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In 2015, Viet Thanh Nguyen was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his debut novel, The Sympathizer. Now, nearly a decade later, the book has been adapted into an HBO miniseries of the same name. This week, Michael sits down with Viet for a conversation about his latest book, A Man with Two Faces, which expands beyond the familiar beats of memoir, and features the author’s trademark interest in the broader political and colonial implications of the personal.

Reading list:
The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen, 2014
The Committed, Viet Thanh Nguyen, 2021
A Man of Two Faces, Viet Thanh Nguyen, 2023

Dune, Frank Herbert, 1965
Portnoy's Complaint, Philip Roth,1968 

Quarterly Essay: Highway to Hell, Joëlle Gergis, 2024 

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Viet Thanh Nguyen

It was 2014 when Bruce Pascoe went from being a prolific, yet relatively unknown writer, to public enemy #1 in Australia’s culture wars. That was the year that Bruce published his now infamous book, Dark Emu, and its re-examination of accepted historical accounts of pre-invasion Australia. This week, he joins Michael for a discussion about his new novel Imperial Harvest and shares why he still believes we need the messiness of democracy.

Reading list:
Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe, 2014
Imperial Harvest, Bruce Pascoe, 2024

Time’s Monster, Priya Satia, 2020
The Ministry of Time, Kellyanne 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: Bruce Pascoe

Writer, artist, and filmmaker Miranda July has a devoted – even rabid – following, through her writing, her work on the screen, and her collaborative art projects. Her debut 2007 collection of short stories No One Belongs Here More Than You was a publishing sensation, and her debut film, Me and You and Everyone We Know, won the Palme D’Or at Cannes Film Festival. This week, she and Michael discuss her new novel, All Fours, which explores desire, intimacy, dance, and an often overlooked part of the ageing process.

Reading list:
Books
No One Belongs Here More Than You, Miranda July, 2007
The First Bad Man, Miranda July, 2019
All Fours, Miranda July, 2024

Short Stories
‘Roy Spivey’, Miranda July, 2009 (The New Yorker)
‘The Metal Bowl’, Miranda July, 2017 (The New Yorker)

‘Women Have Been Misled About Menopause’, Susan Dominus, 2023 (The New York Times)
What Fresh Hell Is This?, Heather Corinna, 2021
Long Island, Colm Tóibín, 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: Miranda July

Across half a dozen novels, Andrew O’Hagan has made a name for himself as an author of delicacy and grace, painting the community he comes from, in Scotland’s west, with tenderness and wry, affectionate humour. His latest, Caledonian Road, follows art historian Campbell Flynn. A man who is at a turning point and is about to come up against his own downfall. This week, Michael sits down with Andrew for a conversation about the Dickensian world he has created in his new novel and why he considers it his most optimistic book yet.

Reading list:
Our Fathers, Andrew O’Hagan, 1999
Be Near Me, Andrew O’Hagan, 2006
Mayflies, Andrew O’Hagan, 2020
Caledonian Road, Andrew O’Hagan, 2024

Lives of Girls and Women, Alice Munro, 1971 
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, Alice Munro, 2001
Dear Life, Alice Munro, 2012

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: Andrew O’Hagan

Winnie Dunn is used to being behind the scenes. As the general manager of Sweatshop Literacy Movement in Western Sydney, she has been instrumental in helping other writers find their voice. But now, the spotlight is on her. This week, Michael sits down with Winnie for a conversation about her debut novel, Dirt Poor Islanders. She reflects on the demonising narratives she had to fight and the piece of writing advice that she’d given to others that resonated for her.

Reading list:
Dirt Poor Islanders, Winnie Dunn, 2024
I Am Lupe, Sela Ahosivi-Atiola, Yani Agustina, 2023
Only the Astronauts, Ceridwen Dovey, 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: Winnie Dunn

Sloane Crosley is known for her funny and acerbic personal essays, including her New York Times’ best-selling collection I Was Told There’d Be Cake. But in her new memoir she digs much deeper to examine the loss of her best friend. This week, Michael sits down with Sloane to discuss Grief Is For People, and Sloane reveals the challenges of writing an intimate portrait of a singular friendship.

Reading list:
I Was Told There’d Be Cake, Sloane Crosley, 2008
How Did You Get This Number, Sloane Crosley, 2010
Look Alive Out There, Sloane Crosley, 2018
Cult Classic, Sloane Crosley, 2022
Grief Is For People, Sloane Crosley, 2023

Truth and Beauty, Ann Patchett, 2004
The Writing Life, Annie Dillard, 1989
Stoner, John Williams, 1965

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: Sloane Crosley