Reading Between Deadlines Podcast

Rachael Johns & Anthea Hodgson
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Reading Between Deadlines is a twice-monthly podcast with Aussie authors Anthea Hodgson and Rachael Johns. Each month, we unpack a trending book in one episode and interview the author of Rachael’s Book Club Pick in the other. readingbetweendeadlines.substack.com

  1. vor 3 Tagen

    Kate Solly makes us read THE EYRE AFFAIR

    Listen above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or if you want to SEE us in all our glory… watch at the bottom of this post. And if you LOVE the pod, please consider leaving us a review. This episode's book: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde is a bonkers alternate-history mystery where literary detective, Thursday Next, has to save Jane Eyre from a villain who is rewriting literature. A very bookish book! This week’s guest is the delightful Kate Solly, who writes warm and feel-good cosy mystery. Her latest novel is The Paradise Heights Miniature Railway Bust-Up, and when Kate’s not writing, she’s wrangling six kids and doing crochet. In this episode, we cover: Audio books vs Print - some narratives suit one more than the other Main characters - do we need to connect with them to love a story? Rereading, DNFing and reading multiple books at once Jasper’s literary influences (we speculate) 💋 And, of course, we rate THE EYRE AFFAIR: Kiss, Kill, or Marry. 📚 Books Mentioned in this Ep Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Emma by Jane Austen A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective by Kelli Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson The Bookshop Detectives by Gareth and Louise Ward Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Tenderfoot by Toni Jordan Tiny, Useless Hearts by Toni Jordan Those Faraday Girls by Monica McInerney The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns Enid Blyton Nancy Drew Babysitters Club ⏰ Timestamps 0:00 – Anthea opens the show. Rach contributes by almost forgetting her own name. 1.31 - Anthea intros the charming, well-behaved and alarmingly fertile Kate Solly. 2.43 - Kate has chosen The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde – one of her all-time favourites. She does suspect, however, that Jasper has never heard of Coco Chanel. 3.40 - Rach and Anthea judges Kate's bio, become wildly jealous of her book-wraooubg skills, and marvel at the fact she once crocheted Rach a Diet Coke can. Frankly, she's showing off. 4.48 - What’s that smell? We all share the disgusting things we’ve found in our cars way too late. Perhaps this podcast should come with a biohazard warning. 6.57 - Kates reads the blurb of her chosen book - a novel on Rach and Anthea’s radar for YEARS. Thank god Kate finally made us read it. 8.43 - Time to judge Jaspers bio - there are three to choose from. Rach thinks that is two bios too many! 10.40 - Today's pick is over twenty years old. Anthea was convinced it was from the '80s. Close enough. 12.05 - Rach shares the book stats and fun facts, including Jasper's 76 rejections... then completely forgets the most interesting fact. Luckily Kate came prepared. 14.44 - Anthea explains our ratings system and, in a shocking turn of events, tries to get Rach cancelled. Again. 15.07 - Anthea explains her rating. She suspects Jasper occasionally ignores his editors, wanted more "lore" (she's down with the kids), and craved a little more heart and a few higher stakes. 17.11 - Kate promises Jasper really hits his stride in the later books, and suddenly we're considering adding several more novels to the TBR. 19.45 - Rach feels it makes sense this was his debut as it reads like a first novel. But hey, everyone has to start somewhere and this is a pretty good start. 22.58 - Kate reveals her family are thoroughly obsessed with Mr Fforde and his affairs. We also discuss the politics of sharing Kindles and Kobos. 25.01 - Rach didn't quite click with Thursday Next and suspects she may be the least interesting person in her own book. 28.24 - Plot takes centre stage, character takes the back seat, and Douglas Adams is very much in the passenger seat. 29.16 - Magic is afoot - the one-star Goodreads review Rach wanted to read aloud has mysteriously disappeared. 30.43 - Time to interrogate Kate about her reading habits: rereading, DNFing, and other controversial behaviour. 34.20 - Book formats do matter and Kate gets sweaty over our auto buy author question. 36.58 - Cozy mysteries have officially gone mainstream, and Kate shares some of her favourites. 38.45 - The loneliness of being the only person who didn't fall head over heels for a wildly hyped book. 39.59 - Reading reviews is like picking scabs. Gross? Yes. But this might just be our fave bookish analogy ever. 42.21 - An ode to Toni Jordan. (As she deserves.) 43.18 - Which book reignited Kate's love of reading? 45 - We all adore The Faraway Tree. We absolutely do not want to meet Dame Slap. 46.03 - What we're reading next, including the book that seems to be in absolutely everyone's hands right now. 👉Next Ep, we’re diving into Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke and our July guest is Tamara Moss who is making us read Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster. July Books: 14th July - The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clark28th July - Junkyard Cats by Faith Hunter with guest author Fiona McArthur This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingbetweendeadlines.substack.com/subscribe

