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.

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Guest: Eleanor Catton

Eleanor Catton Has Her Doubts about Certainty

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.

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Guest: Kate Grenville

Kate Grenville Makes History

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 &amp; 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.

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Guest: Sarah Krasnostein

Sarah Krasnostein Was Wrong About Peter Carey

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.

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Guest: Daniel M. Lavery

Daniel Lavery Has Some Advice for You

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.

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Guest: Leigh Sales

Leigh Sales Is a Professional Stickybeak

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.

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Guest: Christos Tsiolkas

The Restlessness of Christos Tsiolkas

Reading Colson Whitehead, you never know what you're going to get. He’ll write a non-fiction book about poker one minute and a multi-award-winning epic about slavery and race in America the next. This week, the two-time Pulitzer prize winning author joins us for a discussion about his latest novel Crook Manifesto and why he loves a doomed heist.

Reading list:
The Intuitionist, Colson Whitehead, 1999
John Henry Days, Colson Whitehead, 2001
Apex Hides the Hurt, Colson Whitehead, 2006
Sag Harbor, Colson Whitehead, 2009
Zone One, Colson Whitehead, 2011
The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead, 2016
The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead, 2019
Harlem Shuffle, Colson Whitehead, 2021
Crook Manifesto, Colson Whitehead, 2023

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, Patrick Radden Keefe, 2021
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann, 2023
Firelight, John Morrissey, 2015
Biography of X, Catherine Lacey, 2023

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.

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Guest: Colson Whitehead

Colson Whitehead Loves a Doomed Heist

Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is the book Shankari Chandran always wanted to write. After being rejected by publishers, Shankari decided to write for herself and finally tackle the subject she'd been avoiding: Race in Australia. In doing so, she has won the Miles Franklin award and changed the trajectory of her writing career.

Reading list:
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, Shankari Chandran, 2022
Song of the Sun God, Shankari Chandran, 2017
The Barrier, Shankari Chandran, 2017

Hopeless Kingdom, Kgshak Akec, 2022
Limberlost, Robbie Arnott, 2022
Cold Enough for Snow, Jessica Au, 2022
The Lovers, Yumna Kassab, 2022
Iris, Fiona Kelly McGregor, 2022

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.

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Guest: Shankari Chandran and Kate McClymont

Shankari Chandran Nearly Gave up Writing

Award-winning writer and historian Tony Birch grew up listening to stories from his nan, Alma. This week, Tony shares how Alma's advice has influenced his life and his writing.

Reading list:
Shadowboxing, Tony Birch, 2006
Blood, Tony Birch, 2011
Ghost River, Tony Birch, 2015
Common People, Tony Birch, 2017
The White Girl, Tony Birch, 2019
Dark as Night, Tony Birch, 2021

Yellowface, R.F. Kuang, 2023
Broke, Sam Drummond, 2023

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Guest: Tony Birch

Tony Birch Doesn’t Believe in Luck

Anna Funder has a habit of writing about humans in extremis: under the Stasi, then the Nazis, and now, she's taken on the patriarchy in her new book Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life. It's an act of resurrection for Eileen O'Shaughnessy, the brilliant woman who married George Orwell, contributed to his work and was erased from his story.

Reading list:
Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life, Anna Funder, 2023
All That I Am, Anna Funder, 2011
Stasiland, Anna Funder, 2003

Burmese Days, George Orwell, 1934
Animal Farm, George Orwell, 1945
1984, George Orwell, 1949

Anam, André Dao, 2023
Restless Dolly Maunder, Kate Grenville, 2023

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Guest: Anna Funder

Anna Funder is Her Own Wife

Helen Garner is writing again. This week, she invites us over for cake and conversation about what she’s writing about, how she solves problems and the inspiration she gets from watching her grandson’s footy training.

Reading list:
Monkey Grip, Helen Garner, 1977
The Children’s Bach, Helen Garner, 1984
The Spare Room, Helen Garner, 2008
Yellow Notebook: Diaries 1978–1987, Helen Garner, 2019
One Day I’ll Remember This: Diaries 1987–1995, Helen Garner, 2020
How to End a Story: Diaries 1995–1998, Helen Garner, 2021

Eleven Letters to You: A Memoir, Helen Elliot, 2023
The Late Americans, Brandon Taylor, 2023

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Guest: Helen Garner

We Went to Helen Garner’s House

Rumaan Alam is the author of four novels. He broke out in 2020 with his New York Times best-selling novel Leave the World Behind. This week Michael sits down with Rumaan for a conversation about his latest novel, Entitlement, and they discuss class, desire, and the influence of Sylvia Plath.

Reading list:
Rich and Pretty, Rumaan Alam, 2016 
That Kind of Mother, Rumaan Alam, 2018
Leave the World Behind, Rumaan Alam, 2020
Entitlement, Rumaan Alam, 2024

Intermezzo, Sally Rooney, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Rumaan Alam

Rumaan Alam on Class, Desire, and Dread

Richard Osman wears many hats, from television producer to comedian to podcaster. Now, however, he’s best known as a bestselling author for his series The Thursday Murder Club. Richard’s new series is called We Solve Murders and this week, he sits down with Michael to discuss it and he reveals the piece of advice he gave to Pierce Brosnan.

