Best Penguin Random House Audio Podcasts (2025)

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Shilla Lee , "Crafting Rural Japan: Traditional Potters and Rural Creativity in Regional Revitalization" (Routledge, 2024) 1:04:36

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13h ago1:04:36

1:04:36

Centering collaborations and frictions around a Japanese town’s pottery industry, Crafting Rural Japan: Traditional Potters and Rural Creativity in Regional Revitalization (Routledge, 2024)n discusses the place of creative village policy in the revitalization of rural Japan, highlighting how rural Japan is moving from a state of regional extinction…

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Michal A. Piegzik, "Gamble in the Coral Sea: Japan's Offensive, the Carrier Battle, and the Road to Midway" (Naval Institute Press, 2025) 53:34

13h ago53:34

53:34

Driven by extensive Japanese primary sources, Gamble in the Coral Sea: Japan's Offensive, the Carrier Battle, and the Road to Midway (Naval Institute Press, 2025) offers an operational analysis of the first clash of aircraft carriers at the pivotal Battle of the Coral Sea from the Japanese perspective, including leadership, tactics, and errors that…

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S10 E47: Susan Orlean, Ruchika T. Malhotra, and Natan Last 14:41

19d ago14:41

14:41

In this episode, meet journalist Susan Orlean, inclusion strategist and speaker Ruchika T. Malhotra, and researcher and crossword constructor Natan Last. Listen in as Susan Orlean shares how orchid enthusiasts in Florida inspired her to write her book, Ruchika T. Malhotra reflect on why the last chapter was her favorite to record, and Natan Last on…

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Pierre-Yves Donzé & Maki Umemura, "Pierre-Yves Donzé & Maki Umemura, Japan and the Great Divergence in Business History" (JESB, 2025) 32:37

25d ago32:37

32:37

For much of the late 20th century, Japanese business historians were core contributors to the global field. They published, collaborated, and shaped debates. But something shifted after 2000. Their international visibility - and participation in emerging theoretical conversations - declined. In Japan and the Great Divergence in Business History (Do…

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S10 E46: Laura Lynne Jackson, Matt Cooke, and Tracy Dalgleish 12:50

26d ago12:50

12:50

In this episode, meet psychic medium Laura Lynne Jackson, manifestation coach and speaker Matt Cooke, and clinical psychologist Dr. Tracy Dalgleish. Hear Laura Lynne Jackson discuss how she prepared to record her audiobook, Matt Cooke share his excitement for listeners to hear his personal stories with manifesting, and Dr. Tracy Dalgleish talk abou…

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Fang Yu Hu, "Good Wife, Wise Mother: Educating Han Taiwanese Girls Under Japanese Rule" (U Washington Press, 2024) 1:01:17

1M ago1:01:17

1:01:17

In Good Wife, Wise Mother: Educating Han Taiwanese Girls Under Japanese Rule (U Washington Press, 2024), female education and citizenship serve as a lens through which to examine Taiwan’s uniqueness as a colonial crossroads between Chinese and Japanese ideas and practices. A latecomer to the age of imperialism, Japan used modernization efforts in T…

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Christopher Nelson, "When the Bones Speak: The Living, the Dead, and the Sacrifice of Contemporary Okinawa" (Duke UP, 2025) 1:08:00

1M ago1:08:00

1:08:00

Haunted by the past, ordinary Okinawans struggle to live with the unbearable legacies of war, Japanese nationalism, and American imperialism. They are caught up in a web of people and practices--living and dead, visible and immaterial--that exert powerful forces often beyond their control. In When the Bones Speak, Christopher T. Nelson examines the…

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S10 E45: Anastasia Soare, Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon, and Lori G. Melton 18:13

1M ago18:13

18:13

In this episode, meet CEO & founder of beauty brand Anastasia Beverly Hills, Anastasia Soare, co-hosts of The War on Cars podcast Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon, and host of the Sanctuary Stirrings podcast, Lori G. Melton. Tune in to hear Anastasia Soare talk about what inspired her to write her book and how she hopes to empower others, Sarah Goody…

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Stephen C. Mercado, "Japanese Spy Gear and Special Weapons: How Noborito's Scientists and Technicians Served in the Second World War and the Cold War" (Pen & Sword Military, 2025) 38:33