    49 Min.

  2. 14. Juni

    We Read THEO OF GOLDEN by Allen Levi

    Hi Deadliners We hope you enjoy this latest edition of Reading Between Deadlines. Honestly it might be our FAVOURITE episode yet. It’s a cracker, even if we DO say so ourselves. This episode’s pick: THEO OF GOLDEN by Allen Levi is a book that was self-published and then picked up by a major publisher after it basically went viral. It’s about an old dude who turns up mysteriously in the fiction town of Golden, then starts buying up portraits for half the town. We hope you enjoy our deep dive into this hyped book. Happy Listening and Love lots,Rach and Anthea PS. If you want to watch rather than listen, scroll down. In this episode, we cover: Why authors love the question “what if?” Word length and editing Plot vs character Religion in fiction And we rewrite the ending. 💋 And, of course, we rate it: Kiss, Kill, or Marry ⏰ Timestamps 000 – Intro – Rachael is a newsreader now.. and she’s been robbed.. 2.24 – Rachael introduces Theo of Golden and reads the blurb. Anthea is already bored. 4.35 – Why we read Theo – International hype is REAL 5.50 Alan – 70 year old song writer who’s not Willie Nelson 6.42 – Should you write about stuff you see in a coffee shop? We’re about to find out.. 7.19 – The bio you have when you don’t have a bio (is Alan a bit rock’n’ roll?) 9.40 – Rach goes Insta Detectives on Theo of Golden with interesting facts.. Anthea checks her watch.. 12.16 Anthea is all about the rules.. Kiss, Kill, Marry… 13.38 – Shiz gets REEL. Anthea and Rach give their verdict. 15.21 – Rachael has gone completely crackers. Anthea tries to understand 16.58 – Nope, it’s no good – Rachael is crazily trying to justify her rating. Anthea is having a minor breakdown. 17.25 – A dead Theo wins Rach’s heart. Anthea passes out. 18.02 – Info dumping – Rachael’s new favourite. Anthea casts about for a new bestie… 19.02 - Rachael relishes Theo’s dumb AND boring secret baby trope. Anthea astral travels out of her office, to somewhere nice without any Theos. 20.12 – Anthea puts on her SURPRISED face on, and refuses to remove it. 21.25 – Rach decides she wouldn’t have finished it if she didn’t have to. Anthea wonders if she UNDERSTANDS THE RATINGS SYSTEM??!!! 21.45 – Rach admits she was PLODDING along with Theo. PUCKER UP BABY! (STILL a kiss?????????????) 22.18 – Anthea feels the phrase ‘this is boring’ is underused. (Not by her, obviously.) 22.38 – Dramatic death letter. It’s never too soon. (and stay away from windows.) 23.24 – Anthea expresses her disappointment in Rachael’s rating. Again. Seriously. We get it! (also Anthea goes global and kills it for her friend in Colorado) 26.07 – Anthea gently rants about the many, many, many problems with this novel. (Put the pen down, Grandad.) 27.05 – To the Theo of Golden Community. Well played. Well played, indeed. 28.18 – Rachael admits Theo WAS LONG AND BORING. Anthea rests her case. (mentally, you won’t hear that bit.) 28.37 – Ellen (the most exciting character Anthea barely remembers) is getting her own novel. Kill me now. 29.02 – No ticking clock on Theo’s death (it still wouldn’t have saved this novel, but it would have been nice to see him make the attempt) 29.19 – Christian messages. Too much? (Amen!) 32.30 – Tension please!! Pleeaase! Anthea and Rach agree Theo is boring. High 5! 33.20 – Sorry, but this book needed a good edit 34.50 - Old men and books. AB Facey. Owed Anthea’s great granddad money. Scandal! 37.14 - The cover - Anthea approves! Rachael approves! (it’s boring) 39.05 - Anthea threatens to sack Rachael. Realises Rach is the boss!! Settles to sentencing her to reading the sequel, about the boring Ellen. 41.32 – Rachael threatens Anthea with a Theo of Golden keepsake. Anthea feels physically ill.. 42.29 – Readers Retreat! (Theo free zone!) 43.30 – We’re reading The Eyre Affair, Yesteryear and a bunch of other books which are possibly more exciting than Theo. (Sorry, Theo.) (Anthea is swiping LEFT) (But you still have a chance with Rach!) 45.00 BYE! (please don’t go around buying portraits and handing them out to people – it’s way less charming and life changing than you think.) Coming up next: 👉Next Ep we’re chatting to Kate Solly about The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. 📅 In July, we’re diving into possibly the MOST HYPED book of the year - Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke and we’re chatting to Tamara Moss about Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingbetweendeadlines.substack.com/subscribe

