What were the best books of 2025?
Ask Penguin
Penguin Books UK
4.1 • 550 Ratings
🗓️ 11 December 2025
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to Ask Penguin, the podcast all about books and the people who write them. |
| 0:08.8 | I'm Rihanna Dillon and each episode I've got the pleasure of sitting down with writers and penguin colleagues to chat all about their latest work and book obsessions. |
| 0:18.4 | So as the end of the year is fast approaching, we thought that we would take |
| 0:21.5 | the opportunity to celebrate some of our favourite episodes of the past year, the best moments, as well as |
| 0:27.3 | some of the books that we've absolutely loved. And who better to join me than some of the incredible |
| 0:32.4 | team at Penguin who work on this very podcast? You might have heard a couple of them before, |
| 0:37.8 | but a reintroduction to Sarah McKenna, |
| 0:39.9 | digital content manager, |
| 0:41.4 | Derek Ousu, author and podcast producer, |
| 0:44.3 | and new to this side of the podcast, |
| 0:46.5 | social media producer, Francesca Sleet. |
| 0:49.2 | Hi, all of you. |
| 0:50.5 | Hello. |
| 0:50.7 | Hello. |
| 0:51.6 | How is it feeling on this side of the microphone |
| 0:54.0 | for a change? Always wonderful. Hello. Hello. How is it feel being on this side of the microphone for a change? |
| 0:55.7 | Always wonderful. |
| 0:58.3 | It's just the enthusiasm in your voice, Derek, that really sells that. |
| 1:02.0 | We've like, we've been around the country together. |
| 1:04.4 | We've curated events. |
| 1:06.0 | We've done road trips. |
| 1:07.2 | We've even done sleepovers. |
... |
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