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A weekly show all about audiobooks recorded at the RNIB Talking Book studios. We talk to your favourite authors and narrators, along with reviews and news about new audiobooks. Presented and produced by Robert Kirkwood, you'll find a new episode here every Friday at 1pm plus bonus content such as longer uncut interviews and episodes of our occasional extra show, The Book Group. Talking Books is a free service from RNIB giving access to over 40,000 fiction and non fiction books for adults and children. Find out more by searching for RNIB Library. Get involved and join the conversation by emailing [email protected] or find Robert on Twitter @Talking_Books Other great podcast channels from RNIB Connect Radio Connect - Our main channel with news, features and articles on sight loss. Conversations - Blind and partially sighted people speaking about a wide range of topics. Tech Talk - Technology for blind and partially sighted people. Sport - See sport differently. The Happy Hour - Mental health, mindfulness, and overall wellbeing. Tracks of My Life - Take a journey through our guest's life. Support - Other podcasts from RNIB. TV Guide - Daily audio TV listings

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Lucy Roth/Lucy Nichol - The Party To End All Parties

2026/04/17

Today on Read On - The Audiobook Show, Lucy Roth, who also writes under the name Lucy Nichol, talks music, mental health, and learns how to hide a body as we go to The Party To End All Parties. Plus we find some new books available from RNIB Library.

Carnegie Medal Winners

2026/04/10

As this year's Carnegie Medal Shortlist interviews start to happen, today is a listen back to three winners of the most prestigious prize in children's fiction, Manon Steffan Ros, Joseph Coelho and Tanya Landman.

Ben Markovits - The Rest of Our Lives

2026/04/03

Today we go on a road trip with Ben Markovits and his book The Rest of Our Lives. When Tom Layward's wife had an affair he resolved to leave her as soon as his youngest daughter turned eighteen. Twelve years later, while driving her to Pittsburgh to start university, he remembers his pact, and keeps driving ... Plus we'll find some new books in the RNIB Library.

Lisa Timoney/Kate Storey/Naomi Williams - The Last Page Cafe

2026/03/27

A return visit this week from Lisa Timoney, a bestselling, multi-genre author who writes emotional family dramas under her own name, uplifting book club fiction as Kate Storey, and twisty psychological thrillers as Naomi Williams. This time we talk about The Last Page Cafe, The Lies Out Children Tell and discuss the sight condition blepharospasm in her book, The Eyewitness. Plus we find new books in the RNIB Library.

Comicbooks as Audiobooks featuring Daredevil: Born Again

2026/03/20

In today's Read On we listen to some 'Marvel - Age of Comics' audiobooks, take a deep dive into the full cast audio versions of some 2000 AD graphic novels, listen to the voice of the original Dalek and Parker from Thunderbirds, the late David Graham and even talk to the producer and showrunner of Marvel/Disney's Daredevil Born Again.

Talking Books at 90 - The First Recorded Voices (and the equipment used)

2026/03/13

From the phonautograph to a smart speaker, today's Read On not only looks at the history of 90 years of RNIB Talking Books recording (and the equipment used), but goes back to the invention of recording as a whole. We hear the first recorded voices, about the format war between cylinder and disc, about the phonautograph, the phonograph, the graphophone and the gramophone, to single track magnetic tape, DAISY CDs and Alexa Skills and more in this 169 year trek through the history of recording the human voice.

World Book Day 2026

2026/03/06

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.

Talking Books at 90 - Ian Fraser and the first Talking Books

2026/02/27

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.

Talking Books at 90 - Recording Pride and Prejudice with Ben Willbond, Phil Dunster, Lisa George and Shazia Mirza

2026/02/20

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.

Love Stories for Valentine

2026/02/13

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.

Talking Books at 90 - Pride & Prejudice multi-cast recording

2026/02/11

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

Susan Choi - Flashlight

2026/02/06

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!

World Book Day Children's Writing Competition

2026/02/02

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 [email protected]

Katie Kitamura - Audition

2026/01/30

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.

Andrew Miller - The Land in Winter

2026/01/23

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.