    45 Min.

  3. 28. Mai

    Sara Foster Makes us read THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE by Maggie O'Farrell

    Listen above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or if you want to SEE us in all our glory… watch at the bottom of this post. And if you LOVE the pod, please consider leaving us a review. This episode's book: The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell, is a story about two seemingly very unrelated women as they come to terms with new motherhood, love and hidden family secrets. This week’s guest is Sara Foster is an internationally bestselling author known for her gripping psychological thrillers and emotionally rich storytelling. Originally from the UK and now based in Western Australia, Sara is one of our best writing friends and we can’t wait to hang out with her again on retreat later in the year. Most importantly she knows how to party and we were recently luck enough to attend her 50th 70s themed bday on a boat! In this episode, we cover: Maggie O’Farrell’s long, fabulous career (no, we’re not jealous) Authors who write many different types of books Themes of motherhood in fiction. The tenses we like in fiction. Simple but poignant premises Sara’s reading tastes and recommendations 💋 And, of course, we rate THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE: Kiss, Kill, or Marry. Loading... 📚 Books Mentioned in this Ep The Book of Unnamed Midwives by Meg Elison Story Genius by Lisa Cron Anything by Lisa Jewell, Taylor Jenkins Reid and Liane Moriarty Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving God of the Woods by Liz Moore The Hush by Sara Foster You Don’t Know Me by Sara Foster ⏰ Timestamps 0:00 – Intro to our fabulousness (even if we do say so ourselves) 0:41 – Rach’s disappearing act and all the many luncheons. 2:23 – Introducing our fabulous guest - Sara Foster. She’s been prepping hard but still feels nervous, making Rach feel ALL powerful. 2:56 – The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell - Sara beautifully reads the blurb. 4:48 – Judging Sarah’s author bio. She has a PhD AND a very cute dog. We are officially in awe yet Anthea still gives her tips on how to improve it! Rach suggests Sarah write a memoir about the boozy, long-lunch era of publishing. 9:23 – Judging Maggie O’Farrell’s bio - Rach feels she’s a bit of a braggart, then boasts about her own thirty-something books. Sara talks about Maggie’s varied career (spoiler - she loves everything she’s written). 14:49 – Book facts, awards and Goodreads. Goodreads give it the tick of approval but now it’s our turn to Kiss, Kill or Marry. Every gets nervous and Rach no longer trusts her own opinion! 17:15 – Book discussion: Oh Lord, it’s another quiet novel. Lexi vs Elena timelines – which gal was the funnest? Anthea likens the book to eating All Bran. 22.00 - Rach needs a few things explained. She’s really pissed off about a baby with no-name, but aside from that she sounds rather obsessed. 25.12 - Oh Lord, Rach is waxing lyrical about quiet novels again, yet can’t explain what she loves so much about this book. 26.41 - Why on earth is Maggie so compelling? Rach admits she’s really nosey! 29.07 - Sara tells us why Maggie is a literary genius! Speculating on Maggie’s writing process. 33:14 – Whose story is this? (Lexi vs Elena vs Ted debate) Does Ted even HAVE a passport?? Anthea really gets nit-picky, but makes a good point. 39:46 – Time to ask Sarah all the hard questions. Eg. Who are her auto-buy authors?(Rach and Anthea offended not to feature) 40:49 – Sarah’s top book recommendation: The Book of the Unnamed Midwife – this is the fancy kind of shiz we’ve come to expect from Sara… We can’t believe neither of us have ever even heard of it. 42:50 – Trigger warnings debate – When do we need to know? 44:34 – Classic novel Sarah hasn’t read and overhyped books 49:33 – Sarah’s favourite of her own books and insight into the podcast adaptation of You Don’t Know Me. 52:10 – Reading reviews: do our authors look? 56:03 – What’s next?? 👉 Watch now and tell us - did you love The Hand That First Held Mine? 👉Next Ep, we’re diving into Theo of Golden by Allen Levi and our June guess is Kate Solly who is making us read The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. July Books: 14th July - Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke28th July - Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster with guest author Tamara Moss Exciting NEWS - we’ve pretty much locked in all our books for the rest of the year! You can see them here! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingbetweendeadlines.substack.com/subscribe