Reading list:
The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman, 2020
The Man Who Died Twice, Richard Osman, 2021
The Bullet That Missed, Richard Osman, 2022
The Last Devil To Die, Richard Osman, 2023
We Solve Murders, Richard Osman, 2024

Max Perkins: Editor of Genius, Berg, A. Scott,1978
Stone Yard Devotional, Charlotte Wood, 2023

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Richard Osman

Richard Osman Investigates

Malcolm Knox began his career as a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald, back in the 90s. His breakout was in 2004 when, as literary editor, he broke the story of the fake Jordanian memoirist, Norma Khouri for which he won a Walkley Award. Since then he has written more than a dozen books of nonfiction and has been publishing fiction since 2000. The First Friend is his seventh novel.

Reading list:
The Wonder Lover, Malcolm Knox, 2015
Bluebird, Malcolm Knox, 2020
The First Friend, Malcolm Knox, 2024

The Temperature, Katerina Gibson, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Malcolm Knox

Malcolm Knox Finds Comedy in Toxic Friendships

Caoilinn Hughes is an Irish poet and writer whose debut novel Orchid And The Wasp was published in 2018 to rave reviews. Her third and latest novel, The Alternatives, might be her best yet, and this week she sits down with Michael to discuss it. 

Reading list:
Gathering Evidence, Caoilinn Hughes, 2014
Orchid And The Wasp, Caoilinn Hughes, 2018
The Wild Laughter, Caoilinn Hughes, 2020
The Alternatives, Caoilinn Hughes, 2024

Enter Ghost, Isabella Hammad, 2023
Long Island Compromise, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Caoilinn Hughes

Caoilinn Hughes Is Barely Patient Enough to Write

Rodney Hall might be the greatest Australian writer you’ve never heard of. He is a two-time Miles Franklin Award winner and has published dozens of books of fiction, poetry and memoir across his long career. Now 88, Rodney has just released his 14th novel titled Vortex and it might be his best. This week, Michael sits down with Rodney to discuss his new book and why writing is always a collaborative process between author and reader.

Reading list:
The Ship on the Coin: A Fable of the Bourgeoisie, Rodney Hall, 1972
Just Relations, Rodney Hall, 1982
Kisses of the Enemy, Rodney Hall, 1987
Captivity Captive, Rodney Hall, 1988
The Second Bridegroom, Rodney Hall, 1991
The Grisly Wife, Rodney Hall, 1993
The Island in the Mind, Rodney Hall, 1996
The Day We Had Hitler Home, Rodney Hall, 2000
The Last Love Story, Rodney Hall, 2004
Love Without Hope, Rodney Hall, 2007
Popeye Never Told You, Rodney Hall, 2010
A Stolen Season, Rodney Hall, 2018
Vortex, Rodney Hall, 2024

I Claudius, Robert Graves, 1934
Claudius the God, Robert Graves, 1935
The White Goddess, Robert Graves, 1948

An Experiment in Criticism, C.S. Lewis, 1961
The New Science, Giambattista Vico, 1725
Death at the Sign of the Rook, Kate Atkinson, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Rodney Hall

Literary Giant Rodney Hall Wishes He Was Taller

Roxane Gay is a prominent American author, professor, and cultural critic known for her unflinching honesty, quick wit, and razor-sharp intellect. She has gained acclaim for her essays, fiction, and memoirs that explore identity, gender, race, and body image. This week, Roxane joins Michael for a conversation about what it means to be a public intellectual and how this has shifted throughout her career.

Reading list:
Ayiti, Roxane Gay, 2011
An Untamed State, Roxane Gay, 2014
Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay, 2014
Difficult Women, Roxane Gay, 2017
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body, Roxane Gay, 2017
The Banks, Roxane Gay, 2019
Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business, Roxane Gay, 2023

Jazz, Toni Morrison, 1992
The Source of Self-Regard: Essays, Speeches, Meditations, Toni Morrison, 2019

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Roxane Gay appears at Carriageworks in Sydney, as part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas (24-25 August) and at Melbourne Town Hall (27 August), presented by the Wheeler Centre and Now or Never. For more information head to their websites.

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Guest: Roxane Gay

It’s Not Roxane Gay’s Job to Make People Happy

Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist whose work has been translated into fifty-five languages. She is a self-described “citizen of the world” and has become a notable public intellectual and human rights activist. Elif's latest novel, There are Rivers in the Sky, stretches across millenia, following a single drop of water. This week, Michael chats with Elif about her new book and why she is not just a storyteller but a silence teller, too.

Reading list:
The Bastard of Istanbul, Elif Shafak, 2006
The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak, 2009
Honour, Elif Shafak, 2011
10 Minutes 38 Seconds In this Strange World, Elif Shafak, 2019
The Island of Missing Trees, Elif Shafak, 2021
There are Rivers in the Sky, Elif Shafak, 2024

Orlando: A Biography, Virginia Woolf, 1928
When Cops Are Criminals, Veronica Gorrie, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Elif Shafak

The Multiple Belongings of Elif Shafak

Eric Beecher is a news man. As a journalist, he’s worked for some of the most well-respected newspapers in the world, including the Sydney Morning Herald and the Wall Street Journal. As his career progressed, Eric climbed the media ladder: he’s currently the head of Private Media, which runs the website, Crikey. This week, Michael sits down with Eric to discuss his new book, The Men Who Killed the News.

