London-based Australian author Jessica Stanley’s second novel, Consider Yourself Kissed, opens with all the beats of a classic romantic comedy – a meet-cute, a grand gesture, instant attraction – but what follows is a book about the next bit, the day to day reality of just living. But Jessica writes it with grace and wit and compassion, finding the romance in what comes next when two people decide to be together. This week, Michael sits down with Jessica for a conversation about life, love, and the importance of what’s on your bookshelf.

Reading list:

A Great Hope, Jessica Stanley, 2022

Consider Yourself Kissed, Jessica Stanley, 2025

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Jessica Stanley

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Josephine Rowe’s writing has been described by the New York Times as “gorgeous” and “precise”. This is particularly evident in her latest novel, Little World, a slender book that offers a deeper, denser exploration of ideas than its modest page count might suggest. This week on the show, Michael sits down with Josephine to discuss the genesis of Little World and why a library card might be her most prized possession.

Reading list:

Tarcutta Wake, Josephine Rowe, 2012

A Faithful, Loving Animal, Josephine Rowe, 2016

Here Until August, Josephine Rowe, 2019

Little World, Josephine Rowe, 2025

Ritual, Chloe Elisabeth Wilson, 2025

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Josephine Rowe

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In addition to being an established novelist, James Bradley is also a journalist and writer of non-fiction, much of it concerned with the natural world and the myriad threats it faces. Set in the near future, in a world that is in the grips of climate catastrophe, his latest novel, Landfall, is a crime thriller at its heart. This week, Michael and James discuss what it means to write into a specific genre and why kindness is so important in both this novel and the world.

Reading list:

Clade, James Bradley, 2015

Ghost Species, James Bradley, 2020

Deep Water, James Bradley, 2024

Landfall, James Bradley, 2025

Highway 13, Fiona McFarlane, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: James Bradley

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The opening scene of Chris Flynn’s fourth and latest novel, Orpheus Nine, came to him in a dream. Not long after, he had the whole story down from start to finish. This week, Chris and Michael sit down for a conversation about the falsity of certitude, how trauma can re-shape a community, and what The Exorcist, the Bible, and Winnie the Pooh all have in common.

Reading list:

A Tiger in Eden, Chris Flynn, 2012

The Glass Kingdom, Chris Flynn, 2014

Mammoth, Chris Flynn, 2020

Here Be Leviathans, Chris Flynn, 2022

Orpheus Nine, Chris Flynn, 2025

The Cracked Mirror, Christopher Brookmyer, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Chris Flynn

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Over four decades Niall Williams has made a name for himself as one of Ireland’s leading novelists. In his latest novel, Time of the Child, Niall returns to the fictional village of Faha, in west Ireland, the setting of his previous book, This Is Happiness. Time of the Child centres on the notion of familial love, and as he explains to Michael in this week’s episode, Niall couldn’t have written it without becoming a grandfather himself.

Reading list:

Four Letters Of Love, Niall Williams, 1997

As It Is In Heaven, Niall Williams, 1999

History of the Rain, Niall Williams, 2015

This Is Happiness, Niall Williams, 2019

Time of the Child, Niall Williams, 2024

Unsettled, Kate Grenville, 2025

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Niall Williams

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Turkish-born, Paris-based writer Ayşegül Savaş’s third novel opens with a young, ex-pat couple who are apartment hunting. Both foreigners in the city they live in and unburdened from the usual familial obligations, their days are marked by small pleasures: shopping at a local flea market, drinking coffee together before work, and taking long walks in the park. Like so much of Ayşegül’s writing, The Anthropologists is interested not just in foreignness, but what it means to establish traditions and rituals when you are starting anew. This week, Michael chats with Ayşegül about this latest novel and why she is trying to make foreignness the status quo.

Reading list:

Walking on the Ceiling, Ayşegül Savaş, 2019

White on White, Ayşegül Savaş, 2021

The Anthropologists, Ayşegül Savaş, 2024

The Wilderness, Ayşegül Savaş 2024

The Confidence Woman, Sophie Quick, 2025

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter

Guest: Ayşegül Savaş

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Colm Tóibín is regarded as one of Ireland’s greatest authors — and for good reason. With a career spanning 30 years and 11 award-winning novels under his belt, Colm is beloved both at home and abroad. In his latest book, Long Island, Tóibín returns to familiar territory with a sequel to 2009’s best-selling Brooklyn. This week, he and Michael discuss what it means to write a sequel, the importance of James Baldwin’s writing, and, of course, Costco.

Reading list:

The Heather Blazing, Colm Tóibín, 1992

The Master, Colm Tóibín, 2004

Brooklyn, Colm Tóibín, 2009

Nora Webster, Colm Tóibín, 2014

Long Island, Colm Tóibín, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram

Guest: Colm Tóibín

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Tanzanian-born, London-based author Abdulrazak Gurnah was midway through writing his latest novel, Theft, when he received a call letting him know he’d won the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature. After more than a year of events and literary obligations, he finally returned to Theft, with more enthusiasm than ever. This week, Michael sits down with Abdulrazak to discuss his writing, the phenomenon of tourism and his latest book.

Reading list:

Paradise, Abdulrazak Gurnah, 1994

By the Sea, Abdulrazak Gurnah, 2001

Desertion, Abdulrazak Gurnah, 2005

Theft, Abdulrazak Gurnah, 2025

Eurotrash, Christian Kracht, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter

Guest: Abdulrazak Gurnah

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Tasmanian writer Robert Dessaix is a man of many talents when it comes to the written form – from travel memoir and fiction to biography and philosophy, he’s done it all. He became a household name for many listeners to ABC Radio following a long stint hosting the beloved show Books and Writing. Now, at 81, Robert is back with a new memoir. This week, Michael is joined by Robert for a conversation about memory, dance, and being a chameleon.

Reading list:

A Mother’s Disgrace, Robert Dessaix, 1994

Corfu, Robert Dessaix, 2001

Twilight of Love, Robert Dessaixt, 2004

Chameleon, Robert Dessaix, 2025

Perfection, Vincenzo Latronico, 2025

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram

Guest: Robert Dessaix

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Writer Sonia Orchard was in her 40s when a revelation during a therapy session turned her life upside down. Could the relationship she’d had in her teens with a man more than a decade older in fact be abuse? In her new memoir, Groomed, Sonia investigates her own story, sharing her gruelling journey through the justice system, and shines a light on the failures – social, structural, legal – that entrench and prolong the trauma for victim survivors. This week, she speaks with Michael about the power of reclaiming her story.

Reading list:

The Virtuoso, Sonia Orchard, 2009

Into the Fire, Sonia Orchard, 2019

Groomed, Sonia Orchard, 2025

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter

Guest: Sonia Orchard

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.