    58 Min.

  4. 14. Mai

    We Read HALF HIS AGE by Jennette McCurdy

    Hi Deadliners We hope you enjoy this latest edition of Reading Between Deadlines. This episode’s pick: HALF HIS AGE - a supposedly funny story about sex, power, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. The story is about Waldo, a teenaged girl who becomes obsessed with her teacher. It’s the debut novel by Jennette McCurdy, child star, now writer, filmmaker and more. Although this is her first novel, her memoir, GLAD MY MOM DIED, was a massive hit! We hope you enjoy our deep dive into this hyped book. Happy Listening and Love lots,Rach and Anthea PS. If you want to watch rather than listen, scroll down. 💋 And, of course, we rate it: Kiss, Kill, or Marry. ⏰ Timestamps 0:05 — Welcome to the Pod! 1:18 — Rach entering witness protection to avoid socialising with Anthea (understandable!) 4:55 — We read Half His Age by Jeanette McCurdy…but why? 6:05 — Hype – has it tricked us again? 8:00 — Blurb – a tale as old as time (or if not time, as old as that creepy Russian book..) 9:38 — Author bio – Fancy enough for ya? 11:50 — Goodreads – Rach gets forensic… 13:01 — So – how did it sell? Rach runs the figures – Anthea is impressed! 13:20 — Kiss, Kill, Marry! The rules… 14:15 — Judging, but in a nice way.. 14:47 — Rach reports back on her time with Waldo and her creepy boyfriend 15:47 — Rach is over stories with older male love interests. (Ageist!) (and she says something about character growth..?) 16:11 — Is the older man plot too creepy to enjoy? (Anthea feels bad about Harrison Ford, but not THAT bad..) 18:02 — Does anything shock us anymore? Anthea can’t remember.. 18:17 — Anthea and Rach discuss period sex/bloody penis play – hot or not? (NOT!!!) 19:31 — Anthea on kissing Waldo.. (not just after the bloody penis bit, obvs..) 21:52 — What makes a good book? Anthea is still confused. 24:43 — What makes a book successful? (no, really??!) 26:03 — Is Waldo SUPER mature? Or just really into menopause? 30:57 — Waldo – lumbered with a middle-aged man. #goals 32:55 — Family dinner with a rando kid – weird? Or massively cosy and appropriate? 35:06 — Is Jeanette ok? A tough childhood on the page. 41:42 — What’s coming next on the podcast (Anthea writes things down..) And we add Yesteryear to the menu…(Anthea thinks it’s about her..) 44:15 — Bye! 📖 Coming up next: 👉Next Ep we’re chatting to Sara Foster about The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell. In June, we’re diving into Theo of Golden by Allen Levi and chatting to Kate Solly about The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. For what we’re up to after that, click here. 🛍️ Do you read between deadlines too? Grab the merch This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingbetweendeadlines.substack.com/subscribe