Reading list:
The Men Who Killed the News, Eric Beecher, 2024
Woo Woo, Ella Baxter, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Eric Beecher

Eric Beecher Is a Media Mongrel

Alexis Wright’s 2023 novel Praiseworthy has just been awarded the Miles Franklin Award. It also won the Stella Prize and has been described as “an astonishing feat of storytelling and sovereign imagination.” In this special episode, Alexis joins Michael for a conversation about Praiseworthy and reveals why she decided very early on in her literary career that she wasn't going to be trapped in anyone’s box.

Reading list:
Carpentaria, Alexis Wright, 2006
The Swan Book, Alexis Wright, 2013
Tracker, Alexis Wright 2017
Praiseworthy, Alexis Wright, 2023

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Alexis Wright

Alexis Wright Is the 2024 Miles Franklin Winner

Evie Wyld writes dark and often trauma-informed books, but she also has a remarkable capacity to capture the tenderness of memory. Her novels have been a critical and commercial success, with her second, All The Birds Singing, winning the Miles Franklin and her third, The Bass Rock, taking home the 2021 Stella Prize. This week, Michael sits down with Evie for a conversation about her latest book The Echoes, which explores how we tell stories around, and into the absences that define us.

Reading list:
After the Fire, A Still Small Voice, Evie Wyld, 2009
All The Birds, Singing, Evie Wyld, 2013
The Bass Rock, Evie Wyld, 2020
The Echoes, Evie Wyld, 2024

Only Sound Remains, Hossein Asgari, 2023
Wall, Jen Craig, 2023 
Anam, Andre Dao, 2023
The Bell of the World, Gregory Day, 2023
Hospital, Sanya Rushdi, 2023
Praiseworthy, Alexis Wright, 2023

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Evie Wyld

Evie Wyld Is Having More Fun Than You Think

Michael Robotham began his career as a ghost writer, working on more than a dozen bestselling books for people like Tony Bullimore and Geri Halliwell, before he published a novel under his own name. Twenty years later, he has just released his 18th book, a new crime novel titled Storm Child. This week, the two Michaels sit down together for a conversation about crime writing, truth wizards and what’s next.

Reading list:
The Suspect, Michael Robotham, 2004
Life or Death, Michael Robotham, 2014
Good Girl, Bad Girl, Michael Robotham, 2019
When She Was Good, Michael Robotham, 2020
Storm Child, Michael Robotham, 2024

Stalking the Feature Story, William Ruehlmann, 1977
For Life, Ailsa Piper, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Michael Robotham

Michael Robotham and His Cabana of Cruelty

Dylin Hardcastle has been publishing their writing since they were 21, having now completed a memoir, a book of YA fiction and two novels. In their latest work, Dylin takes the reader back to 1972, and across three decades, explores the parallel lives of two women, shaped by their contrasting experiences of desire. This week, Michael sits down with Dylin Hardcastle for a wide-ranging conversation about this new novel, A Language of Limbs.

Reading list:
A Language of Limbs, Dylin Hardcastle, 2024
Below Deck, Sophie Hardcastle, 2020
Breathing Underwater, Sophie Hardcastle, 2016
Running Like China, Sophie Hardcastle, 2015

In the Dream House, Carmen Maria Machado, 2019
Voice of the Fish: A Lyric Essay, Lars Horn, 2022
The List, Yomi Adegoke, 2023

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Dylin Hardcastle

Dylin Hardcastle Has Found Their Own Voice

Gerald Murnane doesn’t have readers, he has acolytes. The New Yorker described him as “the reclusive giant of Australian letters”. He’s written 10 novels, several collections of short stories and essays, and a memoir about horse racing. Together these books represent one of the most formidable and singular bodies of work in literature. This week, Michael drives out to the Goroke golf course to chat with Gerald on his home turf.

Reading list:
Tamarisk Row, Gerald Murnane, 1974
A Lifetime on Clouds, Gerald Murnane, 1976
The Plains, Gerald Murnane, 1982
Inland, Gerald Murnane, 1988
Emerald Blue, Gerald Murnane, 1995 
Barley Patch, Gerald Murnane, 2009 
A History of Books, Gerald Murnane, 2012
A Million Windows, Gerald Murnane, 2014
Something for the Pain: A Memoir of the Turf, Gerald Murnane, 2015 
Border Districts, Gerald Murnane, 2017 
A Season on Earth, Gerald Murnane, 2019 
Last Letter to a Reader, Gerald Murnane, 2021

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Articles on Gerald Murnane
Is the Next Nobel Laureate in Literature Tending Bar in a Dusty Australian Town?
An Idiot in the Greek Sense
The Reclusive Giant of Australian Letters

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Guest: Gerald Murnane

We Visited Gerald Murnane at the Goroke Golf Course

Sri Lankan-born Canadian essayist, poet, and Booker Prize-winning novelist Michael Ondaatje has just released a stunning collection of poems. Ondaatje is now 80 years old and it’s almost half a century since he published his first novel; even longer since he first published poetry. This week, Michael joins Read This for a conversation about A Year of Last Things and why writing remains such a joyful act of discovery.

