This week features each book on the 2024 Booker Prize shortlist and a listen to the audio versions, plus some book recommendations from last year’s winner Paul Lynch.

Image shows the shortlisted books on a shelf, spines towards the camera.

This week on Read On we have three very different authors, 

Ariane Bankes discovers her mother's and aunt's correspondence in The Quality of Love: Twin Sisters at the Heart of the Century, Irvine Welsh tells us about the third Ray Lennox book, Resolution, and Elizabeth Oldfield is Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times in her book, Fully Alive.

All that plus some new books (including the new Sally Rooney) in the RNIB Library.

The image features elements associated with the Wigtown Book Festival

1. Top Left Corner: The book cover for The Quality of Love: Twin Sisters at the Heart of the Century by Ariane Bankes. The cover has a bright green background with a vintage-style image of two women, likely representing the twin sisters mentioned in the title, facing each other.
   
   
2. Top Center: A photograph of Irvine Welsh and Robert Kirkwood. Irvine, on the left, is bald, with a slight smile, dressed casually in a light brown jacket over a striped shirt. Robert, on the right, is taking the selfie, recognizable by his glasses and beard.
   
   
3. Bottom Left Corner: The logo for the Wigtown Book Festival, featuring stylized text with a tree sprouting from the letter “W.” Below this is the logo for RNIB Connect Radio
   
   
4. Bottom Center: A smiling portrait of Elizabeth Oldfield, who is standing indoors, wearing a black top with a blue and turquoise jacket. Her open, warm smile and relaxed pose convey a friendly, engaging presence.
   
   
5. Bottom Right Corner: The book cover for Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times by Elizabeth Oldfield. This cover has a circular design with green and yellow rings radiating from the title.
   
   
   

This week Robert Kirkwood chats to Sophie Gravia about her Glasgow Kiss trilogy and her new book Hot Girl Summer, and why she started writing while working as a nurse during the pandemic. Plus we find some new book in the RNIB Library.

Fiona Lucas deals with memory loss and hope for lost love in 'Never Forget You'

Amelia Henley tells us an emotional story about love and second chances in 'From Now On'

Plus Robert Kirkwood finds some Christmas reads in the RNIB Library.

Robert Kirkwood listens back to some winners of the Booker Prize including George Saunders, Richard Flanagan, Eleanor Catton and Marlon James, plus we have the Books of Your Life from this year's winner, Shehan Karunatilaka.

Alan Garner joins Robert Kirkwood to talk about the origin of his Booker Shortlisted book, Treacle Walker. Plus we listen back to an interview with J.O. Morgan after he recorded his Costa poetry winning book, 'Assurances' exclusively for RNIB Talking Books.

Author Jan Grue talks to Paulina Kuchorew about his autobiography 'I Live a Life Like Yours' now available in an English translation as an audiobook,
Melanie Reid discusses her book, 'The World I fell Out Of',
Amelia Hilton finds out about a new sustainable bookshop in the borders,
And as the hype builds for the world cup, Robert Kirkwood finds some RNIB Talking Books for the armchair sportsman.

Book Week Scotland is an annual celebration of books and reading that takes place across the country, this year taking place from the 14th to the 20th of November.

Every year, Scottish Book Trust ask people to share stories as part of our 'Your Stories' campaign and feature all the stories on their website. They then include a handful of our favourites in a free book for Book Week Scotland. This year's theme is Scotland’s Stories.

The audio version of the Book Week Scotland Book is always produced by RNIB, with many of the stories being recorded at home by the authors. Today's show is a small selection of those tales.

For the whole audiobook or ebook click HERE 

Jenny Ashcroft tells Robert Kirkwood about her most personal novel to date, The Echoes of Love, Elizabeth Strout tells Toby Davey about Booker shortlisted Oh William!, and after his passing Robert listens back to the only time his Dad was on the show, proudly talking about the replica printing press he conceived to celebrate Robert Burns' Kilmarnock Edition. 