    45 Min.

  5. 28. Apr.

    Mercedes Mercier Makes us read THE ONLY ONE LEFT by Riley Sager

    Listen above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or if you want to SEE us in all our glory… watch at the bottom of this post. This episode's book: The Only One Left by Riley Sager, a gothic thriller packed with family secrets, dodgy characters, and a creepy old-mansion. The story follows a home health aide caring for a woman accused decades earlier of murdering her family. This week’s guest is Mercedes Mercier (otherwise known as Rach’s co-writers). Mercedes is a crime and thriller author known for her fast-paced, twist filled novels. When she’s not writing or looking after her twin daughters, she works in the criminal justice system - no wonder her crime novels are so realistic! Her latest book is The Couple’s Retreat. In this episode, we cover: Bios - men vs women. Creepy, gothic settings. Is Riley the male Frieda McFadden? Materialism and old houses. Co-writing and more! 💋 And, of course, we rate THE ONLY ONE LEFT: Kiss, Kill, or Marry. Loading... 📚 Books Mentioned in this Ep Anything by Robin Hobbs The Baby-Sitters’ Club series Goosebumps series IT by Stephen King Sophie Kinsella’s novels DOVE by Georgia Harper Harry Potter series The Lord of the Rings ⏰ Timestamps 1.0 – Welcome, and feel free to be intimidated 2.19 – Mercedes Mercier – pretty much James Bond but a lady 3.57 – The Only Once Left – Tik Tok hype at work 4.43 – Mansions, murder and cliff tops – the blurb is a total vibe 8.28 – The male bio – fewer dogs and kids than you’d think 9.51 – Mercedes shamelessly (and quite correctly) brags that she has kept Rach to a95 000 word count! Anthea passes out…! 11.09 Mercedes and Rach celebrate their (reading) promiscuity 12.31 – Kiss, Kill, Marry – it’s unanimous! 13.45 – Anthea says it’s crazy at the end. FIFTY YEARS CRAZY! 16.15 – Rach loves the crazy – but she doesn’t want to marry it 18.43 – Riley Sager – how to fit a whole lot of crazy into one book at a time 20.39 – Themes - Rach wonders what her books are about?? 21.43 – Anthea goes postal about 50 years of arse-wiping 23.40 – Why 1983? Does this novel really need to be set in Dark Ages?? 25.57 – We question Mercedes about her personal choices – and find out she’s a crier! (and a nerd) (both of which we wholeheartedly support!) 28.54 – DNF – is it our right? Or our DUTY? 31.22 – Fantasy novels and Sophie Kinsella – because dragons like Jimmy Choo’s, too? 33.18 – Reviews – the work of the Devil, and dummies with no taste…! 33.48 – Co-writing – a brief masterclass from Rach and Mercedes 37.46 – Book recommendations. 41.22 – Harry Potter – divisive? Or still magical? 43.11 – Rach tells Anthea what she’s reading next – Anthea writes it down. 44.57 – See you next time! 👉 Watch now and tell us - did you love The Only One Left? 👉Next Ep, we’re diving into Half His Age by Jeanette McCurdy and our May guest is Sara Foster who has chosen to make us read The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell. June Books: 14th June - By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult28th June - Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster with guest author Tamara Moss Exciting NEWS - we’ve pretty much locked in all our books for the rest of the year! You can see them here! 🎽 Do you read between deadlines too? Grab the merch This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingbetweendeadlines.substack.com/subscribe

    45 Min.

  6. 13. Apr.

