Better Words

Welcome to the final part of our 3-part series celebrating the iconic Australian feminist novel My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin. In this episode, Caitlin and Michelle are diving into the new Netflix series adaptation of this Australian classic novel. 

For your convenience, here's everything else we mentioned in this episode:

• Bridgerton (TV series)
• Anne of Green Gables
• Whistle (film)
• The Newsreader (TV series)
• Deadlock (TV series)
• Wentworth (TV series)

Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word. Make sure you're following the podcast so new episodes appear in your feed as soon as they're available.

We've ⁠got a Substack publication⁠. At the end of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. ⁠Come say hi!⁠

Connect with us on Instagram: ⁠@betterwordspod

Welcome to the second of our 3-part series celebrating the iconic Australian feminist novel My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin. In this episode, Caitlin and Michelle are discussing the novel, originally published in 1901. 

About the book:

Growing up on her parents’ outback farm, Sybylla is desperate to read, write, sing and achieve great things. 

Yet her aspirations for a ‘brilliant career’ are persistently thwarted, first by the arduous demands of rural family life, and later by the shackles of a proposed conventional marriage to the wealthy Harold Beecham. 

With only her brilliant, conflicted mind to guide her, Sybylla is forced to define a life on her own terms.

*Caitlin accessed a copy through her work at Harper Collins.

For your convenience, here's everything else we mentioned in this episode:

• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
• My Brilliant Career, Smith & Taylor classics edition

Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word. Make sure you're following the podcast so new episodes appear in your feed as soon as they're available.

We've ⁠got a Substack publication⁠. At the end of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. ⁠Come say hi!⁠

Connect with us on Instagram: ⁠@betterwordspod

Welcome to the first of our three-part series celebrating the iconic Australian feminist novel My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin. In this first part, Michelle is taking inspiration from Just the Gist (our favourite podcast) to tell Caitlin the incredible life of Stella Miles Franklin. We promise you’ll also be obsessed with her by the end of this episode. 

Sources: 

• ‘My Brilliant Career’ by the National Museum of Australia

• Miles Franklin by Dr Rachel Franks for State Library of NSW

(Please excuse some bumpy noises when Michelle got very passionate while telling this story and couldn’t stop moving her hands)

For your convenience, here's everything else we mentioned in this episode:

• Henry Lawson (poet)
• Banjo Paterson (poet)
• Trent Dalton (author)
• Fierceland by Omar Musa
• The Miles Franklin Award
• The Stella Prize
• Life of M by Rachel Cusk
• Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
• Chat 10 Looks 3 (podcast)

Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word. Make sure you're following the podcast so new episodes appear in your feed as soon as they're available.

We've ⁠got a Substack publication⁠. At the end of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. ⁠Come say hi!⁠

Connect with us on Instagram: ⁠@betterwordspod

The Heartstopper series reaches its conclusion, with Volume 6 in Alice Oseman's beautiful YA graphic novel series and a Netflix movie. We're discussing both the graphic novel and our reactions to the Heartstopper Forever film.

Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word. Make sure you're following the podcast so new episodes appear in your feed as soon as they're available.

We've ⁠got a Substack publication⁠. At the end of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. ⁠Come say hi!⁠

Connect with us on Instagram: ⁠@betterwordspod

This episode Michelle is giving a round-up of crime book recommendations, especially for people who don’t think they’re fans of crime as a genre. Before we get into that, she shares a fun fact about a connection between The Book Thief and Heated Rivalry. 

For your convenience, here's everything else we mentioned in this episode:

• Caitlin’s amazing knitted vest!
• Garden Yourself Happy by Jonny Hincks
• Follow Johnny on Instagram for daily dopamine hits whether you’re into plants or not
• Deadloch (TV series)
• Wentworth (TV series)
• A Beginner’s Guide to Breaking & Entering and Bad Deeds by Andrew Hunter Murray*
• The Hamish & Andy Podcast episode 320 Burg Boys!
• Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
• Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson*
• Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson*
• Everyone in This Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson
• Knives Out (film)
• Death By Noir by Olly Smith*
• Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery*
• 10 Marchfield Square and Murder Like Clockwork by Nicola Whyte*
• Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth*
• The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett*
• The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
• The Story of a Murder by Hallie Rubenhold*
• It’s Not What You Think by Clare Macintosh
• The Year of the Rat by Harry Shukman
• The Grapevine by Kate Kemp
• Puberty Blues (TV show)
• A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford
• Old School (TV show)

Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word. Make sure you're following the podcast so new episodes appear in your feed as soon as they're available.

