Josephine Rowe’s writing has been described by the New York Times as “gorgeous” and “precise”. This is particularly evident in her latest novel, Little World, a slender book that offers a deeper, denser exploration of ideas than its modest page count might suggest. This week on the show, Michael sits down with Josephine to discuss the genesis of Little World and why a library card might be her most prized possession.

Reading list:

Tarcutta Wake, Josephine Rowe, 2012

A Faithful, Loving Animal, Josephine Rowe, 2016

Here Until August, Josephine Rowe, 2019

Little World, Josephine Rowe, 2025

Ritual, Chloe Elisabeth Wilson, 2025

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

Guest: Josephine Rowe

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In addition to being an established novelist, James Bradley is also a journalist and writer of non-fiction, much of it concerned with the natural world and the myriad threats it faces. Set in the near future, in a world that is in the grips of climate catastrophe, his latest novel, Landfall, is a crime thriller at its heart. This week, Michael and James discuss what it means to write into a specific genre and why kindness is so important in both this novel and the world.

Reading list:

Clade, James Bradley, 2015

Ghost Species, James Bradley, 2020

Deep Water, James Bradley, 2024

Landfall, James Bradley, 2025

Highway 13, Fiona McFarlane, 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

Guest: James Bradley

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In Melbourne-based author Sean Wilson’s new book, You Must Remember This, he tackles the complicated, tragic, and often fraught subject of dementia.. This week, Sean joins Michael for a conversation about loss, family, and how to hang on to one’s humanity as illness strips it away. 

Reading list:

Gemini Falls, Sean Wilson, 2022

You Must Remember This, Sean Wilson, 2025

The Bright Sword, Lev Grossmann, 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 X

Guest: Sean Wilson

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Two time Miles Franklin Award-winning author Alex Miller is 88, but with 17 books under his belt and more writing on the way, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. On this week’s episode, Michael sits down with Alex to discuss his latest book The Deal, which revisits the life of Lang Tzu, a character in his critically acclaimed novel The Ancestor Game.

Reading list:

The Ancestor Game, Alex Miller, 1992

Journey to the Stone Country Alex Miller, 2003

Autumn Laing Alex Miller, 2011

A Kind of Confession, Alex Miller, 2023

The Deal, Alex Miller, 2024

Joan Lindsay, Brenda Niall, 2025

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: Alex Miller

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In 2017, Rachel Khong released her debut novel Goodbye, Vitamin to critical acclaim. In 2024, she followed it with her second novel, a sweeping family saga spanning five decades. Real Americans is a fascinating exploration of what makes us who we are and challenges some of the corrosive myths that underpin America. This week, Michael chats with Rachel about her new book and she shares her thoughts on luck, science, and the ultimate unknowability of each other and sometimes, even ourselves.

Reading list:

Goodbye, Vitamin, Rachel Khong, 2017

Real Americans, Rachel Khong, 2024

Somebody Down There Likes Me, Robert Lukins, 2025

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: Rachel Khong

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Two-time Miles Franklin Award-winning author Michelle de Kretser has never been afraid of formal experimentation. Her seventh and latest book supports that idea. It is bold and, once again, a heady mix of serious intellectual inquiry with beautifully observed characterisation and formal play. This week on the show, Michael sits down with Michelle for a conversation about Theory & Practice and she reveals why writing it felt so different to all of her other books.

Reading list:

The Rose Grower, Michelle de Kretser, 1999

The Hamilton Case, Michelle de Kretser, 2003

The Lost Dog, Michelle de Kretser, 2007

Questions of Travel, Michelle de Kretser, 2012

Springtime, Michelle de Kretser, 2014

The Life to Come, Michelle de Kretser, 2017

On Shirley Hazzard, Michelle de Kretser, 2019

Scary Monsters, Michelle de Kretser, 2021

Theory & Practice, Michelle de Kretser, 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: Michelle de Kretser

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Lech Blaine’s debut book Car Crash, told the gripping story of his life in the aftermath of a horrendous road accident that killed several of his friends. Since then he’s written political essays and thoughtful journalism: for The Monthly, for the Quarterly Essay and beyond. This week, we’re bringing you Michael’s conversation with Lech at Canberra Writers’ Festival, where they discussed his latest book Australian Gospel: A Family Saga. The book details the outrageous true story of the tangled fates of two couples and the children trapped between them.