Reading list:
Coming Through Slaughter, Michael Ondaatje, 1976
In the Skin of a Lion, Michael Ondaatje, 1986
The Cinnamon Peeler: Selected Poems, Michael Ondaatje, 1989
The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje, 1992
Handwriting, Michael Ondaatje, 1998
Anil's Ghost, Michael Ondaatje, 2000
Divisadero, Michael Ondaatje, 2007
The Cat's Table, Michael Ondaatje, 2011
Warlight, Michael Ondaatje, 2018
A Year of Last Things, Michael Ondaatje, 2024

The Collected Poems of W. S. Merwin, 2013

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Guest: Michael Ondaatje

Michael Ondaatje Is Learning Everything Again

Paul Murray’s last two novels, Skippy Dies and The Mark and the Void, were both modern masterpieces of institutional failure. In his 2023 Booker Prize shortlisted novel, The Bee Sting, the failing institution Paul turns his comedic eye to is the family. This week, Michael and Paul sit down for a discussion about fraudulence, empathy, and the beautiful opera of life.

Reading list:
An Evening of Long Goodbyes, Paul Murray, 2003
Skippy Dies, Paul Murray, 2010
The Mark and the Void, Paul Murray, 2015
The Bee Sting, Paul Murray, 2023

Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World, Naomi Klein, 2023

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Paul Murray

Paul Murray and the Beautiful Opera of Life

For many years, Irish writer Paul Lynch was a household name…in France. And while his work was popular in translation, and received numerous French literary awards, it was still considered niche. This all changed in 2023, following the release of Prophet Song, which was critically lauded and eventually won the holy grail of English language literary awards: the Booker Prize. This week we return to the Melbourne Writers’ Festival to hear a conversation between Michael and Paul about how Paul became a writer, and why he doesn’t think Prophet Song is a political novel.

Reading list:
Red Sky in Morning, Paul Lynch, 2013
The Black Snow, Paul Lynch, 2014
Grace, Paul Lynch, 2017
Beyond the Sea, Paul Lynch, 2020
Prophet Song, Paul Lynch, 2023

The Prisoner of Zenda, Anthony Hope, 1894
King Solomon's Mines, H. Rider Haggard, 1885
The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy, 1886

The Heart in Winter, Kevin Barry, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Paul Lynch.

Don’t Call Paul Lynch’s Book a Political Novel

Leslie Jamison is celebrated for her ability to link the personal to the cultural to the critical in ways that resonate and move and connect with readers. She first did it with The Empathy Exams – an essay, then a best-selling, award-winning collection. Now she is back with a new book, Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story, a memoir about rebuilding a life after the end of a marriage. This week, Michael sits down with Leslie to discuss this latest work and what it means to be many things – a teacher, an artist, a lover and a mother. 

Reading list:
The Gin Closet, Leslie Jamison, 2010
The Empathy Exams, Leslie Jamison, 2014
The Recovering, Leslie Jamison, 2018
Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story, Leslie Jamison, 2024

Sleepless Nights, Elizabeth Hardwick, 1979
Fragile Creatures, Khin Myint, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Leslie Jamison

Leslie Jamison’s Search History

In 2015, Viet Thanh Nguyen was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his debut novel, The Sympathizer. Now, nearly a decade later, the book has been adapted into an HBO miniseries of the same name. This week, Michael sits down with Viet for a conversation about his latest book, A Man with Two Faces, which expands beyond the familiar beats of memoir, and features the author’s trademark interest in the broader political and colonial implications of the personal.

Reading list:
The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen, 2014
The Committed, Viet Thanh Nguyen, 2021
A Man of Two Faces, Viet Thanh Nguyen, 2023

Dune, Frank Herbert, 1965
Portnoy's Complaint, Philip Roth,1968 

Quarterly Essay: Highway to Hell, Joëlle Gergis, 2024 

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Viet Thanh Nguyen

What Is Wrong with Viet Thanh Nguyen?

It was 2014 when Bruce Pascoe went from being a prolific, yet relatively unknown writer, to public enemy #1 in Australia’s culture wars. That was the year that Bruce published his now infamous book, Dark Emu, and its re-examination of accepted historical accounts of pre-invasion Australia. This week, he joins Michael for a discussion about his new novel Imperial Harvest and shares why he still believes we need the messiness of democracy.

Reading list:
Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe, 2014
Imperial Harvest, Bruce Pascoe, 2024

Time’s Monster, Priya Satia, 2020
The Ministry of Time, Kellyanne Bradley, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Bruce Pascoe

All Bruce Pascoe Needs Is a Biro

Writer, artist, and filmmaker Miranda July has a devoted – even rabid – following, through her writing, her work on the screen, and her collaborative art projects. Her debut 2007 collection of short stories No One Belongs Here More Than You was a publishing sensation, and her debut film, Me and You and Everyone We Know, won the Palme D’Or at Cannes Film Festival. This week, she and Michael discuss her new novel, All Fours, which explores desire, intimacy, dance, and an often overlooked part of the ageing process.

Reading list:
Books
No One Belongs Here More Than You, Miranda July, 2007
The First Bad Man, Miranda July, 2019
All Fours, Miranda July, 2024

Short Stories
‘Roy Spivey’, Miranda July, 2009 (The New Yorker)
‘The Metal Bowl’, Miranda July, 2017 (The New Yorker)

‘Women Have Been Misled About Menopause’, Susan Dominus, 2023 (The New York Times)
What Fresh Hell Is This?, Heather Corinna, 2021
Long Island, Colm Tóibín, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Miranda July

Miranda July Wrote the Book She Couldn’t Find

Across half a dozen novels, Andrew O’Hagan has made a name for himself as an author of delicacy and grace, painting the community he comes from, in Scotland’s west, with tenderness and wry, affectionate humour. His latest, Caledonian Road, follows art historian Campbell Flynn. A man who is at a turning point and is about to come up against his own downfall. This week, Michael sits down with Andrew for a conversation about the Dickensian world he has created in his new novel and why he considers it his most optimistic book yet.