    We Read WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy

    Hi Deadliners We hope you enjoy this latest edition of Reading Between Deadlines. It’s come to our attention that some of you don’t realise that we still DO post a video but due to something to do with Apple and Spotify we post the audio at the top and the video at the bottom. So if you’d rather watch than listen, scroll to the end of this post. Anthea writes the FUNNIEST timestamps for the show - honestly, we’re not even sure what these are for but the wonderful Virtually Annie told us to do these so we do and I really hope people read them, cos they make me laugh so much! Happy listening/watching. Don’t forget to vote in our Kiss, Kill, Marry poll below. Love lots,Rach and Anthea This episode’s pick: WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConoghy is the book EVERYONE in Australia (and we think the world - thanks Reese) has been reading and talking about lately, so we thought we’d better see what all the fuss is about. We’re in awe that Charlotte is so accomplished so young and proud she’s Aussie. We rarely read books by Aussie authors because we’d never want to diss a compatriot and we want to talk honestly about our thoughts and feelings here, but because WILD DARK SHORE has been such a HUGE success, we felt it would be remiss of us not to take a read. In this episode, we cover: Climate fiction - is it a thing? Writing style - fancy or over-written Romance/love story in lit fiction How expectations going into a book influence reading experience 💋 And, of course, we rate it: Kiss, Kill, or Marry Loading... ⏰ Timestamps 00 – Welcome to a windswept island - where two authors have been swept up on a rocky beach. (and Anthea wonders why she keeps saying yes to Rachael’s crazy schemes..) 2.58 - Anthea inserts MAFS into the conversation (any excuse) Rach has no time for the television, because she is classy - and insanely busy! 4.04 - Anthea complains about being busy. Rachael nearly passes out - then realises she doesn’t have time. 5.12 - Wild Dark Shore, please come to reception! It’s time to be judged. (and bring a couple of fur seals with you..) 9.06 - Award nominations for Wild Dark Shore. Who is Booktok Boy anyway? Anthea’s finger creeps further from the pulse every day. 10.13 Wake up and smell the turtle-necks - it’s Literary bio time! But does this bio deal in LIES?? 14.26 - Kiss, Kill, Marry… Anthea does her civic duty and dobs Rachael in for trying to cheat...! 15.47 - Anthea’s rollercoaster relationship with Wild Dark Shore. 18.55 - Fancy writing - hot or not? And why Rach is captivated by lyrical renderings and Anthea is looking over Wild Dark Shore’s shoulder to see if ML Stedman is at the bar… 21.15 - Was Rach just in a really good mood when she read this novel? And is the honeymoon is over. 23.20 - They called it Wild DARK shore for a reason. Murder, suicide, dead penguins in a barrel. Shiz gets DARK. 25.34 - Hank. Your classic narcissist. And then some. Hang on, just how romantic is the love story? Rach wonders if we need the love story at all… 30.00 - Rach ponders low expectations and their ability to really make literature sing. 36.52 - Rach questions global warming, and likens Dark Shore to a long poem. 39.30 - The seed bank question. Which ones get off the island? 40.46 - Next month The Only One Left by Riley Sager. Rach reminds Anthea what books she’s read. Anthea is very interested! 👉 Watch the episode above and let us know your feelings about WILD DARK SHORE. 📖 Coming up next: 👉Next Ep we’re chatting to Mercedes Mercier about The Only One Left by Riley Sager. In May, we’re diving into Half His Age by Jeanette McCurdy and chatting to Sara Foster about The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell. For what we’re up to after that, click here. 🛍️ Do you read between deadlines too? Grab the merch Thanks for following. We love ya! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingbetweendeadlines.substack.com/subscribe