Reading list:

Car Crash, Lech Blaine 2019

Australian Gospel: A Family Saga, Lech Blaine 2024

Gunnawah, Ronni Salt, 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: Lech Blaine

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For so many, Noni Hazlehurst is the patron saint of early childhood nostalgia, known for her magnetic presence on Playschool. But Noni has had a long and storied career on stage and screen in Australia – from hosting Better Homes & Gardens to starring in the award-winning one-woman play Mother. This week on the show Noni chats with Michael about her new memoir, Dropping the Mask, where she reclaims a lifetime in the public eye and shares it back on the page. 

Reading list:

Dropping the Mask, Noni Hazlehurst, 2024

Martyr!, Kaveh Akbar, 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: Noni Hazlehurst

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Read This returns next Thursday 16 January! We’re kicking off 2025 with Australian icon Noni Hazlehurst, who is on the show to discuss her new memoir Dropping the Mask.

Join us for another year of insightful, fascinating, and revealing conversations with some of the best writers from Australia and around the world.

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For our last episode of 2024, Michael heads back 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:

Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter, Simone de Beauvoir, 1958

The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas, 2008

Ritual, Chloe Elizabeth Wilson, 2025

The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, 2001

I Could Not Believe It, Sean DeLear, 1979

Unlicensed: Bootlegging as Creative Practice, Ben Schwartz, 2024

Deadly Embrace, Jackie Collins, 2001

Of Love and Other Demons, Gabriel García Márquez, 1993

The Season, Helen Garner, 2024

The Safe Keep, Yael van der Wouden, 2024

All Fours, Miranda July, 2024

Time’s Monster, Priya Satia, 2020

The Lovers, Yumna Kassab, 2022

Deep Water, James Bradley, 2024

The Tribe, Michael Mohammed Ahmad, 2014

Edith Trilogy, Frank Moorhouse, 1992-2011

The Even More Complete Book of Australian Verse, John Clarke, 1994

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

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Best known for his thought-provoking explorations of sexuality and identity across generations, British author Alan Hollinghurst rose to international stardom after his 2004 novel The Line of Beauty was awarded the Booker Prize. In his seventh novel, Our Evenings, Alan adopts the memoir format, offering a delicate meditation on memory, loss, and the passage of time. On this week’s episode, Michael is joined by Alan on Zoom to discuss his life and career and why this book is as close as Alan will get to writing his own memoir.

Reading list:

The Swimming Pool Library, Alan Hollinghurst, 1988

The Folding Start, Alan Hollinghurst, 1994

The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst, 2004

The Sparsholt Affair, Alan Hollinghurst, 2017

Our Evenings, Alan Hollinghurst, 2024

Theory and Practice, Michelle de Kretser, 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: Alan Hollinghurst

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John Safran has been a fixture in Australian media since his breakthrough in 1997 with ABC TV's Race Around the World. After several TV series of his own that explored ideas about faith, race and culture, John made the shift to book-length journalism. This week, Michael sits down for a conversation with John about his latest book, Squat, and he reveals the deeper story behind his week living in Kanye West’s Malibu mansion.

Reading list:

Murder in Mississippi, John Safran, 2013

Depends What You Mean By Extremist, John Safran, 2017

Puff Piece, John Safran, 2021

Squat, John Safran, 2024

Glyph, Ali Smith, 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: John Safran

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The opening scene of Chris Flynn’s fourth and latest novel, Orpheus Nine, came to him in a dream. Not long after, he had the whole story down from start to finish. This week, Chris and Michael sit down for a conversation about the falsity of certitude, how trauma can re-shape a community, and what The Exorcist, the Bible, and Winnie the Pooh all have in common.

