Book Matters

Welcome to this very special episode of Book Matters to coincide with the 16 Days of Activism.    Casey Cardinia Libraries is proud to support the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender based Violence campaign. And what better way to contribute to the conversation than with books. 

We have an interview with Manjula Datta O'Connor about her enlightening book, Daughters of Durga: Dowries, Gender Violence and Family in Australia.

We also have some special book reviews from our staff here at Casey Cardinia Libraries.

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We talk to two authors about their very different novels. Courtney chats to Tom Baragwanath about his crime novel Paper Cage set in Masterton New Zealand about a small community where children have gone missing which is a nail-biting thriller and a beautifully written, acutely observed portrait of a community. Janine then chats to Tasmanian author Minnie Darke about her new novel With Love from Wish & Co a heartwarming novel about what we are prepared to give--and give up--in the name of love, and such a timely novel with Christmas on the horizon. And of course we have some great reading recommendations from our staff here at Casey Cardinia Libraries.

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Today on Book Matters we are bringing you a bonus Australian Crime lovers special - Courtney delves into 'The Tilt ' which is a stunning multi-layered novel by Chris Hammer who is the acclaimed and award-winning author of the international bestsellers Scrublands, Silver, Trust and Treasure & Dirt.  Then Janine chats with Australian author Petronella McGovern about her new novel 'The Liars' which is a compelling family drama of marital secrets and family tensions set within an investigation of sinister unsolved killings. We hope you enjoy.

#australiancrimeauthors
#crimefiction
#allenandunwin

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On Book Matters today Janine speaks with the lovely Tricia Stringer about her new novel Keeping Up Appearances which is a delightful novel full of practical wisdom and dry humour that examines female friendship, buried secrets and why honesty is (usually) the best policy. Then Lynda chats to author Alex Sarkis about her novel Something Blue which is about loving home and leaving home, but never escaping your roots. Or your footy colours.    And of course we have our library staff who will share what they have been reading!  We hope you enjoy!

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Today at Book Matters we enjoy chatting to two fabulous Australian authors. First up Sam talks to acclaimed writer Meg Bignell about her newest novel The angry women's choir - a laugh out loud tale of friendship, music and the incredible capability of women to achieve wonderful things. Jess then speaks to debut YA author Miranda Luby about her novel Sadie Starr's guide to starting over; a magnificent exploration of performative feminism, #MeToo, eating disorders, bullying, family dynamics and grief. And of course we have some great reading recommendations from our staff here at the library - listen and enjoy

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Here at Book Matters we recognise and celebrate the importance of diversity in books as they serve as both a mirror and a window into different human experiences. This month we celebrate the many wonderful LGBTQ books and authors in honour of Wear it purple day. Wear It Purple strives to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for rainbow young people. The role literature plays in the empowerment of LGBTQ community is vitally important and as such we are delighted to chat to two amazing LGBBTQ authors today!

First up Courtney chats to Nigel Featherstone about his remarkable new novel My Heart is a little wild thing; a story about family, love and the cost of freedom.  Jess then speaks to Cadence Bell about her wild coming-of-gender memoirs The All of It: A Bogan Rhapsody; a raw and beautifully honest account of Cadence’s life. We hope you enjoy!

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Today at Book Matters we welcome two phenomenal Australian authors. First up  Courtney speaks with Sulari Gentill about her new literary adventure novel The woman in library, which examines the complicated nature of friendship and how words can turn into a deadly weapon. Then  Janine speaks with debut author Neela Janakiramana about her compelling and illuminating psychological thriller novel The registrar, which delves into the human experience of both a surgeon in training and the medical system. 

We hope you enjoy! 

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On the podcast today we speak to two exceptional Australian crime writers. 

Emma Viskic is author of the internationally acclaimed Caleb Zelic series. Her novels have won numerous prizes, including a Ned Kelly Award and an unprecedented five Davitt Awards.  We hear about Those Who Perish which concludes the Caleb Zelic series.

Then we chat to debut novelist Matthew Spencer whose novel Black River takes us to a  long, burning summer in Sydney where a young woman was found murdered in the deserted grounds of an elite boarding school.   A serial killer preying on victims along the banks of the Parramatta River. 

And of course we find out what our staff have been reading with some great book reviews:

Someone Else's Child by Kylie Orr
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan
The Wild Place by Christian White
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

Listen and enjoy!

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National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. 

In this special episode we have interviews with two amazing writers.   Firstly we speak with Richard Pritchard about his children's fiction novel Wylah the Koorie Warrior which we wrote in conjunction with Jordan Gould.

Then we hear from Dr Anita Heiss who speaks about her updated memoir Am I Black Enough for you - 10 years later,  and her other writing.

We hope you enjoy.

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In our annual Debut Author special we have three new Australian authors to chat to.

First up Janine chats to Bernadette Jiwa about her debut novel The Making of Her which is is a page-turning mother-daughter love story, spanning the 1960s to 1990s, charting one woman’s journey to escape the legacy of the society that shaped her.

Courtney then speaks with Lyn Yeowart  about her suspenseful, original and engaging story The Silent Listener that has drawn comparisons to Where the Crawdads Sing and The Dry.

And last but definitely not least Janine chats to Kylie Orr about her domestic suspense novel Someone Else's Child which is a gripping contemporary novel from a magnificent new talent that tackles the almost unbreakable loyalty of female friendships, the generosity of community and the lengths we will go to save a child.

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