Name: First Freeze by Iansmart
Duration: 3 min 5 s
Description: Solo bass track created using the EHX Freeze pedal, bass track was recorded live playing both chords and melody.

I just love this track, it's so beautiful and simple! The drones really add so much atmosphere

What are the best new books in Korean fiction? What is the process of translating a book into English? And how do you evoke a sense of place you haven't visited?

This week we sat down with award-winning and internationally best-selling author, Karl Ove Knausgaard to discuss his latest novel, The School of Night.

The School of Night is a Faustian-inspired meditation on art and creativity, the 4th novel in The Morning Star series, and the first in the sequence that can be read as a standalone novel. 

Discover all the books mentioned on this episode on the Penguin Website

Karl Ove Knausgaard's My Struggle cycle has been heralded as a masterpiece all over the world. From A Death in the Family to The End, the novels move through childhood into adulthood and, together, form an enthralling portrait of human life. Knausgaard has been awarded the Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature, the Brage Prize and the Jerusalem Prize. His work, which also includes the Seasons Quartet and the Morning Star sequence (The Morning Star, The Wolves of Eternity, The Third Realm and The School of Night) is published in thirty-six languages.

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

Brought to you by Penguin.

REVEALED FOR THE FIRST TIME: THE TRUE STORY OF THE DECEPTION OF PRINCESS DIANA

The death of Princess Diana in August 1997 was one of the most shocking events in recent history.

Many events surrounding the tragedy have been shrouded in mystery, in particular the BBC Panorama interview Diana gave to journalist Martin Bashir less than two years before she died.

However, the true extent of the deception the princess experienced as well as the cover-up which ensued has never before been revealed – until now.

Dianarama is the story of one of the biggest scandals in public life and broadcasting history and of the cover-up that followed to hide what happened, leaving the damaged princess to her fate.
Andy Webb is the writer and award-winning filmmaker who obtained the secret files that first broke the story of Princess Diana's betrayal.
Here he offers unrivalled insider access to the key players in the drama in a thrilling first-hand narrative, putting the reader inside the room where each key decision was taken.
The story takes us from the moment BBC reporter Martin Bashir first contrived his dossier of forged bank statements in 1995 to the 2024 courtroom where Webb faced the BBC's elite legal squad to demand the release of 10,000 pages of highly contested documents relating to the scandal.

A story for the ages, the fate of Princess Diana will be debated by scholars and gossips centuries from now.

This book, filled with revelations which have not yet entered the public record, will become a key part in the first draft of history.

'A STORY WE WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO READ' PATRICK JEPHSON, PRIVATE SECRETARY TO PRINCESS DIANA

'AN IMPORTANT AND FORENSIC EXAMINATION' CHARLES SPENCER

© Andy Webb 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Dianarama written and read by Andy Webb

Brought to you by Penguin.

A beautiful book combining poetry, topics of self-reflection and journalling prompts to help readers find joy all around them.

I always pay attention
When a small joy grabs me
Some say easily pleased
I say, frequently happy!


Life can often be stressful. Each day might seem like a struggle to get through. You may find yourself desperate to get to the weekend, or wishing time would pass more quickly.
David Larbi is here to show you how to see beauty in the everyday and build pockets of joy, inspiration and calm into your life. Combining poetry with weekly reflections, this book is designed to help you explore your emotions, seize opportunities to grow, and find happiness all year round.

With journalling and activity prompts for every season, Frequently Happy creates space for deep self-reflection and brings motivation and gratitude to the forefront.

'Filled with such personality and contagious optimism . . . I love this book' Matt Haig
'A vital handbook for navigating the seasons of life' Candice Carty-Williams
'This book is a ray of sunshine' Fearne Cotton

© David Larbi 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Frequently Happy written and read by David Larbi

Brought to you by Penguin.

The unfiltered truth about being a rugby player - from the horsey's mouth.

This book is not just about how I got back on my horse and went clippity-clop all the way to the World Cup final in Japan.

It's the story of how a fat kid who had to live up to the nickname Psycho grew up to play (and party) for over a decade with rugby's greatest pros.

From just about surviving the equivalent of 30 car crashes a game and crooning Adele for team spirit, to extensive field notes on the smell of the Scrum and the fine art of on-pitch relief. Then there's rugby's secret naked wrestling scene and how it was exposed.

In my world, you never know how the ball will bounce...

© Joe Marler 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Loose Head written and read by Joe Marler

Brought to you by Penguin.

“I’m not sure anyone knows who I really am. So here it is.”

The real highs.
The real lows.
The Real Girl.

Mutya Buena was only thirteen when she became one third of the original line-up of the iconic girl band Sugababes.

As she launched into fame, her life became unrecognizable overnight. Suddenly, she was going straight from school to the studio, rubbing shoulders with music royalty and hearing fans scream her name.

But with the dazzle of stardom came the darker side: those who would take advantage of her naivety and her kindness, the constant taunting by the press and the lingering regret of missing out on being a real teenager.

