In September 1883, the South Australian town of Fairly huddles under strange, vivid sunsets. A child has gone missing and the whole town is intent on finding him. More than a mystery, Fiona McFarlane explores the varied townsfolks’ relationship with the complex landscape and unsettling history of the Flinders Ranges.  Tsundoku’s Annie Hastwell loved it from start to finish and joins the critics in their unanimous praise.

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Self-declared fan of Barry Humphries, Annie Warburton, reviews the late comic’s opus, pays tribute to his satirical genius and comes down firmly on the right of “grumpy old conservatives” to be free to speak their minds.

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Two very different takes on the Australian experience.

Guests

Fiona McFarlane, author of “The Sun Walks Down”, “The Night Guest” and a collection of short stories, “The High Places” 

http://www.fionamcfarlane-writer.com/

Annie Warburton, retired ABC Tasmania broadcaster and Barry Humphries aficionado

Other books that get a mention:

Cath and Annie mention this year’s joint Pulitzer Prize winners, Barbara Kingsolver for “Demon Copperhead” and Herman Diaz for “Trust”. They go on to reference a number of past winners; “The Good Earth” by Pearl Buck, “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, “A Visit from the Goon Squad” by Jennifer Egan, “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway, “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck and “A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole.

Annie Warburton mentions “The Adventures of Barry McKenzie” written by Humphries for Private Eye magazine. Also, “Dame Edna's Coffee Table Book: A Guide to Gracious Living and the Finer Things of Life by One of the First Ladies of World Theatre”, “Neglected Poems and Other Creatures”, “More Please” and “Women in the Background”.

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'Sing Like You Mean It!' is coming soon.. Subscribe now on your favourite podcast app!

Get ready to sing like you’ve never sung before…

The trouble-making team from Australia’s rebel vocal studio Voicehouse is hitting the airwaves with the brand new SING Like You Mean It podcast!

Learning to sing later in life isn’t cliche anymore.

And that’s where we come in and save the day!

(Cue confetti explosion)

We’re pretty chuffed to be one of Australia’s largest vocal studios working with what has to be Australia’s best community of singers.

Our singers are everyday people just like you.

#squadgoals

From brand-newbies who have no clue what the deal is, to golden’ oldies wanting to get back into their vocal training.

We really freakin’ love what we do.

(But seriously. It’s legit why we’ve been in business since October 2008. 14 YEARS and counting)

We all need to give ourselves permission do something that scares the s**t outta us every once in a while.

Do it NOW… learn to sing with Voicehouse.

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At first drawn to short stories, Louise Kennedy couldn’t resist expanding this ill-fated love story set at the peak of the Irish Troubles into a full and vividly depicted novel, “Trespasses”.

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Is it too much to say that the author of Captain Cook’s “Voyages”  was “cancelled” by his contemporaries and the sexual exploits of Joseph Banks “went viral”? Not according to US literary academic Saar Shahar who has researched the writings around Captain Cook’s voyages.

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The next best thing to reading is listening to writers talk about their creations.

Guests

Louise Kennedy, author of “Trespasses” and a collection of short stories “The End of the World is a Cul de Sac” 

Saar Shahar, 18th century scholar and PhD candidate in English at the University of Southern California,  puts the exploits of Captain Cook and Joseph Banks into historical literary context with surprising results.

Other books that get a mention:

Cath and Annie mention “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee, “The Anniversary” by Stephanie Bishop, “The Sun Walks Down” by Fiona McFarlane, “The Tilt” and “Treasure & Dirt” by Chris Hammer, and “Summer Water” by Sarah Moss.

Saar Shahar refers to “An Account of the Voyages….” by John Hawkesworth,

and “An Epistle from Mr. Banks, Voyager, Monster-Hunter, and Amoroso, to Oberea, Queen of Otaheite”, by John Scott.

Both were published in 1773.

Emma has just finished reading “Never” by Ken Follett and her favourite book of all time is “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver.

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“I’ve discovered an important truth and it’s all I care about, all I can depend on,
the only thing that means anything, the one sure thing that will help me survive.
No one can be trusted. I am on my own.” This devastating truth lies at the core of
Shannon Burn’s memoir, “Childhood”.
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Pandora, Jocasta, Aphrodite and Medea; these are just some of the women of
Greek mythology whose stories have grown and warped over the millenia.
Associate Professor Lisa Bennett introduces us to the forensic work of classicist
Natalie Haynes, a writer determined to reveal the true deeds and misdeeds of
these fascinating characters.
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Pop in your pods and let Michaela and Cath take you to another world.

Guests
Shannon Burns, author of “Childhood”
Associate Professor Dr Lisa Bennett on “Pandora’s Jar” by Natalie Haynes

Other books that get a mention:
Lisa Mentions classicist, Emily Wilson, the first woman to publish a translation of
Homer’s “Odyssey” into English

INSTA

@text_publising
@lisahannet
@Picador

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