minded social convention.

While her debut, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, was a contemporary romantic satire, her latest book, The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, transports the reader back to the summer of 1919, and an English seaside town emerging from the trauma of World War One and the Spanish Flu pandemic.

But for the women who did their bit to aid the war effort, and the men disabled by the conflict, the battle for respect and equality is far from over. With Helen’s trademark blend of wit and poignancy, and her sharp eye for historical detail, the novel joyfully skewers pomposity, celebrates those who defy convention, and extols the timeless beauty of the Sussex landscape.

Join Helen and Red as they discuss biplanes, committees, prejudice and the little-known story of a submarine stranded on a Sussex beach…

Alissa York is a Canadian author whose novels and short stories have won her international acclaim.

Her latest book, Far Cry, immerses the reader in the harsh conditions of a salmon cannery on the remote north west coast of British Columbia in 1922.

It’s a haunting tale of survival, forbidden love, addiction, and jealousy, with a mystery at its heart and the Canadian wilderness all around.

Join Alissa and Red as they explore the history of Canada’s working class, and man’s often jagged interaction with nature.

Throughout the history of talking books, the question of how to bring illustrations to life has posed problems for authors and audio producers. But it’s a challenge that artist James Norbury was eager to meet.

Following the international success of his illustrated book Big Panda and Tiny Dragon, James set about adapting his story to bring its message of friendship, hope and acceptance to a listening audience.

It is a craft that he has honed in Big Panda’s sequel, The Journey, and perfected in his latest book The Cat Who Taught Zen. And, as we’ll hear, it all began in a second-hand bookshop!

Join James, Red, and a litter of kittens, as they explore mindfulness and the power of words to change the way we think.

Valerie Jerome’s grandfather John “Army” Howard was Canada’s first Black Olympian, and her brother Harry Jerome was one of the most recognizable Black athletes of the 1960s. He set a total of seven world records, earning him the title of the world's fastest man, and competed at three Summer Olympics, including Tokyo in 1964 where he won bronze in the 100m.

Valerie herself became Canadian senior women’s champion in the sprints and long jump at the age of 15 and went on to represent Canada at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

In her memoir Races: The Trials and Triumphs of Canada’s Fastest Family, Valerie gives the inside track on her family’s remarkable history, and the racism that they fought along the way – from their community, the press, their country, and even within their home.