In the midst of the anxiety-ridden chaos of late-stage capitalism, is it really possible to lead a plain life? Philosopher, essayist and yogi Antonia Pont’s book is far more a philosophical analysis of our modern existence than it is self-help, but she offers advice on being true to oneself and ignoring the ‘noise’ of our current social media driven culture.

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The Tsundoku team have a revealing chat about their summer reads; from erudite literature to cosy murder mysteries, from self-help to the secrets of the British Royals.

Guest:
Antonia Pont, author of ‘Plain Life’

Other books that get a mention:

‘Organising from the Inside out’ - Julie Morgenstern

‘Let them’ - Mel Robbins

‘Paperboy’ - Christopher Fowler

‘A long winter’ - Colm Toibin

‘What Rhymes with Murder’ - Penny Tangey

‘The Names’ - Florence Knapp

‘Mad Mabel’ - Sally Hepworth

‘The Palace Papers’ - Tina Brown

‘The Vanity Fair Diaries’ - Tina Brown

‘A Different Kind of Power’ - Jacinda Ardern

‘The Lady in Gold’ - Anne-Marie O’Connor

INSTAGRAM

@newsouthpublishing
@newsouthbooksau

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Meet Dr Annette Marner who has spent eight years documenting her ‘patch’, South Australia’s geologically extraordinary Southern Flinders ranges. With patience and respect for wildlife, and some very fancy camera gear, Annette captures in her book very up close and personal moments with the animals and birds of the region, and explains in beautiful prose the tumultuous geo-history of the region and why it contains such unique species.

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Meet Eleanor Elliott Thomas, a former lawyer turned author, who’s written a darkly comic tale about a family fracturing over the best and worst of problems - a lotto win! Skeletons begin emerging from the family closet as the three very mismatched Halloway siblings gather around their mother, rightful owner of the winning ticket, who lies in a coma.

Guests
Annette Marner, author and photographer of “The Southern Flinders; A Celebration of Wildlife and Landscapes”

Eleanor Elliott Thomas, author of “Do We Deserve This?” and also “The Opposite of Success”

Other books that get a mention:

Annie Hauxwell author of the Catherine Berlin crime series

“Sorrow and Bliss” by Meg Mason

“Flying Hero Class” by Thomas Keneally

“ Normal Women - 900 years of Making History” by Philippa Gregory

INSTAGRAM

@text_publishing
@eleanorelliottthomas

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Former journalist, Michael Brissenden, brings insider knowledge and a sharp world view to the crime and thriller genre. “Dust” goes into that now familiar territory, the dark underbelly of rural Australia, to create a gripping story that begins with a dry lake giving up its secrets.

And who knew that celebrated spy thriller author Mick Herron is also a poet? Our regular reviewer, Annie Warburton, explores the life of the author of “Slow Horses”. She says his expressive, poetic style makes reading him a much more rewarding experience than watching the current TV series.

Guests
Michael Brissenden, author of “Dust”

Annie Warburton reviews the writing of Mick Herron

Other books that get a mention:

Thursday Murder Club Series - Richard Osman

The Every - Dave Eggers

Orbital - Samantha Harvey

Plain Life - Antonia Pont

Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari

INSTAGRAM

@m_brisso

Annie Warburton – Creative and Travel Writing

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Cath and Annie take a deep dive into the brilliant, celebrated and mysterious life of Elizabeth Harrower, author of the 1960s Australian classic “The Watch Tower”.

Cath first reviews Harrower’s most celebrated work and then Annie speaks to Harrower’s biographer, Susan Wyndham, about the enigmatic novelist's past to better understand the woman, her times, and why the career of this impressive writer of deep psychological dramas ended so suddenly.

Guests
Susan Wyndham, author of “The Woman in the Watchtower”

Other books that get a mention:

“Half of a Yellow Sun” by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“A Frightfully English Execution” by Shamini Flint

“Murder on North Terrace” and “The Death of Dora Black” by Lainie Anderson

“What We Can Know” by Ian McEwen

INSTAGRAM

@wyndhamsusan1
@newsouthpublishing

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Drawing on her own family history for inspiration, Heather Rose delivers a compelling and heart rending saga of a father and daughter torn apart by a terrible crime. In “A Great Act of Love” Caroline Douglas carries her dark secret to the penal colony of Van Diemen’s Land to begin life anew - but can she escape her past; does she even want to?

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It’s no small thing to decide to be a publisher in today’s busy book marketplace but that’s what Emily Riches did. Aniko Press’ first offering is “The Slip” by Miriam Webster - who we recently interviewed in Episode 56 of this podcast. Aniko also publishes a literary journal and is always on the lookout for new talent.

Guests
Heather Rose, author of “A Great Act of Love”
Emily Riches, founder of Aniko Press

https://www.anikopress.com/

Other books that get a mention:
Heather mentions Rebecca Yaros’ “Fourth Wing”, Robert Galbraith’s crime series, Maggie O’Farrell’s “The Marriage Portrait”, Hannah Kent’s “Always Home, Always Homesick”, Richard Macfarlane’s “Is A River Alive?” and “The Epic of Gilgamesh”.

