Ian Rankin introduced Detective John Rebus in his 1987 novel Knots and Crosses. Since then, Rankin has published another two dozen books in the series and has sold almost 40 million books to date. Unsurprisingly, he’s now Sir Ian Rankin. This week, Michael sits down with Ian at Sydney Writers’ Festival for discussion about his latest Rebus book, Midnight and Blue.

Reading list:

Knots and Crosses, Ian Rankin, 1987

Black and Blue, Ian Rankin, 1997

The Hanging Garden, Ian Rankin, 1998

Standing in Another Man's Grave, Ian Rankin, 2012

Midnight and Blue, Ian Rankin, 2025

A Killing Kindness, Reginald Hill, 1980

In the Woods, Tana French, 2007

The Broken Shore, Peter Temple, 2005

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: Ian Rankin

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the surface, Kaliane Bradley’s debut is a time-travel novel; it’s speculative fiction meets romance and espionage. But underneath? It's a sharp, satirical exploration of institutional control—of what happens when government red tape meets the impossible. This week, Michael sits down for a conversation with Kaliane Bradley to discuss her bestselling book The Ministry of Time.

Reading list:

The Ministry of Time, Kaliane Bradley, 2024

The Time Traveller’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger ,2003

Life After Life, Kate Atkinson, 2013

Discworld (series), Terry Pratchett, 1983–2015

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: Kaliane Bradley

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Torrey Peters’ debut novel, Detransition, Baby, was an instant sensation. Longlisted for the Women’s Prize in the UK and named one of the New York Times’ best books of the 21st century so far, the book catapulted Torrey into the limelight. Her second and latest book, Stag Dance, is a collection of four stories that are brutal, funny, and brilliant. This week, Michael sits down with Torrey to discuss the genesis of Stag Dance and why she isn’t interested in trans identity.

Reading list:

Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters, 2021

Stag Dance, Torrey Peters, 2025

The Unquiet Grave, Dervla McTiernan, 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: Torrey Peters

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Wilson writes weird books about weird people — in the best possible way. In 2019’s Nothing to See Here, two children have a condition that means they spontaneously combust. In Now Is Not the Time to Panic, two lonely young artists wreak havoc on their small town, prompting fears of Satanism. This week, Michael sits down with Kevin to discuss how he wrote his latest novel, Run for the Hills, why having children revealed the multitude of ways weirdness can manifest.

Reading list:

The Family Fang, Kevin Wilson, 2011

Nothing to See Here, Kevin Wilson, 2019

Now Is Not the Time to Panic, Kevin Wilson, 2022

Run for the Hills, Kevin Wilson, 2025

The Yearling, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, 1938

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson, 1962

True Grit, Charles Portis, 1968

Member of the Wedding, Carson McCullers, 1946

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: Kevin Wilson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram

Guest: Jessica Stanley

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram

Guest: Josephine Rowe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram

Guest: James Bradley

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram

Guest: Chris Flynn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. 

Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram

Guest: Niall Williams

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.