Rnib Talking Books

Today Amelia Hilton chats to author Elodie Harper about her Wolf Den Trilogy, we get the books of your life from Louise Finch, hear some new books in the RNIB Library and find out the winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal for writing.

Today we chat to the three remaining authors on the Yoto Carnegie Shortlist. Katya Balen on the sweet but turbulent, 'The Light in Everything', Louise Finch gets us caught in a time loop with 'The Eternal Return of Clara Hart' and Sita Brahmachari finds light in the tragedy and trauma of 'When Shadows Fall'. Plus with Lynne Livingston, we find some new books in the RNIB Library.

This week we listen to two more books shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal.  Forget everything you've been told about Medusa as author Jessie Burton flips the script in this astonishing retelling of Greek myth. Plus a powerful and heart-rending exploration of a teenager's journey through grief, rage and getting caught in the criminal justice system in the book Needle from author Patrice Lawrence. Plus with Lynne Livingston we find some new gems in the RNIB Talking Book Library.

In our first show featuring the shortlisted authors for this year's Yoto Carnegie Medal, Manon Steffan Ros talks about writing and translating 'The Blue Book of Nebo' and Ruta Sepetys takes us to Romania in her chilling book, 'I Must Betray You'.  Plus with Lynne Livingston we find out what's new in the RNIB Library.

In the second of two Boswell Book Festival shows, Robert Kirkwood talks to Michael Morpurgo about 'The Boy Who Would Be King' and why we should leave Roald Dhal books alone, Esme Young from Sewing Bee goes 'Behind the Seams', Val McDermid says why her books '1979' and '1989' were written due to Covid, and Andrew Cotter decides which one of his labs, Olive or Mabel, would make the better guide dog. Plus, with Lynne Livingston, we look for some non-fiction books in the Talking Books library.

In the first of two Boswell Book Festival shows, Robert Kirkwood talks to Boswell expert Gordon Turnbull about Boswell's travel writing, takes a journey through history, nature and the people of a Bulgarian valley with Katba Kassabova and her book Elixir and talks to reluctant TV stars Giles and Mary from Gogglebox about the peaks and troughs of county life. Plus, in the spirit of the Boswell festival we find four new biographies in the Talking Books Library.

At seven months pregnant, Victoria Bennett was looking forward to new motherhood and all that was to come. But when the telephone rang, the news she received changed everything. In today's episode we chat to Victoria Bennett about her memoir All My Wild Mothers, the story of how sometimes life grows, not in spite of what is broken, but because of it. Plus with Lynne Livingston we find three new gems in the RNIB Talking Books Library.

In today's show we hear about the history of coronations with author Lucinda Gosling, hear some books by, and about, King Charles, and talk to Baroness Glenconner about her book Lady in Waiting - My Life in the Shadow of the Crown. Plus Lynne Livingston will be along with her round up of some new books entering the Talking Books Library

There are so many books entering the RNIB Talking Book Library at the moment it can be hard to keep up, so with help from audio publisher Dominic Gribben from Hachette, senior audio manager at Orion, Paul Stark and Lynne Livingston from RNIB Library, Robert Kirkwood takes a deep dive to find some new gems.

The Invisible Pen and The Power of Words - two fascinating worlds of writing and speaking.  Marcia Layton Turner has written over 30 books, and her work has appeared in major publications such as The New York Times and USA Today. She will share her secrets on how to bring someone else's story to life, the importance of trust and communication in the ghostwriting process, and how to maintain authenticity while writing for someone else. Blazin’ Blake Lindsay, is a blind motivational speaker and life coach He will share his wisdom on the power of words and how to inspire and motivate others. Blake has spoken to audiences across the globe, and he knows how to use his words to make a lasting impact. He will discuss the art of storytelling, the role of vulnerability in public speaking, and the importance of connecting with your audience.

Robert Kirkwood talks to debut author Ryan Love about the brand new 'warm hug' of a book, Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out Plus we listen back to a chat with an author and presenter listed in The Independent's list of most influential gay people, Neil McGregor

From the sinking of the Titanic, Great Britain's Great War and the importance of preserving historical audio this show explores great works of history available from RNIB Talking Books, and even the history of RNIB itself. 

From the 166 voices in Lincoln in the Bardo, the dramatisation of a selection of 2000AD comics, or the multiple voices in The Golden Compass, today we explore the world of audiobooks that feature multiple voice actors.  Featuring interviews with author George Saunders and head of audio production at Penguin Random House, Chris Thompson, join us as we dive into the world of multi-voice audiobooks and discover the magic that comes from hearing a story come to life through the voices of multiple talented actors.

This week, let's explore the fascinating world of translating books. Join us as we delve into the intricacies of language and the art of transforming literary works from one tongue to another. Nicola Smalley chats about her work translating Norwegian and Swedish into English and instead of a 'books of your life' she gives us three favourites she's translated. Plus we listen back to how 'The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree' was translated from Italian.

Today's show features a celebration of, and a chat with, one of the most distinctive and prolific voices in the RNIB Talking Books library, who first recorded for RNIB around 60 years ago, Gabriel Woolf. 

From All Quiet on the Western Front, to 12 Years a Slave, and possibly returning to All Quiet on the Western Front, many winners of the Best Picture Oscar have been based on books. Robert Kirkwood grabs some popcorn and explores which of those books including Forest Gump, Silence of the Lambs, Gone with the Wind and the Godfather, amongst many others, are available in the RNIB Talking Books library.

This week blind author Ami Turnbull tells the Tech Talk team how she wrote her book 'More!', we talk to children's author Laura Ellen Anderson about Amelia Fang and being a previous World Book Day Book author and we hear all 13 titles that blind and partially sighted children can get for free on this year's World Book Day.

On today's show Robert Kirkwood chats to Catherine Simpson about her memoir One Body: A Retrospective and how anyone can pick up a free audio copy on World Book Night.  Rosanna Amaka weaves together the realities of war and the pain of first love in the brand new book 'Rose and the Burma Sky'. We also get some more healthy book recommendations from Paulina Kuchorew and Barry Snell talks to someone who has been volunteering with Talking Books for over 50 years.

In today's show we talk to C.K. McDonnell about his series of books, The Stranger Times, including the brand new book 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' and also the "increasingly inaccurately titled" Dublin Trilogy.

In today's episode we hear from author Jon Gingerich about his book The Appetite Factory, and how he raced to finish the book as his eyesight failed. We chat to our friends at Tech Talk about the new batch of AI narrators that are reading commercially available audiobooks. And we chat to a proper human narrator and voice of everything from Daleks to Peppa Pig's grandpa via Parker in Thunderbirds, David Graham.