Read On - The Audiobook Show from RNIB
RNIB Connect Radio
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 radio@rnib.org.uk 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
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 radio@rnib.org.uk 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
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 8, 2026 • 58min
475: Best of the Boswell Book Festival
As we look forward to this year's festival, starting on the day this episode is released, let's listen back to some highlights. First up, Jen Stout takes us on a Night Train to Odessa, Alexander McCall Smith reflects on his knighthood, Nigel Havers is Playing with Fire and Dame Judy Dench talks about her sight loss.
May 1, 2026 • 58min
474: Julie Caplin - The Hotel by the Sea
Today we escape to the Algarve in Julie Caplin's brand new book The Hotel by the Sea, we visit a fairy tale exhibition in London, we review Ruth Ozeki's Timecode of a Face and we find some books in the RNIB Library.Plus there's some news about an Aria nomination for Read On!
Apr 24, 2026 • 58min
473: Rob Harrell - Popcorn - Carnegie Medal for Writing
On today's Read On I'm joined by author and artist Rob Harrell from his home in Texas as we discuss his Carnegie Medal for Writing short listed book, Popcorn, plus his previous book, based on his battle with eye cancer, Wink.We also find some new books in the RNIB Library.
Apr 17, 2026 • 58min
472: Lucy Roth/Lucy Nichol - The Party To End All Parties
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.
Apr 10, 2026 • 58min
471: Carnegie Medal Winners
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.
Apr 3, 2026 • 58min
470: Ben Markovits - The Rest of Our Lives
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.
Mar 27, 2026 • 58min
469: Lisa Timoney/Kate Storey/Naomi Williams - The Last Page Cafe
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.
Mar 20, 2026 • 58min
468: Comicbooks as Audiobooks featuring Daredevil: Born Again
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.
Mar 13, 2026 • 58min
467: Talking Books at 90 - The First Recorded Voices (and the equipment used)
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.
Mar 6, 2026 • 58min
466: World Book Day 2026
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.