Unflinchingly honest, Real Girl takes us through the highs of a spectacular career and the lows that came with a life in the limelight. For the first time, Mutya opens up about the struggles she kept hidden from the public eye when her life began to spiral out of control.

This is the story of the girl the tabloids never saw.

© Mutya Buena 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Real Girl written and read by Mutya Buena

Brought to you by Penguin.

The festive season is fast approaching.

Jane Austen fears that without her siblings at home, there won’t be much Christmas cheer in the Austen household this year.

But when she uncovers a skeleton in the cellar of Deane Rectory, Jane soon forgets her woes. Who needs merriment, when there’s a mystery to solve?

Her investigation leads her to the legend of a young bride who’s long been thought to haunt the woods nearby. After fleeing her wedding breakfast, the bride was never seen again.

Has Jane found her at last? Or is there more to this mystery than meets the eye?

Tis the season for Jane to embark upon festive delights, making merry, and solving murders…

© Jessica Bull 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Austen Christmas Murders written by Jessica Bull and read by Eleanor Yates

Brought to you by Penguin.

Secrets, murder and mayhem collide as this unlikely sleuthing duo - an under-butler and a foul-mouthed octogerian - hunt a killer in a manor sealed against the end of the world.

Cornwall, 1910. On a remote tidal island, the Viscount of Tithe Hall is absorbed in feverish preparations for the apocalypse that he believes will accompany the passing of Halley's Comet. The Hall must be sealed from top to bottom - every window, chimney and keyhole closed off before night falls. But what the pompous, dishonest Viscount has failed to take into account is the danger that lies within... By morning, he will be dead in his sealed study, murdered by his own ancestral crossbow.

All eyes turn to Steven Pike, Tithe Hall's newest under-butler. Fresh out of Borstal for a crime he didn't commit, he is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. His unlikely ally? Miss Decima Stockingham, the foul-mouthed, sharp as a tack, 80-year-old family matriarch. Fearless and unconventional, she relishes chaos and puzzles alike, and a murder is just the thrill she's been waiting for.

Together, this mismatched duo must navigate secret passages, buried grudges and rising terror to unmask the killer before it's too late...

© Ross Montgomery 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Murder at The Worlds End written by Ross Montgomery and read by Derek Jacobi and Joe Jameson

Brought to you by Penguin.

A ritual killing. An ancient curse. What's myth... and what's murder?

After a bruising encounter with a terrorist group, Detective Kamil Rahman has decided to hand in his resignation to the Met and set up a detective agency with his friend Anjoli. But when his boss asks him to go to India to investigate the murder of a British engineer who was found with eighteen arrows stuck in his body, Kamil agrees to take the case, as long as Anjoli can accompany him.

When they arrive in Mumbai, they find someone is on a gruesome killing spree, striking down those connected to the engineer in increasingly macabre ways. Meanwhile, an old friend of Kamil’s gets in touch to beg for his help: he believes his family are cursed, and that he is going to die on his 47th birthday, just like his father and grandfather before him.

As the body count rises, Kamil is torn between solving a very real murder case and protecting his friend from a grisly – if far-fetched – fate. Can he catch a killer and prevent an ancient curse before more people lose their lives?

Praise for the Detective Kamil Rahman novels:

'Outstanding' SUNDAY TIMES

'Hugely entertaining' ANN CLEEVES

'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish' ABIR MUKHERJEE

© Ajay Chowdhury 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Shadow written by Ajay Chowdhury and read by Mikhail Sen and Layla Chowdhury

What were our favourite books of the year and what are we most excited to read in 2026? Join the team behind the Ask Penguin podcast to look back at standout titles, memorable podcast moments, and the reading intentions we’re taking into the New Year.



What were the best books of 2025?

Solo bass track created using the EHX Freeze pedal, bass track was recorded live playing both chords and melody. 

First Freeze

Hi my name is Ian Smart, I play bass, guitar and piano.

I play bass in the following bands:

The Brown Hound James Band http://www.bombedout.com/bands/the-brown-hound-james-band
http://www.facebook.com/TheBrownHoundJamesBand

Lunar Slums http://thelunarslums.tumblr.com/

I have also played bass in:

Milloy 
http://milloy.bandcamp.com/
http://www.myspace.com/milloy</a> 
<a href="http://soundcloud.com/steve-whitfield/propofol-by-milloy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Propofol by Milloy by Steve Whitfield</a>
"http://open.spotify.com/artist/2rb1he3uj7LBkvNTIFGeot" 
"http://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/milloy/id269031300"

Messina <a href="http://soundcloud.com/messinaband" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">messinaband</a> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/split-your-heart-with-arrow/id336950186" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/split-your-heart-with-arrow/id336950186</a> <a href="http://www.myspace.com/messinaband" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.myspace.com/messinaband</a> 

Gagglewire (Rage against the Machine tribute act)

Im currently writing a collection of solo Bass EPs and collaborating with a few other musician friends.
Enjoy the tracks
I also teach private bass lessons send me a message for details

First Freeze

Iansmart

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