Listen to an excerpt from ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DIVE INTO THE WATERS OF THE WORLD by Benjamin Alire Sáenz and read by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DIVE INTO THE WATERS OF THE WORLD Audiobook Excerpt

Finding inner peace is difficult... especially when you're sitting next to Harvey Keitel. This story was produced by Pejk Malinovski as a Falling Tree production, and originally aired on BBC Radio 3.

Everything, Nothing, Harvey Keitel

Turkey's leading female novelist Elif Shafak discusses her novel The Forty Rules of Love.

The novel is about finding love and is written in two strands. One is the friendship between a whirling dervish and the Sufi poet Rumi in 13th century Anatolia; the other is about a mother in contemporary America who finds inspiration in the historical story to break away from an unhappy life.

Amazingly, Elif wrote the book in English, which she first learnt at the age of ten. She then worked with professional translators to write it again in Turkish.

Elif Shafak explains the importance of Sufi mysticism in the novel and in her life. She talks about the influence of her grandmother's superstitions, about the transformation of modern Turkey and how she was prosecuted - and acquitted - in 2006 for 'denigrating Turkish national identity' because of her writing.

First published in 2010, The Forty Rules of Love has now been translated into over 30 languages.

James Naughtie presents and a group of readers ask the questions.


May's Bookclub choice : Ice by Gillian Clarke

Producer : Dymphna Flynn. Published on April 7, 2013.

Elif Shafak - The Forty Rules of Love

With James Naughtie. Celebrated Irish writer John Banville discusses his novel The Sea which won the Man Booker prize in 2005.

In The Sea, middle-aged art historian Max Morden loses his wife to cancer and is compelled to go back to the seaside resort where he spent childhood holidays. It is also a return to the place where he met the Graces, the well-heeled family with whom he experienced the strange suddenness of both love and death for the first time.

John Banville talks about the power of revisiting places from childhood, how he wanted to be a painter as a teenager but found he had no talent. He explains how he painstakingly writes his novels over many years, creating sentence after sentence, but in the end he always feels the book is an embarrassment and a failure, and that he must move on to the next novel. 

May's Bookclub choice is The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas.

Producer : Dymphna Flynn. Published on April 6, 2014.

John Banville - The Sea

Borough Press’ editor Charlotte Cray meets debut novelist Jennifer Ryan, the author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir.
In this conversation they delve into life in the invented idyllic English village of Chilbury and meet all of its delightful and unsavory characters – with some lovely readings from the book. But most important of all, they meet its subversive all-female choir that fights for its place during WW2.

From Party Granny to Shakespeare Granny, we hear about the characters in Jennifer’s life that inspired this novel too. And the genesis of this novel of letters: how Jennifer steeped herself in the letters from the period and buried herself in the diaries from the governmental Mass Observation Project.

Plug in to hear a part giggly, part serious conversation about a warm, funny and big-hearted novel of wartime gumption and village spirit which will make your heart sing out – and meet a brilliant new voice in fiction.

Jennifer Ryan: "Party Granny lived up to her reputation"

In this podcast, three different people share their coming out stories, and what happened when they made the decision to share something deeply personal about themselves online.

Podcast: Strange, Scary, Liberating

An unmissable collection of eight unconventional and captivating short stories for young adult and adult intermediate learners of English.

Olly's top-notch language-learning insights are right in line with the best of what we know from neuroscience and cognitive psychology about how to learn effectively. I love his work - and you will too!  - Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for Numbers

Short Stories in English for Intermediate Learners has been written specifically for students from a low-intermediate to intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, and most importantly - enjoyment! Mapped to B1-B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference, these eight captivating stories will both entertain you, and give you a feeling of progress when reading.

What does this book give you?

·         Eight stories in a variety of exciting genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller - making reading fun, while you learn a wide range of new vocabulary
·         Controlled language at your level to help you progress confidently
· Realistic spoken dialogues to help you learn conversational expressions and improve your speaking ability
·         Pleasure! Research shows that if you're enjoying reading in a foreign language, you won't experience the usual feelings of frustration - 'It's too hard!' 'I don't understand!'
·         Accessible grammar so you learn new structures naturally, in a stress-free way

With intriguing plots that will spark your imagination and keep you reading, Short Stories in English will take your grasp of Italian to the next level with key features to support and consolidate your progress, including:

·         A glossary for bolded words in each text
·         A bilingual word list
·         Full plot summary
·         Comprehension questions after each chapter.

As a result, you will be able to focus on enjoying reading, delighting in your improved range of vocabulary and grasp of the language all without ever feeling overwhelmed. From science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers, Short Stories in English for Intermediate Learners uses reading as the perfect tool to not only delight in learning English, but to accelerate your journey towards fluency.

SHORT STORIES IN ENGLISH FOR INTERMEDIATE LEARNERS

SHORT STORIES IN ENGLISH FOR INTERMEDIATE LEARNERS by Olly Richards, read by Terence Wilton

The award-winning novelist explains to a Guardian Live audience why he picked a foetus as narrator of his latest novel, Nutshell

Ian McEwan on his novel Nutshell – books podcast

As part of a series of readings to celebrate publication of le Carré’s memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel, David Harewood reads from the 1968 novel A Small Town in Germany, in which Alan Turner investigates the mysterious disappearance of a foreign office worker in the West German Capital, Bonn

David Harewood reads from A Small Town in Germany by John le Carré – books podcast

As the Booker prize announces a shortlist that’s long on surprises, we talk to Deborah Levy and assess the contenders for this year’s award

Deborah Levy and the Booker shortlist – books podcast

Narrated by Charlie Mackesy.

Brought to you by Penguin.

Discover the universal tale of four unlikely friends that has captured the hearts of readers of all ages, now available in audio.

Charlie Mackesy's mesmerizing debut combines the simplicity of "The Giving Tree", magic of "The Velveteen Rabbit" and the curiosity of "Paddington" - Elisabeth Egan, New York Times

Experience the world of a curious boy, a greedy mole, a wary fox and a wise horse who find themselves together in sometimes difficult terrain, sharing their greatest fears and biggest discoveries about vulnerability, kindness, hope, friendship and love.

Charlie's words and illustrations have brought comfort to many and have been shared online by readers around the world, as well as on t-shirts for Comic Relief, on magazine covers, on street lampposts in lockdown, in school classrooms, local cafés, and hospital ward walls. They've even been used as screensavers for NHS hospital computers in difficult times.

The shared adventures and important conversations between the four friends are full of life lessons that have connected with readers of all ages.

Enjoy the journey of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse brought to life in audio by its author and illustrator Charlie Mackesy, with a beautiful music score and the real wildlife sounds of rural England.

© Charlie Mackesy 2019 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse - Introduction

Welcome to BookD, the podcast that brings you the stories behind your favourite books. Created by your host, Tanya Brennand-Roper, this is your opportunity to listen in and get to know the who's who in one of the biggest London publishing houses, offering a fascinating perspective into the authors, their editors and the all important publishing process.
Tune into our fortnightly program where we exchange ideas with the stars of literature, art, film, music and politics. BookD isn't boring or monotonous and it isn't like any other podcast you've heard before. For culture, ideas, humour and debate - you're BookD.

Jennifer Ryan: "Party Granny lived up to her reputation"

BookD Podcast

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