Ask Penguin
by Penguin Books UK
Latest episode
Is death metal the secret to writing a bestseller? with Elif Shafak
Is death metal the secret to writing a bestseller? with Elif Shafak
About this podcast
What 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 268 episodes
- Is death metal the secret to writing a bestseller? with Elif Shafak · 52 min · Season 5 Episode 2What can Little Women teach modern boys about sisterhood? How does food become a language of love and grief? How does writing in a third language shape your creative rhythm? And…
- How do you adapt East of Eden for screen? · 20 min · Season 5 Episode 1How do you begin breaking down a 600-page American epic to bring it to the screen? How did Florence Pugh capture the essence of the central character Cathy? How did John…
- How can I help someone fall in love with reading? with Nadia Shireen and Jonathan Douglas · 47 min · Season 4Can 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 ultimate weapon for reluctant readers? And…
- Which books help us reconnect with nature? with Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris · 57 min · Season 4 Episode 6Why 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 our landscapes? And what is the simplest…
- What's wrong with reading to look smart? with Abir Mukherjee · 59 min · Season 4 Episode 5Has modern forensics taken away the power of the murder mystery genre? How does a career in corporate finance prepare you to write about a killer? Is narrative voice more…
- Which debut novels should you be reading in 2026? · 52 min · Season 4 Episode 4What 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 Pakistani rap teach one of our debut…
- Which books emotionally wrecked you? With Dawn French · 59 min · Season 4 Episode 3How 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 really happened when Dawn French came…
- What are the best novels about infidelity? With Sophie Mackintosh · 41 min · Season 4 Episode 2What’s the difference between flash fiction and the short story? Why are we drawn to literature’s most flawed characters? And what would be the ideal fictional world for…
- What is a must-read book to make me laugh? With Bryony Gordon · 47 min · Season 4 Episode 1How did Marian Keyes inspire Bryony Gordon’s writing? How do you write about family without falling into stereotypes? Which books capture the messy reality of life? And what is…
- Why I wanted to adapt Wuthering Heights with Emerald Fennell · 1 h 7 minIs 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 Fennell could adapt another book to…
- What secrets does Jane Austen's house hold? · 26 min · Season 3In 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 there and the objects she treasured most…
- What were the best books of 2025? · 41 min · Season 3 Episode 7What 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 back at standout titles, memorable…
- What makes a setting feel so vivid it becomes a character? With Paula Hawkins · 51 min · Season 3 Episode 6Which novels are truly unputdownable and what should you read on a dark winter's night? We’re joined by best-selling author, Paula Hawkins, who discusses art, love and remote…
- What is the best translated fiction to read? With Karl Ove Knausgaard · 52 min · Season 3 Episode 5What 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 you haven't visited? This week we sat…
- Why are generations at war with each other? With Zadie Smith · 56 min · Season 3 Episode 4Which multi-generational novels inspired White Teeth? Where does Zadie Smith turn for her next great read? And our Penguin team is back to solve your reading dilemmas - whether…
- Is never growing up the secret to great storytelling? With Philip Pullman · 42 min · Season 3 Episode 3What was the inspiration behind Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights series? How does he want readers to feel on Lyra’s final adventure in The Rose Field? Has his demon changed now…
- Is Jane Austen's legacy more than just romantic love? With Andrew Hunter Murray and Gill Hornby · 50 min · Season 3 Episode 2Why do we still love Jane Austen’s novels 250 years later? What makes her stories continue to inspire readers and creators today? And if Jane were alive now, which book would you…
- Why do we still laugh when times are hard? With Ocean Vuong · 54 min · Season 3 Episode 1I'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 are the best books that explore…
- Which books shocked and shaped our society? With Simon Prosser and Jack Edwards · 1 h 5 minOutrageous, iconic and unforgettable - these are some of the books Penguin have been publishing over its 90-year history. As part of a special content series called 'The books…
- Which books defined a generation? with Irvine Welsh and Derek Owusu · 48 minWhat would you recommend an inspiring writer to read? What is the best gateway book to get into reading? Who are the new and upcoming Scottish novelists working today to watch…
- How did penguin turn the UK into a nation of readers? with Kate Mosse · 55 min · Season 2 Episode 7From the paperback revolution to the obscenity trial that made Lady Chatterley’s Lover famous, we explore how Penguin turned the UK into a nation of readers as we celebrate our…
- What should you read this summer? With Anthony Horowitz · 47 min · Season 2 Episode 6Why are murder mysteries so obsessed with grand houses and wealthy families? Does a summer read really need to be light? What can a writer learn from imitating their literary…
- What can fiction teach us about queer history? with Charlie Porter · 43 min · Season 2 Episode 5What happens when a generation is never given the space to grieve? Why can walking make difficult conversations easier? What can the stories of the past teach us about living…
- What are the best book club books? with Yrsa Daley-Ward · 51 min · Season 2 Episode 4Is disagreement the secret ingredient of a great book-club discussion? Can a smell transport us more powerfully than a memory? How can a fictional world feel more real than…
- What are the must read debut novelists of the year? (2025) · 42 min · Season 2 Episode 3Which childhood books might have shaped the stories you tell? Is ten years too long to spend writing your first book? Should your friends be worried that something they say might…