1M ago38:33

38:33

War, and the threat of war, spurs governments to invest in secret military technologies and weapons. Imperial Japan, ahead of the Second World War, was no exception. After the First World War, Japan set up the Noborito Research Institute: a division of scientists and technicians to invest in overt and clandestine warfare. Stephen Mercado dives into…

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S10 E44: Pam Grossman, Jenna Moreci, and Cas Holman 20:22

1M ago20:22

20:22

In this episode, meet host of The Witch Wave podcast Pam Grossman, writer Jenna Moreci, and designer Cas Holman. Tune in to hear Pam Grossman speak about how magical techniques can support creativity, Jenna Moreci share which audiobook helped her turn off her inner editor, and Cas Holman reflect on the importance of reconnecting with our playful se…

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Joe Watkins, "Indigenizing Japan: Ainu Past, Present, and Future" (U Arizona Press, 2025) 44:06

1M ago44:06

44:06

In Indigenizing Japan: Ainu Past, Present, and Future (University of Arizona Press, 2025), archaeologist Joe E. Watkins provides a comprehensive look at the rich history and cultural resilience of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Hokkaido, Japan, tracing their journey from ancient times to their contemporary struggles for recognition. Relaying th…

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S10 E43: Mariann Edgar Budde, Angela Buchdahl, and Joyce Vance 12:25

2M ago12:25

12:25

In this episode, meet American Episcopal prelate Mariann Edgar Budde, rabbi Angela Buchdahl, and former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama Joyce Vance. Hear Mariann Edgar Budde reflect on how our most courageous experiences are shaped in youth, Angela Buchdahl share her excitement for readers to learn about Korean and Jewish history…

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Stevie Suan, "Anime's Identity: Performativity and Form Beyond Japan" (U Minnesota Press, 2021) 58:38

2M ago58:38

58:38

A formal approach to anime rethinks globalization and transnationality under neoliberalism Anime has become synonymous with Japanese culture, but its global reach raises a perplexing question--what happens when anime is produced outside of Japan? Who actually makes anime, and how can this help us rethink notions of cultural production? In Anime's I…

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S10 E42: Julian Brave NoiseCat, Dominic Hoffman, and Na'kuset 15:28

2M ago15:28

15:28

In this episode, meet writer and filmmaker Julian Brave NoiseCat, actor, playwright, and audiobook narrator Dominic Hoffman, and Indigenous activist Na’Kuset. Listen to Julian Brave NoiseCat highlight the use of endangered native languages throughout his novel, hear Dominic Hoffman share his experience reading and narrating his own work, and hear N…

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ICYMI: Deep Casual Hosting w/ Virginia Sole-Smith! 51:32

2M ago51:32

51:32

I had a blast talking to Virginia Sole-Smith about her “Friend Friday” tradition, and the insights she’s gathered from the Burnt Toast by Virginia Sole-Smith Community about making Deep Casual Hosting work! I also snuck in a question about Virginia’s move to Patreon! Feel free to check out Virginia’s work on deep casual hosting here. Here’s my land…

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S10 E41: Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, Beth Macy, and Dr. Ben Rein 16:41

2M ago16:41

16:41

By Penguin Random House Audio

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M. G. Sheftall, "Nagasaki: The Last Witnesses" (Penguin Random House, 2025) 53:42

2M ago53:42

53:42

Nagasaki: The Last Witnesses (Penguin Random House, 2025) is the second volume in a prize-worthy two-book series based on years of irreplicable personal interviews with survivors about each of the atomic bomb drops, first in Hiroshima and then Nagasaki, that hastened the end of the Pacific War. On August 6, 1945, the United States unleashed a weapo…

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S10 E40: Eleanor Hamby and Sandra Hazelip, Kevin Fredericks, and Josh Malerman 16:24

2M ago16:24

16:24

In this episode, meet world-travelling octogenarians Eleanor Hamby and Sandra Hazelip, comedian and KevOnStage Studios founder Kevin Fredericks, and writer and musician Josh Malerman. Hear Eleanor Hamby and Sandra Hazelip on the power of travel and aging with “grace and adventure” all over the world, Kevin Fredericks on what he’s most excited for l…

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S10 E39: Clea Shearer, Mary Roach, and Mark Mazower 8:47