Reading list:
Our Fathers, Andrew O’Hagan, 1999
Be Near Me, Andrew O’Hagan, 2006
Mayflies, Andrew O’Hagan, 2020
Caledonian Road, Andrew O’Hagan, 2024

Lives of Girls and Women, Alice Munro, 1971 
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, Alice Munro, 2001
Dear Life, Alice Munro, 2012

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Andrew O’Hagan

Andrew O’Hagan’s Big Dickensian Energy

Winnie Dunn is used to being behind the scenes. As the general manager of Sweatshop Literacy Movement in Western Sydney, she has been instrumental in helping other writers find their voice. But now, the spotlight is on her. This week, Michael sits down with Winnie for a conversation about her debut novel, Dirt Poor Islanders. She reflects on the demonising narratives she had to fight and the piece of writing advice that she’d given to others that resonated for her.

Reading list:
Dirt Poor Islanders, Winnie Dunn, 2024
I Am Lupe, Sela Ahosivi-Atiola, Yani Agustina, 2023
Only the Astronauts, Ceridwen Dovey, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter
Guest: Winnie Dunn

It’s Winnie Dunn’s Turn in the Spotlight

Sloane Crosley is known for her funny and acerbic personal essays, including her New York Times’ best-selling collection I Was Told There’d Be Cake. But in her new memoir she digs much deeper to examine the loss of her best friend. This week, Michael sits down with Sloane to discuss Grief Is For People, and Sloane reveals the challenges of writing an intimate portrait of a singular friendship.

Reading list:
I Was Told There’d Be Cake, Sloane Crosley, 2008
How Did You Get This Number, Sloane Crosley, 2010
Look Alive Out There, Sloane Crosley, 2018
Cult Classic, Sloane Crosley, 2022
Grief Is For People, Sloane Crosley, 2023

Truth and Beauty, Ann Patchett, 2004
The Writing Life, Annie Dillard, 1989
Stoner, John Williams, 1965

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Sloane Crosley

Resisting Catharsis with Sloane Crosley

We're off this Thursday, but we'll be back next week.
Email us: readthis@schwartzmedia.com.au
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See You Next Week!

Morris Gleitzman is an Australian institution. A beloved author of novels for young people, Morris is known for his ability to be funny and warm without shying away from the realities of life. He has been writing for almost half a century now and has delighted generations of readers with his more than 40 books of fiction. This week, Michael and Morris sit down to reflect on Morris’s multi-generational impact and to discuss his latest novel, Tweet.

Reading list:
Two Weeks with the Queen, Morris Gleitzman, 1989
Misery Guts, Morris Gleitzman, 1991
Worry Warts, Morris Gleitzman, 1992
Blabber Mouth, Morris Gleitzman, 1993
Sticky Beak, Morris Gleitzman, 1994
Now, Morris Gleitzman, 2010
Tweet, Morris Gleitzman, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Morris Gleitzman

Morris Gleitzman’s World of Possibilities

Patrick deWitt has made a career out of creating eccentric, unforgettable characters. From his gun-slinging duo in the darkly comic The Sisters Brothers, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize to the severely unsympathetic down-at-heel aristocrats in The French Exit. But in his fifth novel, The Librarianist, Patrick employs his signature verve and wit to reveal the extraordinary in the otherwise ordinary life of retired librarian Bob Comet. This week, Patrick joins Michael in the studio for a conversation about the joys of being an introvert, making friends at 40, and writing his latest novel.

Reading list:
The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt, 2011
Undermajordomo Minor, Patrick deWitt, 2015
French Exit, Patrick deWitt, 2018
The Librarianist, Patrick deWitt, 2023

Deep Blue: The World in the Ocean, James Bradley, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter
Guest: Patrick deWitt

Vulgarity, Death, and Patrick deWitt

Star investigative journalist Louise Milligan has spent her career working on some of the most high-profile criminal cases in Australia. This incredible breadth of experience informs her first novel Pheasant’s Nest, which follows the abduction of a young journalist and provides a unique insight into the media, policing and politics that surround a crime like this. This week, Michael sits down with Louise to discuss the leap from reporting to fiction and why writing this book was a kind of therapy. 

Reading list:
Cardinal, Louise Milligan, 2017
Witness, Louise Milligan, 2020
Pheasant’s Nest, Louise Milligan, 2024

A Year of Last Things, Michael Ondaatje, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Louise Milligan

Louise Milligan Wears Her Heart on Her Sleeve

Even if you’re not an obsessive Ancient Rome aficionado, you may have heard of Mary Beard. With more than 20 books to her name, including the wildly successful SPQR, Mary might be most famous for her work as a BBC host for shows such as Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town and Julius Caesar Revealed. Her latest book is Emperor of Rome and this week on the show she sits down with Michael to discuss her life sentence — the half dozen words that set her on the path to becoming Britain’s best-known classicist — and why the Roman Empire is so misunderstood.

