James and Ashley interview Amy and Laura, multitalented writers, social entrepreneurs, and radio hosts/podcasters from Newcastle, NSW. In it, they discuss the story behind Secret Book Stuff, transformative writing, and, of course, why reading makes you better in bed. 

You can learn more about Secret Book Stuff on their website, follow them on Instagram and Facebook, or explore their various radio shows/podcast appearances.

Books and authors discussed in this episode - Hold Your Own by Kae Tempest; - In Cold Blood by Truman Capote; - High Fidelity by Nick Hornby; - White Oleander by Janet Fitch; - Insomniac City by Bill Hayes; - Animal People by Charlotte Wood; - Hot Little Hands by Abigail Ulman; - Tonight I'm Someone Else by Chelsea Hodson; - Felicity by Mary Oliver; - I'll Tell You in Person by Chloe Caldwell; - Women by Chloe Caldwell; - Joan Didion; - Samantha Irby; - The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien; - The Neverending Story by Michael Ende; - Fun Home by Alison Bechdel; - Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid; - Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid; - Betty by Tiffany McDaniel; - The Animals in that Country by Laura Jean McKay;   - Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez; - A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet; - Ghost Species by James Bradley (read James's review here)

Get in touch!

• Ashley's Website: ashleykalagianblunt.com
• Ashley's Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt
• Ashley's Instagram: @akalagianblunt
• James' Website: jamesmckenziewatson.com
• James' Twitter: @JamesMcWatson
• James' Instagram: @jamesmcwatson

James and Ashley interview GP and author Joanna Nell about her new novel 'The Great Escape from Woodland's Nursing Home.' In it, they discuss positive ageing, the challenges faced by Australia's aged care system, and the runaway success of the 'uplit' genre.

Learn more about Joanna on her website, and buy a copy of 'The Great Escape from Woodland's Nursing Home' from your local bookshop, Booktopia or wherever else books are sold. 

Books and authors discussed in this episode

• Providing Good Care at Night for Older People by Diana Kerr and Heather Wilkinson;
• The Ripping Tree by Nikki Gemmell;
• On Quiet by Nikki Gemmell;
• Beautiful Kate by Newton Thornburg;
• Far from the Tree by Andrew Solomon

Get in touch!

• Ashley's Website: ashleykalagianblunt.com
• Ashley's Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt
• Ashley's Instagram: @akalagianblunt
• James' Website: jamesmckenziewatson.com
• James' Twitter: @JamesMcWatson
• James' Instagram: @jamesmcwatson

James and Ashley interview RWR McDonald about his new novel 'Nancy Business,' follow-up to the bestselling 'The Nancys.' In it, they discuss the parallels between the original girl detective Nancy Drew and The Nancys' Tippy Chan, the art of balancing the humorous and heavy in fiction writing, and the physical toll of a creative life. 

Learn more about Rob on his website, and buy a copy of 'Nancy Business' from your local bookshop, Booktopia or wherever else books are sold. 

Books and authors discussed in this episode:

• Harold Robbins (contact Rob for title recommendations);
• The Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene;
• Girl, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke;
• The Silent Listener by Lyn Yeowart;
• Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake;
• Goat Mountain by David Vann (who we interviewed in episode 23)

Get in touch!

• Ashley's Website: ashleykalagianblunt.com
• Ashley's Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt
• Ashley's Instagram: @akalagianblunt
• James' Website: jamesmckenziewatson.com
• James' Twitter: @JamesMcWatson
• James' Instagram: @jamesmcwatson

A very special episode to make a very special announcement!

Get in touch!

• Ashley's Website: ashleykalagianblunt.com
• Ashley's Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt
• Ashley's Instagram: @akalagianblunt
• James' Website: jamesmckenziewatson.com
• James' Twitter: @JamesMcWatson
• James' Instagram: @jamesmcwatson

James and Ashley interview Ruhi Lee, author of the hilarious and heartbreaking memoir 'Good Indian Daughter.' In it, they discuss what it means to be a girl in a South Asian family, the notion of unconditional parental love, and how one generation avoids making the same mistakes as the last. 

Follow Ruhi on Instagram (@lee_ruhi), and buy a copy of 'Good Indian Daughter' from your local bookshop, Booktopia or wherever else books are sold. 

