Ask Penguin podcast

Ask Penguin

What should I read next? Ask Penguin is the podcast where your quirkiest, trickiest, and most urgent book questions get answered. Hosted by Rhianna Dhillon, we bring bestselling authors and Penguin insiders to explore some of your favourite books and discover new ones that you are yet to read. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

What should I read next? Ask Penguin is the podcast where your quirkiest, trickiest, and most urgent book questions get answered. Hosted by Rhianna Dhillon, we bring bestselling authors and Penguin insiders to explore some of your favourite books and discover new ones that you are yet to read. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

 

#257

What were the best books of 2025?

What were our favourite books of the year and what are we most excited to read in 2026? Jo... more

11 Dec 2025

42 MINS

42:35

11 Dec 2025


#256

What makes a setting feel so vivid it becomes a character? With Paula Hawkins

Which novels are truly unputdownable and what should you read on a dark winter's night? We... more

04 Dec 2025

50 MINS

50:39

04 Dec 2025


#255

What is the best translated fiction to read? With Karl Ove Knausgaard

What are the best new books in Korean fiction? What is the process of translating a book i... more

20 Nov 2025

51 MINS

51:30

20 Nov 2025


#254

Why are generations at war with each other? With Zadie Smith

Which multi-generational novels inspired [White Teeth] (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/24... more

06 Nov 2025

56 MINS

56:01

06 Nov 2025


#253

Is never growing up the secret to great storytelling? With Philip Pullman

What was the inspiration behind Philip Pullman’s [Northern Lights series] (https://www.pen... more

30 Oct 2025

42 MINS

42:11

30 Oct 2025


#252

Is Jane Austen's legacy more than just romantic love? With Andrew Hunter Murray and Gill Hornby

Why do we still love Jane Austen’s novels 250 years later? What makes her stories continue... more

15 Oct 2025

50 MINS

50:10

15 Oct 2025


#251

Why do we still laugh when times are hard? With Ocean Vuong

I'm looking for a novel that reads like poetry - where should I start? Can you recommend a... more

01 Oct 2025

53 MINS

53:40

01 Oct 2025


#250

Which Penguin books shocked society and became cultural icons? With Jack Edwards and Penguin Editor,...

Outrageous, iconic and unforgettable -these are some of the books Penguin have been publis... more

03 Sep 2025

1 HR 05 MINS

1:05:19

03 Sep 2025


#249

Youth culture, love and music with Irvine Welsh and Derek Owusu

Recorded live at Latitude Festival, Irvine Welsh sits down with host Rhianna Dhillon to de... more

05 Aug 2025

47 MINS

47:30

05 Aug 2025


#248

How Penguin Books turned the UK into a nation of readers

From the paperback revolution to the obscenity trial that madeLady Chatterley’s Loverfamou... more

29 Jul 2025

55 MINS

55:26

29 Jul 2025


#247

S2 E6: Summer Reads with Anthony Horowitz

On the final episode of this series of the Penguin Podcast, [Marble Hall Murders] (https:/... more

19 Jun 2025

47 MINS

47:16

19 Jun 2025


#246

S2 E5: Queer Literature with Charlie Porter

This week on the Penguin Podcast we talk to writer, critic and curator [Charlie Porter] (h... more

05 Jun 2025

42 MINS

42:35

05 Jun 2025


#245

S2 E4: Book Club Books with Yrsa Daley-Ward

Whether you are in a book club or fancy starting your own, we have the book recommendation... more

22 May 2025

50 MINS

50:52

22 May 2025


#244

S2 E3: Debut Books with Catherine Airey, William Rayfet Hunter and Fiza Saeed McLynn

What is it like to write and publish your first ever novel? We find out by asking the auth... more

08 May 2025

42 MINS

42:03

08 May 2025


#243

S2 E2: Love and Romance with Emily Henry

Bestselling author, and Queen of the Romantic comedy novel, [Emily Henry] (https://www.pen... more

24 Apr 2025

38 MINS

38:57

24 Apr 2025


#242

S2 E1: Children's Books with Greg James and Chris Smith

This week on the Penguin Podcast we jump into the exciting world of children's books and c... more

10 Apr 2025

36 MINS

36:11

10 Apr 2025


#241

Ask Penguin Series 2 Trailer

The Penguin Podcast is back for another series of Ask Penguin. In each episode, we will ta... more

03 Apr 2025

00 MINS

00:59

03 Apr 2025