3M ago8:47

8:47

In this episode, meet co-founder of The Home Edit Clea Shearer, writer Mary Roach, and historian Mark Mazower. Discover what inspired each of these authors to write their books, and find out who they would cast to narrate if they hadn’t read their audiobooks themselves.Cancer is Complicated by Clea Shearerhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/74…

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Aaron L. Miller, "Basketball in Japan: Shooting for the Stars" (Routledge, 2024) 1:03:34

3M ago1:03:34

1:03:34

Today we are joined by Aaron Miller, Lecturer in Kinesiology at California State University, East Bay and the author of Basketball in Japan: Shooting for the Stars (Routledge, 2025.) In our conversation, we discussed the beginnings of basketball in Japan, the ongoing legacy of Samurai culture in Japanese sport, and what Japanese basketball’s succes…

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S10 E38: Sasha Bonét, Rickey Laurentiis, and Samin Nosrat 16:16

3M ago16:16

16:16

In this episode, meet writer Sasha Bonét, poet Rickey Laurentiis, and chef Samin Nosrat. Learn why recording her audiobook made Sasha Bonét feel like a musician, how the title of Rickey Laurentiis’s poetry collection acted as a premonition, and how Samin Nosrat turned her journey to reconnecting with food and cooking into her new book.The Waterbear…

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S10 E37: Special Edition for Library Card Sign-Up Month 15:09

3M ago15:09

15:09

If you find yourself in need of a few moments of beauty, a breeze of empathy, and the warmth of a shared quiet space, this special episode of This Is the Author is for you. We’re celebrating Library Card Sign-up Month (all September long) by hearing from authors on their favorite library memories. Listen to clips from interviews with Naomi Watts, G…

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S10 E36: Dr. Ingrid Clayton, Carla Ciccone, and Sam Sussman 14:13

3M ago14:13

14:13

In this episode, meet clinical psychologist Dr. Ingrid Clayton, writer Carla Ciccone, and writer Sam Sussman. Tune in to hear about the personal experiences that inspired each of these authors to write their books, and what it was like to record their audiobooks. Plus, learn how sneakily difficult it is to pronounce the word “onions.”Fawning by Dr.…

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S10 E35: Christine Webb, Jim Reese, and Reza Aslan 15:32

3M ago15:32

15:32

In this episode, meet primatologist Christine Webb, writer and poet Jim Reese, and writer and Emmy-nominated producer, Reza Aslan. Hear Christine Webb on the dangers of human exceptionalism and what we can do about them, Jim Reese on the intensity of the audiobook studio, and Reza Aslan on what he’s most excited for listeners to hear in this 20th a…

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Maren A. Ehlers, "Give and Take: Poverty and the Status Order in Early Modern Japan" (Harvard U Asia Center, 2018) 1:08:51

3M ago1:08:51

1:08:51

Maren A. Ehlers’s Give and Take: Poverty and the Status Order in Early Modern Japan (Harvard University Asia Center, 2018) examines the ways in which ordinary subjects—including many so-called outcastes and other marginalized groups—participated in the administration and regulation of society in Tokugawa Japan. Within this context, the book focuses…

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Victoria Young, "Translation and the Borders of Contemporary Japanese Literature: Inciting Difference" (Routledge, 2024) 56:21

3M ago56:21

56:21

Translation and the Borders of Contemporary Japanese Literature: Inciting Difference (Routledge, 2024) examines contemporary debates on such concepts as national literature, world literature, and the relationship each of these to translation, from the perspective of modern Japanese fiction. By reading between the gaps and revealing tensions and bli…

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S10 E34: Austin Channing Brown and James Delbourgo 11:20

3M ago11:20

11:20

In this episode, meet author and speaker Austin Channing Brown, author of Full of Myself, and historian James Delbourgo, author of A Noble Madness. Learn what inspired each of these authors to write their books, and what it was like for them to record their audiobooks. Full of Myself by Austin Channing Brownhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/…

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S10 E33: Johnathan Walton, Angus Fletcher, and Dr. Vonda Wright, MD 16:38

4M ago16:38

16:38

In this episode, meet authors Johnathan Walton, Angus Fletcher, and Dr. Vonda Wright. Discover how Johnathan Walton went from being the victim of a con artist to teaching others how to defend against scammers, hear Angus Fletcher on surprise pronunciation lessons in the studio, and listen to Dr. Vonda Wright on confronting the realities of aging fo…