Helen Fields talks to Robert Kirkwood about 'The Last Girl to Die' a haunting mystery set on the ancient ocean-battered Isle of Mull. 

And as we experience political turmoil, we listen back to Red Szell's chat with John Bew about his biography of Atlee, 'Citizen Clem'

All That's Left Unsaid is an "unmissable and compelling" debut novel from Tracy Lien, subject to a nine way auction in the UK and USA, she joins Robert Kirkwood to chat about her book and explains the model minority.

Also today, we hear from the familiar voice of narrator Garrick Hagon, actor, producer and X-Wing Pilot!

Robert Kirkwood interviews Shehan Karunatilaka about his Booker winning book The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida ... and off screen had a grey beard off!

We talk to four of the six Booker shortlisted authors (with the other two coming soon)

Percival Everett with The Trees, in which a violent history refuses to be buried.

NoViolet Bulawayo with her re-telling of Animal Farm, Glory.

Shehan Karunatilaka with his murder mystery The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

And Claire Keegan with Small Things Like These, which is aptly titled as it's the shortest book ever to be on the shortlist.

This week, Robert Kirkwood chats to Isabel Ashdown about her new book One Girl, One Summer which sees a return to Highcap in Dorset and a reappearance of DS Ali Samson. We also find some brand new audiobooks available from RNIB.

In a packed show recorded on location at the Wigtown Book Festival, Robert Kirkwood chats to a whole host of writers, including three very different historians, Nick Jubber on the Fairy Tellers, Alex von Tunzelmann on toppled statues in Fallen Idols and Estelle Paranque on Fire, Blood and Gold - the relationship between Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici.

There are some Wigtown natives ... we speak to storyteller Renita Boyle, and bookshop diarist Shaun Bythell.

Plus a trio of female Scottish writers, Olga Wojtas on Maria Blane's Prefect, Lynne McEwan on Dead Man Deep and In Dark Water plus recent guest on the show Elissa Soave on her debut Ginger and Me.

Josie Lloyd chats to Robert Kirkwood about her books The Cancer Ladies Running Club, Come Together and her new book, Lifesaving for Beginners plus fresh from the Booker Shortlist announcement we hear from head judge Neil MacGregor.

Dame Hilary Mantel, author of the Wolf Hall trilogy, has died aged 70

A statement from her publisher reads, "We are heartbroken at the death of our beloved author, Dame Hilary Mantel. Our thoughts are with her friends and family, especially her husband, Gerald. This is a devastating loss and we can only be grateful she left us with such a magnificent body of work."

When The Mirror and the Light was published I put together this little biography combining the two times she joined me on air, and the picture accompanying this tribute is Dame Hilary in the RNIB Talking Book studios proudly displaying her 2009 Booker Prize.

Red Szell chats to Joseph Coelho about becoming the new children's laureate, we listen back to a live interview with John Gordon Sinclair with Robert Kirkwood on stage at the Edinburgh Book Festival and as the Booker shortlist is released we hear from former winner Bernardine Evaristo with the books of her life.

Philip Reeve, author of Mortal Engines, tells us all about his new book Utterly Dark and the Heart of the Wild plus we listen back to the Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour Jamboree with Jacqueline Wilson, Chris Riddell, Pamela Butchart and Cressida Cowell.

Another listen back to some stand ups, comedy performers and funny people who've popped up over the years, this time with Julian Clary, Helen Lederer, Eddie Izzard, Cariad Lloyd, Richard Herring and Limmy.

A listen back to some funny people who've popped up on Read On, featuring Robin Ince, Susan Calman, Tony Hawks, Michael Palin, Jo Brand and Phill Jupitus.

Lexie Elliot joins Robert Kirkwood to discuss her psychological thriller, How To Kill Your Best Friend.

We travel back in time to discover the origins of a hidden gem in the Talking Books library, the specially commissioned book series, Elsewhere. 

