Books On The Go

Anna and Annie chat with Shawn Mooney, of Shawn The Book Maniac, and discuss this week's Top 10 Best Sellers.

Our book of the week is Flames by Robbie Arnott.  It's the story of Charlotte running away from her brother Levi, a detective sent to find her, and the Tasmanian landscape.  A wild debut, shortlisted for numerous awards, and described by Richard Flanagan as "a strange and joyous marvel".  What did Anna, Annie and Shawn think?

Next week, Anna and Amanda will be reading The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone by Felicity McLean.

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Credits

Artwork: Sascha Wilcosz

Anna and Amanda discuss the Pulitzer Prize fiction winner, The Overstory by Richard Powers.  And Anna gives her predictions for the Women's Prize Shortlist, to be announced on 29 April.

Our book of the week is Spring by Ali Smith.  The third in her seasonal quartet, it weaves together the stories of a TV director and a prison guard with Katherine Mansfield, Rilke, and Shakespeare's Pericles.  Only Ali Smith could manage this in an unpretentious way: it's a fun, witty read that made us think. Described as "timeless" (The Independent) and "luminous and generous" (The Guardian), this comes highly recommended.

Next week, Anna and Annie will be reading Flames by Robbie Arnott with special guest Shawn Mooney.  

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Credits

Artwork: Sascha Wilcosz

A special episode: Anna talks with Chanel Cleeton about her latest novel When We Left Cuba.

Chanel's previous novel Next Year in Havana was a USA Today Bestseller and a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. 

When We Left Cuba is set in 1960s Florida in the wake of Fidel Castro’s political rise in Cuba and features a strong, rebellious heroine in Beatriz Perez.  It's historical romance, told with great political insight.  We loved it and it was fun to hear from Chanel about the real CIA plots that inspired parts of the novel! 

Chanel recommends the book A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza, and the Netflix show One Day at a Time.

Next week, Anna and Amanda will be reading Spring by Ali Smith.

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Credits

Artwork: Sascha Wilcosz

Anna and Annie discuss the Stella Prize winner, The Erratics by Vicki Laveau-Harvie.  The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes have been announced, with The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai winning for Fiction and My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite for Crime / Thriller.

Our book of the week is Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli.  It's been described as 'electric' (New York Times), 'wholly original' (NPR), 'constantly surprising' (The New Yorker), 'virtuosic' (The New York Times Book Review), 'stunning' (The Seattle Times) and 'an epic road trip' (The Washington Post) and long-listed for the Women's Prize for Fiction, with the short-list to be announced on 29 April.  What did Anna and Annie think?

Next week, a special episode: Anna will be speaking with Chanel Cleeton about her new book When We Left Cuba.  Then Anna and Amanda will be back with Spring by Ali Smith.

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Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie

Litsy: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Credits:

Artwork: Sascha Wilcosz

Anna and Amanda discuss upcoming book-to-screen adaptations .  Anna is shocked when Amanda reveals she has never read the Moomin stories by Tove Jansson.  

Our book of the week is How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee.  It weaves together the story of Wang Di, as a widow in modern-day Singapore and her past in a Japanese military brothel. We also meet 12 year-old Kevin, trying to solve a mystery about his grandmother. It's a beautiful book - we recommend it!

Next week, Anna and Annie will be reading Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli.

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Credits:

Artwork: Sascha Wilcosz

Anna and Annie have book awards fatigue!  We discuss the Top Ten best-sellers, including The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion, The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan and The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton with *that* new cover.

Our book of the week is Axiomatic by Maria Tumarkin, a non-fiction book about how we think about the past, and its impact. Winner of the 2018 Melbourne Prize for Literature's Best Writing Award and short-listed for the 2019 Victorian and New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards and the 2019 Stella Prize.  A stimulating read, we could not put this down.  Highly recommended.

Next week, Anna and Amanda will be reading How We Disappeared by Jing Jing Lee.

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Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Litsy: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Credits:

Artwork: Sascha Wilcosz

Anna and Annie catch up on book news: the Wellcome Book Prize shortlist (our pick: The Trauma Cleaner); the Stella Prize shortlist, and the Man Booker International longlist.  So many awards!

Our book of the week is Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss.  A short novel about Sylvie, living with her parents in a hut in Northumberland.  Taut, dark and deals with issues from Brexit to domestic violence, we were gripped from the first page.  Long-listed for the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction.  

Next week, Anna and Annie will be reading Axiomatic by Maria Tumarkin.  Then Anna and Amanda will be back with How We Disappeared by Jing Jing Lee.

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Litsy: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Credits:

Artwork: Sascha Wilcosz

A special episode with author Rebecca Makkai to discuss her book The Great Believers - a gorgeous, multi-award winning novel set in Chicago during the 1980s AIDS crisis and modern-day Paris.   

The Great Believers won the 2019 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, was named in the New York Times Best Books of 2018 and was a National Book Awards finalist.  It is being adapted for television by Amy Poehler.  We fell in love with the characters, had our hearts broken and saw the world differently after reading it. 

Rebecca recommends The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka and The Best American Short Stories edited by Roxanne Gay.

And three excellent podcast recommendations: Between the Covers, Lexicon Valley and (coming soon) Drinking About Writing.

Next week, Anna and Annie will be reading Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss.

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Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Litsy: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Credits 

Artwork: Sascha Wilcosz

A special episode:  Anna and Annie chat with Jane Harper about The Lost Man, what she's working on now and the forthcoming film adaptation of The Dry starring Eric Bana.

Jane recommends Love, Simon by Becky Albertalli and the television show Undercurrent.

See also episode 33 for our discussion of The Lost Man - a book we loved!

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Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Twitter: @abailliekaras and @captainmidget

Litsy: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie

Credits:

Artwork: Sascha Wilcosz

Anna and Amanda sit down with Preti Taneja to discuss her book We That Are Young, a modern-day King Lear set in India.

A Sunday Times Book of the Year, Guardian Book of the Year, Spectator Book of the Year and winner of the 2018 Desmond Elliott prize, it's a sweeping tale with wonderful characters and a mix of elite India, corruption and poverty.  It's a superb book, now being adapted for television. 

Preti recommends The Sellout by Paul Beatty and the podcasts YYY and So Many Damn Books.

Coming up: The Lost Man with Jane Harper and The Great Believers with Rebecca Makkai.

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Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @abailliekaras and @amandalhayes99

Twitter: @abailliekaras

Litsy: @abailliekaras