Lech Blaine’s debut book Car Crash, told the gripping story of his life in the aftermath of a horrendous road accident that killed several of his friends. Since then he’s written political essays and thoughtful journalism: for The Monthly, for the Quarterly Essay and beyond. This week, we’re bringing you Michael’s conversation with Lech at Canberra Writers’ Festival, where they discussed his latest book Australian Gospel: A Family Saga. The book details the outrageous true story of the tangled fates of two couples and the children trapped between them.

Reading list:

Car Crash, Lech Blaine 2019

Australian Gospel: A Family Saga, Lech Blaine 2024

Gunnawah, Ronni Salt, 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 Twitter

Guest: Lech Blaine

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For so many, Noni Hazlehurst is the patron saint of early childhood nostalgia, known for her magnetic presence on Playschool. But Noni has had a long and storied career on stage and screen in Australia – from hosting Better Homes & Gardens to starring in the award-winning one-woman play Mother. This week on the show Noni chats with Michael about her new memoir, Dropping the Mask, where she reclaims a lifetime in the public eye and shares it back on the page. 

Reading list:

Dropping the Mask, Noni Hazlehurst, 2024

Martyr!, Kaveh Akbar, 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 Twitter

Guest: Noni Hazlehurst

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Read This returns next Thursday 16 January! We’re kicking off 2025 with Australian icon Noni Hazlehurst, who is on the show to discuss her new memoir Dropping the Mask.

Join us for another year of insightful, fascinating, and revealing conversations with some of the best writers from Australia and around the world.

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For our last episode of 2024, Michael heads back to Fitzroy Pool to find out what people are reading as the weather warms up. Plus, some of our previous guests offer book recommendations for the summer holidays.

Reading list:

Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter, Simone de Beauvoir, 1958

The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas, 2008

Ritual, Chloe Elizabeth Wilson, 2025

The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, 2001

I Could Not Believe It, Sean DeLear, 1979

Unlicensed: Bootlegging as Creative Practice, Ben Schwartz, 2024

Deadly Embrace, Jackie Collins, 2001

Of Love and Other Demons, Gabriel García Márquez, 1993

The Season, Helen Garner, 2024

The Safe Keep, Yael van der Wouden, 2024

All Fours, Miranda July, 2024

Time’s Monster, Priya Satia, 2020

The Lovers, Yumna Kassab, 2022

Deep Water, James Bradley, 2024

The Tribe, Michael Mohammed Ahmad, 2014

Edith Trilogy, Frank Moorhouse, 1992-2011

The Even More Complete Book of Australian Verse, John Clarke, 1994

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 Twitter

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Best known for his thought-provoking explorations of sexuality and identity across generations, British author Alan Hollinghurst rose to international stardom after his 2004 novel The Line of Beauty was awarded the Booker Prize. In his seventh novel, Our Evenings, Alan adopts the memoir format, offering a delicate meditation on memory, loss, and the passage of time. On this week’s episode, Michael is joined by Alan on Zoom to discuss his life and career and why this book is as close as Alan will get to writing his own memoir.

Reading list:

The Swimming Pool Library, Alan Hollinghurst, 1988

The Folding Start, Alan Hollinghurst, 1994

The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst, 2004

The Sparsholt Affair, Alan Hollinghurst, 2017

Our Evenings, Alan Hollinghurst, 2024

Theory and Practice, Michelle de Kretser, 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 Twitter

Guest: Alan Hollinghurst

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John Safran has been a fixture in Australian media since his breakthrough in 1997 with ABC TV's Race Around the World. After several TV series of his own that explored ideas about faith, race and culture, John made the shift to book-length journalism. This week, Michael sits down for a conversation with John about his latest book, Squat, and he reveals the deeper story behind his week living in Kanye West’s Malibu mansion.

Reading list:

Murder in Mississippi, John Safran, 2013

Depends What You Mean By Extremist, John Safran, 2017

Puff Piece, John Safran, 2021

Squat, John Safran, 2024

Glyph, Ali Smith, 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 Twitter

Guest: John Safran

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Historian and author Professor Clare Wright’s award-winning work is about righting the wrongs of Australian history. Across three books she takes a historical artefact and uses it to understand the voices that are too often missing from the historical record: the Eureka flag, the suffragette banner, and now the Bark Petitions. This week, Michael sits down with Clare for a conversation about her new book Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions.

Reading list:

The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka, Clare Wright, 2014

You Daughters of Freedom, Clare Wright, 2018

Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions, Clare Wright, 2024

The Season, Helen Garner, 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 Twitter

Guest: Clare Wright

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The Robodebt scheme is considered by many to be one of the Australian government’s worst scandals. Senior Reporter for The Saturday Paper and Walkley Award-winning journalist Rick Morton followed the case closely and he documents the crisis and its devastating effects in his latest book. This week, we bring you Michael’s conversation from Canberra Writers’ Festival with Rick as they discuss Mean Streak.

Reading list:

Mean Streak, Rick Morton, 2024

One Hundred Years of Dirt, Rick Morton, 2023

My Year Of Living Vulnerably, Rick Morton, 2022

Words to Sing the World Alive, Jasmin McGaughey, 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 Twitter

Guest: Rick Morton

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Rachel Kushner always seemed destined to become a writer. At just five years old, her unconventional parents had her working in a feminist bookstore. Now, several decades and three award-winning novels later, she is back with a new book that follows a spy-for-hire who infiltrates a commune of eco-activists in rural France. This week, Michael joins Rachel on Zoom for a conversation about Creation Lake, which was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize.

Reading list:

Telex from Cuba, Rachel Kushner, 2008

The Flamethrowers, Rachel Kushner, 2013

The Mars Room, Rachel Kushner, 2018

Creation Lake, Rachel Kushner, 2024

Orbital, Samantha Harvey, 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 Twitter

Guest: Rachel Kushner

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Santilla Chingaipe was born to tell stories. The Zambian-born filmmaker, historian and author, has spent her career exploring settler colonialism, slavery, and contemporary migration in Australia and she has just released her first book of non-fiction. This week, Michael is joined in studio by Santilla to discuss Black Convicts, which was inspired by the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary, Our African Roots. In it, she offers a fresh understanding of the ways in which empire, slavery, race and memory have shaped this nation.

Reading List:

Black Convicts, Santilla Chingaipe, 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 Twitter

Guest: Santilla Chingaipe

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It is more or less impossible to imagine Australian literature of the past half century without Tim Winton. From his debut, An Open Swimmer to his epic Cloudstreet, the four-time Miles Franklin Award winner is beloved by generations of readers. This week, Michael sits down with Tim to discuss his latest novel, Juice, a gripping tale of determination, survival, and the limits of the human spirit.

Reading list:

That Eye, The Sky, Tim Winton, 1986

Lockie Leonard, Tim Winton, 1990–1997

Cloudstreet, Tim Winton, 1991

Dirt Music, Tim Winton, 2001

Breath, Tim Winton, 2008

Juice, Tim Winton, 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 Twitter

Guest: Tim Winton

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