    45 Min.

  7. 28. März

    John Purcell Makes THE FRIEND by Sigrid Nunez

    Listen above or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or if you want to SEE us in all our glory… watch at the bottom of this post. This episode's book: The Friend by Sigrid Nunez is a quiet novel about a woman who inherits the dog owned by her best friend when he dies. Not just any breed of dog but a MAMMOTH Great Dane, oh and her rental agreement is NO DOGS. Although a novel about grieving a friend, it also offers a lot of insight into a writers life as both the MC and her friend are writers. This week’s guest is John Purcell, who we think might be one of the most well-read authors in Australia. While still in his twenties, John Purcell opened a second-hand bookshop in Mosman, Sydney, in which he sat for ten years reading, ranting and writing. He’s currently Head of Books at The Nile Australia and his latest book, The Amateur's Guide to Killing Bad Guys, will release in August this year. Shoutout to our inner circle - aka our paid subscribers. We LOVE you and we LOVE our bonus episodes that we do JUST for you!! If you’re not already inner circle, you can join for only $5 a month and you’ll get our monthly Recs and Not Recs ep as well as a surprise chat every second month. In this episode, we cover: Re-reading old faves Writing classes and the writing advice in this novel This dangerous profession and the risks of having a writer in your family Is telling really a sin? Dogs vs Cats 2nd person point-of-view The movie adaptation, which John refuses to watch. 📚 Books Mentioned in this Ep Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout A Room With a View by E.M. Forster The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman A Gentleman of Moscow by Amor Towles Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton Lee Child’s Jack Reader novels. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Dracula by Bram Stoker Books by Bryce Courtenay, Colleen McCullough, Agatha Christie, Thomas Hardy, Deborah Levy, Rachel Cusk, Ali Smth. ⏰ Timestamps 1.0 Intro 1.25 – John apologises for loving Brother of the More Famous Jack, as well he should. 1.30 – Rachael cranks the handle on her feminine wiles. Anthea settles in to learn from the master 3.21 – John refers to Rachael as a wonderful author and Rach responds with a comment about John’s top-notch erotica. 5.20 Anthea reads the blurb in an attempt to bring down the spice! 7.21 John complains that Rach and Anthea kind of ruined his re-read of The Friend. Anthea refuses to feel bad about it. 9.33 Rach adds background info about The Friend. Anthea starts thinking about tea. 10.53 Rating time – Kiss, Kill or Marry? 12.07 Anthea goes first, and makes some excellent points 14.34 John doubles down on The Friend. Rachael captivated, Anthea suspects he’s a cat person. 18.56 Rach agrees with John about everything – but she does mention Anthea’s latest book, so Anthea agrees with herself that they can still be besties! 22.06 There’s some nonsense conversation about cats and dogs. Anthea wonders if she can make it to the kettle.. 27.05 Not naming characters – cool literary device – or just a bit wanky? 27.39 Writing in second person. Pointless? Wanky? Is the kettle on? 29.44 John discusses self-publishing and AI. A cup of tea is delivered to Anthea by an 83 year old ghost. Nice! 34.10 John loves Room With A View. Anthea wonders about the cat thing. 35.27 Rach tells John he has picked a novel that’s TOO good, with TOO much to discuss! Anthea bows to the master, and realises she still has much to learn. 36.40 Rach and John discuss the issue of offending modern audiences, and modern sensibilities. 41.40 John disses tonnes of hyped books – Rachael and Anthea are in awe. 46.37 John disses Dame Agatha Christie, which Anthea thinks is a bridge too far. 47.07 Rachael enthuses about John’s Nile posts (Anthea wishes they would get a room already..) 47.36 Thomas Hardy – John’s wingman – and one of the greatest reading experiences of John’s life 49.50 Rachael asks – are all writers monsters?? 54.23 John has lost three dogs, and has chosen to replace them with cats. Enough said. 55.25 Next book – Wild Dark Shore (and a super fond farewell from Rach!) 👉 Watch now and tell us - did you love The Friend? 👉Next Ep, we’re diving into Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and our April guest is Mercedes Mercier who will make us read The Only One Left by Riley Sager. May Books: 14th May - Half His Age by Jeanette McCurdy28th May - Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster with guest author Tamara Moss Exciting NEWS - we’ve pretty much locked in all our books for the rest of the year! You can see them here! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingbetweendeadlines.substack.com/subscribe

