Stay ConnectedWhat should I read next? Ask Penguin is the podcast where your quirkiest, trickiest, and most urgent book questions get answered. Hosted by Rhianna Dhillon, we bring bestselling authors and Penguin insiders to explore some of your favourite books and discover new ones that you are yet to read.
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In this special live recording at The London Palladium, Dolly Alderton speaks to award-winning actor and writer Stanley Tucci to discuss his new food memoir, Taste: My Life Through Food.
Stanley speaks passionately about food, and shares with Dolly the ways in which it’s been inextricably intertwined with his life. He recalls early memories of TV chefs, tells us some favourite recipes, and explains how surviving throat cancer has renewed his appreciation for the simple joy of taste. #PenguinPodcast
The audiobook version of Taste: My Life through Food is available here: https://apple.co/3oeQfze
The paperback of Dolly Alderton’s latest novel, Ghosts, is out now: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/316664/ghosts/9780241988688.html
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The Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout joins Isy Suttie to discuss the third book in her Lucy Barton series, ‘Oh, William!’.
Using objects like a ring gifted to her by a great aunt and a postcard of the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald as a starting point, Strout muses on the almost mystical process that allows her to inhabit the characters she creates, her preoccupation with class and the shame that so often sits alongside it, and the epiphany that came to her on the comedy stage. #PenguinPodcast
‘Oh, William!’ is available to order on audiobook now: https://apple.co/3EbDgV6
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The writer that penned an early-noughties viral phenomenon aged just 13, Jade LB, speaks to Nihal Arthanayake about ‘Keisha The Sket’. Having lived on the phones and websites of fans for the past two decades, it’s now been formally published for the first time with additional content from the author and essays from esteemed contemporary writers like Candice Carty-Williams and Caleb Femi.
Using the notion of Black-British girlhood and an old diary, Jade dissects her own life growing up in a world where material wealth and sex are equated to power. She reflects on the need for a community or tribe, and how a lack of intersectionality too often leaves Black, working class women behind. #PenguinPodcast
'Keisha The Sket' is available to pre-order now: https://bit.ly/3v333LU
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The author, podcaster and stand-up comedian Shon Faye joins Nihal Arthanayake to discuss her first book, The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice.
Using iconic queer artefacts like the film ‘The Wizard of Oz’, starring Judy Garland, alongside Lady Gaga’s ‘Chromatica’ album as a gateway, Shon shares with Nihal the experiences that lead to her writing The Transgender Issue: the internalised homophobia, street harassment, and urgency to set the terms of the conversation around Trans liberation right. #PenguinPodcast
The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice is available to order on audiobook now: https://apple.co/3F1D6Rq
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Author, broadcaster, entertainer and former politician Gyles Brandreth talks to Nihal Arthanayake about his upcoming memoir, Odd Boy Out.
In this episode, Gyles Brandreth considers how delving into his own childhood has challenged his usual aversion to being introspective, and how breaking the mirror of self-indulgence can truly enrich your life. Using a teddy bear, a green carnation and some words of wisdom from a war commander, he shows us that the sunshine of his childhood still shines bright.
The audiobook of Odd Boy Out is available to pre-order now: https://apple.co/3nsz4vb
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“Time is just the medium through which life unfolds.” This week, mentalist, illusionist, painter and author Derren Brown talks to Isy Suttie about his latest book, ‘A Book of Secrets: Finding Solace in a Stubborn World’.
In this episode, Derren and Isy delve into the questions at the heart of the way we live our lives. Using objects like a camera and a paintbrush, Derren shares the small ways in which he is able to make peace with the universe. #PenguinPodcast
‘A Book of Secrets: Finding Solace in a Stubborn World’ is available to order on audiobook now: https://apple.co/3jwerMo
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World-renowned author Paula Hawkins talks to Nihal Arthanayake about her latest thriller, A Slow Fire Burning.
In this episode, Paula Hawkins reflects on the disparity between commercial success and her confidence as a writer, particularly in the face of criticism. Is it possible to strike the perfect balance between prosperity and critical acclaim? Using a postcard and a well-worn jumper, she shares her fondness for the keepsakes which remind us of who we are. #PenguinPodcast
The audiobook version of A Slow Fire Burning is available to pre-order now: https://apple.co/3m8wKsu
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Bestselling historical fiction author Conn Iggulden talks to Nihal Arthanayake about Protector, the latest book in his Athenian series.
In this episode, Conn Iggulden recalls the wondrous stories which ignited his imagination as a child and inspired him to begin writing. Armed with a Roman sword and a silver pen, he reveals his methods for understanding the reality of physical combat and tells us about his growing sentimentality in adulthood. #PenguinPodcast
Protector is available to buy as an audiobook now: apple.co/3yoe638
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Prolific author Alexander McCall Smith joins Nihal Arthanayake to share tales from behind his impressive body of work.
In this episode, the ever-curious Alexander McCall Smith tells of his affection for Botswana, and its important role as the backdrop to his much-loved series, The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, gives due respect to the surprises of an author’s subconscious mind, and waxes lyrical about the Celtic art that inspired the story behind one of the fascinating objects he’s brought with him. #PenguinPodcast
The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency is available on audiobook here: https://www.audiobooks.co.uk/audiobook/no-1-ladies-detective-agency-bbc-radio-casebook-vol-1-eight-bbc-radio-4-full-cast-dramatisations/324032
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To celebrate this year’s upcoming Booker Prize nominations, we've delved back into the archives and cherry-picked highlights from eight very special interviews. Hear about the inspirations, frustrations, and secrets behind the winners of the most prestigious prize in literature.
What’s in a name? What is the worst question you can ask an author? Who has a squirrel skull hidden under their bed? All these questions are answered, alongside discussions of African Temporality, the importance of mischief and protest on social media. #PenguinPodcast
Original interviews, from the archives:
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