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Paul Thomas Chamberlin, "Scorched Earth: A Global History of World War II" (Basic Books, 2025) 1:04:46

4M ago1:04:46

1:04:46

In popular memory, the Second World War was an unalloyed victory for freedom over totalitarianism, marking the demise of the age of empires and the triumph of an American-led democratic order. In Scorched Earth: A Global History of World War II (Basic Books, 2025), historian Paul Thomas Chamberlin opens a longer and wider aperture on World War II a…

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Deep Casual Hosting Live w/Amanda Litman 49:38

4M ago49:38

49:38

I had a blast talking about Amanda Litman’s weekly experiment of hosting friends at her Brooklyn apartment every Saturday night. My favorite parts of this conversation were discussing how NOT having a perfectly clean house can actually make guests feel more welcome, how to handle entertainment for kids, and how much this regular connection has bols…

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S10 E32: Thomas Chatterton Williams, Robert B. Reich, and Kaila Yu 19:30

4M ago19:30

19:30

In this episode, meet Thomas Chatterton Williams, author of Summer of Our Discontent, Robert B. Reich, author of Coming Up Short, and Kaila Yu, author of Fetishized. Hear Thomas Chatterton Williams on the pivotal and complex meaning of the summer of 2020, Robert Reich on what he would most like listeners to understand, and Kaila Yu both on what ins…

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Eiko Maruko Siniawer, "Ten Moments that Shaped Tokyo" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 49:03

4M ago49:03

49:03

How did Tokyo—Japan’s capital, global city, tourist hotspot and financial center—get to where it is today? Tokyo–or then, Edo–had a rather unglamorous start, as a backwater on Japan’s eastern coast before Tokugawa decided to make it his de facto capital. Eiko Maruko Siniawer picks ten distinct moments in Edo’s, and then Tokyo’s, history to show how…

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S10 E31: Zadie Smith and Nick Laird, Anne Waldman, and Fannie Flagg 15:17

4M ago15:17

15:17

In this episode, meet authors Zadie Smith and Nick Laird, Anne Waldman, and Fannie Flagg. Hear Zadie Smith and Nick Laird on writing a book for their children and working together in the studio, discover why poet Anne Waldman describes recording her audiobook as a “sonic investigation,” and learn what Fannie Flagg is most excited for listeners to h…

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S10 E30: Sarah Hartshorne, Aymann Ismail, and Tre Johnson 16:18

4M ago16:18

16:18

In this episode, meet comedian and content creator Sarah Hartshorne, Slate staff writer and president of AMEJA Aymann Ismail, and writer Tre Johnson. Hear Sarah Hartshorne on being her own dream narrator, Aymann Ismail on the cinematic scene he’s most excited for listeners to hear, and Tre Johnson on the difference between recording an audiobook an…

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Frank Jacob, "Japanese War Crimes during World War II: Atrocity and the Psychology of Collective Violence" (Praeger, 2018) 1:06:07

4M ago1:06:07

1:06:07

When you mention Japanese War crimes in World War Two, you’ll often get different responses from different generations. The oldest among us will talk about the Bataan Death March. Younger people, coming of age in the 1990s, will mention the Rape of Nanking or the comfort women forced into service by the Japanese army. Occasionally, someone will men…

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Sarah Teasley, "Designing Modern Japan" (Reaktion Books, 2022) 1:43:12

4M ago1:43:12

1:43:12

Sarah Teasley's Designing Modern Japan (Reaktion, 2022) unpicks the history of Japanese design from the mid-nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth, focusing on continuities and disruptions within communities and practices of design. Designing Modern Japan explores design in the unfolding contexts of modernization, empire and war, defeat and…

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Alison J. Miller, "Envisioning the Empress: The Lives and Images of Japanese Imperial Women, 1868-1952" (Routledge, 2024) 36:14

5M ago36:14

36:14

Envisioning the Empress illuminates dynamic and powerful empresses who impacted not only women in their own time but whose influence extended to later generations of royalty, creating a greater role for imperial women and elevating the status of women’s roles at a crucial juncture in Japanese history. The central focus of this book is visual monarc…

