Read This

We're off this Thursday, but we'll be back next week.Email us: [email protected]: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter

Morris Gleitzman is an Australian institution. A beloved author of novels for young people, Morris is known for his ability to be funny and warm without shying away from the realities of life. He has been writing for almost half a century now and has delighted generations of readers with his more than 40 books of fiction. This week, Michael and Morris sit down to reflect on Morris’s multi-generational impact and to discuss his latest novel, Tweet.
Reading list:Two Weeks with the Queen, Morris Gleitzman, 1989Misery Guts, Morris Gleitzman, 1991Worry Warts, Morris Gleitzman, 1992Blabber Mouth, Morris Gleitzman, 1993Sticky Beak, Morris Gleitzman, 1994Now, Morris Gleitzman, 2010Tweet, Morris Gleitzman, 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 TwitterGuest: Morris Gleitzman

Patrick deWitt has made a career out of creating eccentric, unforgettable characters. From his gun-slinging duo in the darkly comic The Sisters Brothers, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize to the severely unsympathetic down-at-heel aristocrats in The French Exit. But in his fifth novel, The Librarianist, Patrick employs his signature verve and wit to reveal the extraordinary in the otherwise ordinary life of retired librarian Bob Comet. This week, Patrick joins Michael in the studio for a conversation about the joys of being an introvert, making friends at 40, and writing his latest novel.
Reading list:The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt, 2011Undermajordomo Minor, Patrick deWitt, 2015French Exit, Patrick deWitt, 2018The Librarianist, Patrick deWitt, 2023
Deep Blue: The World in the Ocean, James Bradley, 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 TwitterGuest: Patrick deWitt

Star investigative journalist Louise Milligan has spent her career working on some of the most high-profile criminal cases in Australia. This incredible breadth of experience informs her first novel Pheasant’s Nest, which follows the abduction of a young journalist and provides a unique insight into the media, policing and politics that surround a crime like this. This week, Michael sits down with Louise to discuss the leap from reporting to fiction and why writing this book was a kind of therapy. 
Reading list:Cardinal, Louise Milligan, 2017Witness, Louise Milligan, 2020Pheasant’s Nest, Louise Milligan, 2024
A Year of Last Things, Michael Ondaatje, 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 TwitterGuest: Louise Milligan

Even if you’re not an obsessive Ancient Rome aficionado, you may have heard of Mary Beard. With more than 20 books to her name, including the wildly successful SPQR, Mary might be most famous for her work as a BBC host for shows such as Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town and Julius Caesar Revealed. Her latest book is Emperor of Rome and this week on the show she sits down with Michael to discuss her life sentence — the half dozen words that set her on the path to becoming Britain’s best-known classicist — and why the Roman Empire is so misunderstood.
Reading list:SPQR, Mary Beard, 2015Twelve Caesars, Mary Beard, 2021Emperor of Rome, Mary Beard, 2023
Meditations, Marcus Aurealius, 167 A.C.E..Tidelines, Sarah Sasson, 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 TwitterGuest: Mary Beard

Jonathan Lethem made his name with his 1999 novel Motherless Brooklyn, but it was his next book, a semi-autobiographical re-telling of his childhood in Brooklyn, The Fortress of Solitude, that solidified his reputation as one of America's most celebrated authors. In Brooklyn Crime Novel, Jonathan returns to the Brooklyn of his childhood, but this time with a very different perspective. This week, Michael and Jonathan discuss making and unmaking the past in his latest book.
Reading list:Motherless Brooklyn, Jonathan Lethem, 1999The Fortress of Solitude, Jonathan Lethem, 2003Brooklyn Crime Novel, Jonathan Lethem, 2023
Edenglassie, Melissa Lucashenko, 2023The Restless Dolly Maunder, Kate Grenville, 2023Wifedom, Anna Funder, 2023The Wren, The Wren, Anne Enright, 2023
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 TwitterGuest: Jonathan Lethem

Anne Enright has been publishing books for more than two decades, winning numerous awards, including the Booker Prize for her 2007 novel, The Gathering. This week, Michael sits down with Anne for a wide-ranging conversation about the changing cultural context she is writing into, how a multiplicity of perspectives shape her work, and her latest book The Wren, The Wren.
Reading list:The Gathering, Anne Enright, 2007The Forgotten Waltz, Anne Enright, 2011The Green Road, Anne Enright, 2015Actress, Anne Enright, 2020The Wren, the Wren, Anne Enright, 2023
Orbital, Samantha Harvey, 2023
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 TwitterGuest: Anne Enright

When Nam Le’s debut book of short stories, The Boat, came out in 2008, it was met with unanimous praise and scooped up awards from around the world. Now, 16 years later, Nam has produced his follow up called 36 Ways to Write A Vietnamese Poem. This week, Michael sits down with Nam to discuss his latest work and the importance of violence in his conception of poetry and language.
Reading list:The Boat, Nam Le, 2008On David Malouf, Nam Le, 201936 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem, Nam Le, 2014
What Happened to Nina?, Dervla McTiernan, 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 TwitterGuest: Nam Le

Joseph Conrad only ever captained one ship in his lifetime – the Otago. In a strange turn of events, the wreckage of Joseph Conrad’s ship now lies on the banks of the Derwent River in Hobart. And it's there that novelist Gail Jones took the inspiration for her latest novel, One Another. This week, Michael sits down with Gail for a wide-ranging discussion about desire, hauntings, and the life and work of Joseph Conrad.
Reading list:Black Mirror, Gail Jones, 2002Sixty Lights, Gail Jones, 2004Dreams of Speaking, Gail Jones, 2006Sorry, Gail Jones, 2007Five Bells, Gail Jones, 2011A Guide to Berlin, Gail Jones, 2015The Death of Noah Glass, Gail Jones, 2018Our Shadows, Gail Jones, 2020Salonika Burning, Gail Jones, 2022
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, 1899The Secret Agent, Joseph Conrad, 1907
Always Will Be, Mykaela Saunders, 2024The Best Minds, Jonathan Rosen, 2023
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 TwitterGuest: Gail Jones

Erik Jensen was just 20 years old when he met Australian author Kate Jennings for the first time, forging a close relationship that continued until Kate’s death in 2021. This week, Michael chats with The Saturday Paper’s editor in chief about Kate’s life and her underappreciated work and Erik shares why her novel, Snake, is the best Australian book he’s ever read.
Reading list:Snake, Kate Jennings, 1996Moral Hazard, Kate Jennings, 2002Cats, Dogs and Pitchforks, Kate Jennings, 1993
On Kate Jennings, Erik Jensen, 2017I said the sea was folded: Love poems, Erik Jensen, 2021Angry at Breakfast, Erik Jensen, 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 TwitterGuest: Erik Jensen