What’s the difference between flash fiction and the short story? Why are we drawn to literature’s most flawed characters? And what would be the ideal fictional world for adulterers?

Hosted by Rhianna Dhillon, on this episode of Ask Penguin, we’re answering your questions with our best book recommendations and talking to Booker Prize-longlisted novelist Sophie Mackintosh about her new novel Permanence. The book follows Clara and Francis – a couple in love, but in secret. When they wake in a strange city, they can finally be together. But as they move between this world and their ordinary lives, cracks begin to show, and they are forced to ask - how long can their love survive?

Discover all the books mentioned in this episode here

Sophie Mackintosh is the author of four novels, including The Water Cure and Cursed Bread. She has been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Women's Prize, has won a Betty Trask Award, and has been selected as one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists. She has been published in Granta, The White Review and TANK magazine among others.

For more information about the National Year of Reading, click here https://goallin.org.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did Marian Keyes inspire Bryony Gordon’s writing? How do you write about family without falling into stereotypes? Which books capture the messy reality of life? And what is your favourite habit to fit reading into your life?

The Ask Penguin team returns with a shelf-load of must-read book recommendations - and this week, we're joined by bestselling author, journalist, and podcaster Bryony Gordon to discuss her debut novel, People Pleaser.

The novel follows Olivia Greenwood, a self-confessed people pleaser who, after one chaotic night out, decides it’s time to start living life on her own terms. Bryony Gordon is a columnist, author, and host of the podcast The Life of Bryony. She is the author of several bestselling books, including Mad Girl and You Got This, both Sunday Times No.1 bestsellers and British Book Award nominees, and is a passionate advocate for mental health, founding Mental Health Mates, a global peer support network. People Pleaser is her first novel.

Discover all the books mentioned in this episode here

For more information about the National Year of Reading click here https://goallin.org.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Wuthering Heights the perfect novel or the perfect work of art? Why do we fall in love with villains? Is all love doomed? And if Emerald Fennell could adapt another book to film, what would she choose?

In this special episode of Ask Penguin, we speak to the director of Wuthering Heights' latest adaptation, Emerald Fennell, about her relationship to Emily Brontë's novel, how she went about interpreting such a complex classic, and what she wants audiences to take away from her vision.

Also joining us in the studio are authors Henry Eliott and Harriet Evans, as we deep-dive into the book, the film, and the life of the Brontës.

Discover more about this episode and all the books by clicking here

Watch Emerald Fennell's interview on YouTube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.