RNIB Talking Books - Read On

On this week's Read On, Robert Kirkwood chats to Celia Silvani about her debut novel Baby Teeth, a cautionary tale about how vulnerable, isolated people can be lured into toxic communities and the catastrophic consequences this can have.  Trigger Warning: This interview contains discussions and references to pregnancy and infertility. There is also a scene of pregnancy loss in the book.

This week on Read On a captivating chat with Beth O'Brien, visually impaired author of new HarperCollins Children's Book 'Wolf Siren', which also has a visually impaired narrator. Beth talks about her writing, watching the narration process and her passion project, 'Disabled Tales.'

Stella Rimington was the first female director general of MI5 and brings true authenticity to her books about spying and espionage. She talks to Robert Kirkwood about her career, her Liz Carlyle books and her imagined end, plus her two new Manon Tyler books. Dame Rimington also talks about how her failing eyesight due to AMD is affecting her ability to write. And for episode 420, we also find some influential musical biographies in the RNIB Library.

This week in Read On, author Nydia Hetherington tells us how living with a chronic yet hidden illness inspired her to write the untold story of Shakespeare's witch, Sycorax and also her debut novel, A Girl Made of Air. She also tells us how many spoons it took to narrate the audio version herself.  

Emma is sick. Just not in the way you thought.  In today's Read On - The Audiobook Show, we're mixing a thriller with a hidden disability in Chris Bridges debut novel Sick To Death.  Plus we find some brand new books the RNIB Library, one written and read by actor, Brian Cox.

In this week's Read On - The Audiobook Show we chat to debut novelist Kate Kemp about murder and intrigue on Warrah Place, a sweltering Australian suburban cul-de-sac, in her novel The Grape Vine. We also hear from Mark McCree and Simon Savidge from Share the Vision, a coalition of UK organisations that work together to improve the quality, availability and accessibility of library services for visually impaired and print disabled people. And talking of accessible libraries, we'll find new books entering the RNIB Talking Books Library.

In today's Read On we enter the world of DC Ffion Morgan and DS Leo Brady with author Clare Mackintosh with the release of the third book in the series, Other People's Houses. We also listen back to earlier books from Clare and find some brand new books in the Talking Books library.

In today's show we chat to blind broadcaster, social media creator and author, Lucy Edwards, about her books Blind Not Broken and Ella Jones vs The Sun Stealer, and about her campaigns for equality and becoming an RNIB ambassador. We also find some brand new books entering the Talking Books library.

In today's show we hear about the new thriller from Mari Hannah, Her Sister's Killer, the latest in the Stone and Oliver series. We also pay tribute to narrator Steve Hodson and hear from Nero book of the year Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst

A familiar and warm voice to listeners of RNIB Talking Books, and audiobook and radio drama listeners everywhere, Steve Hodson, has passed away at 77.  We listen back to him telling us how he became a narrator, hear some stories and listen to a clip of one of his favourite books. Photo of Steve. He has salt and pepper tousled hair and is staring to the side with an intense gaze. His soft white dress shirt is open and relaxed at the collar. 

In today's show a chat with World Book Day author Tom Palmer about his books on sport, history and his travels for research, plus we find out about the free books you can get this World Book Day from RNIB.

In today's show two category winners from the Nero Book Awards, Children's Fiction winner Liz Hyder on her book The Twelve, and Adam S Leslie with his Fiction category winning folk-horror, Lost in the Garden.

A short extract from my interview with Lucy Edwards about her new book Ella Jones Vs the Sun Stealer and about being an RNIB Ambassador. Full interview coming soon.

We're loved up this Valentines Day on Read On. In Penguin Books 90th year, Robert Kirkwood chats to author Joanna Toye about the second book in the heart-warming, romantic, and uplifting world war two series about community, friendship and books, A New Chapter at the Little Penguin Bookshop. And as this show is going out on Valentine's Day we find some new romance in the RNIB Library.

Another comedian compilation as we hear from stand-ups Jo Caulfield and Richard Herring and comedic actor, audiobook narrator and Neil from The Young Ones, Nigel Planer. Plus we find some brand new books in the RNIB Library

This week on Read On, Robert Kirkwood chats to Rachel Kushner about her book Creation Lake, which is a taut, dazzling story of espionage and intrigue and beneath lies a tale of a woman caught in the crossfire between the past and the future. Thanks to The Booker Foundation it's available to borrow from RNIB in both audio and Braille. Plus we find some new audiobooks out now and also in the RNIB Library.

