Books On The Go: Recent Episodes
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Anna and Annie discuss the 2024 winners. We reveal our best books of 2024 so far. Our favourite reads are: by Caoilinn Hughes by Fabio Morábito translated by Curtis Bauer by Hannah Ritchie by Miranda Darling by Rachel Khong by...
A special episode! Anna chats with author Kemper Donovan about his new crime novel , the first in the Ghostwriter series. A contemporary murder mystery told in the spirit of the Golden Age by the host of the , THE BUSY BODY has been described as...
Anna and Annie discuss the and the . Our book of the week is Thunderhead by Miranda Darling. A black comedy, set in suburbia, about one woman's struggle to be free, it has been described as a 'feminist triumph and homage to Virginia Woolf'...
Anna and Annie find some to read along with Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department. Our book of the week is by Richard Flanagan. This memoir encompasses H. G. Wells, nuclear physics and the atomic bomb and ends in Tasmania,...
Anna and Annie discuss the . Our book of the week is by Asako Yuzuki translated by Polly Barton. Described as 'a novel of food and murder' this follows Riko, a journalist, who investigates serial killer Manako Kajii. Kajii allegedly seduced...
Anna and Annie discuss the 2024 . We reveal our favourite recent crime reads. Our recommendations are: by Kristina Perez by Vaseem Khan by Ilaria Tutti translated by Ekin Oklap by Josephine Tey by Jamal Mahjoub by Jenny Hollander by...
A special episode: we chat with author Jenny Hollander about her debut crime novel EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD. Charlie Colbert is an editor at a major magazine and engaged to a publishing heir. But she witnessed a tragedy at her elite...
Anna and Annie discuss the inaugural longlist, including Anna Funder's . Our book of the week is by Sigrid Nunez. This is the third in a loose trilogy after THE FRIEND and WHAT ARE YOU GOING THROUGH. A writer, a college drop-out and a talking parrot...
It's the Shawn and Anna Book Club! Our first book is by Fabio Morábito translated by Curtis Bauer. Eduardo is sentenced to a year of community service reading aloud to the elderly and disabled. Set in Mexico, this novel is witty and...
Anna and Annie reveal our book recommendations for the holiday season. Our favourite holiday reads this year are: by Ellery Lloyd by Balli Kaur Jaswal by Dann McDorman by Lynn Steger Strong by Patrick deWitt by Curtis Sittenfeld Follow us!...
Anna and Annie discuss the winner, PROPHET SONG by Paul Lynch. We reveal the best books we read in 2023. In no particular order, they are: by Lydia Sandgren translated by Agnes Broomé by Barbara Kingsolver by Sarah Thornton by Kylie...
Anna and Annie discuss and highlights from the 2024 lineup. Our book of the week is by Lydia Sandgren translated by Agnes Broomé. Sandgren has been described as "Sweden's Sally Rooney" (The Times). Collected Works is a thought-provoking,...
Special guest Shawn Mooney of Shawn the Book Maniac joins Anna for Book Club! We discuss by Sara Nović and by Esther Yi. These books have taken us down rabbit holes of deaf culture (True Biz) and super fandom (Y/N). Two interesting and...
Anna and Annie discuss the and the over the generative AI use of their work. Our book of the week is by Anna Funder. An innovative biography of Eileen Orwell by the Miles Franklin and Samuel Johnson prize winner, it has been described as a...
Anna and Annie discuss a recent study on reading to young children.
We wrap up Women in Translation month. The books we read (or Annie did at least!) and recommend are:
Slime: A Natural History by Susanne Wedlich translated by Ayca Turkoglu
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd
What You're Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama translated by Alison Watts
Collected Works by Lydia Sandgren translated by Agnes Broomé
My Devotion by Julia Kerninon translated by Alison Anderson
Sleepless by Marie Darrieussecq translated by Penny Hueston
Coming up: Chai Time in the Cinnamon Gardens and Wifedom
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie discuss the 2023 Booker Prize Longlist.
Our book of the week is The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor. A novel about friends and lovers set in Iowa City, it is both intimate and explores wider issues in contemporary life and art. Taylor was short-listed for the Booker Prize for Real Life and won the Story Prize for his collection Filthy Animals. The Late Americans is an instant national bestseller and was a Most Anticipated Book of the year by Vogue, Elle, Oprah Daily, the Washington Post, Buzzfeed and Vulture.
Coming up: Chai Time in Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Amanda discuss Elizabeth Gilbert pulling her novel The Snow Forest from publication because of its Russia theme.
Our book of the week is This Other Eden by Paul Harding. Based on a true story, an island community of castaways and misfits is disrupted when a well-meaning but racist preacher enters their lives. It has biblical feels yet resonates today. Described as 'a harrowing tale of paradise lost' (New York Times) and 'sure to be a stand-out of 2023' (Los Angeles Times), since we recorded this episode it has been long-listed for the Booker Prize.
Coming up: The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Amanda discuss the Women's Prize winner Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.