- What are the best romance books? With Emily Henry · 39 min · Season 2 Episode 2Is Heathcliff digging up Cathy the ultimate romantic gesture? Why do the best romances need a little heartbreak? Why are younger readers so unapologetic about the books they…
- Why are children’s books so much fun to read? with Greg James and Chris Smith · 36 min · Season 2 Episode 1What can Monty Python teach children about adventure? How do you write for children without forgetting the grown-ups reading along? And should we stop worrying about what…
- Ask Penguin Series 2 Trailer · 1 minThe Penguin Podcast is back for another series of Ask Penguin. In each episode, we will take you inside Penguin Books to meet some of the incredible authors we publish, as well…
- Jodi Picoult on the theory behind Shakespeare’s plays · 7 min · Season 1In our final bonus episode from The Penguin Podcast, bestselling author Jodi Picoult shares her theory on the true author behind Shakespeare's plays that inspired her new novel…
- A day in the life of a Publicist with Alison Barrow · 9 min · Season 1In this bonus episode we speak with Alison Barrow, Publicity Director at Penguin Books, to explore the fascinating world of book publicity. Alison shares insights into her role…
- The human experience and AI with Jeanette Winterson · 8 min · Season 1In this bonus episode from The Penguin Podcast, Episode 11 - Winter Reads, Jeanette Winterson shares her fascinating perspective on our relationship with Artificial Intelligence…
- A day in the life of a Books Editor with Simon Prosser · 8 min · Season 1Ever wondered what the role of an Editor at Penguin Books involves? In our second bonus episode, Rhianna speaks with Publishing Director, Simon Prosser about what a typical day…
- How to tackle reading the big Classics with Henry Eliot · 8 min · Season 1In a special bonus episode taken from Episode 3: The Classics with Henry Eliot and Gill Hornby we share author and editor Henry Eliot's tips on tackling some of Classics' biggest…
- What are the best books of the year? (2024) · 12 min · Season 1 Episode 12What makes dark academia so enticing? Which book turned slow cooking into a life-changing obsession? What are the new books are already causing a stir inside Penguin HQ? And what…
- What are the best Winter reads? with Jeanette Winterson · 35 min · Season 1 Episode 11Why do people of all cultures have ghost stories? Can love truly survive death? Will artificial intelligence be the new ghosts of ghost stories? And what makes A Christmas Carol…
- How do we best preserve the history of World Wars? With Al James, Terry Deary and James Holland · 49 min · Season 1 Episode 10Can a film turn history into mythology? What can a novel tell us about war that a history book can’t? How did a convicted murderer write one of the great wartime novels? And were…
- How do you become a published author, anyway? with Jennie Godfrey · 41 min · Season 1 Episode 9How do you get published if you don’t know anyone in publishing? What makes an editor fall in love with a manuscript? Should authors listen to every piece of feedback they…
- What are the best books to gift at Christmas? with William Hanson · 47 min · Season 1 Episode 8Who actually decides what counts as good manners? Why are speakerphone calls the latest frontier of bad etiquette? Can humour make us better behaved? And should you ever sniff…
- Could Shakespeare have been a woman? with Jodi Picoult · 43 min · Season 1 Episode 7What if one of literature’s greatest mysteries has been hiding in plain sight? Why do we know Shakespeare’s name but not Amelia Bassano’s? Can historical fiction give forgotten…
- Was the book better than the film? with Robert Harris · 27 min · Season 1 Episode 6How did one glimpse of the Vatican inspire an international bestseller? How faithful should a film stay to the novel that inspired it? And how long does it really take to get a…
- How do you plot the perfect murder mystery? with Kate Atkinson · 25 min · Season 1 Episode 5Can a country house whodunnit still surprise us? What can Agatha Christie teach a us about crime? Does every great detective need a partner? And what is it exactly that makes a…
- Do ghost stories still have the power to scare us? with Daisy Johnson · 30 min · Season 1 Episode 4Why do we love books that frighten us? What makes a hotel the perfect setting for a ghost story? Why can the safest places sometimes feel the most terrifying? And which books…
- How do we define a classic novel? With Henry Eliot and Gill Hornby · 44 min · Season 1 Episode 3Can a hundred-year-old novel still feel completely modern? Does The Count of Monte Cristo explain our obsession with superheroes? Who actually decides when a book becomes a…
- Who gets to write African History? with Zainab Badawi · 29 min · Season 1 Episode 2Where did the human story really begin? Why do some histories get remembered while others disappear? What can a centuries-old story passed down by word of mouth teach us today?…
- What are some of the best prize-winning books to read? With Sara Collins · 37 min · Season 1 Episode 1What does it take to read 150 books in six months? Why do we love characters who make terrible decisions? What does an editor actually do to make a great writer even better? And…
- Ask Penguin Trailer · 1 minThe Penguin Podcast is returning with a brand-new series called Ask Penguin. In each episode, we will take you inside Penguin Books to meet some of the incredible authors we…
- The Best Of the Penguin Podcast 2023 · 36 minThis week on the Penguin Podcast we're recapping the year with a selection of the brilliant guests we've welcomed onto the show. We hear from Jane Fallon, Chris van Tulleken…
- Sebastian Faulks with Nihal Arthanayake · 43 minThis week on the Penguin Podcast, Nihal Arthanayake is joined by national treasure and bestselling author, Sebastian Faulks. Together they they discuss the tweet that helped…
- C Pam Zhang with Nihal Arthanayake · 46 minThis week on the Penguin Podcast, Nihal Arthanayake is joined by Booker Longlisted author, C Pam Zhang. Together they discuss Zhang's latest novel, The Land of Milk and Honey…
- Peter Singer with Nihal Arthanayake · 52 minThis week on the Penguin Podcast, Nihal Arthanayake is joined by one of our time's most important moral philosophers and animal rights activists, Peter Singer. In this episode…