Today we're joined by award winning Australian novelist Charlotte Wood who chats about her book Stone Yard Devotional, in which a women 'unsubscribes' from her life in the city to live in isolation with nuns, and a lot of mice! We'll also hear some new books in the RNIB Library

In today's show Robert Kirkwood has a long chat with Yael van der Woulden about her debut novel, The Safekeep, an exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and homes, and the unexpected shape of revenge.  We hear from Bart van Es about The Cutout Girl and find new books in the RNIB Library.

In today's Read On Robert Kirkwood chats to author and narrator A.J. West about his books The Betrayal of Thomas True and The Spirit Engineer and why he didn't narrate them, but also about the book he is narrating, Death in the Sauna. Plus we find some new books in the RNIB Library.

In our second look back at 2024, Momfluencers clash in Jesse Q. Sutanto's book You Will Never Be Me, Gregg Mosse tells us about The Coming Storm, we have a Hot Girl Summer with Sophie Gravia, Kirsten Miller tells us about Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books, Jo Piazza has A Sicilian Inheritance and we go Orbital with Booker winner Samantha Harvey.

In today's round up of the first half of 2024 we hear from Hiba Noor Khan and Sophia's War, we visit Harlem After Midnight with author Louise Hare, Michael McGee stays Close to Home, Becky Holmes tells us Keanu Reeves is Not in Love With You, Lynda Marron has a Last Chance in Paris and we talk about The Beholders with Hester Musson.

In today's festive show we have a new chat with one of Britain's best loved children's authors, Sir Michael Morpurgo OBE, about retelling the bard's work for a modern audience in his Tales from Shakespeare and we get to bring in games in the form of live D&D shows in the RNIB Library, and we find some festive and not so festive brand new audiobooks.

What would you do if you walk down the aisle and find the wrong man waiting for you? And no-one else sees anything wrong? This week a return visit from Fiona Lucas with her deeply emotional story of love, secrets and second chances, Always and Only You. Plus we find four brand new books in the RNIB Library.

This week we chat to Anita Frank about the Sunday Times bestselling WW1 historical fiction murder mystery thriller, The Good Liars. Plus we find some brand new audio out now and also available from RNIB.

In today's 400th episode of Read On – The Audiobook Show, Robert Kirkwood chats to Anne Michaels about her book ‘Held', which last week was the winner of the $100K Giller Prize in Canada. The audio version of the book, which was also Booker shortlisted in the UK, is narrated by the author and she tells us why she was the only person for the job. We also find some brand new books in the RNIB Library and have a very quick look back over 400 episodes.

This week author Rachel Greenlaw tells us about a cosy new tale of witches, magic, mystery, family and romance, The Woodsmoke Women's Book of Spells plus we here from Blind Poet Dave Steele about The Big Test. All that plus some new books in the RNIB Library. The image is a book cover with a magical, mystical theme. The background is a deep navy blue, scattered with golden and turquoise stars, crescent moons, and glowing accents. At the top, the text reads: “Love can be a curse…” in a delicate, curved font. In the center, the title of the book is displayed in bold, white letters: "The Woodsmoke Women's Book of Spells". Below it, there's an illustration of an open book emitting faint, glowing light, with ornate decorative patterns on either side. The author's name, Rachel Greenlaw, is written at the bottom in white uppercase text. The corners of the cover are framed with intricate golden floral and vine-like designs, which give the image a whimsical and enchanting look.

Today a long chat with Booker Winner 2024 Samantha Harvey and a listen to her winning book Orbital. We hear about the quirks of living on the ISS, about sleeping in orbit, and closer to home we hear about the importance of accessible reading and that Samantha is currently training a guide dog puppy. All that plus some new books in the RNIB Library on today's Read On. Image is the cover of the book Orbital by Samantha Harvey, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2024. The design features a cosmic or abstract space-themed illustration with a black background dotted by colorful, cloud-like shapes in blue, orange, white, and green. The design gives an impression of planets or nebulae in space, with Earth visible in the lower left. The title "Orbital" is prominently centred in large, white text, and the author's name appears below in smaller, yellow font. The Penguin Books logo is at the bottom right.