    57 Min.

  8. 14. März

    We Read THE CRASH by Freida McFadden

    A couple of quick announcements from Rach: It’s come to our attention that some of you don’t realise that we still DO post a video but due to something to do with Apple and Spotify we post the audio at the top and the video at the bottom. So if you’d rather watch than listen, scroll to the end of this post. Anthea writes the FUNNIEST timestamps for the show - honestly, we’re not even sure what these are for but the wonderful Virtually Annie told us to do these so we do and I really hope people read them, cos they make me laugh so much! Also, there’s only FIVE MORE DAYS left to claim our deal to upgrade your subscription to PAID for 25% off the full price. Do you get the appeal of Pumpkin Spice? This episode’s pick: The Crash by Freida McFadden is one of her zillions of books. Her biggest hit is The Housemaid, which was recently made into a hit movie. This novel is about a hugely pregnant woman who crashes during a snow-storm is rescued by a scary yeti, but that’s only the BEGINNING of her nightmare. In this episode, we cover: The HUGENESS of Freida McFadden Twists, wildly improbable plots and stupid main characters The two main plots and how/if they related to each other The need to move during pregnancy Tuna!! 💋 And, of course, we rate it: Kiss, Kill, or Marry ⏰ Timestamps 00 – Welcome – Rach and Anthea have an Inner circle – and they are as surprised about it as anyone 1.19 – Rachael has NO aircon (Anthea decides to tread carefully for episode duration!) 2.08 – Rach reports an itchy nose. May be unrelated. This week’s book – The Crash by Freida McFadden. 4.50 Freida – what a show off. And The Crash blurb. Don’t drive in blizzards, people! 8.16 – Freida’s bio – another chance to show off – Anthea mostly impressed with her house by the ocean. Not the cat part. 10. 50 – Kiss, Kill, Marry!? Rachael’s vote possibly affected by heat stress.. 12.24 – Rachael does NOT respect Tegan’s choices. (too dumb to live??) 14.23 – Tegan’s brother. Not awesome. 14.27 – Rach and Anthea discuss all the crazy in The Crash. It takes a while. 19.04 – Tax fraud and it’s role in modern relationships 20.29 – Why Sadie, the kid from next door will never unload the dishwasher 21.23 – Is Rach addicted to crack? The role of coincidence and contrivance.. 25.31 – The Prologue DEALS IN LIES kind of. Who asked to hear from Hank, anyway? 28.09 – The importance of Point of View (and air-conditioning!) 29.50 – Anthea - pragmatist to the end. Would you TAKE THE MONEY? 31.05 – One Star reviews – always fun when it’s someone else! 32.32 – Freida – would RBD date her/read her again? 34.03 – Contrivance and character motivation, the TED talk. 37.36 – Stephen King – would have written the shit out of this! Oh, that’s right – he already did. 38.37 – What are we reading next? And will Rach get the air-con working? BYE!! 📖 Coming up next: 👉Next Ep we’re chatting to John Purcell about The Friend by Sigrid Nunez. In April, we’re diving into Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and guest author Mercedes Mercier will make us read The Only One Left by Riley Sager. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readingbetweendeadlines.substack.com/subscribe

    42 Min.
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Reading Between Deadlines is a twice-monthly podcast with Aussie authors Anthea Hodgson and Rachael Johns. Each month, we unpack a trending book in one episode and interview the author of Rachael’s Book Club Pick in the other. readingbetweendeadlines.substack.com

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  • Erstellt von
    Rachael Johns & Anthea Hodgson
  • Jahre aktiv
    2025 - 2026
  • Folgen
    38
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  • Copyright
    © Rachael Johns
  • Sendungswebsite
    Reading Between Deadlines Podcast

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