We've ⁠got a Substack publication⁠. At the end of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. ⁠Come say hi!⁠

Connect with us on Instagram: ⁠@betterwordspod

This episode we’re sharing reviews of recent reads. Michelle discusses The Long Haul by Hannah Doyle and Logging Off by Adele Zeynep Walton. Caitlin talks about George Kemp’s debut novel Soft Serve.

For your convenience, here's everything else we mentioned in this episode:

• Mhairi McFarlane
• Groundhog Day (film)
• Palm Springs (film)
• A Smart Girl’s Guide to Second Chances by Steph Vizard
• Prima Facie by Suzi Miller
• Big Small Talk podcast

Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word. Make sure you're following the podcast so new episodes appear in your feed as soon as they're available.

We've ⁠got a Substack publication⁠. At the end of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. ⁠Come say hi!⁠

Connect with us on Instagram: ⁠@betterwordspod

In this episode, we’re discussing why book to screen adaptations are so vital for the publishing industry and the incredible stats that show just how many people are starting to read because of what they see on screen. Our main source is the Publisher’s Association report on screen adaptations, released earlier this year.

For your convenience, here's everything else we mentioned in this episode:

• National Year of Reading
• Australia Reads 2026 report: Reaching Australian Readers
• Rivals
• Normal People
• Frankenstein
• Withering Heights
• Off Campus 
• Project Hail Mary 
• Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
• Heartstopper
• Invincible
• Stranger Things
• One Day
• The Love Hypothesis
• East of Eden
• Heated Rivalry
• Wicked
• Dracula
• Brooklyn
• It Ends With Us
• The Thursday Murder Club
• Sunrise on the Reaping

Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word. Make sure you're following the podcast so new episodes appear in your feed as soon as they're available.

We've ⁠got a Substack publication⁠. At the end of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. ⁠Come say hi!⁠

Connect with us on Instagram: ⁠@betterwordspod

This episode we’re sharing some reviews of recent reads. Caitlin discusses two graphic novel retellings of Anne of Green Gables: Dan in Green Gables by Rex Ogle and Anne by Kathleen Gros. While Michelle chats about one of her most-anticipated books of 2026, Fruit Fly, by friend of the podcast Josh Silver. 

For your convenience, here's everything else we mentioned in this episode:

• Clueless (film)
• 10 Things I Hate About You (film)
• Lord of the Flies: Graphic Novel 
• Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
• Traumaland by Josh Silver

Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word.

We've ⁠got a Substack publication⁠. At the end of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. ⁠Come say hi!⁠

Connect with us on Instagram: ⁠@betterwordspod

This episode is an extra special one as we welcome Matt Cain back to the podcast to talk about his new venture: he and husband Harry have launched an independent publishing company to get queer voices to mainstream readers. Pansy Books is a brilliant concept, and we are so excited for what Matt and Harry are doing in this space. 

We chat about Matt’s publishing journey from crowdfunding to indie publisher, his new novel The Castle of Stories, and how his autism diagnosis has played into writing. 

For a more in-depth chat about Matt’s writing journey, be sure to go back and listen to our original interview. Be sure to follow Pansy Books on Instagram and for more information, you can find their website here. 

For your convenience, here's everything else we mentioned in this episode:

• Heated Rivalry
• Quite the Pair by Tobias Madden
• Tobias’ post about international rights
• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Beth O’Leary (author)
• Laura Kay (author)
• Mhairi McFarlane (author)
• Slow Horses (TV show)
• The National Year of Reading
• Reaching Australian Readers 2026 report
• Dungeon Crawler Carl
• Brandon Sanderson (author)
• Matt’s article in The Guardian exploring a late autism diagnosis
• Unapologetic Love Story by Elle McNicoll

Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word.

We've ⁠got a Substack publication⁠. At the end of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. ⁠Come say hi!⁠

Connect with us on Instagram: ⁠@betterwordspod

In this episode, we're discussing Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Unlike review episodes, book club chats will include some spoilers, although we will give ample warning before we switch from a general chat into spoiler territory.

About the book:

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle – and has the social media accounts to prove it. Her charming farmhouse on her working ranch is artfully cluttered, her husband is a handsome cowboy, her homemade sourdough boules are each more beautiful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes? What Natalie’s followers don’t know won’t hurt them.

Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Is this a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? Natalie knows just two things for sure: this isn't her perfect life, and she must escape, by any means possible.

*We both read advance copies provided by the publisher

Here's everything else we mentioned in this episode:

• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (TV show)

Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word.

We've ⁠got a Substack publication⁠ now! On the last day of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. ⁠Come say hi!⁠

Connect with us on Instagram: ⁠@betterwordspod