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Read This

Read This

Read This is a show about the books we love and the stories behind them, hosted by Michael Williams. Every Thursday, you’ll hear insightful conversations with the smartest, funniest readers and writers we know and in-depth interviews with the best Australian and international authors talking about their lives and their work. You’ll never be left wondering what to read next.

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24 min•
13 Sep 23

Eleanor Catton Has Her Doubts about Certainty

Eleanor Catton was just 28 when she won the Booker Prize for her novel The Luminaries. Her much anticipated follow-up, Birnam Wood, is an eco thriller, a Shakespearean tragedy, a satire and novel of manners all rolled into one. This week, Michael sits down with Eleanor to discuss her latest book and the dangers of feeling ideologically certain. Reading list: The Rehearsal, Eleanor Catton, 2008 The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton, 2013  Birnam Wood, Eleanor Catton, 2023 The People's Platform, Astra Taylor, 2014 Green Dot, Madeleine Gray, 2023 Songs for the Dead and the Living, Sara M Saleh, 2023 You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on Apple Books. Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter Guest: Eleanor Catton

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24 min•
6 Sep 23

Kate Grenville Makes History

Kate Grenville has spent her career bringing history to life, often using the lives of her own family to tell stories about the kinds of voices who are often left out of the official record. This week, Michael heads to Kate's house to discuss her latest novel, Restless Dolly Maunder, and why she is preparing for the chance that someday someone’s going to rifle through her life and make up their own stories. Reading list: Lilian's Story, Kate Grenville, 1985 Joan Makes History: A Novel, Kate Grenville, 1988 The Idea of Perfection, Kate Grenville, 1999 The Secret River, Kate Grenville, 2005 One Life: My Mother's Story, Kate Grenville, 2015 The Case Against Fragrance, Kate Grenville, 2017 Restless Dolly Maunder, Kate Grenville, 2023 The Bee Sting, Paul Murray, 2023 You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on Apple Books. Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter Guest: Kate Grenville

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26 min•
30 Aug 23

Sarah Krasnostein Was Wrong About Peter Carey

Writer and journalist Sarah Krasnostein initially found Australian fiction alienating, but that all changed when she picked up Peter Carey's seminal work True History of the Kelly Gang. This week Sarah discusses how reading that book challenged her expectations and why many people who own Peter Carey's work might be surprised to discover what his books are actually saying. Reading list: The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life In Death, Decay & Disaster, Sarah Krasnostein, 2019 On Peter Carey: Writers on Writers, Sarah Krasnostein, 2023 The Fat Man in History and Other Stories, Peter Carey, 1974 Jack Maggs, Peter Carey, 1987 Oscar and Lucinda, Peter Carey, 1988 True History of the Kelly Gang, Peter Carey, 2000 You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on Apple Books. To register for Sarah’s event at the State Library Victoria on Friday 1 September at 6:30pm, click here. Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter Guest: Sarah Krasnostein

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34 min•
23 Aug 23

Daniel Lavery Has Some Advice for You

Back in 2015, Daniel Lavery took over Slate's long running advice column, Dear Prudence, using his sometimes snarky, often hilarious, and always insightful writing to respond to other peoples’ confessions. This week he chats with Michael about how his own experiences – of transitioning, of family estrangement, of falling in love – all informed the ways he talked to those anonymous commenters on the internet. Reading list: Dear Prudence: Liberating Lessons from Slate.com's Beloved Advice Column, Daniel M. Lavery, 2023 Something That May Shock and Discredit You, Daniel M. Lavery, 2020 Middlemarch, George Eliot, 1871 God Forgets About the Poor, Peter Polites, 2023 Would that be Funny? Growing up with John Clarke, Lorin Clarke, 2023 You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on Apple Books. Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter Guest: Daniel M. Lavery

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29 min•
16 Aug 23

Leigh Sales Is a Professional Stickybeak

Long before she was hosting 7:30 on the ABC, Leigh Sales dreamed of becoming a novelist. This week she joins Michael to discuss her secret desire to write fiction, the art of crafting a good story, and how being a journalist allowed her to become a professional stickybeak. Reading list: Detainee 002: the case of David Hicks, Leigh Sales 2007 Any Ordinary Day: Blindsides, Resilience And What Happens After The Worst Day Of Your Life, Leigh Sales, 2019 On Doubt, Leigh Sales, 2020 Storytellers: Questions, Answers and the Craft of Journalism, Leigh Sales, 2023 You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on Apple Books. Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter Guest: Leigh Sales

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24 min•
9 Aug 23

The Restlessness of Christos Tsiolkas

Christos Tsiolkas burst onto Australia's publishing scene in 1995 with his grunge-lit novel Loaded. Since then he has published seven books of fiction, including The Slap. This week, Christos joins Michael for a discussion on how becoming part of the literary establishment has changed the author, why he finds bodies endlessly fascinating, and his forthcoming book The In-Between. Reading list: Loaded, Christos Tsiolkas, 1995 The Jesus Man, Christos Tsiolkas, 1999 Dead Europe, Christos Tsiolkas, 2005 The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas, 2008 Barracuda, Christos Tsiolkas, 2013 Merciless Gods, Christos Tsiolkas, 2014 Damascus, Christos Tsiolkas, 2019 7 1/2, Christos Tsiolkas, 2021 The In-Between, Christos Tsiolkas, forthcoming in 2023 Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1866 Our Lady of the Flowers (Notre Dame des Fleurs), Jean Genet, 1942/1943 City of Night, John Rechy, 1963 You can find these books at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on Apple Books. Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter Guest: Christos Tsiolkas

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