INSTAGRAM

@heather_rose_writes

@allenandunwin

@aniko press

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In “The Seeker and the Sage” a traumatised journalist is given a dream assignment - track down the mayor of a mysterious town whose citizens are the happiest people on Earth. She wants to learn how to live a good life but the town’s mayor wants to protect his dominion from the modern world. In what is an allegory for our times; Delaney poses the question: can the ancient philosophy of Stoicism help us create our own utopias in an increasingly troubled world?

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Short fiction set in the Pacific Islands was a popular genre in the early 20th century. Associate Professor Mandy Treagus offers a deep analysis of the adventuring writers whose stories were set in these islands, such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London and W. Somerset Maughan.

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Our random reader, Lesley, introduces us to Jan Morris’ book “Conundrum” in which Jan shares a grippingly honest account of her ten-year transition from man to woman. On first publication in 1974, “Conundrum” generated enormous interest around the world and was chosen by “The Times” as one of the '100 Key Books of Our Time'.

Guests
Brigid Delaney, author of “The Seeker and the Sage”

Mandy Treagus, Associate Professor in English and Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide, author of “The Pacific Tale: Short fiction from 1890 - 1950”

Other books that get a mention:

Cath mentions Richard Osman’s “The Impossible Fortune”, Mick Herron’s “Clown Town” and “Peter Ackroyd’s “The English Soul; Faith of a Nation”

Annie mentions “What we can Know” by Ian McEwin, “Ripeness” by Sarah Moss and “Novacene; The coming of age of hyper intelligence” by James Lovelock

INSTAGRAM

@allenandunwin

@palgrave_macmillan

@brigidwd

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Miriam Webster makes her literary debut with a sharp, funny and often dark collection of short stories about love, loss and very modern dilemmas. With an eye for what isn’t said and that which is said by accident, the collection is named for the Freudian slip.

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New publishers on the block, Margot Lloyd and Emily Hart, are publishing exciting debut authors, re-releasing irresistible classics and teaching the rest of us how to write better in their “Word Shops” – two talented women having fun and publishing their way!

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Our random reader, Max, is a nine-year-old with an infectious passion for reading.

Guests

Miriam Webster, author of “The Slip”.

Margot Lloyd and Emily Hart introduce Pink Short’s new books “Annie Magdalene” and “Sea Green” by Barbara Hanrahan, “Playing Nice Was Getting Me Nowhere” by Alex Cothren and “Plastic Budgie” by Olivia De Silva “

Other books that get a mention:

Michaela mentions “Moor to Sea; A Journey Along the Cleveland Way” by Vicki Foote

Annie mentions “Woo Woo” by Ella Baxter and “The Writers Journey; Mythic Structure for Writers” by Christopher Vogler

Margot and Emily also mention Barbara Hanrahan’s “The Scent of Eucalyptus”, Anne Enright’s collection of short stories “Taking Pictures”, “The Bakers Book” by Ruby Goss, a forthcoming book of poetry by Evelyn Araluen, Splinter Magazine, “The Parisian” by Isabella Hammand.

Max mentions “The First Cat in Space ate Pizza” by Matt Barnett, “Diary of Loki” by Louise Stowell and what he recommends as the best book series ever, “Sherlock Bones”.

INSTAGRAM

@pinkshortspress

@anikopress

@mim_webster

@vickifoote

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Since shooting to fame with “The Rosie Project”, Graeme Simsion has formed a successful writing partnership with his psychiatrist wife, Anne Buist. Here they share with Annie why the mental health system provides such fertile ground for their creativity, the change they hope to see in that world…and the nuts and bolts of working together.

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Can a murder mystery warm your heart? Cath thinks Zane Lovitt has pulled it off and enjoys chatting to him about his good-natured suburban crime story, “The Body Next Door”. It’s got all the captivating characters, clever clues and surprising twists one needs for a truly satisfying whodunit.

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Our random reader also enjoys books he can unwind with such as the mysteries of Alexander McCall Smith and Richard Osman. Or, for a change of pace, the nostalgia of “The Diary of Adrian Mole” series by Sue Townsend or a spot of popular science with “Breath” by James Nestor.

Guests

Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion, authors of “The Glass House” and “The Oasis”, books number 1 & 2 in the “Menzies Mental Health” series.

Zane Lovitt, author of “The Body Next Door”.

Other books that get a mention:

Cath also mentions Siang Lu’s Miles Franklin winning novel, ”Ghost Cities”.

Annie mentions “Woo Woo” by Ella Baxter, “All Fours” by Miranda July, “Nighbitch” by Rachel Yonder and “The Slip” by Miriam Webster.

INSTAGRAM
@hachetteaus
@anneebuist
@gcsimsion
@text_publishing
@zane_lovitt

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.