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

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

Author: Penguin Books UK December 4, 2025 Duration: 50:39

Which novels are truly unputdownable and what should you read on a dark winter's night? We’re joined by best-selling author, Paula Hawkins, who discusses art, love and remote islands in her latest thriller, The Blue Hour. She also helps us tackle your listener questions with a stack of gripping recommendations to guide you to your next great read.


Explore all the books mentioned on this episode: Click here


Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, she moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller The Girl on the Train became a global phenomenon, selling over 23 million copies. Published in over fifty languages, it was a No.1 bestseller around the world and a box-office-hit film starring Emily Blunt.


Paula's subsequent thrillers have all been instant Sunday Times bestsellers. In 2021 A Slow Fire Burning was nominated for Thriller of the Year at the British Book Awards, and in 2025 The Blue Hour was voted the Good Housekeeping Good Books winner.


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


Ever find yourself staring at a bookshelf, utterly paralysed by choice, or finishing a masterpiece only to feel that peculiar emptiness of not knowing where to go next? Ask Penguin is for that exact moment. Guided by host Rhianna Dhillon, this podcast from Penguin Books UK transforms those universal readerly dilemmas into lively conversation. Each episode tackles real questions from listeners-the quirky, the tricky, the desperately urgent-about what to read next. The answers don’t come from an algorithm, but from genuine dialogue with bestselling authors and the editors, designers, and passionate insiders who help bring books to life. You’ll find yourself revisiting beloved classics with fresh eyes and being introduced to hidden gems you might have otherwise missed. It’s a warm, insightful space that feels like having a brilliant friend in the publishing world, one who knows that a great book recommendation is about more than just plot; it’s about connection, mood, and the next perfect story waiting to crack open your world. Tune in for thoughtful discussions that celebrate the sheer breadth of literature, from page-turning fiction to groundbreaking non-fiction, all within the vibrant landscape of arts and culture. This is where curiosity meets its match, and your next favourite read is always just an episode away.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Ask Penguin
Podcast Episodes
Who gets to write African History? with Zainab Badawi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:29
Joining us in our book-filled studio is broadcaster and author Zeinab Badawi, who shares her journey chronicling Africa's spectacular history through the voices of African historians, archaeologists, and local storytelle…
Ask Penguin Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:53
The Penguin Podcast is returning with a brand-new series called Ask Penguin. In each episode, we will take you inside Penguin Books to meet some of the incredible authors we publish as well as the people who work here, t…
The Best Of the Penguin Podcast 2023 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:09
This week on the Penguin Podcast we're recapping the year with a selection of the brilliant guests we've welcomed onto the show. We hear from Jane Fallon, Chris van Tulleken, Julian Barnes, David Mitchell and more. We th…
Sebastian Faulks with Nihal Arthanayake [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:34
This week on the Penguin Podcast, Nihal Arthanayake is joined by national treasure and bestselling author, Sebastian Faulks.Together they they discuss the tweet that helped inspire his latest book, The Seventh Son, his t…
C Pam Zhang with Nihal Arthanayake [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:57
This week on the Penguin Podcast, Nihal Arthanayake is joined by Booker Longlisted author, C Pam Zhang.Together they discuss Zhang's latest novel, The Land of Milk and Honey, as well as the effects of extreme wealth on t…
Peter Singer with Nihal Arthanayake [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:03
This week on the Penguin Podcast, Nihal Arthanayake is joined by one of our time's most important moral philosophers and animal rights activists, Peter Singer.In this episode, they discuss Singer's experience of animal r…
Yanis Varoufakis with Nihal Arthanayake [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:47
This week on the Penguin Podcast, Nihal Arthanayake is joined by the former Finance Minister of Greece and co-founder of the international grassroots movement DM25 as well as a Professor of economics at the University of…
Alain de Botton with Isy Suttie [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:07
This week on the Penguin Podcast, Isy Suttie is joined by bestselling author, public speaker, and founder of The School of Life, Alain de Botton. His latest book, A Therapeutic Journey, deals with mental ill-health and r…