As a writer, Simon Cleary brings art and creativity up alongside experiences of war. In his latest novel, The War Artist, a Brigadier called James Phelan escorts the body of a young soldier home from Afghanistan. Struggling to adapt back to civilian life, an encounter with a tattoo artist named Kira changes Phelan permanently - both inside and out. Simon joined Angus Dalton to talk about the legacy of the Afghanistan War, PTSD, and the significance of tattoos in this episode of the Good Reading Podcast.Listen on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2NGVDYKListen on Google Podcasts: bit.ly/2MXSxQ8About the book: bit.ly/2TXj8CN

Peggy Frew's Hope Farm was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Stella Prize. The Melbourne writer and ARIA Award-winning musician is back with Islands, a novel about a family in crisis that covers many generations, viewpoints and timelines. In this episode, Peggy tells Angus Dalton about creative doubt, running into the ocean in her undies, and 'the big, enormous, sprawling mess' of family. Listen on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2NGVDYKListen on Google Podcasts: bit.ly/2MXSxQ8About the book: bit.ly/2VNkhdi

At a local playground where his daughter was playing, writer Jeremy N Smith met a woman who turned out to be a cybersecurity expert and a seasoned hacker. They got talking about her life and Jeremy quickly became fascinated. His new book, 'Breaking and Entering: The extraordinary story of a hacker called Alien', is the result of that chance meeting. It's a fascinating profile of a daring hacker, a deep-dive into the history of cybersecurity, and a troubling wake-up call for those of us who'd rather not think about how vulnerable we are to hackers in our hyper-connected world.Here Jeremy tells Angus Dalton about the death-defying form of hacking Alien was introduced to at MIT, and reveals why he's ditched using Google as a result of hanging out with hackers.Listen on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2NGVDYKListen on Google Podcasts: bit.ly/2MXSxQ8About the book: http://bit.ly/2GOWBkG

If given the chance, would you adjust the past to avoid a terrible tragedy in the future? And if you went back in time 20 years and tracked down a younger version of yourself, what kind of person would you find?These questions are central to Jennifer Spence's new novel, The Lost Girls. Stella slips back in time to 1997 and must disguise herself in the past, resist changing her family's fate, and attempt to get back to the present.We spoke to the author about time travel, the innocence of 1997, and gleaning writing advice from a famous parable. Listen on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2NGVDYKListen on Google Podcasts: bit.ly/2MXSxQ8About the book: http://bit.ly/2SKhgfZ

Jacqueline Kent was working as a book editor when she was assigned a set of humorous short stories by Kenneth Cook, author of the classic horror novel Wake in Fright.Her dealings with Cook resulted in a 'volcanic' relationship and a brief marriage between two lovers of words. Jacqueline writes beautifully about her time with Ken in her new memoir, Beyond Words.In this episode, Angus Dalton asks Jacqueline about the enduring legacy of Wake in Fright, a butterfly farm, and the changes she's watched unfold across the Australian book industry.Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2NGVDYKListen on Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2MXSxQ8About the book: http://bit.ly/2UKEobS

Yotam Ottolenghi is universally admired for a cooking style that is complex, layered, and brimming with freshness and colour. Unfortunately that can sometimes lead to a lot of preparation and even more washing up. In his latest book, 'Simple', Ottolenghi proves that cooking his way doesn’t have to be so challenging. On the advice of his sister, Ottolenghi has created a book of recipes for the time poor or the outright lazy using a set of 10 fundamental ingredients. Gregory Dobbs asks about the perils and pleasures of cooking Ottolenghi style and how 'Simple' can help you get there.Find out more about the book: http://bit.ly/2G54PFGListen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/good-reading-podcast/id1402922430?mt=2

Punk rocker Dave Warner and documentary maker Alan Carter on how writing crime can result in being listed as a suspect for a cold-case murder and why Australian and New Zealand crime books are as much a force of nature as Scandi noir.Alan Carter is the author of the Cato Kwong thriller series and the standalone novel 'Marlborough Man'. His latest book is 'Heaven Sent': http://bit.ly/2SRB1zhDave Warner's first book, 'City of Light' won the WA Premier's Book Award. His latest books are 'Before it Breaks' and 'Clear to the Horizon': http://bit.ly/2TLyPJuListen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/good-reading-podcast/id1402922430

Pip Drysdale grew up in Africa and Australia, moved to New York when she was 20 to act in indie films and theatre, got married in a black dress and divorced at 22. In this podcast she chats to Emma Harvey about bad break-ups, method writing, and the Machiavellian men that inspired her thriller, The Sunday Girl.More about The Sunday Girl: http://bit.ly/2snOseNListen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/good-reading-podcast/id1402922430?mt=2

Food history in Australia is divided into two eras: BG and AG (Before Garlic and After Garlic). In his new book, The Getting of Garlic, veteran food writer John Newton delves into how Australia foodies got over their fear of this now ubiquitous ingredient. He also lays out how we moved from a country of charcoal chops and mushy peas to the creators of a vibrant, 'mongrel' cuisine with influences from across the globe. And what's so special about a pie floater?The Getting of Garlic: http://bit.ly/2QRlRfL

In 1981 Frauke Bolten-Boshammer left her beloved Germany to begin a farm with her husband, Frederich, in the isolated town of Kununurra in the Kimberley.Tragedy soon followed, and Frauke was left alone to run a farm and raise a family in the Western Australian outback. But a discovery of global significance made by geologists nearby changed the course of Frauke's life forever.'A Diamond in the Dust' is the story of how Frauke pioneered an outback diamond empire and put a tiny outback town on the world map. In this podcast, Frauke shares her experiences contending with crocodiles thrashing through Christmas lunch and offers the wisdom she has gleaned from a life marked by sadness, perseverance, and love in the outback.Find out more about 'A Diamond in the Dust' here: http://bit.ly/2QiyXSD[Please note that this podcast contains discussions of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.]