Torrey Peters’ debut novel, Detransition, Baby, was an instant sensation. Longlisted for the Women’s Prize in the UK and named one of the New York Times’ best books of the 21st century so far, the book catapulted Torrey into the limelight. Her second and latest book, Stag Dance , is a collection of four stories that are brutal, funny, and brilliant. This week, Michael sits down with Torrey to discuss the genesis of Stag Dance and why she isn’t interested in trans identity...
May 21, 2025•39 min
Kevin Wilson writes weird books about weird people — in the best possible way. In 2019’s Nothing to See Here , two children have a condition that means they spontaneously combust. In Now Is Not the Time to Panic , two lonely young artists wreak havoc on their small town, prompting fears of Satanism. This week, Michael sits down with Kevin to discuss how he wrote his latest novel, Run for the Hills , why having children revealed the multitude of ways weirdness can manifest. Rea...
May 14, 2025•32 min
London-based Australian author Jessica Stanley’s second novel, Consider Yourself Kissed , opens with all the beats of a classic romantic comedy – a meet-cute, a grand gesture, instant attraction – but what follows is a book about the next bit, the day to day reality of just living. But Jessica writes it with grace and wit and compassion, finding the romance in what comes next when two people decide to be together. This week, Michael sits down with Jessica for a conversation abo...
May 07, 2025•25 min
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 R...
Apr 30, 2025•28 min
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: Cl...
Apr 23, 2025•24 min
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 ...
Apr 16, 2025•27 min
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 Lo...
Apr 09, 2025•32 min
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 ...
Apr 02, 2025•26 min
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, Co...
Mar 26, 2025•31 min
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 th...
Mar 19, 2025•29 min
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 Disg...
Mar 12, 2025•29 min
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 Mi...
Mar 05, 2025•31 min
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 L...
Feb 26, 2025•27 min
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 men...
Feb 19, 2025•28 min
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...
Feb 12, 2025•25 min
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.  ...
Feb 05, 2025•30 min
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 Ros...
Jan 29, 2025•27 min
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 outra...
Jan 22, 2025•30 min
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...
Jan 15, 2025•28 min
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 08, 2025•3 min
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 Schw...
Dec 18, 2024•20 min
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 wil...
Dec 11, 2024•30 min
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...
Dec 04, 2024•27 min
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,...
Nov 27, 2024•32 min
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...
Nov 20, 2024•32 min
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 Kushne...
Nov 13, 2024•33 min
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, sl...
Nov 06, 2024•33 min
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...
Oct 30, 2024•31 min
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, Na...
Oct 23, 2024•30 min
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...
Oct 16, 2024•27 min
