Good Reading Podcast

By Good Reading MagazineArts Books

Good Reading Podcast episodes

April 22, 2022 Diane Connell on a force to be reckoned with in 'The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird'
Ricky Bird loves making up wild stories for her little brother Ollie. Her outlandish plots and whimsical characters help fortify them against the hopeless reality of their lives. Her father has abandoned her and her family has moved to a bleak new neighbourhood. Worse still, her mother's new boyfriend has come with the furniture.
Ricky's greatest weapon is her imagination and she uses it to set her world to rights. But despite her best efforts Ricky's world starts to spiral out of control, that is, until a gypsy fortune teller makes a life changing prediction.
In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Diane Connell about the incredible power of storytelling, how sadness and laughter can coexist, and the challenges for young girls growing up in a world with unlimited possibilities but also of dangerous consequences.
15 min
April 21, 2022 Shelley Burr on an unsolved disappearance that haunts a small farming community in 'WAKE'
The small town of Nannine was once a thriving outback centre but years of punishing drought taken their toll. Nannine still has one remaining claim to fame: the unsolved disappearance nineteen years ago of Evelyn McCreery from the bedroom she shared with her twin sister Mina.
Mina McCreery's life has been defined by intense and ongoing public interest in the case. That reaches a whole new level when private investigator Lane Holland rolls into town with the million-dollar reward in mind. WAKE is a powerful story of how family tragedies can become public property and the darker motivations to solving a crime.
In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Shelley Burr about how family trauma ripples through the lives of people in a small farming community, how the speculations of online murder forums can turn private lives into a public obsession, and what the study of soil science brings to the writing of crime fiction.
20 min
April 19, 2022 A F Steadman on the magical world of unicorns in 'Skandar and the Unicorn Thief'
Soar into a world where unicorns are real but also deadly and can only be tamed by the riders who hatch them. Skandar Smith has always wanted to be a unicorn rider but when the terrifying Weaver steals the most powerful unicorn in the world, becoming a unicorn rider soon becomes a lot more dangerous. And what if Skandar turns out to be the villain rather than the hero?
In this episode Gregory Dobbs is joined by young reader Grace Grenfell to chat with Annabel Steadman about what draws her to the dark side of fantasy adventure, why she chose unicorns and turned them into ferocious creatures and what makes a real hero.
10 min
April 04, 2022 Catherine Deveny on emerging from oppression and finding her tribe in 'True North'
When writer Catherine Deveny faced the end of a seventeen-year relationship with the father of her children she knew she had to create space for a new life. She had no idea what lay on the other side of months of tumult but it wasn't the first time Catherine had taken a plunge into the unknown.In this heartfelt memoir, Catherine traces the path of a tumultuous life from a chaotic childhood to finding herself in share-houses in the 1980s and navigating the highs and lows of a creative life, family legacies and intimate relationships.In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Catherine Deveny about moving on from relationships, the importance of acquiring “fuck-off status”, overcoming an oppressive Catholic upbringing and learning to live life on her own terms.
17 min
March 30, 2022 Jackie Huggins and Ngaire Jarro on a remarkable indigenous serviceman in 'Jack of Hearts QX11594'
Jackie Huggins and Ngaire Jarro are sisters from the Bidjara and Birri Gubba Juru nations. One hundred years since the birth of their father John Henry 'Jack' Huggins III, they decided to research and write about about a man they hardly knew.Jack Huggins was one of only fifty indigenous servicemen to enlist in the Australian Armed Forces in WWII. 'Jack of Hearts QX11594' is a great story of tradition and survival that spans more than a century as two sisters look deep into their family history.In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Jackie Huggins and Ngaire Jarro about the tradition of indigenous men serving their country in wartime, their own journey to the Thai-Burma Death Railway to walk in the footsteps of their father Jack, and the challenges of bringing together a great oral tradition with dedicated historical research.
18 min
March 30, 2022 Mark Tedeschi on the double murder case that gripped Australia in 'Missing Presumed Dead'