Plus Juliet Stevenson talks to Red Szell about narrating for RNIB.

Bruce Horak is the first blind actor with a lead role in Star Trek. He talks to Robert Kirkwood about his life, from losing his sight as a toddler to cancer, through his career as an artist and performer, to stepping onto the bridge of the Enterprise.
We also learn about Marcus Berkmann's book Set Phasers to Stun, and hear books narrated by William Shatner and the late Nichelle Nichols.

Elissa Soave tells Robert Kirkwood about her debut novel Ginger and Me, actor turned author Ross Armstrong takes Red Szell to a luxury private island in his murderous new thriller The Getaway and Robert asks some Talking Book narrators about what keeps them coming back.

Picture shows the cover of Ginger and Me by Elissa Soave. Orange text on a black and white photo of a young lady balancing on a tram track in the city with a Tunnock's sign in the background

Today's Read On features three very distinctive voices, Adjoa Andoh on being the voice of the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Derek Jacobi on bringing characters to life off the page and we get a masterclass in narration from Martin Jarvis. All that plus some new books available in audio from RNIB.

In Red Szell's last show as presenter, Robert Kirkwood takes Red back through some of his favourite interviews with John LeCarre, Natalie Haynes, Lucy Scott and Al Petrie, Jessica Townsend and more. 

Frances Liardet explores old wounds and new beginnings in the follow-up to her international bestseller 'We Must be Brave' .

Rebecca Stott transports us back to derelict London, 100 years after the Roman withdrawal from Britain, in her new novel 'Dark Earth'.

And we return to Frances Liardet for the Books of Your Life.

Jason Roberts talks to Red Szell about his biography of the blind traveller James Holman (Starts at 1.00)

Jasper Winn on his sea kayak adventure documented in his book 'Paddle, A Long Way Around Ireland'  (Starts at 28.00)

John Keay chats to Robert Kirkwood about his books China, and Eccentric Travellers.  (Starts at 38.00)

Chris McMillan talks about China Vision and the importance of literacy (starts at 43.00)

This week we'll be considering some of the less savoury consequences of human civilization: 
Ruta Sepetys takes us behind the Iron Curtain and back to Ceausescu’s Romania, in her gripping new novel 'I Must Betray You'.
We visit the slums of modern day India through the pages of Varsha Shah’s dazzling debut 'Ajay and the Mumbai Sun'.  
David Farrier  considers how the items that we discard will inform on us for generations to come in 'Footprints'. 

And we return to Varsha Shah for the Books of Your Life. 

This week we're coming from The British Library, and the award ceremony for this year’s Yoto Carnegie Medal.

Yusef Salaam tells us about his experience as a member of the Exonerated Five and how it fed into 'Punching the Air'.

We go back to 2021 winner, Jason Reynolds, who examines the walk home from school in 'Look Both Ways'.

Lynne Livingstone, Manjeet Mann and Derek Atta stop by for a quick chat at the awards.

And we speak to the 2022 winner on the excitement of winning - and the Books of Their Life!

A Thriller Special!

Scott Kershaw reveals how a spate of dog-nappings inspired his chilling high-concept thriller ‘The Game’.
Femi Kayode transports us to Nigeria for his tense thriller, ‘Lightseekers’.
CJ Tudor tells us how an innocent game with her daughter morphed into her creepy debut 'The Chalk Man'.

And we return to Scott Kershaw for the Books of His Life.

This week we will be taking a look at more of the books short-listed for this year’s Yoto Carnegie Medal.

Katya Balen helps us find some inner-city wilderness and ponders our possessions in 'October, October'.

Phil Earle takes us to London during the blitz, where a gorilla changes the life of an angry boy in 'When the Sky Falls'.

Sue Divin looks to bridge sectarian divides in her Derry-based debut 'Guard Your Heart'.

And we return to Katya Balen for the Books of Your Life.