Reading list:

A Tiger in Eden, Chris Flynn, 2012

The Glass Kingdom, Chris Flynn, 2014

Mammoth, Chris Flynn, 2020

Here Be Leviathans, Chris Flynn, 2022

Orpheus Nine, Chris Flynn, 2025

The Cracked Mirror, Christopher Brookmyer, 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

Guest: Chris Flynn

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Historian and author Professor Clare Wright’s award-winning work is about righting the wrongs of Australian history. Across three books she takes a historical artefact and uses it to understand the voices that are too often missing from the historical record: the Eureka flag, the suffragette banner, and now the Bark Petitions. This week, Michael sits down with Clare for a conversation about her new book Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions.

Reading list:

The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka, Clare Wright, 2014

You Daughters of Freedom, Clare Wright, 2018

Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions, Clare Wright, 2024

The Season, Helen Garner, 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: Clare Wright

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The Robodebt scheme is considered by many to be one of the Australian government’s worst scandals. Senior Reporter for The Saturday Paper and Walkley Award-winning journalist Rick Morton followed the case closely and he documents the crisis and its devastating effects in his latest book. This week, we bring you Michael’s conversation from Canberra Writers’ Festival with Rick as they discuss Mean Streak.

Reading list:

Mean Streak, Rick Morton, 2024

One Hundred Years of Dirt, Rick Morton, 2023

My Year Of Living Vulnerably, Rick Morton, 2022

Words to Sing the World Alive, Jasmin McGaughey, 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: Rick Morton

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Rachel Kushner always seemed destined to become a writer. At just five years old, her unconventional parents had her working in a feminist bookstore. Now, several decades and three award-winning novels later, she is back with a new book that follows a spy-for-hire who infiltrates a commune of eco-activists in rural France. This week, Michael joins Rachel on Zoom for a conversation about Creation Lake, which was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize.

Reading list:

Telex from Cuba, Rachel Kushner, 2008

The Flamethrowers, Rachel Kushner, 2013

The Mars Room, Rachel Kushner, 2018

Creation Lake, Rachel Kushner, 2024

Orbital, Samantha Harvey, 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: Rachel Kushner

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Santilla Chingaipe was born to tell stories. The Zambian-born filmmaker, historian and author, has spent her career exploring settler colonialism, slavery, and contemporary migration in Australia and she has just released her first book of non-fiction. This week, Michael is joined in studio by Santilla to discuss Black Convicts, which was inspired by the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary, Our African Roots. In it, she offers a fresh understanding of the ways in which empire, slavery, race and memory have shaped this nation.

Reading List:

Black Convicts, Santilla Chingaipe, 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: Santilla Chingaipe

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It is more or less impossible to imagine Australian literature of the past half century without Tim Winton. From his debut, An Open Swimmer to his epic Cloudstreet, the four-time Miles Franklin Award winner is beloved by generations of readers. This week, Michael sits down with Tim to discuss his latest novel, Juice, a gripping tale of determination, survival, and the limits of the human spirit.

Reading list:

That Eye, The Sky, Tim Winton, 1986

Lockie Leonard, Tim Winton, 1990–1997

Cloudstreet, Tim Winton, 1991

Dirt Music, Tim Winton, 2001

Breath, Tim Winton, 2008

Juice, Tim Winton, 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: Tim Winton

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Musician and writer Nardi Simpson is a Yuwaalaraay woman from freshwater country in north-west New South Wales. Her debut novel was 2020’s critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning Song of the Crocodile. Now she is back with her second novel, which explores creation, belonging, and the precious fragility of a life. This week, Michael sits down with Nardi for a wide ranging conversation about her new book, The Belburd.

Reading list:

Song of the Crocodile, Nardi Simpson, 2024

The Belburd, Nardi Simpson, 2024

Midnight and Blue, Ian Rankin, 2024

The Ledge, Christian White, 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: Nardi Simpson

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In just three books Robbie Arnott has established himself as a writer to trust. Flames (2018), The Rain Heron (2022) and Limberlost (2022) were all rapturously reviewed and garnered a hefty swag of award nominations and wins. This week, Michael sits down with Robbie to discuss his new novel, Dusk, which explores loss and redemption and survival in Tasmania’s high country. 

