Long before she was hosting 7:30 on the ABC, Leigh Sales dreamed of becoming a novelist. This week she joins Michael to discuss her secret desire to write fiction, the art of crafting a good story, and how being a journalist allowed her to become a professional stickybeak.
Reading list:Detainee 002: the case of David Hicks, Leigh Sales 2007Any Ordinary Day: Blindsides, Resilience And What Happens After The Worst Day Of Your Life, Leigh Sales, 2019On Doubt, Leigh Sales, 2020Storytellers: Questions, Answers and the Craft of Journalism, Leigh Sales, 2023
You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on Apple Books.
Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and TwitterGuest: Leigh Sales

Christos Tsiolkas burst onto Australia's publishing scene in 1995 with his grunge-lit novel Loaded. Since then he has published seven books of fiction, including The Slap. This week, Christos joins Michael for a discussion on how becoming part of the literary establishment has changed the author, why he finds bodies endlessly fascinating, and his forthcoming book The In-Between.
Reading list:Loaded, Christos Tsiolkas, 1995The Jesus Man, Christos Tsiolkas, 1999Dead Europe, Christos Tsiolkas, 2005The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas, 2008Barracuda, Christos Tsiolkas, 2013Merciless Gods, Christos Tsiolkas, 2014Damascus, Christos Tsiolkas, 20197 1/2, Christos Tsiolkas, 2021The In-Between, Christos Tsiolkas, forthcoming in 2023
Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1866Our Lady of the Flowers (Notre Dame des Fleurs), Jean Genet, 1942/1943City of Night, John Rechy, 1963
You can find these books at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on Apple Books.
Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and TwitterGuest: Christos Tsiolkas

Reading Colson Whitehead, you never know what you're going to get. He’ll write a non-fiction book about poker one minute and a multi-award-winning epic about slavery and race in America the next. This week, the two-time Pulitzer prize winning author joins us for a discussion about his latest novel Crook Manifesto and why he loves a doomed heist.
Reading list:The Intuitionist, Colson Whitehead, 1999John Henry Days, Colson Whitehead, 2001Apex Hides the Hurt, Colson Whitehead, 2006Sag Harbor, Colson Whitehead, 2009Zone One, Colson Whitehead, 2011The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead, 2016The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead, 2019Harlem Shuffle, Colson Whitehead, 2021Crook Manifesto, Colson Whitehead, 2023
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, Patrick Radden Keefe, 2021The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann, 2023Firelight, John Morrissey, 2015Biography of X, Catherine Lacey, 2023
You can find these books at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on Apple Books.
Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and TwitterGuest: Colson Whitehead

Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is the book Shankari Chandran always wanted to write. After being rejected by publishers, Shankari decided to write for herself and finally tackle the subject she'd been avoiding: Race in Australia. In doing so, she has won the Miles Franklin award and changed the trajectory of her writing career.
Reading list:Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, Shankari Chandran, 2022Song of the Sun God, Shankari Chandran, 2017The Barrier, Shankari Chandran, 2017
Hopeless Kingdom, Kgshak Akec, 2022Limberlost, Robbie Arnott, 2022Cold Enough for Snow, Jessica Au, 2022The Lovers, Yumna Kassab, 2022Iris, Fiona Kelly McGregor, 2022
You can find these books at your favourite independent book store. Or if you want to listen to them as audiobooks, you can head to the Read This reading room on Apple Books.
Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and TwitterGuest: Shankari Chandran and Kate McClymont

Award-winning writer and historian Tony Birch grew up listening to stories from his nan, Alma. This week, Tony shares how Alma's advice has influenced his life and his writing.
Reading list:Shadowboxing, Tony Birch, 2006Blood, Tony Birch, 2011Ghost River, Tony Birch, 2015Common People, Tony Birch, 2017The White Girl, Tony Birch, 2019Dark as Night, Tony Birch, 2021
Yellowface, R.F. Kuang, 2023Broke, Sam Drummond, 2023
Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and TwitterGuest: Tony Birch

Anna Funder has a habit of writing about humans in extremis: under the Stasi, then the Nazis, and now, she's taken on the patriarchy in her new book Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life. It's an act of resurrection for Eileen O'Shaughnessy, the brilliant woman who married George Orwell, contributed to his work and was erased from his story.
Reading list:Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life, Anna Funder, 2023All That I Am, Anna Funder, 2011Stasiland, Anna Funder, 2003
Burmese Days, George Orwell, 1934Animal Farm, George Orwell, 19451984, George Orwell, 1949
Anam, André Dao, 2023Restless Dolly Maunder, Kate Grenville, 2023
Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and TwitterGuest: Anna Funder

Helen Garner is writing again. This week, she invites us over for cake and conversation about what she’s writing about, how she solves problems and the inspiration she gets from watching her grandson’s footy training.
Reading list:Monkey Grip, Helen Garner, 1977The Children’s Bach, Helen Garner, 1984The Spare Room, Helen Garner, 2008Yellow Notebook: Diaries 1978–1987, Helen Garner, 2019One Day I’ll Remember This: Diaries 1987–1995, Helen Garner, 2020How to End a Story: Diaries 1995–1998, Helen Garner, 2021
Eleven Letters to You: A Memoir, Helen Elliot, 2023The Late Americans, Brandon Taylor, 2023
Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and TwitterGuest: Helen Garner

Read This is a show about the books we love and the stories behind them, hosted by Michael Williams. Every Thursday, you’ll hear insightful conversations with the smartest, funniest readers and writers we know and in-depth interviews with the best Australian and international authors talking about their lives and their work. You’ll never be left wondering what to read next. Coming July 6.