Our book of the week is The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland. This tells the true story of Rudolf Vrba who escaped from Auschwitz with Fred Wetzler and their attempt to tell Jewish leaders the truth about the Final Solution and prevent more deaths. A Sunday Times Best-Seller and shortlisted for the 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, we could not put this down.
Coming up: This Other Eden by Paul Harding.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
A special episode: Anna chats with author Ennis Ćehić about his debut collection of short stories, Sadvertising.
Ćehić is based in Melbourne and Sarajevo and writes about displacement, creativity and existentialism. The stories in Sadvertising are set in the advertising world and explore the tension between art and capitalism. Satirical and very funny, with elements of meta-fiction and the surreal. "A work of thrilling, audacious verve and wit ... deserves a standing ovation" (Christos Tsiolkas) and "powerful, inventive and self-assured" (Australian Book Review). We loved this book!
Ennis recommends:
Hunger by Knut Hamsen translated by George Egerton
Authors Rachel Cusk , Deborah Levy and Ottessa Moshfegh
The Appointment by Katharina Volckmer
The Shakespeare and Company podcast
Coming up:
This Other Eden by Paul Harding
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Artwork: Sascha WIlkosz
A special episode: Anna chats with author Christine Keighery about her new novel The Half Brother.
Christine Keighery has written over 35 novels for children and young adults (as Chrissie Perry). The Half Brother is her first novel for adults. It's a psychological suspense story about a family, secrets and coercive control. Described as "sinister, suspenseful and tightly written, with an ending I didn't see coming" (Vikki Wakefield). There are no spoilers in this episode so you'll have to read it to see what the twist is!
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Christine: chrissieperry.com
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Amanda discuss The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard. This novel set in Japan and Hong Kong in 1947 explores the colonial era with a forbidden love story at its centre. Described as "the last masterpiece of a vanished age of civility" (Wall Street Journal) it won the 2003 Miles Franklin Award and the National Book Award for Fiction and was shortlisted for the 2004 Orange Prize.
We also recommend Shirley Hazzard: A Writing Life by Brigitta Olubas.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
A special episode: Anna chats with author Kylie Needham about her debut novel, Girl In A Pink Dress.
Girl in a Pink Dress centres on Frances, an artist in her 40s who is invited to her former lover's exhibition opening in Sydney. A beautiful, spare novel that explores the idea of two artists living together and female rage, against the backdrop of the Australian landscape. Described as "a quiet triumph" (Heather Rose) and "breathtakingly good" (David Wenham), we loved this book.
Kylie recommends:
Can A Woman Who Is An Artist Ever Just Be An Artist? by Rachel Cusk
The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
The New Yorker The Writer's Voice Podcast
The Witch Trials of J. K. Rowling Podcast
Coming up: The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie discuss the Stella Prize shortlist (belatedly!)
Our book of the week is The New Life by Tom Crewe. A brilliant debut novel about two marriages and sexual freedom in 1890s London, it evokes the time and place beautifully but feels modern and resonates today. It reminded us of Colm Tóibín, with "the spirit of Forster" (Washington Post).
Coming up: The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna, Annie and Amanda react to the 2023 Women's Prize Shortlist and give our winner predictions.
And Annie has news!
The shortlist is:
- Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris
- Pod by Laline Paull
- Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks
- Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
- The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Coming up: The New Life by Tom Crewe and The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Annie, Anna and Amanda discuss the shortlist for the 2023 Stella Prize and give their winner predictions.
The shortlist is:
- We Come With This Place by Debra Dank
- big beautiful female theory by Eloise Grills
- The Jaguar by Sarah Holland-Batt
- Hydra by Adriane Howell
- Indelible City by Louisa Lim
- Bad Art Mother by Edwina Preston
Coming up: The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard and our Women's Prize Shortlist episode.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie discuss the 2023 Dylan Thomas Prize Shortlist.
Our book of the week is All That's Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien. This debut novel tells the story of Ky, a Vietnamese-Australian woman who looks for answers when her brother is killed in Cabramatta, Sydney. It won the 2023 Indie Book Award for Debut Fiction.
Coming up: The New Life by Tom Crewe.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie discuss the books they are keeping or culling, including
- Pure Colour by Sheila Heti
- The Invention of Medicine by Robin Lane Fox
- Troy by Stephen Fry
Our book of the week is Stone Blind, the latest novel by Natalie Haynes. It tells the story of Medusa from a feminist perspective, is witty, rich with details from Greek mythology and has been long-listed for the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction. We loved this one.
Coming up: All That is Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie react to the 2023 Women's Prize Longlist and the Booker International Longlist.
Our book of the week is I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai, the follow-up novel to her Pulitzer Prize winning best-seller The Great Believers. The story centres on podcaster Bodie, who is drawn back to a murder case from her boarding school days and starts to fear that the wrong man has been imprisoned. A gripping mix of crime, #MeToo and campus drama, this is perfect for book clubs. We recommend it.
