38 episodes
Read This Schwartz Media
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- Arts
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4.8 • 241 Ratings
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Read This is a show about the books we love and the stories behind them, hosted by Michael Williams. Every Thursday, you’ll hear insightful conversations with the smartest, funniest readers and writers we know and in-depth interviews with the best Australian and international authors talking about their lives and their work. You’ll never be left wondering what to read next.
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See You Next Week!
We're off this Thursday, but we'll be back next week.
Email us: readthis@schwartzmedia.com.au
Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter -
Morris Gleitzman’s World of Possibilities
Morris Gleitzman is an Australian institution. A beloved author of novels for young people, Morris is known for his ability to be funny and warm without shying away from the realities of life. He has been writing for almost half a century now and has delighted generations of readers with his more than 40 books of fiction. This week, Michael and Morris sit down to reflect on Morris’s multi-generational impact and to discuss his latest novel, Tweet.
Reading list:
Two Weeks with the Queen, Morris Gleitzman, 1989
Misery Guts, Morris Gleitzman, 1991
Worry Warts, Morris Gleitzman, 1992
Blabber Mouth, Morris Gleitzman, 1993
Sticky Beak, Morris Gleitzman, 1994
Now, Morris Gleitzman, 2010
Tweet, Morris Gleitzman, 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: Morris Gleitzman -
Vulgarity, Death, and Patrick deWitt
Patrick deWitt has made a career out of creating eccentric, unforgettable characters. From his gun-slinging duo in the darkly comic The Sisters Brothers, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize to the severely unsympathetic down-at-heel aristocrats in The French Exit. But in his fifth novel, The Librarianist, Patrick employs his signature verve and wit to reveal the extraordinary in the otherwise ordinary life of retired librarian Bob Comet. This week, Patrick joins Michael in the studio for a conversation about the joys of being an introvert, making friends at 40, and writing his latest novel.
Reading list:
The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt, 2011
Undermajordomo Minor, Patrick deWitt, 2015
French Exit, Patrick deWitt, 2018
The Librarianist, Patrick deWitt, 2023
Deep Blue: The World in the Ocean, James Bradley, 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: Patrick deWitt -
Louise Milligan Wears Her Heart on Her Sleeve
Star investigative journalist Louise Milligan has spent her career working on some of the most high-profile criminal cases in Australia. This incredible breadth of experience informs her first novel Pheasant’s Nest, which follows the abduction of a young journalist and provides a unique insight into the media, policing and politics that surround a crime like this. This week, Michael sits down with Louise to discuss the leap from reporting to fiction and why writing this book was a kind of therapy.
Reading list:
Cardinal, Louise Milligan, 2017
Witness, Louise Milligan, 2020
Pheasant’s Nest, Louise Milligan, 2024
A Year of Last Things, Michael Ondaatje, 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: Louise Milligan -
Friends, Mary Beard Fans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears
Even if you’re not an obsessive Ancient Rome aficionado, you may have heard of Mary Beard. With more than 20 books to her name, including the wildly successful SPQR, Mary might be most famous for her work as a BBC host for shows such as Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town and Julius Caesar Revealed. Her latest book is Emperor of Rome and this week on the show she sits down with Michael to discuss her life sentence — the half dozen words that set her on the path to becoming Britain’s best-known classicist — and why the Roman Empire is so misunderstood.
Reading list:
SPQR, Mary Beard, 2015
Twelve Caesars, Mary Beard, 2021
Emperor of Rome, Mary Beard, 2023
Meditations, Marcus Aurealius, 167 A.C.E..
Tidelines, Sarah Sasson, 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: Mary Beard -
Jonathan Lethem Is Ripping It up and Starting Again
Jonathan Lethem made his name with his 1999 novel Motherless Brooklyn, but it was his next book, a semi-autobiographical re-telling of his childhood in Brooklyn, The Fortress of Solitude, that solidified his reputation as one of America's most celebrated authors. In Brooklyn Crime Novel, Jonathan returns to the Brooklyn of his childhood, but this time with a very different perspective. This week, Michael and Jonathan discuss making and unmaking the past in his latest book.
Reading list:
Motherless Brooklyn, Jonathan Lethem, 1999
The Fortress of Solitude, Jonathan Lethem, 2003
Brooklyn Crime Novel, Jonathan Lethem, 2023
Edenglassie, Melissa Lucashenko, 2023
The Restless Dolly Maunder, Kate Grenville, 2023
Wifedom, Anna Funder, 2023
The Wren, The Wren, Anne Enright, 2023
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: Jonathan Lethem
Customer Reviews
Excellent conversations you feel part of
Love this show so much. The connection Michael has with writers is so genuine - such thoughtfully crafted questions and lovely spontaneous responses. It’s a wonderful weekly escape into the stories of writers. They make me laugh out loud and sometimes a bit teary. All class.
Michael Williams
I love his interviews. He is so knowledgeable
Kate Jennings
Loved hearing this. Thanks. My favourite Australian writer.