Through discussions and interviews with writers, artists and health professionals, author friends James McKenzie Watson and Ashley Kalagian Blunt explore the bi...
109 | What have we read? Every book recommendation from 2024
Here it is - the annual end-of-year book recommendation extravaganza! This bumper episode contains every single edition of 'What are you reading?' from 2024, in which James, Ashley and guests discuss the books on their shelves, and why you should read them too (or not). Use it as a last-minute Christmas shopping guide or a wishlist for your own personal library in 2025. Books and authors discussed in this episode (brace yourself, this is a long list): From episode 92 (Kylie Ladd, author of 'I'll Leave You With This') The Vitals by Tracy Sorensen (Kylie) The Wolves of Eternity by Karl Ove Knausgård (James) Red River Road by Anna Downes (Ashley) A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold. From episode 93 (Adele Dumont, author of 'The Pulling') Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid (Adele) The Wolves of Eternity by Karl Ove Knausgård (James) Unfinished Business by Shankari Chandran (Ashley) From episode 94 (no guest) Red River Road by Anna Downes (James) The Consultant by Im Seong Sun, translated by An Seon Jae (Ashley) From episode 95 (Liz Nugent, author of 'Strange Sally Diamond') The Prophet Song by Paul Lynch (Liz) In the Woods by Tana French (James) The Witch Elm by Tana French (James) Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (Ashley) Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Liz) From episode 96 (Tracy Sorensen, author of 'The Vitals') I’ll Leave You With This by Kylie Ladd (Tracy) Number Go Up by Zeke Faux (Ashley) The Trial by Franz Kafka (James) Loosely Based on a Made-Up Story by James Blunt (James) From episode 97 (no guest) The Cop Who Fell To Earth by Craig Semple (Ashley) Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (James) From episode 98 (Imbi Neeme, author of 'Kind of, Sort of, Maybe but Probably Not') Ghost Cities by Siang Lu (Imbi) Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami (Ashley) On Our Best Behaviour by Elise Loehnen (Ashley) The Writer's Room by Charlotte Wood (James) From episode 99 (Siang Lu, author of 'Ghost Cities') He Who Drowned the World by Shelly Parker-Chan (Siang) Amygdalatropolis by BR Yeager (James) So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan (James) Better Than Happiness by Gregory P Smith (Ashley) From episode 100 (no guest) Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Ashley) Scary Monsters by Michelle de Krester (James) From episode 101 (Khin Myint, author of 'Fragile Creatures') Detachable Penis by Sam Elkin (Khin) Quiet by Susan Cain (Khin) The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth (Ashley) Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb (James) From episode 102 (Zahid Gamieldien, author of 'All the Missing Children') Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor (Zahid) The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (James) Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (Ashley) The Guest List by Lucy Foley (Ashley) From episode 103 (Robyn Harding, author of 'The Haters') This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead (Robyn) Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor (James) Tyranny of the Minority by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt (James) Catherine Wheel by Liz Evans (Ashley) From episode 104 (Michael Klim, author of 'Klim') Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles (Michael) The Storyteller by Dave Grohl (Michael) Andrew Johns: The Two of Me by Andrew Johns and Neil Cadigan (James) Johnathan Thurston: The Autobiography by Johnathon Thurston (James) From episode 105 (Arna Radovich, author of 'Limits of Forgetting') Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout (Arna) What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan (Arna) The Glass House by Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist (Arna) Stoneyard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (Arna) Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen (James) The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Thomas Ligotti (James) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (James) Revisionist History season 11: Hitler's Olympics by Malcolm Gladwell and Ben Naddaff-Hafrey (Ashley) [Podcast] Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke (Ashley) From episode 106 (Simone Amelia Jordan, author of 'Tell Her She's Dreamin'' The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman (Simone) Outside the Stereotypes by Alya Mooro (Simone) Parable by the Sower by Octavia E Butler (Ashley) From episode 107 (Maggie Walters, author of 'Split') In Bad Faith by Dassi Erlich (Maggie) For Life by Ailsa Piper (Maggie) The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas (Ashley) My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (James) Upcoming events Ashley is teaching Year of the Novel for Writing NSW beginning on Wednesday evenings starting 26 February 2025 The Cold Truth tour is happening in February! Sign up for Ashley's newsletter here for full details Learn more about Ashley's thrillers, Dark Mode and Cold Truth, and get your copies from your local bookshop or your library. Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy from your local bookshop or your library. Get in touch! ashleykalagianblunt.com jamesmckenziewatson.com Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson
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108 | Compelling, subversive, beautiful: the books we loved most in 2024
It's that time of year again - the annual Bed on a Plinth Awards, in which James and Ashley discuss the best books they've read in the last twelve months! Use this particularly eclectic list to gather Christmas gift ideas, or simply top up your own 'to be read' pile. Books & authors discussed in this episode (spoilers below!): Red River Road by Anna Downes The Last Trace by Petronella McGovern An Ambush of Widows by R.W.R. McDonald (audiobook) Seventeen Years Later by JP Pomare Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor The Pulling by Adele Dumont (interviewed in episode 93) Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen Not Everything Counts but Everything Matters by Ivan Cleary & Andrew Webster Fragile Creatures by Khin Myint (interviewed in episode 101) Ghost Cities by Siang Lu (interviewed in episode 99) Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra Sociopath by Patric Gagn The Writer’s Room by Charlotte Wood Tyranny of the Minority by Daniel Ziblatt & Steven Levitsky Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Upcoming events Ashley is teaching Year of the Novel for Writing NSW beginning on Wednesday evenings starting 26 February 2025 The Cold Truth tour is happening in February! Sign up for Ashley's newsletter here for full details Learn more about Ashley's thrillers, Dark Mode and Cold Truth, and get your copies from your local bookshop or your library. Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy from your local bookshop or your library. Get in touch! ashleykalagianblunt.com jamesmckenziewatson.com Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson
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107 | Living with dissociative identity disorder/multiple personality disorder with Maggie Walters, author of 'Split'
'It's not a mental illness. It's actually a creative coping mechanism.' What's it like to discover other people living in your own head? In Maggie Walters' debut memoir, she describes her life with dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder (which remains Maggie's preferred term). After surviving years of abuse as a child, Maggie now lives with 40 alters and has spent much of her adulthood learning to understand herself, as well as how to share her experience with others. In episode 107, she describes living with her alters, how she wrote her memoir, and why, after years of keeping her reality a secret, she's now sharing it with the world. Maggie Walters lives in the NSW Northern Rivers with her family. As a trauma survivor, she shares her journey towards wholeness, confronting stereotypes around mental health. Her debut memoir, Split, was published in 2024. An early draft of Split was longlisted for the 2022 Richell Emerging Writers Prize. Get your copy of Split from Booktopia or your local bookshop or library. Books & authors discussed in this episode: The Writer Laid Bare by Lee Kofman In Bad Faith by Dassi Erlich For Life by Ailsa Piper The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante Upcoming events Ashley is teaching Crafting Narrative Drive for the Society of Women Writers NSW on Wednesday 11 November Ashley is teaching Year of the Novel for Writing NSW beginning on Wednesday evenings starting 26 February 2025 The Cold Truth tour is happening in February! Sign up for Ashley's newsletter here for full details Learn more about Ashley's thrillers, Dark Mode and Cold Truth, and get your copies from your local bookshop or your library. Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy from your local bookshop or your library. Get in touch! ashleykalagianblunt.com jamesmckenziewatson.com Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson
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106 | The worst decision ever with Richell-Prize-winner Simone Amelia Jordan
'That was the most naive, worst decision I've ever made in my life, because the disease came back with a vengeance.' In episode 106, Ashley speaks to award-winning memoirist Simone Amelia Jordan about the career that took her from Australia to New York City, and the health crisis that changed everything. We also speak about family heritage and family support, and how writing a memoir helped Simone recover herself and reinvent her career. Simone Amelia Jordan is Australia's most successful hip-hop journalist, with a career spanning print, radio, TV and digital media. At twenty-three, she founded Urban Hitz, the country's highest-selling rap and R&B publication. Later, in New York City, she served as the content director of The Source, the iconic 'Hip-Hop Bible'. Simone is also an ambassador for Crohn’s Colitis Australia. Her memoir, Tell Her She's Dreamin', won the 2021 Richell Prize winner, and is published in Australia and the United States. Get your copy of Tell Her She's Dreamin' from Booktopia or your local bookshop or library. Nothing in this episode is intended as medical advice. If you have health concerns, speak to your GP. Books & authors discussed in this episode: The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes by Alya Mooro Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler Hayley Scrivenor Upcoming events Ashley is teaching Crafting Narrative Drive for the Society of Women Writers NSW on Wednesday 11 November Ashley is teaching Year of the Novel for Writing NSW beginning on Wednesday evenings starting 26 February 2025 Learn more about Ashley's thrillers, Dark Mode and Cold Truth, and get your copies from your local bookshop or your library. Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy from your local bookshop or your library. Get in touch! ashleykalagianblunt.com jamesmckenziewatson.com Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson
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105 | Finding community with author and artist Arna Radovich
In ep 105, James and Ashley interview Arna Radovich, the author of Limits of Forgetting, a collection of stories interwoven with themes of memory, grief and reflection. Arna shares insights into how her own experiences provide the background for her fiction, and how she found the resolve to release her collection after the loss of her husband. We also delve into Arna's multifaceted creative practice, which spans poetry, prose, fiction and nonfiction for both children and adults. We discuss her dedication to both evolving her practice and contributing to her artistic community, affirming how art and connection foster resilience and insight amidst personal and collective challenges. Reflecting on her commitment to writing and community, Arna discusses her long-standing involvement with artist-run initiative Mounted. Their latest exhibition, Excavate, is happening in Sydney in November. Arna Radovich writes for both adults and children. Her short fiction and poetry has been published widely and performed. She won the ZineWest 2020 Prize and 2nd prize in the 2019 Peter Cowan Short Story Award and has been a finalist in the 2018 Tasmanian Writers Prize, the Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award and the NWF/joanne burns Microlit Award.In 2024 she released her debut collection of new and selected short stories, Limits of Forgetting. Meet Arna and other Blue Mountains artists at Excavate: an exhibition from Mounted ARI: 13 to 17 November, The Corner Gallery Stanmore Opening event: Friday 15 November, 5.30 to 7.30 pm Get your copy of Limits of Forgetting from Rosey Ravelston Bookshop or your local bookshop or library. Supporting libraries and neighbourhood bookshops supports authors. Books & authors (and one podcast) discussed in this episode: Forgetting: The Benefits of Not Remembering by Scott Small Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout The Writer Laid Bare by Lee Kofman If You're Happy by Fiona Robertson (from ep 53) 'Vigil' by Amanda O'Callaghan Helen Garner What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan The Glass House by Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist Stoneyard Devotional by Charlotte Wood The Dinner Party by Victoria Benn Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Thomas Legotti Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy ('It's like Knausgård in the 1800s!') War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Jon Ronson Revisionist History season 11: Hitler's Olympics by Malcolm Gladwell and Ben Naddaff-Hafrey Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke Stolen Focus by Johann Hari Further recommended reading from Arna: The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss by Mary- Francis O’Connor Resilient Grieving: How To Find Your Way Through Devastating Loss: A Practical Guide To Recovery by Dr Lucy Hone Love, Death and Other Scenes by Nova Weetman Upcoming events Ashley is interviewing Pip Drysdale and Hayley Scrivenor at Harry Hartog Mosman on Thursday 31 October, 6-8pm Ashley is speaking at Sydney Authors Inked in Summer Hill, Sunday 3 November, 12.30-2.30pm Ashley is teaching Writing Crime Fiction in Bowral on Thursday 7 November, 10am-4pm Learn more about Ashley's thrillers, Dark Mode and Cold Truth, and get your copies from your local bookshop or your library. Learn more about James' award-winning novel Denizen and get your copy from your local bookshop or your library. Get in touch! ashleykalagianblunt.com jamesmckenziewatson.com Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson
Through discussions and interviews with writers, artists and health professionals, author friends James McKenzie Watson and Ashley Kalagian Blunt explore the big questions: how do books get written? How do people navigate life with chronic illness? And just what ARE you reading? Hosted by James McKenzie Watson, winner of the 2021 Penguin Literary Prize, and Ashley Kalagian Blunt, author of 'Dark Mode.'
Australia