• Books discussed in this episode:
• 'Yes Please' by Amy Poehler;
• 'This Is Going to Hurt' by Adam Kay;
• 'Damascus' by Christos Tsiolkas;
• 'Far from the Tree' by Andrew Solomon;
• 'We Are Never Meeting in Real Life' by Samantha Irby;
• 'Wow, No Thank You' by Samantha Irby

Get in touch!

• Ashley's Website: ashleykalagianblunt.com
• Ashley's Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt
• Ashley's Instagram: @akalagianblunt
• James' Website: jamesmckenziewatson.com
• James' Twitter: @JamesMcWatson
• James' Instagram: @jamesmcwatson

Ashley interviews a mystery guest from the Varuna Writer's House in Katoomba, NSW, where he's midway through a residential fellowship (hint: it's James). An episode for both those who've never been on a residential writing retreat and those who want to reminisce about their time at Varuna!

You can learn more about Varuna and the incredible work it does supporting Australian authors here. 

Books discussed in this episode:

• 'Shadowchild' by P.F. Thomése
• 'The Devil in the White City' by Erik Larson

Find out more about WestWords and their wonderful podcasts here:

• The WestWords Podcast
• WestWords Mini-Masterclass
• Poets' Corner

Get in touch!

Ashley's Website: ashleykalagianblunt.com

Ashley's Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt

James' Website: jamesmckenziewatson.com

James' Twitter: @JamesMcWatson

James and Ashley interview Yumiko Kadota about her memoir 'Emotional Female,' which tells the story of her time as a junior doctor in the NSW public system. In it, they discuss the devastating effects of burnout, the difficulties women of colour face in the public health system, and the possible future directions of chronic fatigue research. 

Follow Yumiko on Twitter, and buy a copy of 'Emotional Female' from your local bookshop, Booktopia or wherever else books are sold. 

Books discussed in this episode:

• 'A Room Called Earth' by Madeleine Ryan
• 'Earthlings' by Sayaka Murata
• 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy
• 'Thus Spoke the Plant' by Monica Gagliano

Get in touch!

Ashley's Website: ashleykalagianblunt.com

Ashley's Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt

James' Website: jamesmckenziewatson.com

James' Twitter: @JamesMcWatson

James and Ashley interview Emily Maguire about her stunning new novel 'Love Objects.' In it, they discuss our relationships with our belongings, the psychology of hoarding, and the beauty of writing for connection. 

Learn more about Emily on her website, and buy a copy of 'Love Objects' from your local bookshop, Booktopia or wherever else books are sold. 

Books discussed in this episode:

• 'Friends and Dark Shapes' by Kavita Bedford;
• 'The Shape of Sound' by Fiona Murphy;
• 'Convenience Store Woman' by Sayaka Murata;
• 'Emotional Female' by Yumiko Kadota;
• Writing in your pyjamas: a writing metaphor from Sandra Cisneros

Get in touch!

Ashley's Website: ashleykalagianblunt.com

Ashley's Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt

James' Website: jamesmckenziewatson.com

James' Twitter: @JamesMcWatson

James and Ashley interview Luke Stegemann, author of 'Amnesia Road.' In it, they discuss the parallels between South-West Queensland and rural Andalusia's violent pasts, the ongoing ramifications of near-forgotten genocides, and little black dogs that portend death. 

You can follow Luke on Twitter, or buy a copy of 'Amnesia Road' from your local bookshop, Booktopia, or wherever else books are sold. 

Books discussed in this episode:

• 'The Possessed' by Dostoevsky;
• 'Thus Bad Begins' by Javier Marias;
• 'A Heart So White' by Javier Marias;
• 'The Stranger' and short stories by Albert Camus;
• 'Far from the Tree' by Andrew Solomon;
• 'When We Dead Awaken' by James Robins

Get in touch!

Ashley's Website: ashleykalagianblunt.com

Ashley's Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt

James' Website: jamesmckenziewatson.com

James' Twitter: @JamesMcWatson

James and Ashley listen to some audio of themselves when unwell and have a conversation about the psychological impacts of chronic ill-health, the fears and anxieties that accompany invisible illnesses, and how difficult conversations like this one are to have. 

Books (and cults) discussed in this episode:

• Far from the Tree by Andrew Solomon; 
• Earthlings by Sayaka Murata;  
• Children of Thunder

Get in touch!

Ashley's Website: ashleykalagianblunt.com

Ashley's Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt

James' Website: jamesmckenziewatson.com

James' Twitter: @JamesMcWatson