This week we're celebrating The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Sarah, Duchess of York, will share some royal reminiscences and explore her own lineage through her new historical romance ‘Her Heart For a Compass’.
Robert Kirkwood discovers some Crown jewels in the RNIB Library.

Onjali Q Rauf takes us on a right royal adventure as ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class' struggles to keep a royal appointment.
Hannah Tausz celebrates some of the great reads from across The Commonwealth among the 70 titles selected for The Big Jubilee Read.

And we return to Sarah, Duchess of York, for the Books of Your Life.

Robert Kirkwood takes us to Dumfries House in Ayrshire for the Boswell Book Festival, the world's only festival of biography and memoir. 

We hear from Keith Brymer Jones, host of the Great Pottery Throwdown and author of Boy in a China Shop, 
Katherine McInnes tells us about the Snow Widows left behind by Scott's ill-fated South Pole mission, 
Andrew O'Hagan talks about his book Mayflies and his old job at Blind Veterans UK, 
Emma Soames edits her mother's diaries for Mary Churchill's War,
Giles Milton has some Fascinating Footnotes from History, 
Frank Skinner and Denise Mina talk about retracing Johnson and Boswell's Grand Tour of Scotland, 
Lady Glenconner talks about her depiction in The Crown and narrating an audiobook at 89, and we return to Keith Brymer Jones for the books of his life.

The first of our Yoto Carnegie Medal specials!
Julian Sedgwick blends prose and manga to revisiting the aftermath of the Fukishima nuclear catastrophe in 'Tsunami Girl'.
Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock tackles teen issues in her series of short stories 'Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town'.
Manjeet Man explores the things we have in common, no matter where we come from, through her verse novel 'The Crossing'.

And we return to Julian Sedgwick for The Books of Your Life.

The Bridgerton books are available from RNIB in accessible formats, but how do you make the TV version accessible? Robert Kirkwood takes a deep dive into the world of Audio Description with Liz Gutman, head Audio Description writer at IDC and finds out if writing 'that scene' make Liz feel like a romance novelist!

And, as always, we find some new books in the RNIB Library.

Liz's podcast is available here 

This week, we’re focussing on blind authors:
Fiona Scott-Barrett charts the journey of her book ‘The Exit Facility’ from first concept to fully accessible print and audiobook.

84-year-old debut author Jill Fry describes  what life was like for her as a low-vision child in her memoir ‘Born Too Soon’.

Blind crime writer Mark Hardie shares some of the tricks of his trade.

I dust off a gem written by a man who lost his sight when his brother shot him in the eye with an arrow!

And we return to Fiona Scott-Barrett for the Books of Your Life.

Ahead of the Yoto Carnegie Medal, we will be considering how children’s books approach some of the more sensitive topics life has to offer: 
LD Lapinski takes us to a dark place in the final adventure with her Strangeworlds Travel Agency
Kwame Alexander gets poetic as he considers bereavement in his novel 'Rebound'.
Angie Thomas  addresses gun violence and racism in her breath-taking debut 'The Hate U Give'. 
Lou Kuenzler tells us how she approached writing a story aimed at giving early years readers a better understanding of sight loss. 

And we return to LD Lapinski for the Books of Your Life.

We’re investigating some novels inspired by the Golden Age of Crime-writing:
Louise Hare takes us onboard the Queen Mary for a transatlantic cruise with a side-order of murder, in her new book 'Miss Aldridge Regrets'.
Stuart Turton blends Agatha Christie, Cluedo, Groundhog Day and Quantum Leap then lets the murder and mayhem fizz, in his dazzling debut 'The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle'.
Vicki Goldie introduces us to her blind detective and reveals how he was inspired by both her husband and Agatha Christie!

And we return to Louise Hare for the Books of Your Life.

This week we’ve got a crime scene special:
Former CSI T Orr Munro reveals how her work in the field informed her debut thriller 'Breakneck Point'.
Graeme Macrae Burnet discusses the  real crime memoir that inspired him to write 'His Bloody Project'.

