Read On - The Audiobook Show from RNIB

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...

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.

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.

A book 19 years in the making, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai is a spellbinding story of two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years – an epic of love and family, India and America, tradition and modernity. Robert Kirkwood asks Kiran about her writing process, casting the audio version and where to get a good kebab in New York.

A listen back to the times I was set free at both Boswell and Wigtown Book Festivals featuring Rupert Everett, Louise Minchin, Wayne Sleep, Dom Joly and Andrew O'Hagan.

A listen back to some 2025 highlights from later in last year including Percival Everett, Yael van der Wouden, Nate Lessore, Margaret McDonald, David Szalay and pay tribute to Frederick Forsythe and Dame Stella Rimington.

A listen back to some 2025 highlights from early last year including AJ West, Yael van der Wouden, Rachel Kushner, Clare Mackintosh, Lucy Edwards and pay tribute to narrator Steve Hodson.

In today's Read On, Robert Kirkwood chats to the Map Men, also known as Jay Foreman and Mark Cooper-Jones about their debut book This Way Up - When Maps Go Wrong (and why it matters). In the second part of their chat they discuss accessibility, made up mountains, an audiobook co-incidence and even have a feel of a tactile map from RNIB. Plus we'll find some more festive books in the RNIB Library.

In today's Read On, Robert Kirkwood chats to the Map Men, also known as Jay Foreman and Mark Cooper-Jones about their debut book This Way Up - When Maps Go Wrong (and why it matters). In this first part of a two part show Jay and Mark talk about accents, breaking the fourth wall and addressing the listener directly and about turning a very visual book into an audiobook. Plus we'll find some festiv...

Author of many favourites in the RNIB Library, Joanna herself was very aware of the importance of accessibility as she had an eye condition that made her partially sighted. Here she is on the importance of Talking Books

From her home in Los Angeles, author E.K. Wise tells Robert Kirkwood about The Keepers of the Rock - Book 1 The Debilis Rising, a thrilling YA fantasy full of secrets, crystals and history. We discuss the science behind the book, about neurodivergent representation and ask why the audio version was recorded in the UK Plus we find some new books in the RNIB Library

In the final show this year recorded in Scotland's Book Town, we chat to author Annaliese Avery about her new series, The Wycherleys, storyteller Renita Boyle has some Wild Words and listener Charlotte Bennie, and her guide dog Christie, tell us what the Wigtown Book Festival is like for accessibility. Plus as always, we find some new books in the RNIB Library.

Today Robert Kirkwood chats to Nicholas Jubber about Monsterland, a journey around the world's dark imagination and he also talks to an author with two heads ... those being that of Christopher Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman AKA Ambrose Parry, about the latest Raven and Fisher mystery, The Death of Shame. We also travel to the RNIB Library to find some brand new books.

On today's Read On a long chat with the winner of the Booker Prize 2025, David Szalay. Robert Kirkwood chats to David about the life of his character István, and how he seems to live in the gaps between chapters, and about the narration of the audio version by Daniel Weyman. We also find some brand new books in the RNIB Library.

Full interview on Friday - but for now huge congratulations to David Szalay for his Booker win for Flesh - available in audio and Braille from RNIB Library.

Today a supercut of interviews with all six Booker shortlisted authors for 2025 with Susan Choi on Flashlight, Kiran Desai on The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, Katie Kitamura on Audition, Ben Markovits on The Rest of Our Lives, Andrew Miller on The Land in Winter, and David Szalay on Flesh. All books on the shortlist are available both in audio and Braille from RNIB library.

In today's episode from Scotland's Book Town we chat to friend of the show, and author of over 300 books, Vivian French. We chat end of the world survival with author Robert Twigger and hear about King Charles' book collection from The Royal Butler, Grant Harrold. Plus we find new books in the RNIB Library.

Today on Read On from the Wigtown Book Festival, we have some journeys, conversations and stories after dark in Dan Richards' book, Overnight and chat to Suzanne O'Sullivan about The Age of Diagnosis: How the Overdiagnosis Epidemic is Making Us Sick. Plus we'll find some brand new books in the RNIB Library.

In an episode recorded on location at the Wigtown Book Festival, Robert Kirkwood talks to Louise Minchin about 'Isolation Island', a novel inspired by both Agatha Christie and her time on I'm A Celeb, and to historian Lucy Hughes-Hallett about her book 'The Scapegoat: The Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham' plus we find new books in the RNIB Library.

With the Booker shortlist released recently we look at who is up for the prize this year, and listen to some past winners including Shehan Karunatilaka, Paul Lynch, Douglas Stewart, Margaret Atwood & Bernardine Evaristo plus some book recommendations from last year's winner, Sam Harvey.

Today we chat to poet and author Elspeth Wilson about her debut novel, These Mortal Bodies, a gripping and atmospheric dark academia novel about toxic female friendships and obsession. Plus we find some brand new books in the RNIB Library.

This week Robert Kirkwood is joined by Ali Harris as they discuss her new novel, This Wasn't Meant to Happen, a book described to be for anyone who has ever lost, longed, or held on when letting go felt impossible. Content Warning - This book, and therefore this episode, deals with child loss and stillbirth.

Looking forward to this year's Wigtown Book Festival by listening to chats with Graham McRae Burnett, Stuart Kelly, Alex von Tunzelmann, Henry Manse, Paula Hawkins and Maggie O'Farrell. Plus we find some brand new books in the RNIB Library.

Three authors who write in very different genres all wrapped up in the one package. Lisa Timoney writes family drama, Kate Storey writes books about books, and Naomi Williams writes psychological thrillers, but they are all the same person. As The Forgotten Book Club is released I talk to Lisa/Kate/Naomi about all her personas and why she keeps them separate. Plus as always we find new books in th...

Today we're taking some books into the Garden. Ruth Scurr tells us about Napoleon: A Life in Gardens and Shadows, Monty Don tells us about sensory gardening and Victoria Bennett discusses All My Wild Mothers: Motherhood, loss and an apothecary garden. All that plus we've got some new books on all things gardening in the RNIB Library.