Episodes
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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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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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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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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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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.
Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram
Guest: Colm Tóibín
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Tanzanian-born, London-based author Abdulrazak Gurnah was midway through writing his latest novel, Theft, when he received a call letting him know he’d won the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature. After more than a year of events and literary obligations, he finally returned to Theft, with more enthusiasm than ever. This week, Michael sits down with Abdulrazak to discuss his writing, the phenomenon of tourism and his latest book.
Reading list:
Paradise, Abdulrazak Gurnah, 1994
By the Sea, Abdulrazak Gurnah, 2001
Desertion, Abdulrazak Gurnah, 2005
Theft, Abdulrazak Gurnah, 2025
Eurotrash, Christian Kracht, 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: Abdulrazak Gurnah
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Tasmanian writer Robert Dessaix is a man of many talents when it comes to the written form – from travel memoir and fiction to biography and philosophy, he’s done it all. He became a household name for many listeners to ABC Radio following a long stint hosting the beloved show Books and Writing. Now, at 81, Robert is back with a new memoir. This week, Michael is joined by Robert for a conversation about memory, dance, and being a chameleon.
Reading list:
A Mother’s Disgrace, Robert Dessaix, 1994
Corfu, Robert Dessaix, 2001
Twilight of Love, Robert Dessaixt, 2004
Chameleon, Robert Dessaix, 2025
Perfection, Vincenzo Latronico, 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: Robert Dessaix
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Writer Sonia Orchard was in her 40s when a revelation during a therapy session turned her life upside down. Could the relationship she’d had in her teens with a man more than a decade older in fact be abuse? In her new memoir, Groomed, Sonia investigates her own story, sharing her gruelling journey through the justice system, and shines a light on the failures – social, structural, legal – that entrench and prolong the trauma for victim survivors. This week, she speaks with Michael about the power of reclaiming her story.
Reading list:
The Virtuoso, Sonia Orchard, 2009
Into the Fire, Sonia Orchard, 2019
Groomed, Sonia Orchard, 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: Sonia Orchard
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In Andrea Goldsmith’s ninth and latest novel, The Buried Life, she unpicks the relationships between people and the undercurrents of doubt and faith that define a life. But more than anything else this is a book that is first and foremost concerned with death. It’s a subject that has long fascinated Andrea, something she discusses deeply with Michael on this week’s episode.
Reading list:
Reunion, Andrea Goldsmith, 2009
The Memory Trap, Andrea Goldsmith, 2013
Invented Lives, Andrea Goldsmith, 2019
The Buried Life, Andrea Goldsmith, 2025
Andrea Goldsmith’s List of Books on Death & Grief
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: Andrea Goldsmith
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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
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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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
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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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
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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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
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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