Mark Tedeschi AM QC has worked as a Barrister and Crown Prosecutor on some of Australia's most significant criminal cases. He led the prosecution in the conviction of Bruce Burrell for the brutal murders of Kerry Whelan and Dorothy Davis. Together these cases were a high watermark in the Australian criminal justice system and resulted in important reforms around how a jury makes decisions.In this fascinating factual account, Missing Presumed Dead begins with an examination of the life of Bruce Burrell and the extreme narcissistic tendencies that sanctioned a life of criminal activity. Mark Tedeschi takes the reader on a journey through the criminal justice system, from the pre-trial hearings and early decisions of the DPP to abandon the trial, to the complex circumstantial case and detailed bodies of evidence that eventually led to Bruce Burrell's conviction.In this episode Gregory Dobbs talks to Mark Tedeschi about the depth and complexity of the police investigation underpinning the case and how circumstantial evidence can build a successful prosecution even without the physical evidence of a body.The author’s proceeds from the publication of Missing Presumed Dead will be donated to Australian charities that assist and support victims of crime, the families of deceased victims, and the relatives of those who have gone missing.
43 min
March 29, 2022 Ruth Wilson on the healing power of literature in 'The Jane Austen Remedy'
At the age of seventy Ruth Wilson found herself grappling with both a physical diagnosis that affected her hearing and balance and unfathomable feelings of sadness. Ruth took the radical decision to leave her conventional life and reclaim her voice in search of personal healing. In this poignant and insightful memoir of love and self-acceptance Ruth discovered the curative power of reading.From a young age, Ruth had looked to Jane Austen's heroines as the models for whom she wanted to become. Upon re-reading these six classic novels with greater intent Ruth found the remedy she was looking for. From the sunshine of 'Pride and Prejudice' to the autumnal notes she found in 'Persuasion', Ruth reveals the wisdom and the lessons they contain for us all. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Ruth Wilson about falling out of love with the world, undertaking a PhD at the age of eighty, the art of reading and of re-reading, and how she found the remedy for her ills in her favourite author.
30 min
March 27, 2022 Lauren Chater on the secrets locked up in 17th century clothing in 'The Winter Dress'
Jo Baaker is drawn back to the island of Texel to investigate the provenance of a 17th century silk dress unearthed by a local diving team. It offers a tantalising opportunity to explore the way people lived during Holland's Golden Age. Jo's research leads her to artist and intellectual Catharina van Shurman and her companion Anna Tesseltje and the mystery deepens as she delves into Anna's history. The beautiful silk dress soon becomes emblematic of lives and fortunes won and lost.And Jo has other reasons for returning to her birthplace. As details about her own past emerge it disrupts everything she thought she knew about her own troubled past. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Lauren Chater about cultural dress theory, researching the former inhabitants of clothing, turning real historical figures into great female characters and Lauren's habit of disappearing down historical rabbit holes.
17 min
February 27, 2022 Eliza Hull on the trials of disabled parenting in 'We've Got This: Stories By Disabled Parents'
When writer and musician Eliza Hull fell pregnant her excitement was tempered by the thought of the complexities she was about to face as a person of disability. More than fifteen percent of Australian households have a parent wth a disability but their stories are rarely shared. Eliza set out to gather stories from a diverse range of people on the disability spectrum and in the process, created a valuable resource and provided rare insight into their lives.So how does a mother who is blind, mix formula? How do people react when a mother and child with dwarfism walk down the street? How do Deaf parents know when their baby is crying? In We've Got This, twenty-five parents who identify as Deaf, disabled or chronically ill discuss the highs and lows of their parenting journeys.In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Eliza Hull about the origins of We've Got This, about Disability Pride, the systemic problem of attitude from health professionals in conceiving and raising children as a disabled parent, and the shocking but sometimes heart-warming stories from contributors to this collection.
24 min
February 27, 2022 Rosie Andrews on a dark and disturbing period in English history in 'The Leviathan'
In a lonely farmhouse in Norfolk, 1703 Thomas Treadwater is a rational, modern man but he is hiding a terrible secret. Upstairs is a woman locked in an endless sleep, but she is beginning to stir and the powers she holds have the potential to unleash horrific consequences.As Thomas tries to unravel the mystery of what has happened, he uncovers a tale of superstition, of something dark and ancient, linked to a shipwreck years before.In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Rosie Andrews about the historical threads than bind this story, the power of witchcraft, the enlightenment and the enthusiasm for knowledge, creating an authentic recreation of a momentous period in history, and taking the step beyond to create a great story.
17 min