Emma Flint re-examines the evidence in one of the most notorious unsolved crimes in American history in her novel ‘Little Deaths’. 

And we return to T Orr Munro for the Books of Your Life.

World War II may be over for the shop girls of Marlow’s, but as their creator Joanna Toye tells us, post-war Britain still has its battles, in 'Wedding Bells for the Victory Girls'.

Children’s author Jane Clarke helps us celebrate Easter with some try-this-at-home experiments and an ostrich egg.

And narrator Becky Wright reveals some of the highs and lows of her recording career.

This week there is a musical note to proceedings:
As Bob Dylan turns 80, Spencer Leigh takes us back down some of the many routes taken by this most mercurial of musicians.
We catch up with the Bookshop Band and hear how they condense tomes into tunes.
Is it a book or an album?  Well both actually; Laura Barnett discusses her multimedia novel 'Greatest Hits'.
And Penny Melville-Brown helps us get in tune with Scandinavian crime fiction.

Dr Ranj Singh will talk us through his new book  ‘Brain Power’.

A group of RNIB Talking Book narrators including Steve Hodson will be sharing some favourite titles.

And Professor Richard Wiseman will discuss the psychology of fear, and share a tip that is guaranteed to make you smile. 

This week we’ve got a Mother’s Day special: 

Erica James examines the shift in family dynamics that occurs when children grow up and start acting like parents, in her new novel 'Mothers and Daughters'.
Alex Hyde talks to Hannah Tausz about her debut novel 'Violets', a story of motherhood set at the end of World War II.   
Juliet Stevenson reveals why she likes nothing better than narrating a great big novel for the RNIB.

And we return to Erica James for the Books of Your Life

Sophie Haydock introduces us to the four women who dared to model for controversial Austrian artist Egon Schiele in 'The Flames'.
Top actor Adjoa Andoh looks back on the long and varied list of books that she has brought to life as an RNIB narrator.
Best-selling author Mark Sullivan retells the story of an extraordinary escape from Ukraine during World War II. 

And we return to Sophie Haydock for the Books of Your Life.

Cathy Bramley explores the regenerative power of friendship and laughter in her new novel 'The Summer that Changed Us'.
RNIB Publishing Relationships Manager Richard Holmes opens his Library to share some of the books that he has been enjoying.
The Former Director of the British Museum reveals the inspiration behind A History of the World in 100 Objects.

And we return to Cathy Bramley for the Books of Your Life.

This week we chat to Kirsten Miller, author of The Change, about her new book, a gripping and deeply moving novel of bravery, friendship and standing up against censorship, Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books. Plus we find some new books in the RNIB library.

This week we’re leafing back through the pages of historical non-fiction.
Journalist and author John Carlin gives us a first-hand account of the day that South Africa had a Glimpse of Utopia
Jeremy Paxman talks to Robert Kirkwood about 'Britain's Great War'
Narrator Sherri Baines reveals how parliament tried to stop women getting the vote
I receive a history lesson from the RNIB librarians.
And Kate Summerscale shares her love of storytelling through the Books of Her Life.

We’ll be celebrating World Book Day with Lynne Livingstone and taking a look at some of the wonderful stories on offer from The RNIB Library.
Paulina Kuchorew goes in search of Practical Happiness with Pamela Gail Johnson, the founder of the Society of Happy People.
Onjali Q Rauf shares a right royal adventure featuring The Boy at the Back of the Class.
And Jenni Murray shares the books of her life.

Dr Richard Firth-Godbehere explores 'A Human History of Emotions', and explains the role that emotions have played in shaping society.

Sarah Stovell takes a wry look at the maxim that you should never criticise how 'Other Parents' bring up their kids. 
We meet Regina Regan, the perfect candidate to narrate Mary Berry’s autobiography! 

And we return to Dr Richard Firth-Godbehere for the Books of Your Life.