Reading list:
SPQR, Mary Beard, 2015
Twelve Caesars, Mary Beard, 2021
Emperor of Rome, Mary Beard, 2023

Meditations, Marcus Aurealius, 167 A.C.E..
Tidelines, Sarah Sasson, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Mary Beard

Friends, Mary Beard Fans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears

Jonathan Lethem made his name with his 1999 novel Motherless Brooklyn, but it was his next book, a semi-autobiographical re-telling of his childhood in Brooklyn, The Fortress of Solitude, that solidified his reputation as one of America's most celebrated authors. In Brooklyn Crime Novel, Jonathan returns to the Brooklyn of his childhood, but this time with a very different perspective. This week, Michael and Jonathan discuss making and unmaking the past in his latest book.

Reading list:
Motherless Brooklyn, Jonathan Lethem, 1999
The Fortress of Solitude, Jonathan Lethem, 2003
Brooklyn Crime Novel, Jonathan Lethem, 2023

Edenglassie, Melissa Lucashenko, 2023
The Restless Dolly Maunder, Kate Grenville, 2023
Wifedom, Anna Funder, 2023
The Wren, The Wren, Anne Enright, 2023

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Jonathan Lethem

Jonathan Lethem Is Ripping It up and Starting Again

Anne Enright has been publishing books for more than two decades, winning numerous awards, including the Booker Prize for her 2007 novel, The Gathering. This week, Michael sits down with Anne for a wide-ranging conversation about the changing cultural context she is writing into, how a multiplicity of perspectives shape her work, and her latest book The Wren, The Wren.

Reading list:
The Gathering, Anne Enright, 2007
The Forgotten Waltz, Anne Enright, 2011
The Green Road, Anne Enright, 2015
Actress, Anne Enright, 2020
The Wren, the Wren, Anne Enright, 2023

Orbital, Samantha Harvey, 2023

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter
Guest: Anne Enright

Anne Enright Is Not Really Writing About Families, Actually

When Nam Le’s debut book of short stories, The Boat, came out in 2008, it was met with unanimous praise and scooped up awards from around the world. Now, 16 years later, Nam has produced his follow up called 36 Ways to Write A Vietnamese Poem. This week, Michael sits down with Nam to discuss his latest work and the importance of violence in his conception of poetry and language.

Reading list:
The Boat, Nam Le, 2008
On David Malouf, Nam Le, 2019
36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem, Nam Le, 2014

What Happened to Nina?, Dervla McTiernan, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Nam Le

Nam Le Is Back

Joseph Conrad only ever captained one ship in his lifetime – the Otago. In a strange turn of events, the wreckage of Joseph Conrad’s ship now lies on the banks of the Derwent River in Hobart. And it's there that novelist Gail Jones took the inspiration for her latest novel, One Another. This week, Michael sits down with Gail for a wide-ranging discussion about desire, hauntings, and the life and work of Joseph Conrad.

Reading list:
Black Mirror, Gail Jones, 2002
Sixty Lights, Gail Jones, 2004
Dreams of Speaking, Gail Jones, 2006
Sorry, Gail Jones, 2007
Five Bells, Gail Jones, 2011
A Guide to Berlin, Gail Jones, 2015
The Death of Noah Glass, Gail Jones, 2018
Our Shadows, Gail Jones, 2020
Salonika Burning, Gail Jones, 2022

Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, 1899
The Secret Agent, Joseph Conrad, 1907

Always Will Be, Mykaela Saunders, 2024
The Best Minds, Jonathan Rosen, 2023

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Gail Jones

Gail Jones Was Saved by Reading

Erik Jensen was just 20 years old when he met Australian author Kate Jennings for the first time, forging a close relationship that continued until Kate’s death in 2021. This week, Michael chats with The Saturday Paper’s editor in chief about Kate’s life and her underappreciated work and Erik shares why her novel, Snake, is the best Australian book he’s ever read.

Reading list:
Snake, Kate Jennings, 1996
Moral Hazard, Kate Jennings, 2002
Cats, Dogs and Pitchforks, Kate Jennings, 1993

On Kate Jennings, Erik Jensen, 2017
I said the sea was folded: Love poems, Erik Jensen, 2021
Angry at Breakfast, Erik Jensen, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter
Guest: Erik Jensen

Why Kate Jennings Is There in Everything Erik Jensen Writes

This week, Michael chats with author Briohny Doyle, whose most recent novel Why We Are Here explores the complexities of grief, both individual and collective. They discuss the role of writing during the pandemic and how relationships with non-human others enable us to access repressed parts of ourselves.

Reading list:
The Island Will Sink, Briohny Doyle, 2013
Adult Fantasy, Briohny Doyle, 2017
Echolalia, Briohny Doyle, 2021
Why We Are Here, Briohny Doyle, 2023

The Great Undoing, Sharlene Allsopp, 2024
Tremor, Teju Cole, 2023

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter
Guest: Briohny Doyle

No Dogs Die in Briohny Doyle's New Novel

For our first episode of 2024, Michael speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks. She shares her life sentence and reflects on how her upbringing provided the perfect building blocks for a career as a writer. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Reading list:
Nine Parts of Desire, Geraldine Brooks, 1994
Foreign Correspondence, Geraldine Brooks, 1997
March, Geraldine Brooks, 2005
Horse, Geraldine Brook, 2022

Dreams of My Russian Summers, Andreï Makine, 1995
We All Lived In Bondi Then, Georgia Blain, 2024
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama, Nathan Thrall, 2023

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Geraldine Brooks

How Geraldine Brooks Became a Novelist

Read This is back Feb 8!

