The Listening Books Podcast
For every kind of reader, but especially for fans of audiobooks. Featuring conversations with the authors and narrators of your favourite books, as well as reading round-ups and the odd lighthearted literary game. Listening Books is a UK charity that provides audiobooks for those who struggle to read or hold a book due to an illness, disability, learning difficulty or mental health issue. Find out more at www.listening-books.org.uk. Follow @ListeningBooks
Episodes
Leeanne O’Donnell is the author of Sparks of Bright Matter, a novel set in Georgian London and West Cork that follows the pursuits of scientist and alchemist, Peter Woulfe. In her thoughtful conversation with host Jessica Stone, she talks about what made Peter a subject of fascination to her, how her own near-sightedness inspired a beloved character’s...
Louise Hare is the London-based author of This Lovely City and the Canary Club Mysteries. In this conversation with host Jessica Stone, she talks about the second in that series, Harlem After Midnight—how the musical styles of ragtime and jazz support the story, how she creates a safe space for her main character, and how the histo...
Becca Caddy is a writer and journalist who likes to explore the human side of technology, and her book Screen Time offers the information and guidance to help us take back a bit more control over our digital lives. In this conversation with host Jessica Stone, Becca talks about why our language around technology is so important and how we can be more deliberate in our use of the technological tools available to...
Sierra Godfrey is the well-travelled author of A Very Typical Family and The Second Chance Hotel. In this joyful conversation with Jessica Stone, she talks about her first novel, her love for anything written or recommended by Marian Keyes, the nature of friendship, and even her meticulous system for tracking all the boo...
Amy, Claire and Jessica each bring one ‘old’ book and one ‘new’ one to the table before Amy and Claire square off in Jess’s ridiculously challenging literary game.
Books mentioned:
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A special festive episode discussing books that feature celebrations. Amy and Edward return for a final a face-off as ...
Emily Woo Zeller is an American voice actress and audiobook narrator whose work has earned heaps of awards, including AudioFile’s prestigious Golden Voice Award. You may have heard her reading f...
Stephanie Cannon is an American voice actor, circus performer, and audiobook narrator living in England. In this conversation with host Jessica Stone, she tells us what that’s like, how walking on stilts complements reading in a box, which kinds of books she loves to narrate, and conversely which ones she'll take a pass on. We also discuss Kate Dylan’s cyberpunk dystopian novel Mindwalker and its sequel Mindbreaker, b...
Jane McDowell is a talented actress and narrator with many credits to her name, including the
Polly Lee is an award winning
Bonnie Garmus is the author of Lessons in Chemistry, the bestselling novel about a chemist named Elizabeth Zott who becomes the host of a cooking show in the 1960s.
Gordon Griffin has narrated over 900 audiobooks and in 2017 received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth for his services to audiobooks. He tells us about that experience, how the industry has changed over the ...
Annie Aldington has voiced hundreds of audiobooks, and among them are some of the most popular titles in the Listening Books collection, including novels by Dilly Court, Martina Cole, Katie Price, Aoife Walsh, and Kitty Neale. Here Annie tells us how she happened into audiobook narration, shares her secret tricks for conquering difficult accents, and reveals just how much fun peripheral characters can be.
Clinical psychologist and author Dr Julie Smith joins Jess to share some of the practical wisdom from her bestselling book Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?
Want to know one of the most versatile tools to have in your mental health tool kit? Do you ever wish you could summon motivation when y...
Author Jonathan Whitelaw joins Jess for a cosy chat about cosy crime. He tells us how he landed such a fantastic narrator in Sid Sagar, how he approached character development in The Bingo Hall Detectives, why he chose the Lake District for the setting, and what we should be reading while we wait for his next book, The Village Hall Vendetta.
Books Mentioned
The Bingo Hall Detectives and The...
Author Florence Wilkinson talks about her book Wild City: Encounters with Urban Wildlife, giving lots of suggestions for noticing and encouraging the wildlife right on our doorstep.
Books and Apps Mentioned
- Darwin Comes to Town: How the Urban Jungle Drives Evolution by Menno Schilthuizen
- Warbler
- Picture This
Jess is joined by colleagues Amy and Lieve to talk about notable books adapted to film—for better and for worse! Of course, this is all just a warm-up for the true highlight, which is of course our Very Serious Literary Game. Will Amy triumph against her new opponent, or will Lieve take down the reigning champion?
Who Are We?
The Listening Books Podcast is hosted by audio producer Jessica Stone and is ...
Emilie Pine, author of the personal essay collection Notes to Self and her recently published novel Ruth and Pen, tells us what it was like to narrate her emotionally difficult first book, what factored into the casting of Ruth and Pen’s audiobook narrator, and the sometimes surprising responses she’s received from readers. There is also wisdom here for the aspiring writer, or anyone attempting something that feels to...
Natasha Lipman writes about what it means to live, and live well, with chronic illness. Here she talks to Jessica about the strategies she’s adopted to return her to the pleasures of reading.
Books Mentioned
The Kites by Romain Gary
The Paddington Series by Michael Bond, read by Stephen Fry
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Gail Pirkis and Hazel Wood are founding editors of Slightly Foxed, the quarterly magazine and independent publishing house. As specialists in books that have stood the test of time even while falling out of fashion, Gail and Hazel bring us titles so good, they deserve to be heard as audiobooks, too.
Books and Authors Recommended
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