Full interview on Friday's show, but here's a clip from my interview with Booker winner 2024, Samantha Harvey

We have spoken to all of the Booker Shortlisted authors here at Read On, many on the days leading up to, or in one case the day of, the award ceremony, far too soon to get them onto a regular episode of the show. So here, ahead of the ceremony tonight, is a supercut of all six interviews featuring Percival Everett, Samantha Harvey, Yael van der Wouden, Charlotte Wood, Rachel Kushner and Anne Michaels.  We'll have all of the interviews, uncut, on future editions of Read On. The image showcases six book covers from the Booker shortlist 2024 James by Percival Everett - The cover features bold typography with a striking orange background. A small illustrated figure appears at the bottom, rowing a boat. Orbital by Samantha Harvey - This cover has a cosmic theme with abstract celestial shapes in vibrant colours against a dark background, resembling planets or bubbles in space. Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner - The cover uses bold, playful typography with red and yellow text. An upside-down black-and-white photograph of a woman wearing sunglasses adds a surreal element. Held by Anne Michaels - The cover is minimalist and grayscale, with the word "Held" repeated multiple times vertically. A small orange dot pattern adds subtle colour. The Safe Keep by Yael Van Der Wouden - This cover depicts an interior scene, looking into a room with an open door, hinting at themes of mystery or domesticity. Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood - The cover shows a dilapidated room with peeling walls and sunlight filtering in, suggesting an exploration of decay or solitude.

This week features each book on the 2024 Booker Prize shortlist and a listen to the audio versions, plus some book recommendations from last year's winner Paul Lynch. Image shows the shortlisted books on a shelf, spines towards the camera.

This week on Read On we have three very different authors,  Ariane Bankes discovers her mother's and aunt's correspondence in The Quality of Love: Twin Sisters at the Heart of the Century, Irvine Welsh tells us about the third Ray Lennox book, Resolution, and Elizabeth Oldfield is Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times in her book, Fully Alive. All that plus some new books (including the new Sally Rooney) in the RNIB Library. The image features elements associated with the Wigtown Book Festival Top Left Corner: The book cover for The Quality of Love: Twin Sisters at the Heart of the Century by Ariane Bankes. The cover has a bright green background with a vintage-style image of two women, likely representing the twin sisters mentioned in the title, facing each other. Top Center: A photograph of Irvine Welsh and Robert Kirkwood. Irvine, on the left, is bald, with a slight smile, dressed casually in a light brown jacket over a striped shirt. Robert, on the right, is taking the selfie, recognizable by his glasses and beard. Bottom Left Corner: The logo for the Wigtown Book Festival, featuring stylized text with a tree sprouting from the letter “W.” Below this is the logo for RNIB Connect Radio Bottom Center: A smiling portrait of Elizabeth Oldfield, who is standing indoors, wearing a black top with a blue and turquoise jacket. Her open, warm smile and relaxed pose convey a friendly, engaging presence. Bottom Right Corner: The book cover for Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times by Elizabeth Oldfield. This cover has a circular design with green and yellow rings radiating from the title.

Today we're chatting to Josie Lloyd about her brand new cosy crime adventure Miss Beeton's Murder Agency and we get an exclusive news about a brand new book Josie is writing with Emlyn Rees. Plus we'll find some new books in the RNIB Library. The image shows the cover of the book "Miss Beeton's Murder Agency" by Josie Lloyd. The design features a red, townhouse-like building with three stories, each having large, white-framed windows. The top two floors have windows decorated with Christmas wreaths, while the bottom floor has a green door, also adorned with a wreath, and a small dog sitting nearby. Snow is falling across the scene, suggesting a festive, winter setting. The title is written in large, golden-yellow letters, with "Murder Agency" being the most prominent. The background is a dark blue, adding to the nighttime wintery atmosphere. The author's name, Josie Lloyd, is written at the bottom in white, with the subtitle "Sunday Times Bestselling Author" in smaller text. 

