This is the podcast version of the piece I sent out on April 21st, read and produced by me.

I use podcasts to make any and all domestic tasks a bit less boring, so if you have 12 minutes of prepping veg or vacuuming this Sunday evening, I give you Part One of my encounter with a chatbot.

Thank you for supporting Voracious.

Forgive me: the very start of my chat with Huda was spirited away by a recording software ghost called Vengeful Violet, so it sounds as if I’m talking to myself for a couple of minutes.

Works mentioned:

Huda and Me by H. Hayek (2021)

Huda Was Here by H. Hayek (2023)

To and Fro by Anton Clifford-Motopi (coming in March 2024)

Great read-alikes for Huda & Me

For readers who love realism with a touch of adventure, mystery and/or humour, alongside reading Huda & Me I recommend The Power of Positive Thinking by Nat Amoore, High Rise Mystery by Sharna Jackson, The Lion at the Door by Onjali Q. Rauf, Extra Time by Morris Gleitzman, and Rainfish by Andrew Paterson.

You may have missed these posts on children’s books:

* Two Children, Two Reading Journeys: Observations from a parent and bibliophile

* #3 Children's Book Reading Notes: Penny Draws a Best Friend by Sara Shepard

The final episode of the year is a big old whinge about how hard writing is, swiftly followed by a pep talk.

Mentioned in this episode:

* A review in The Small Hours by Zoe Deleuil of Marzahn, Mon Amour

* Clare Keegan’s advice to “fatten the middle” which I wrote about in Quick Notes on the Melbourne Writers Festival #2

* The first pep talk I made earlier this year, Story Time for Writers

Other relevant posts on Voracious:

* Writer’s Block in Disguise

* An Honest Day’s Work (or how to waste most of a writing day)

* How To Make Plot Decisions

Merry Christmas! and a Happy New Year.

X

Jessica's three novels are all published by Text.

Elizabeth & Zenobia (2016)

The Republic of Birds (2020)

The Hotel Witch (2023)

Books:

The Secrets We Keep by Nova Weetman

Frankie & Joely by Nova Weetman

Sick Bay by Nova Weetman

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

Lost Connections by Johann Hari

The Goodbye Year by Emily Gale

Places:

Readings, Melbourne

Somerset Festival, Queensland

Campaigns:

Authors For Fireys

The new children’s award for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards

People:

Gabrielle Williams author of The Guy, The Girl, The Artist and His Ex

Steph Bowe author of Night Swimming

Works mentioned:

It Sounded Better In My Head, Nina Kenwood

Unnecessary Drama, Nina Kenwood

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Sue Townsend

I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith

Love Nina, Nina Stibbe

Sorrow and Bliss, Meg Mason

Gilmore Girls, Amy Sherman-Palladino

People mentioned:

Andy Griffiths, Anh Do, Steve Kaplan

Books mentioned in this episode:

Gus and the Starlight by Victoria Carless

A Girl Called Corpse by Reece Carter

The Ghost Locket by Allison Rushby

Honour Among Ghosts by Sean Williams

The Vexatious Haunting of Lily Griffin by Paula Hayes

The Deadly Daylight by Ash Harrier

The Goodbye Year by Emily Gale

More ghost stories for different ages

Picture Books:

The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon by Aaron Blabey

There’s a Ghost in This House by Oliver Jeffers

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago

How To Make Friends With a Ghost by Rebecca Green

Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara

Chapter Books for 5+:

Luna Boo Has Feelings Too: School of Monsters by Sally Rippin

Scaredy-Pug: Diary of a Pug by Kyla May

Novels for 10+:

Spookiest Stories by Paul Jennings

The Turnkey by Allison Rushby

The Endsister by Penni Russon

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Seven Ghosts by Chris Priestly

Graphic novels:

Séance Tea Party by Reimena Yee

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Sheets by Brenna Thummler

Novels for teens:

Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier

Dreaming of Amelia by Jaclyn Moriarty

Catching Teller Crow by Ambelina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Non-Fiction:

The Supernatural Survival Guide by George Ivanoff

The World of the Unknown: Ghosts by Christopher Maynard

1980s Nostalgia:

Games by Robin Klein (1987)

The Time of the Ghost by Diana Wynne Jones (1981)

The Haunting by Margaret Mahy (1982)

p.s.

If you have a particular interest in Australian children’s books, I recommend following the Twitter account @LoveOzMG which is currently managed by Zewlan Moor and keeps followers up to date with all the latest reviews and news.