How can I help someone fall in love with reading? with Nadia Shireen and Jonathan Douglas
Can you read a cookbook cover-to-cover like a thriller? Does your reading level predict a longer life? Why is a punk chef’s memoir the ultim...
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The Penguin Podcast
An intimate fortnightly conversation with authors and the objects that inspired their books. #PenguinPodcast
Episodes
20 of 266 episodes
Which books help us reconnect with nature? with Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
Why do baby puffins prefer to be alone? Why don’t Cuckoo birds raise their own children? Has the decline of birds taken away the music of ou...
What's wrong with reading to look smart? with Abir Mukherjee
Has modern forensics taken away the power of the murder mystery genre? How does a career in corporate finance prepare you to write about a k...
Which debut novels should you be reading in 2026?
What are the best books get you out of a reading slump? How did Snakes on a Plane inspire a literary sensation? What did James Joyce and Pak...
Which books emotionally wrecked you? With Dawn French
How does artist Kae Tempest inspire Dawn French ? Do editors always know best? What is the impact of grief on those we love most? And what r...
What are the best novels about infidelity? With Sophie Mackintosh
What’s the difference between flash fiction and the short story? Why are we drawn to literature’s most flawed characters? And what would be...
What is a must-read book to make me laugh? With Bryony Gordon
How did Marian Keyes inspire Bryony Gordon’s writing? How do you write about family without falling into stereotypes? Which books capture th...
Why I wanted to adapt Wuthering Heights with Emerald Fennell
Is Wuthering Heights the perfect novel or the perfect work of art? Why do we fall in love with villains? Is all love doomed? And if Emerald...
What secrets does Jane Austen's house hold?
In this special bonus episode, and to mark Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, we step inside her home in Alton to uncover the life she lived ther...
What were the best books of 2025?
What were our favourite books of the year and what are we most excited to read in 2026? Join the team behind the Ask Penguin podcast to look...
What makes a setting feel so vivid it becomes a character? With Paula Hawkins
Which novels are truly unputdownable and what should you read on a dark winter's night? We’re joined by best-selling author, Paula Hawkins ,...
What is the best translated fiction to read? With Karl Ove Knausgaard
What are the best new books in Korean fiction? What is the process of translating a book into English? And how do you evoke a sense of place...
Why are generations at war with each other? With Zadie Smith
Which multi-generational novels inspired White Teeth ? Where does Zadie Smith turn for her next great read? And our Penguin team is back to...
Is never growing up the secret to great storytelling? With Philip Pullman
What was the inspiration behind Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights series ? How does he want readers to feel on Lyra’s final adventure in The...
Is Jane Austen's legacy more than just romantic love? With Andrew Hunter Murray and Gill Hornby
Why do we still love Jane Austen’s novels 250 years later? What makes her stories continue to inspire readers and creators today? And if Jan...
Why do we still laugh when times are hard? With Ocean Vuong
I'm looking for a novel that reads like poetry - where should I start? Can you recommend a queer love story with a happy conclusion? What ar...
Which Penguin books shocked society and became cultural icons? With Jack Edwards and Penguin Editor, Simon Prosser
Outrageous, iconic and unforgettable - these are some of the books Penguin have been publishing over its 90-year history. As part of a speci...
Which book defined your generation? With Irvine Welsh and Derek Owusu
What would you recommend an inspiring writer to read? What is the best gateway book to get into reading? Who are the new and upcoming Scotti...
How Penguin Books turned the UK into a nation of readers
From the paperback revolution to the obscenity trial that made Lady Chatterley’s Lover famous, we explore how Penguin turned the UK into a n...
What should you read this summer? With Anthony Horowitz
What are the books that give you all the Summer feels? Can you recommend the perfect thrillers to take on holiday? And which books evoke the...