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S10 E29: David Gate, Jennifer Pastiloff, and Whitney Hanson 16:45

5M ago16:45

16:45

In this episode, meet poet David Gate, author and public speaker Jennifer Pastiloff, and poet Whitney Hanson. Hear David Gate on why he’s excited for listeners to hear poems on audio, Jennifer Pastiloff on why now was the time to write Proof of Life, and Whitney Hanson on what made recording her audiobook a reflective experience. Plus, find out whi…

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James D.J. Brown, "Cracking the Crab: Russian Espionage Against Japan, from Peter the Great to Richard Sorge" (Hurst, 2025), 39:49

5M ago39:49

39:49

The Russians came late to Japan, arriving after the Portuguese and other European powers. But as soon as they arrived, Russia tried to use spies and espionage to learn more about their neighbor—with various degrees of success. Sometimes, it failed miserably, like Russia’s early attempts to make contact with pre-Meiji Japan, or the debacle during th…

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Sonia C. Gomez, "Picture Bride, War Bride: The Role of Marriage in Shaping Japanese America" (NYU Press, 2024) 1:01:46

5M ago1:01:46

1:01:46

Picture Bride, War Bride examines how the institution of marriage created pockets of legal and social inclusion for Japanese women during the period of Japanese exclusion. Gomez’s work joins together an analysis of picture brides, or Japanese women who migrated to the United States to join husbands whom they married [in absentia] in the early 20th …

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S10 E28: Jo Firestone, Talia Pollock, and Scott Ellsworth 18:37

5M ago18:37

18:37

In this episode, meet actress and comedian Jo Firestone, writer and speaker Talia Pollock, and historian Scott Ellsworth. Hear how Jo Firestone’s book was born from the “unstoppable urge to combine” two of her most-loved interests, Talia Pollock on appreciating the power of word choice and language in the recording booth, and Scott Ellsworth on the…

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S10 E27: Anne Marie Chaker, Adam Aleksic, and Katie Gatti Tassin 14:26

5M ago14:26

14:26

In this episode, meet Wall Street Journal reporter-turned-professional bodybuilder Anne Marie Chaker, linguist and “Etymology Nerd” creator Adam Aleksic, and host of the Money with Katie podcast Katie Gatti Tassin. Hear Anne Marie Chaker on the power of weightlifting and exploding the myth of the “skinny ideal,” Adam Aleksic on how recording his au…

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Zev Handel, "Chinese Characters Across Asia: How the Chinese Script Came to Write Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese" (U Washington Press, 2025) 44:54

5M ago44:54

44:54

For centuries, scribes across East Asia used Chinese characters to write things down–even in languages based on very different foundations than Chinese. In southern China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, people used Chinese to read and write–and never thought it was odd. It was, after all, how things were done. Even today, Cantonese speakers use Chinese …

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NIAS Podcast from the University of Tartu Asia Centre: Migration Policies and Realities in Estonia and Japan 33:53

5M ago33:53

33:53

This Nordic Asia Podcast episode explores how Estonia and Japan, two countries under demographic pressure with different immigration histories, are managing the integration of foreign labour. Despite Estonia’s EU membership and Japan’s more recent policy shifts, both nations face labour shortages due to rapidly ageing populations. Estonia maintains…

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S10 E26: Mary Pope Osborne and Charles C. Daniels Jr., Ph.D. 8:24

5M ago8:24

8:24

In this episode, meet author of the bestselling Magic Tree House children’s book series Mary Pope Osborne, and clinical social worker and founder of Fathers’ UpLift, Charles C. Daniels Jr. Hear Mary Pope Osborne on adding an element of surprise to the process of narration, and Charles C. Daniels Jr. on how he prepared for recording and what he’s mo…

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Sven Saaler, Kudō Akira, and Tajima Nobuo eds., "Mutual Perceptions and Images in Japanese-German Relations, 1860-2010" (Brill, 2017) 1:08:05

5M ago1:08:05

1:08:05

Mutual Perceptions and Images in Japanese-German Relations, 1860-2010 (Brill, 2017) examines the mutual images formed between Japan and Germany from the mid-nineteenth to twenty-first centuries, and the influence of these images on the development of bilateral relations. Unlike earlier research on Japanese-German relations, which focused on the sim…