For our last show of the year, Michael heads to Fitzroy Pool to find out what people are reading as the weather warms up. Plus, some of our previous guests offer book recommendations for the summer holidays.

Reading list:
The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett, 2020
Down and Out In Paris and London, George Orwell, 1933
My Body, Emily Ratajkowski, 2021
Ghosts, Dolly Alderton, 2020
The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin, 2023
The Road, Cormac McCarthy, 2006
Working Class Boy, Jimmy Barnes, 2018
Never Never, Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher, 2023
The Spy’s Wife, Fiona McIntosh, 2021
Lioness, Emily Perkins, 2023
And Then She Fell, Alicia Elliott, 2023
The Palestine Laboratory, Anthony Loewenstein, 2023
England’s Green, Zaffar Kunial, 2022
The Sullivanians, Alexander Stille, 2023
Everyone and Everything, Nadine J. Cohen, 2023
Why We Are Here, Briohny Doyle, 2023
The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman, 2020
Middlemarch, George Eliot, 1871

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

We Went to Fitzroy Pool

Max Porter, best known for his debut novel Grief is the Thing with Feathers, has long been inspired by literature – reading it, listening to it, and, most importantly, sharing it with others. This week, Max shares the piece of writing that changed his life and reveals why every single time he thinks about it, its power renews itself like a rechargeable battery.

Reading list:
Grief is the Thing with Feathers, Max Porter, 2015
Lanny, Max Porter, 2019
The Death of Francis Bacon, Max Porter, 2021
Shy, Max Porter, 2023

Memorial, Alice Oswald, 2011
Hope in the Dark, Rebecca Solnit, 2004
Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility, ed. Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua, 2023
The Complete Poems, Emily Dickinson, 2017

Day, Michael Cunningham, 2023
Roman Stories, Jhumpa Lahiri, 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: Max Porter

Max Porter’s Freight Is Proportioned to His Groove

Michelle de Kretser began reading Shirley Hazzard well before she herself would become a writer, but she felt an early kinship, and two decades later it exploded into a full obsession. This week, Michael speaks with Michelle and Hazzard's biographer Brigitta Olubas about one of Australia's most underrated and underread authors.

Reading list:
The Evening of the Holiday, Shirley Hazzard, 1966
The Bay of Noon, Shirley Hazzard, 1970
The Transit of Venus, Shirley Hazzard, 1980
Greene on Capri, Shirley Hazzard, 2000
The Great Fire, Shirley Hazzard, 2003
On Shirley Hazzard: Writers on Writers, Michelle de Kretser, 2019
Shirley Hazzard: A Writing Life, Brigitta Olubas, 2023

Prophet Song, Paul Lynch, 2023
So Close to Home, Mick Cummins, 2023
In Praise of Veg, Alice Zaslavsky, 2020

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.

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Guest: Michelle de Kretser &amp; Brigitta Olubas

Why Michelle de Kretser Wants You to Read Shirley Hazzard

Back in 2005, following the publication of her debut novel, Gabrielle Zevin experienced a kind of literary trauma, one that completely fractured her sense of intimacy with the art form that she loved. Since then, she has learned to embrace failure and her latest novel has featured on over thirty “Best Books of the Year” Lists. This week, Michael sits down with Gabrielle for a wide-ranging discussion about collaboration, creativity, ambition and failure in her new book, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. 

Reading list:
Margarettown, Gabrielle Zevin, 2005
The Hole We're In, Gabrielle Zevin, 2010
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin, 2014
Young Jane Young, Gabrielle Zevin, 2017
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin, 2022

The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro, 1989
The Animators, Kayla Rae Whitaker, 2016

Returning, Kirli Saunders, 2023
Wellness, Nathan Hill, 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.

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Guest: Gabrielle Zevin

Gabrielle Zevin Wants to Talk About Failure

Described by the Washington Post as "one of our greatest living novelists", Richard Flanagan has been writing for more than three decades. His 2013 novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North won the Booker Prize and his essays have been published across Australia and internationally. This week Michael heads to Tasmania to speak with Richard at his home in Hobart about his latest and most personal novel, Question 7.

Reading list:

Gould’s Book of Fish, Richard Flanagan, 2001
The Narrow Road to the North, Richard Flanagan, 2013
The Living Sea of Waking Dreams, Richard Flanagan, 2020
Question 7, Richard Flanagan, 2023

The War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells, 1898
The World Set Free, H.G. Wells, 1914
Speak, Memory, Vladimir Nabokov, 1951

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.

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Guest: Richard Flanagan

The Cause and Effect of Richard Flanagan

Rebecca Makkai is a master storyteller – her 2018 book, The Great Believers, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award. In I Have Some Questions for You, Rebecca switches genres with a literary crime story that takes in the #MeToo movement, the American justice system, race, sex, class and murder, all against the backdrop of a prestigious boarding school. This week, Michael sits down with Rebecca to discuss her latest novel, the perils of true crime, and why being surprised when reading a book is so much more satisfying than a jump scare in a movie.

