Penny, 47, has been registered blind from birth. As a child, Penny attended a specialist boarding school for blind children where, amongst other things, she was taught braille, which she struggled with.
She said: "I never really enjoyed reading, but then one day I went into a library and they had Harry Potter books on tape and I discovered that I loved listening to stories."
"Harry Potter was one of the books that led me to subscribe to the Talking Book Service. I'd seen the braille version, but it was so large it was overwhelming."
'Why shouldn't I get to enjoy the excitement of new books?'
"Each time a new Harry Potter book came out, my two children and my husband were able to read it but I had to wait."
Unfortunately copyright permissions are one of the reasons it's not possible for all Talking Books to be produced at the same time as printed books.
"I was very frustrated that I could not read it with them and join in the excitement."
How RNIB helps Penny
RNIB is working with publishers to get a Talking Book version of all new releases launched at the same time the printed version is released so more families, like Penny's, can enjoy the pleasure of reading together.
"The final Harry Potter book was available as a Talking Book on the same day as the printed version. It was brilliant; we enjoyed the book as a family and talked about it every day for weeks."
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