A special episode! Anna chats with author Kemper Donovan about his new crime novel THE BUSY BODY, the first in the Ghostwriter series.

A contemporary murder mystery told in the spirit of the Golden Age by the host of the All About Agatha podcast, THE BUSY BODY has been described as Veep meets Agatha Christie and a 'witty and highly entertaining mystery' (Sophie Hannah). Dorothy Gibson, failed presidential candidate aka That Woman, invites her ghostwriter to Maine to pen her memoir, but the dream assignment comes unstuck when a woman is murdered next door.

We loved this one and can't wait for the next in the series, LOOSE LIPS!

Kemper recommends the work of Agatha Christie and Tana French and the podcasts The Swinging Christies and Shedunnit.

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X: Kemper Donovan

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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the 2024 Stella Prize winner and the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist.

Our book of the week is Thunderhead by Miranda Darling. A black comedy, set in suburbia, about one woman's struggle to be free, it has been described as a 'feminist triumph and homage to Virginia Woolf' (Australian Book Review). We love a short novel and this is a gem.

Coming up: The Busy Body with author Kemper Donovan.

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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie find some book recommendations to read along with Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department.

Our book of the week is Question 7 by Richard Flanagan. This memoir encompasses H. G. Wells, nuclear physics and the atomic bomb and ends in Tasmania, Australia. Memories, encounters and fictional vignettes are woven together into a beautiful tapestry that show how words don't suffice. The title references Chekhov and gives a hint of the absurd. Much to discuss!

Coming up: Thunderhead by Miranda Darling.

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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the 2024 Stella Prize shortlist.

Our book of the week is Butter by Asako Yuzuki translated by Polly Barton. Described as 'a novel of food and murder' this follows Riko, a journalist, who investigates serial killer Manako Kajii. Kajii allegedly seduced rich men with her cooking before killing them, and she encourages Riko to cook and appreciate food. Inspired by a true story, this has been a cult Japanese best-seller.

Coming up: Question 7 by Richard Flanagan.

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Anna and Annie discuss the 2024 Stella Prize Shortlist.

We reveal our favourite recent crime reads. Our recommendations are:

The Many Lies of Veronica Hawkins by Kristina Perez Death of a Lesser God by Vaseem Khan The Sleeping Nymph by Ilaria Tutti translated by Ekin Oklap To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey The Fugitives by Jamal Mahjoub Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jenny Hollander The Busy Body by Kemper Donovan Coming up: Question 7 by Richard Flanagan Follow us! Email: [email protected] Facebook: Books On The Go Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

A special episode: we chat with author Jenny Hollander about her debut crime novel EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD.

Charlie Colbert is an editor at a major magazine and engaged to a publishing heir. But she witnessed a tragedy at her elite journalism school and lied to the police 9 years ago. Now a classmate is making a film about the events, which threatens the life Charlie has built. This is a gripping, twisty thriller described as 'a delicious crime debut' (Red) and 'knife-sharp' (Woman's Own) and is a USA Today Bestseller.

Jenny recommends the authors Lisa Jewel, Sarah Sheppard, Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth and the podcast Unreal.

Coming up: our crime reading recommendations.

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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the inaugural Women's Prize for Non-Fiction longlist, including Anna Funder's Wifedom.

Our book of the week is THE VULNERABLES by Sigrid Nunez. This is the third in a loose trilogy after THE FRIEND and WHAT ARE YOU GOING THROUGH. A writer, a college drop-out and a talking parrot share an apartment in New York during the Covid pandemic. This is subtler than the first two books but we loved the mix of story and Nunez's reflections on life and writing.

Coming up: our Crime reading recommendations.

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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

It's the Shawn and Anna Book Club!

Our first book is Home Reading Service by Fabio Morábito translated by Curtis Bauer. Eduardo is sentenced to a year of community service reading aloud to the elderly and disabled. Set in Mexico, this novel is witty and poignant. It even inspired us to discuss poetry! And the fine line between whacky and eccentric.

Also mentioned:

Shawn's Bite Sized Book Chat with Stu aka Winston's Dad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PubR7KrANvE&t=40s

Mild Vertigo by Mieko Kanai translated by Polly Barton

Book Club Review Podcast

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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie reveal our book recommendations for the holiday season.

Our favourite holiday reads this year are:

THE CLUB by Ellery Lloyd

NOW YOU SEE US by Balli Kaur Jaswal

WEST HEART KILL by Dann McDorman

FLIGHT by Lynn Steger Strong

THE LIBRARIANIST by Patrick deWitt

ROMANTIC COMEDY by Curtis Sittenfeld

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Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the Booker Prize 2023 winner, PROPHET SONG by Paul Lynch.

We reveal the best books we read in 2023. In no particular order, they are:

Collected Works by Lydia Sandgren translated by Agnes Broomé

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton

Girl in a Pink Dress by Kylie Needham

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

The Fraud by Zadie Smith

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

Loot by Tania James

Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Coming up: our Holiday Reading recommendations

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