Coming up: Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
A special episode: Anna and Amanda chat with best-selling author Sally Hepworth about her new novel The Soulmate. The Soulmate is a gripping story about Pippa and Gabe, who are happily married until a woman dies near their home and they become entangled in the mystery that follows. A compulsive read which raises questions about marriage and loyalty, we could not put this down.
Sally also recommends:
Authors Jane Harper, Liane Moriarty, Kate Morton and Holly Ringland;
Podcasts The First Time Podcast and The Lise and Sarah Show; and
TV show Bad Sisters.
Coming up: I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Annie and Anna discuss the 2023 Stella Prize Longlist.
Our book of the week is Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, the follow-up to his best-selling and Pulitzer Prize winning novel All the Light We Cannot See. Cloud Cuckoo Land was on the New York Times bestseller list for over 20 weeks and was a National Book Award finalist. Set in 15th century Constantinople, modern day Idaho and a future spaceship, it is about children in times of peril who find hope in a book.
Coming up: The Soulmate with special guest Sally Hepworth.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie discuss the 2022 Miles Franklin longlist. Annie's tip to win is Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down.
Our comfort reading recommendations are:
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan
The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison
Three Rings: A Tale of Exile, Narrative and Fate by Daniel Mendelsohn
Love Marriage by Monica Ali
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Seventeen by John Brownlow
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie discuss the winner of the winner of the 2022 Dublin Literary Award, The Art of Losing by Alice Zeniter translated by Frank Wynne.
Our book of the week is The Red Arrow by William Brewer. A writer who has taken a dose of mushrooms chases a famous physicist whose memoir he is ghost-writing. Described as 'hypnotic' and 'trippy', we could not find a bad review of this book. We are in the minority on this one!
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Amanda discuss the Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction, The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen.
Our book of the week is Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention by Johann Hari. It explores the forces in society that distract us and affect our ability to concentrate, from social media to processed food. Thought-provoking and has changed the way we view our phones!
Coming up: our comfort reading recommendations.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie discuss the 2022 Women's Prize Shortlist.
Our book of the week is The Candy House by award-winning author Jennifer Egan. It is a sister novel to her Pulitzer-Prize winning A Visit from the Goon Squad and is set in a future where people upload their memories to the cloud. A Most Anticipated Book of 2022 and described as 'thrilling' (Kirkus); 'fiction at its best' (USA Today), 'radiant' (Slate) and 'dazzling' (Vogue), this is a wild ride of a novel. Recommended.
Coming up: our favourite comfort reads.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie discuss the 2022 Booker International Shortlist.
Our book of the week is The Colony by Audrey Magee, author of the Women's Prize shortlisted The Undertaking. The Colony is a novel about colonialism on a wild Irish island. Described as lyrical and intelligent, this one did not work for us but provoked much discussion.
Coming up: The Candy House by Jennifer Egan.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie belatedly discuss the Booker International Longlist.
Our book of the week is A Man Named Doll by Jonathan Ames. Happy Doll is an LA private detective who finds himself out of his depth after killing a customer at the Thai Miracle Spa. With Hollywood noir atmosphere, and loved by Lee Child, this hard-boiled crime novel is recommended.
Coming up: The Colony by Audrey Magee.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie discuss the 2022 Women's Prize Longlist.
Our book of the week is Everybody: A Book About Freedom by Olivia Laing. Laing merges a biography of the psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich with figures such as Susan Sontag and Nina Simone to discuss the body, illness, freedom and power. Annie rates it as her top non-fiction read of 2021.
Coming up: A Man Named Doll by Jonathan Ames.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie discuss the LA Times Book Prize finalists. We fail to predict which books will be on the Women's Prize longlist but recommend this video by Eric Karl Anderson and Anna James.
Our book of the week is The Fell by Sarah Moss, the award-winning author of Ghost Wall and Summerwater. A short novel about a woman who breaks quarantine to go for a walk, it brings back the claustrophobia of isolation and raises the question, are we ready for pandemic fiction? A great book club read.
Coming up: Everybody by Olivia Laing
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Anna and Annie discuss reading recommendations for Black History Month.
Our book of the week is Toxic: The Rotting Underbelly of the Tasmanian Salmon Industry by award-winning author Richard Flanagan. He exposes the secrets, lies, chemical dyes and environmental harm behind what is marketed as a clean and healthy food. We will never eat farmed salmon again after reading this book. Richard Flanagan will be in conversation with Kerry O'Brien at Adelaide Writers' Week.
Coming up: The Fell by Sarah Moss.
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Anna and Annie discuss the 2022 Rathbone Folio Prize shortlist.
Our book of the week is Devotion by Hannah Kent, author of the multi award-winning Burial Rites. Devotion is a queer love story set in Prussia and Australia in the 1830s. Described as 'utterly original' (Heather Rose), 'a glorious love story' (Sarah Winman) and 'stunning' (Evie Wyld) it was Booktopia's favourite book of 2021 and we predict will be on many awards lists.
Coming up: Toxic by Richard Flanagan and The Fell by Sarah Moss.
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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz