70 episodes
Diving In Virginia Seymour and Louise Jones
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4.8 • 124 Ratings
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Diving In is a conversation you will want to be part of - Louise and Virginia have been best friends since university - they share a passion for story telling and read loads of good books. Make yourself a cup of tea and listen in as they share the books they’ve been loving, and also the films, TV series, podcasts and articles they’ve enjoyed.
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Capturing the Zeitgeist with some Fantastic New Releases
Virginia and Louise are excited to share some must-read new releases including compelling stories about activist guerilla gardeners, true crime podcasters, writers rooms, surveillance and murder as well as the pitfalls and power dynamics of modern relationships, social media, dating apps and late night sketch TV.
Books
I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkah, 2023, Flint Publishing
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton, 2023, Granta Publishing
Search History by Amy Taylor, 2023, Allen and Unwin
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, 2023, Penguin Random House
Streaming
Succession HBO
Netflix
The Diplomat
Line of Duty
Podcasts
Mel’s Electric Adventures
KicPod, Keep It Cleaner Podcast -
62. If You’re Going to San Francisco...
Louise and Virginia jet off to San Francisco in the episode, where they discuss the origins of the City and County, and why it became the home and haven for people wanting to discard façades and identities they may have held in their home towns. They also discuss the original gold rush and the modern tech gold rush and the impact these have had on the city, as well as the serialisation of novels and they way this can shape the overall architecture of a novel. They also revisit the issue of Nazism and the presence of monsters living in plain sight among us.
Books
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, 1941
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin, 1978
Daughter of Fortune by Isabelle Allende, 1998
Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, 2012
Days Without End by Sebastian Barry, 2016
Television
Clarkson’s Farm – Prime
My Mother and Other Strangers, BBC, ABC iView
Blog
Literary Hub by Megan Abbott
https://lithub.com/megan-abbott-on-the-difference-between-hardboiled-and-noir/ -
61. This Book is Cancelled!
Louise and Virginia do a deep dive into the very contentious topic of Cancel Culture and the trend of cancelling books and authors. They also touch on the subject of banning books (and indeed burning books), which always have the opposite effect of that sought. Virginia and Lou both have very strong opinions on the subject and it’s such an interesting conversation. They also discuss a few great non-bookish things they’ve been diving into of late.
Books
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne, 2006, Doubleday
All the Bright Places by John Boyne, 2022, Doubleday
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, 1969
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D H Lawrence, 1928.
The Trial of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Edited by CH Rolphe
TV Shows
Vardy v Rooney-Binge
Murder on the Homefront – Netflix
Significant Others – ABC iView
Nolly – Foxtel
Podcast
The Banned Books Podcast -
60. Walking the Streets of Tokyo with the characters from great fiction set in that city
Louise and Virginia have been immersed in some armchair travel to Tokyo, which has made them both very keen to travel there. These four books are great to read if you have a trip to Japan on your horizon or your bucket list. They also discuss some fabulous TV series to get streaming, a podcast, and they’ve both had very different recent experiences meeting Yotam Ottolenghi (although both evenings were great fun).
Books
Death in Tokyo by Keigo Higashino, translated by Giles Murray. Published by St Martin’s Publishing Group
The Book of Tokyo – A City in Short Fiction, edited by Michael Emmerich, Jim Hinks and Masashi Matsuie.
Tokyo Redux by David Peace. Faber 2021
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata and translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
Streaming TV series
Vardy v Rooney – Foxtel
Happy Valley – Binge
Bump – ABC
Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast
Yotam Ottolenghi – Test Kitchen -
59. Books for Younger Readers
From soccer teams, eerie forests, dysfunctional families and loyal companions, Louise and Virginia ventured back into the world of books for younger readers.
Books
A Walk in the Dark by Jane Godwin – Lothian Hachette
Football Fever by Kristin Darell - Penguin
Take Me with You When You Go by David Levithan and Jennifer Niven – Penguin 2022
Runt by Craig Silvey – Allen and Unwin 2022, Illustrated by Sara Acton
Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden – Penguin 2022
Podcasts
Maintenance Phase – Debunking junk science behind health fads
The Daily – George Santos
Streaming Shows
Emily in Paris
Yellowstone
Colin from Accounts
Slow Horses -
58: Buster - The Best Boy
Louise lost her beautiful Lagotto dog Buster, two months ago, and so today Virginia and Louise want to dedicate this episode to him and to celebrate the wonder and loyalty that is a dog. In this conversation they discuss four lovely dog-related books as well as a few other things they’ve been diving into lately.
Books
Dog Stories – Everyman’s Pocket Classics
Ava’s Apartment by Jonathan Lethem
The Emissary by Ray Bradbury
Dog Days by Ericka Waller
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett
Podcast
The Crown : The Official Podcast with Edith Bowman
TV Series
The Sandhamn Murders (SBS Australia)
Instagram accounts
@jennybloomfield
@catherine.rayner
Streaming
Shetland Series 6 and 7
Julia - with Sarah Lancashire
Customer Reviews
A favourite
I look forward to listening as each new podcast becomes available. Love your humour chat and analysis, and always follow up with your recommendations.
PC gone mad.
Why the acknowledgement of country at the beginning ? Ridiculous . Unsubscribing as we are sick of this fake nonsense being shoved down our throats .
SO THERAPEUTIC! better than a cappuccino…
Can’t tell you what a delight it is to listen to Virginia and Louise…feel like I am at a friend’s house with great company,cosy cuppa and engaging repertoire.
I’ve just had a knee replacement and the hours spent with you two have been lovely. I struggle with many podcasts, but your gentle tones, self effacing humour and intellect are a delight. I love your beautiful use of the English language, varied and eclectic suggestions and the wonderful life hacks.
Hope you are proud of your work… you are doing a fabulous job. Many thanks from the rehab couch!