Reading list:
The Borrower, Rebecca Makkai, 2011
The Hundred-Year House, Rebecca Makkai, 2014
The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai, 2018
I Have Some Questions for You, Rebecca Makkai, 2023

The Stone of Laughter, Hoda Barakat, 1990
So Late in the Day, Claire Keegan, 2023
The In-Between, Christos Tsiolkas, 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: Rebecca Makkai

Rebecca Makkai Is on the Case

Charlotte Wood became a mainstay in Australia’s literary firmament in 2015 following the release of her award-winning novel, The Natural Way of Things. Her latest book, Stone Yard Devotional, is her most personal yet. It’s a meditation on grief, solitude, what it means to live a good life, and what we owe one another. This week, Michael sits down with Charlotte to discuss her new book, and she shares the psychic catastrophe that informed its final form.

Reading list:
The Natural Way of Things, Charlotte Wood, 2015
The Weekend, Charlotte Wood, 2019
The Luminous Solution, Charlotte Wood, 2021
Stone Yard Devotional, Charlotte Wood, 2023

Gilead, Marilynne Robinson, 2004
Gilgamesh, Joan London, 2001
The Golden Age, Joan London, 2014

The Wren, The Wren, Anne Enright, 2023
Women and Children, Tony Birch, 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: Charlotte Wood

Charlotte Wood Thinks Restraint Is Underrated

Trent Dalton’s debut novel, Boy Swallows Universe, has sold more than a million copies worldwide, making Trent one of Australia’s most successful contemporary authors. His latest book is called Lola in the Mirror, and it’s the third – and perhaps final – in a loose trilogy following young people in peril on the fringes of society. This week, Michael sits down with Trent to discuss this new work, where his boundless enthusiasm comes from, and his plans for the future.

Reading list:
Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton, 2014
All Our Shimmering Skies, Trent Dalton, 2018
Lola in the Mirror, Trent Dalton, 2023

The Opposite of Success, Eleanor Elliott Thomas, 2023
Boy Friends, Michael Pederson, 2022

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: Trent Dalton

It’s Trent Frickin’ Dalton

Robyn Davidson was just 27 when she trekked across the Australian desert. This epic journey was captured in her 1980 memoir Tracks, which became a national and international success. Her new book, Unfinished Woman, is her attempt to grapple with both her own life before and after Tracks, and with the story of her mother, who committed suicide when Robyn was only 11 years old. This week, Michael sits down with Robyn to discuss fear, loneliness and how she completed her self-proclaimed “impossible memoir”. 

Reading list:
Tracks, Robyn Davidson, 1980
Unfinished Woman, Robyn Davidson 2023

See below for some of the First Nations Writers that Michael recommends reading:
Tara June Winch, Melissa Lucashenko, Alexis Wright, Ally Cobby Eckerman, Tony Birch, Anita Heiss, Evelyn Araluen, Chelsea Watego, Kirli Saunders, Ellen van Neerven, Larissa Behrendt, Aileen Moreton Robinson, Jackie Huggins, Kim Scott, Jane Harrison, Nardi Simpson.

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: Robyn Davidson

Robyn Davidson and the Impossible Book

For many Australians, facing the reality of this country is a task that has proved enduringly difficult, both at a public and a political level. For investigative journalist David Marr, finding the right way to tell the stories that allow us to see the truth of our history is a personal quest and one that has led to his latest book. This week, Michael talks with David about shame – both personal and national – and why his family agreed that he had to write Killing for Country.

Reading list:
Patrick White: A Life, David Marr, 1991
My Country: Stories, Essays &amp; Speeches, David Marr, 2018
Killing for Country, David Marr, 2023

Septology, Jon Fosse, 2022
The Hummingbird Effect, Kate Mildenhall, 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: David Marr

David Marr vs Australia’s Old Lie

Melissa Lucashenko writes about big ideas and brutal experiences, but she does so with grace, with generosity and – maybe above all else – a rich sense of humour. This week, Michael sits down with Melissa for a conversation about her new book, Edenglassie, and they discuss history, eccentric characters, and why writing a love story is a revolutionary act.

Reading list:
Hard Yards, Melissa Lucashenko, 1999
Too Flash, Melissa Lucashenko, 2002
Mullumbimby, Melissa Lucashenko, 2013
Too Much Lip, Melissa Lucashenko, 2018
Edenglassie, Melissa Lucashenko, 2023

The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, Henry Handel Richardson, 1925
For the Term of His Natural Life, Marcus Clarke, 1874
The Secret Hours, Mick Herron, 2023
Gunflower, Laura Jean McKay, 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: Melissa Lucashenko

Melissa Lucashenko is our Poet Laureate of Ratbags

George Saunders is one of literary fiction's most acclaimed living writers. Along with his many collections of short stories, he also published the Booker Prize-winning novel Lincoln in the Bardo. This week, Michael chats with him about his life and career, and George reveals the three words that made him a writer.

Reading list:
CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, George Saunders,1996
Pastoralia, George Saunders, 2000
In Persuasion Nation, George Saunders, 2006
Tenth of December: Stories, George Saunders, 2013
Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders, 2017
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life, George Saunders, 2021
Liberation Day: Stories, George Saunders, 2022

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce, 1916
To Have and Have Not, Ernest Hemingway, 1937
The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway, 1952
The Little Disturbances of Man, Grace Paley, 1959
Ordinary Gods and Monsters, Chris Womersley, 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: George Saunders

The Three Words That Made George Saunders a Writer

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. Coming July 6.

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