It’s not too often that an author will so happily embrace the film or TV show adapted from his or her own fiction, but George R R Martin seems more than pleased with the screen adaptation of Game of Thrones. The all-conquering HBO show was back this year for its fourth series, and today the author discusses how it feels to see the screen incarnations of his complex fictional universe.

Alasdair Gray at Edinburgh International Book Festival (edbookfest)

Whether it’s exploring the disappearing art of letter writing and the power of the spoken word, or listening to those who hear inner voices or participating in a series of dialogues on the future of Scotland, the Edinburgh International Book Festival examined all aspects of communication in 2014. Under the headline ‘Let’s Talk’ the Book Festival welcomed internationally-renowned writers and thinkers from around the world to its home in Charlotte Square Gardens to discuss such diverse topics as the two world wars, the Commonwealth, Economic Migration, Society, Identity, Culture and the Media. Listen to some of the events here in our series of free podcasts – recorded live at the Book Festival.