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 way of navigating the world, and how learning about older traditions of spoken-word storytelling provoked a crisis of philosophy around the...

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 historical setting resonates with current times.   Books mentioned: Harlem After Midnight, Louise Hare, narrated by Leonie Elliott Miss Aldridge Regrets, Louise...

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 us.   Books mentioned Screen Time: How to Make Peace with Your Devices and Find...

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 books she reads.    Books mentioned: A Very Typical Family, Sierra Godfrey, narrated by Gail Shalan The Second Chance Hotel, Sierra Godfrey, narrated by Ri Paige Watermelon,...

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: Weirdo, Sara Pascoe, narrated by the author And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie, narrated by Dan Stevens The Canary Club Series, Louise Hare, narrated by Leonie Elliot and Georgina Campbell Psyche and Eros, Luna McNamara, narrated by Rachel Petladwala and Joshua Riley Persuasion, Jane Austen,...

A special festive episode discussing books that feature celebrations. Amy and Edward return for a final a face-off as Jess attempts to foil them with her literary quiz.  Books mentioned:  Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh  The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers  The Party, by Elizabeth Day  Bridget Jones’s Diary, by Helen Fielding  Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen  Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen  Who Are We?  The Listening Books Podcast...

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 fantasy books like R.F. Kuang’s Poppy War series, romance novels like Helen Hoang’s The Bride Test, or perhaps a spy thriller like Chloe Gong’s Foul Lady Fortune. Today she tells us what she appreciates about those books, and a little of what she’s learned about creating a well-balanced life.   Other...

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, both narrated by Stephanie.  Books and other recommendations: The Sharp...

Jane McDowell is a talented actress and narrator with many credits to her name, including the Dr Ruth Galloway mystery series by Elly Griffiths. In this conversation with host Jessica Stone, Jane tells us what it was like to record the last book of the series The Locked Room during a Covid lockdown, how animals help her create character voices, and what book was so moving that she wrote the author to thank her.  Books mentioned, all narrated by Jane: The Locked Room, by Elly Griffiths ...

Polly Lee is an award winning actress and narrator of over 200 fiction and non-fiction books. She has also narrated over 200 romance novels under the name Ashford McNab/MacNab. Raised in the UK, she has lived in the US now for 25 years working equally in both her British and American dialects. Today she tells us about some of the books that have stayed with her, including Soman Chainani’s School for Good and Evil series, and the voices she would have done differently if she’d known how the...

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. In this conversation with host Jessica Stone, Bonnie tells us about how her career as a copywriter shaped her approach to writing the novel, the one mispronunciation in the audiobook, and why she needed to break some rules to write this story.  Other books mentioned in this episode:  Chasing Hope by Nicholas D. Kristof...

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 years, how he prepares for each audiobook, and what the secret is to being a truly good narrator.   Books Mentioned  Rooftoppers, Katherine Rundell Billy Elliot, Melvin Burgess  The New Woman, Charity Norman  The Final Testimony of Raphael Ignatius Phoenix, Paul Sussman For...

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. Books Mentioned Adams Family Series, Mary Jane Staples Polly of Penn’s Place, Dee...

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 you need it most? Julie warns us of the pitfalls of chasing self-esteem and the rewards of living your life in line with who you want to be. You can find more of Julie's content on social media and on...

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 Village Hall Vendetta, Jonathan Whitelaw Rivers of London: Amongst Our Weapons, Ben Aaronovitch A...

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 Who Are We?  The Listening Books Podcast is hosted by audio producer Jessica Stone and is a production of Listening Books, a UK charity that provides an audiobook lending service...

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 a production of Listening Books, a UK charity that provides an audiobook lending service...

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 too enormous to begin. Mentioned in this episode: Notes to Self, a...

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 The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland Important Links To subscribe to Natasha’s newsletter and to participate in online bibliotherapy on the 15th...

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 Humour My Grandmothers and I, Diana Holman-Hunt A Boy at the Hogarth Press, Richard Kennedy The Empress of Ireland, Christopher Robbins Natural History &...

Amy, Edward, and Jessica are back for this summer special filled with all the books they’ve got lined up for the sunshine and the sea shore. Come for the stellar book recs. Stay for the most unfair literary game in history (our history anyway). The Listening Books Podcast returns in September for a new monthly series!  Edward is reading: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro  The Secret History by Donna Tartt  The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann  Amy is reading: Dead Famous by Greg...

Edward, Amy, and Jessica round up the books that have been bringing them joy this year . . . ‘joy’ veering very occasionally into malevolent glee, and Edward and Amy face off in a festive literary quiz.  The audiobooks (or plays!) bringing Edward joy  Under Milk Wood, Dylan Thomas  Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout  Right Ho, Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse  The audiobooks bringing Amy joy  Short Stories by Roald Dahl, especially ‘The Way Up to Heaven’  Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Pérez  ...

‘I have to say as an editor, I was very pleased when I saw “flensing”. I thought, “Yes exactly! That’s exactly . . . Hurrah! Yes!” Publisher Cherry Potts from Arachne Press and indigenous Mexican Latinx author Marina Sánchez talk with Jess about the newly published anthology Where We Find Ourselves: Stories and Poems of Maps and Mapping from UK Writers of the Global Majority. The poems you hear are Geography Lesson, by Marina Sánchez, read by Marina Sánchez; and Departure Lounge, by Rhiya...

Do you think we'll ever really belong anywhere? 'I suppose not,' said Papa. 'Not the way people belong who have lived in one place all their lives. But we'll belong a little in lots of places, and I think that may be just as good.' Actor Helen Barford talks with Jessica about Judith Kerr's classic children’s novel When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, which she narrated for Listening Books' Sound Learning production. Helen also shares some good advice for anyone interested in taking up audiobook...