There's a food theme in this week's episode as we head to Wigtown to chat to The Hebridean Baker Coinneach MacLeod, food historian Pen Vogler on her books Scoff and Stuffed and philosopher Julian Baggini tells us How The World Eats. Plus we get the Books of Your Life from Gareth Brown and find new books in the RNIB Library. The image used is a fun collage featuring moments from the Wigtown Book Festival, along with some of the authors and their works. On the top left, there's the festival's lovely handwritten-style logo with little birds fluttering around it. Just beside that, we see the cover of The Hebridean Baker by Coinneach MacLeod, showcasing a man in a kilt standing in the rugged Scottish outdoors—probably hinting at some great Scottish baking stories! To the right, we have the RNIB Connect Radio logo. In the middle left, there's a picture of three smiling people: Robert Kirkwood (who you might know from RNIB Radio) is standing on the left, holding a microphone. Next to him is Coinneach MacLeod holding a book, and to the right of him is Pen Vogler, who is holding her book Stuffed: A History of Good Food and Hard Times. Then, on the center right, there's a nice portrait of Pen Vogler herself, looking thoughtful and confident, with her book cover prominently displayed next to her. Moving down to the bottom, on the left is the colorful cover of How the World Eats by Julian Baggini, which seems to explore food from different cultures across the globe. And on the bottom right, there's a picture of Julian Baggini himself, standing casually outdoors against a stone wall. All in all, this collage gives a taste of the authors and books you'd encounter at the festival, with a nice focus on food and culture.

In a talk sponsored by RNIB Connect Radio, Gareth Brown talks to Teddy Jameson live on stage at the Wigtown Book Festival about his best-selling time-travelling page turner, The Book of Doors. Plus we find some brand new books in the RNIB Library.

As I'm down in Wigtown recording next week's show, here's a collection of hidden gems we've recorded at the festival over the years.

Another collection of narrators in today's show as we celebrate the voices who bring RNIB Talking Books to life, including two very personal tales for becoming a narrator, how an epic stream of consciousness was recorded over months, and we get the Books of Your Life from Yoto Carnegie Shadower Award winner, Tia Fisher. Plus some new books entering the RNIB Library.

Influencer Meredith Lee didn't teach Aspen Palmer how to blossom on social media just to be ditched as soon as Aspen became big. So can anyone really blame Mer for doing a little stalking? Nothing serious, more like Stalking Lite. Jesse Sutanto joins Robert Kirkwood to talk about her new black comedy thriller, You Will Never Be Me. Plus we'll find some brand new books in the RNIB Library.

A compilation episode today of the times Read On was recorded live on stage in front of an audience. We hear from Booker Shortlisted author Graeme Macrae Burnet, former presenter Red Szell, comedian Juliette Burton and there's an extended interview with actor and writer John Gordon Sinclair.

Two tales of recording books today. Julia Donaldson works out how to make an audio version of a very visual book, and Elizabeth Proud talks about how audiobook narration has changed over the years. Plus we'll find some new books in the RNIB Library.

This week Robert Kirkwood chats to Sophie Gravia about her Glasgow Kiss trilogy and her new book Hot Girl Summer, and why she started writing while working as a nurse during the pandemic. Plus we find some new book in the RNIB Library.

This week, Robert Kirkwood chats to Isabel Ashdown about her new book One Girl, One Summer which sees a return to Highcap in Dorset and a reappearance of DS Ali Samson. We also find some brand new audiobooks available from RNIB.

Today's Read On features three very distinctive voices, Adjoa Andoh on being the voice of the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Derek Jacobi on bringing characters to life off the page and we get a masterclass in narration from Martin Jarvis. All that plus some new books available in audio from RNIB.

The Bridgerton books are available from RNIB in accessible formats, but how do you make the TV version accessible? Robert Kirkwood takes a deep dive into the world of Audio Description with Liz Gutman, head Audio Description writer at IDC and finds out if writing 'that scene' make Liz feel like a romance novelist! And, as always, we find some new books in the RNIB Library. Liz's podcast is available here 

This week we chat to Kirsten Miller, author of The Change, about her new book, a gripping and deeply moving novel of bravery, friendship and standing up against censorship, Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books. Plus we find some new books in the RNIB library.

This week, bestselling author and award-winning journalist Jo Piazza, talks about a novel rooted in the author's own family history about a trip to Sicily, a disputed inheritance, and a family secret that some will kill to protect, plus Amelia Hilton chats to blind author and world traveller, Tony Giles. All that plus some new books in the RNIB Library.