Rnib Talking Books

In today's show we hear from 11 of the World Book Day books for 2026 which are available from RNIB, plus we listen back to two of our most popular children's authors, Julia Donaldson makes some illustrations in audio and the late great Michael Bond talks about the origins of Paddington.

A special (updated) documentary about the origins of the Talking Books service, recorded at the original locations around London, and featuring many voices from the past.Historian Matthew Rubery and Robert Kirkwood explore everything from the first Talking Book machines, some failed technology, how books were chosen and much more.

An all-star ensemble comes together to celebrate RNIB Talking Books 9th decade of bringing the joy of reading to blind and partially sighted people. A special recording of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice features some of the UK’s best-known actors and today we chat to four of them. Ben Willbond, Phil Dunster, Lisa George and Shazia Mirza talk about narrating Jane Austen and give us some great book recommendations.

A love themed show for Valentine's Day featuring Fiona Lucas on Always and Only You, Joanna Toye on The Little Penguin Bookshop, Rachel Greenlaw on The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells, and audio describer Liz Gutman on writing spicy AD for Bridgerton. Plus we find a handful of books on all sorts of love in the RNIB Library.

James Bartlett, Reading Services Manager at RNIB tells Robert Kirkwood about a new recording of Pride and Prejudice with many famous narrators, made to celebrate 90 years of Talking Books. We also hear the foreword by Julian Fellowes.Full book - https://audioboom.com/playlists/4635906-talking-books-at-90-pride-and-prejudice-by-jane-austen

Today we continue our deep dive into last year's Booker shortlist as Robert Kirkwood has a long chat with Susan Choi on her novel Flashlight. They chat about the significance of the title, the importance of historical research and even end up chatting about ashtrays from McDonalds and smoking in the office!

The year 2026 is National Year of Reading and this along with World Book Day 2026 on March 5, is a great chance for every child, including those with reading impairments and vision impairments, to enjoy and celebrate their love of reading and storytelling.To mark the occasion, leading sight loss charity, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is running a creative writing competition so children with vision impairments can express their creativity and love of books.The competition is open to any child or young person between the ages of 5-12 years with a vision impairment in the UK. The last date to submit entries is Monday 23 February 2026.We can’t wait to read your submission and wish you the very best of luck!For full details of how to enter the competition, email worldbookday@rnib.org.uk

In today's episode Robert Kirkwood chats to Katie Kitamura about her novel Audition, an exhilarating, destabilising novel that asks whether we ever really know the people we love.They chat about dimension shifts, narration and why the book was almost called Performance.Plus we find some new books in the RNIB Library.

The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller is an atmospheric novel set during a famously freezing 1960s winter, exploring the minutiae of married life through the interior lives of two couples. Robert Kirkwood talks to Andrew about his inspiration for the novel, why it's not based on his parents and about his first time narrating one of his novels.

A book 19 years in the making, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai is a spellbinding story of two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years – an epic of love and family, India and America, tradition and modernity. Robert Kirkwood asks Kiran about her writing process, casting the audio version and where to get a good kebab in New York.

A listen back to the times I was set free at both Boswell and Wigtown Book Festivals featuring Rupert Everett, Louise Minchin, Wayne Sleep, Dom Joly and Andrew O'Hagan.

A listen back to some 2025 highlights from later in last year including Percival Everett, Yael van der Wouden, Nate Lessore, Margaret McDonald, David Szalay and pay tribute to Frederick Forsythe and Dame Stella Rimington.

A listen back to some 2025 highlights from early last year including AJ West, Yael van der Wouden, Rachel Kushner, Clare Mackintosh, Lucy Edwards and pay tribute to narrator Steve Hodson.

In today's Read On, Robert Kirkwood chats to the Map Men, also known as Jay Foreman and Mark Cooper-Jones about their debut book This Way Up - When Maps Go Wrong (and why it matters). In the second part of their chat they discuss accessibility, made up mountains, an audiobook co-incidence and even have a feel of a tactile map from RNIB. Plus we'll find some more festive books in the RNIB Library.

In today's Read On, Robert Kirkwood chats to the Map Men, also known as Jay Foreman and Mark Cooper-Jones about their debut book This Way Up - When Maps Go Wrong (and why it matters). In this first part of a two part show Jay and Mark talk about accents, breaking the fourth wall and addressing the listener directly and about turning a very visual book into an audiobook. Plus we'll find some festive books in the RNIB Library.

Author of many favourites in the RNIB Library, Joanna herself was very aware of the importance of accessibility as she had an eye condition that made her partially sighted. Here she is on the importance of Talking Books

From her home in Los Angeles, author E.K. Wise tells Robert Kirkwood about The Keepers of the Rock - Book 1 The Debilis Rising, a thrilling YA fantasy full of secrets, crystals and history. We discuss the science behind the book, about neurodivergent representation and ask why the audio version was recorded in the UK Plus we find some new books in the RNIB Library

In the final show this year recorded in Scotland's Book Town, we chat to author Annaliese Avery about her new series, The Wycherleys, storyteller Renita Boyle has some Wild Words and listener Charlotte Bennie, and her guide dog Christie, tell us what the Wigtown Book Festival is like for accessibility. Plus as always, we find some new books in the RNIB Library.

Today Robert Kirkwood chats to Nicholas Jubber about Monsterland, a journey around the world's dark imagination and he also talks to an author with two heads ... those being that of Christopher Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman AKA Ambrose Parry, about the latest Raven and Fisher mystery, The Death of Shame. We also travel to the RNIB Library to find some brand new books.

On today's Read On a long chat with the winner of the Booker Prize 2025, David Szalay. Robert Kirkwood chats to David about the life of his character István, and how he seems to live in the gaps between chapters, and about the narration of the audio version by Daniel Weyman. We also find some brand new books in the RNIB Library.