Reading list:

Flames, Robbie Arnott, 2018

The Rain Heron, Robbie Arnott, 2020

Limberlost, Robbie Arnott, 2022

Dusk, Robbie Arnott, 2024

Paris In Ruins, Sebastian Smee, 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: Robbie Arnott

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There are few people in this country as obsessed with understanding the cultural and social potential of Australian cuisine as New Zealand-born chef Ben Shewry. And there are even fewer who have managed to combine that passion with the highest echelons of success. This week, Michael sits down with Attica’s head chef to discuss his new memoir, Uses for Obsession, and Ben share’s why he wanted to write a kind of antidote to the macho chef culture we’ve all come to expect.

Reading List:

Uses for Obsession, Ben Shewry, 2024

A Bit on the Side, Virginia Trioli, 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: Ben Shewry

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Melanie Cheng began her writing career as an author of short stories. Her first collection, Australia Day, was published in 2017 to much acclaim. Her second novel, The Burrow, follows a Melbourne family forced to confront the tragedy of their shared past. This week, Michael sits down for a conversation with Melanie about family, connection, and the power of narrative medicine.

Reading list:

Australia Day, Melanie Cheng, 2017

Room for a Stranger, Melanie Cheng, 2019

The Burrow, Melanie Cheng, 2024

Intermezzo, Sally Rooney, 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: Melanie Cheng

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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. 

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

Guest: Rumaan Alam

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Over four decades Niall Williams has made a name for himself as one of Ireland’s leading novelists. In his latest novel, Time of the Child, Niall returns to the fictional village of Faha, in west Ireland, the setting of his previous book, This Is Happiness. Time of the Child centres on the notion of familial love, and as he explains to Michael in this week’s episode, Niall couldn’t have written it without becoming a grandfather himself.

Reading list:

Four Letters Of Love, Niall Williams, 1997

As It Is In Heaven, Niall Williams, 1999

History of the Rain, Niall Williams, 2015

This Is Happiness, Niall Williams, 2019

Time of the Child, Niall Williams, 2024

Unsettled, Kate Grenville, 2025

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

Guest: Niall Williams

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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. 

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

Guest: Richard Osman

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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. 

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

Guest: Malcolm Knox

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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. 

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

Guest: Caoilinn Hughes

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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. 

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

Guest: Rodney Hall

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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.

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

Guest: Roxane Gay

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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 millennia, 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. 

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

Guest: Elif Shafak

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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. 

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

Guest: Eric Beecher

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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. 

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

Guest: Alexis Wright

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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. 

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

Guest: Evie Wyld

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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. 

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

Guest: Michael Robotham

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Turkish-born, Paris-based writer Ayşegül Savaş’s third novel opens with a young, ex-pat couple who are apartment hunting. Both foreigners in the city they live in and unburdened from the usual familial obligations, their days are marked by small pleasures: shopping at a local flea market, drinking coffee together before work, and taking long walks in the park. Like so much of Ayşegül’s writing, The Anthropologists is interested not just in foreignness, but what it means to establish traditions and rituals when you are starting anew. This week, Michael chats with Ayşegül about this latest novel and why she is trying to make foreignness the status quo.

Reading list:

Walking on the Ceiling, Ayşegül Savaş, 2019

White on White, Ayşegül Savaş, 2021

The Anthropologists, Ayşegül Savaş, 2024

The Wilderness, Ayşegül Savaş 2024

The Confidence Woman, Sophie Quick, 2025

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: Ayşegül Savaş

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Colm Tóibín is regarded as one of Ireland’s greatest authors — and for good reason. With a career spanning 30 years and 11 award-winning novels under his belt, Colm is beloved both at home and abroad. In his latest book, Long Island, Tóibín returns to familiar territory with a sequel to 2009’s best-selling Brooklyn. This week, he and Michael discuss what it means to write a sequel, the importance of James Baldwin’s writing, and, of course, Costco.

Reading list:

The Heather Blazing, Colm Tóibín, 1992

The Master, Colm Tóibín, 2004

Brooklyn, Colm Tóibín, 2009

Nora Webster, Colm Tóibín, 2014

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: Colm Tóibín

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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. 

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Guest: Winnie Dunn

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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

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We're off this Thursday, but we'll be back next week.

Email us: readthis@schwartzmedia.com.au

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

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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

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