Booksmart

Missing Perspectives
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Booksmart is the podcast for readers who go absolutely feral for women’s stories. The book lovers who are ruled by a never-ending TBR stack and the fear of falling behind in their annual Goodreads Reading challenge. In this Missing Perspectives podcast, your hosts, interstate besties and colleagues, Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King, discover new favourites and discuss their own like they’re ancient texts worthy of preservation in the Library of Alexandria. Join them for monthly book club reads, interviews with authors, and a host of other book-related tangents.

  1. APR 15

    Patrick Schwarzenegger and the ‘Beach Read’ by Emily Henry casting crash out

    This is not a drill. Gus Everett has been found (DEAD). Sunny and Allie have convened interstate for an emergency Booksmart recording in response to the news that Patrick Schwarzenegger will be the leading man in 20th Century Studios’ adaptation of Beach Read by beloved author Emily Henry. Spoiler: like the rest of the internet, they’re not happy. Listen to find out why.

    26 min

  2. APR 14

    If I Ruled the World’: a love letter to 90s NYC, hip-hop, and fashion (Book Club)

    In their third book club episode, Sunny and Allie review ‘If I Ruled the World’ by Amy DuBois Barnett. The book, which has been compared to ‘Devil Wears Prada’ and ‘Empire’, takes readers on a wild and immersive journey through cut-throat NYC in the late 90s based on DuBois Barnett’s real-life experiences working as a Black editor at major American magazines. It’s a messy, honest love letter to the trailblazing Black women and men who shaped the pop culture, fashion, and hip-hop landscape we know and love today. Sunny and Allie talk representation, the politics of power, and get excited for the book’s upcoming Hulu adaptation.

    39 min

  3. MAR 31

    The Fangirl to Penguin Editor to Debut Author Pipeline With Fantasy Writer Lily Crozier

    What happens when a devoted reader and book content creator gets a book deal? Hosts Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King explore this and more with their first guest, new author Lily Crozier, who released her gothic Beauty & The Beast retelling 'Vow of Eternal Night' earlier this month. Join them as they discuss working in publishing, writing redeemable yet convincing villains, and debate who is pop culture's hottest vampire. Get a copy of your own here; https://www.qbd.com.au/vow-of-eternal-night/lily-crozier/9781761354571/?utm_source=Booksmartpod&utm_medium=MissingPerspectives&utm_campaign=BSMPLilyCrozier&utm_id=BookSmartLilyCrozier

    44 min

  4. MAR 18

    The Anatomy of a Perfect (?) Rom-Com in B.K. Borison's 'And Now, Back to You' (Book Club)

    What makes a good romance novel? What turns it from a read that that simply fills your time, into something occupying your mind, day and night, eliciting giggling and the kicking of one's feet? THAT is the question that Booksmart sets out to answer in today's episode, using B.K. Borison's And Now, Back to You as a case study. This episode is brought to you by QBD Books, bringing books to readers for 150 years. Buy a copy of the book here ⁠⁠https://www.qbd.com.au/and-now-back-to-you/bk-borison/9781035073917/?utm_source=Booksmartpod&utm_medium=MPPodcast&utm_campaign=BSMPBKBorison&utm_id=BookSmartBKBorisonAndNowBackToYou⁠

    45 min

  5. MAR 3

    Jennette McCurdy, Shock Value & Second Book Syndrome ('Half His Age' & 'I’m Glad My Mom Died')

    Does depicting taboo relationships automatically mean endorsing them? Does having an interesting personal story automatically make you a good storyteller? And further, how does an author follow up a seminal debut? These are the central questions that Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King set out to answer in today's episode of Booksmart, using writer and former child actor Jennette McCurdy's fiction debut, 'Half His Age', and her best-selling memoir, 'I'm Glad My Mom Died', as their case studies. You can buy 'Half His Age' at the following link: https://bit.ly/4u5sL0v

    46 min

  6. FEB 17

    Sex, Trauma & ‘How To End A Love Story’ (Book Club)

    Welcome to our first book club episode, where we delve into the wonderful and traumatic world of Yulin Kuang and How to End a Love Story. Kuang is an author, director, and screenwriter, known for the adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation. Today’s episode sees hosts Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King discuss all things trauma bonds, pretty privilege, and if this book is actually a love story.

    31 min

  7. FEB 2

    'People We Meet on Vacation' & What Book-To-Screen Adaptations Owe Readers?

    What do book-to-screen adaptations owe their readers? And further, what makes a good adaptation? Should the goal of any adaptation be to appease existing fandoms or attract new ones? These are the central questions that Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King set out to answer in today’s episode of Booksmart, using Emily Henry’s 'People We Meet on Vacation', recently released on Netflix, as their case study.

    46 min
  8. Zeynab Gamieldien on 'Learned Behaviours'

    12/09/2025

    Zeynab Gamieldien on 'Learned Behaviours'

    In the final episode of Booksmart for the year, Soaliha Iqbal sits down with acclaimed writer Zeynab Gamieldien to unpack her powerful new novel, Learned Behaviours.  A gripping literary mystery set between western Sydney and the sharply stratified world of the legal profession, the novel follows Zaid Saban: a young man on the cusp of becoming a barrister, whose carefully curated life is disrupted when the past resurfaces in the form of his former best friend’s diary. As Zaid and Amira, the sister of his childhood friend Hass, attempt to unravel what really happened the year Hass was arrested for murder, Learned Behaviours becomes a deeply moving exploration of guilt, innocence, privilege, belonging and the quiet violences we carry long after we’ve left home. In this chat, Soaliha and Zeynab dive into the novel’s big questions: What does it mean to grow up between worlds? How does class shape the stories we tell about ourselves? And how can crime fiction be a tool for exposing injustice rather than reinforcing stereotypes? They discuss Zeynab’s process for writing place with nuance, the emotional weight of returning to western Sydney on the page, and why this story resonates so profoundly with readers who have walked similar paths. With praise from critics calling the novel “a warm-hearted analysis of human nature,” “compelling and pacy,” and “a clear-eyed exploration of injustice and belonging,” this is a conversation that goes beyond the page: into craft, community, and the inherited narratives that shape who we become. We say this about every ep...but it's one not to be missed!!

    25 min
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Ratings & Reviews

About

Booksmart is the podcast for readers who go absolutely feral for women’s stories. The book lovers who are ruled by a never-ending TBR stack and the fear of falling behind in their annual Goodreads Reading challenge. In this Missing Perspectives podcast, your hosts, interstate besties and colleagues, Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King, discover new favourites and discuss their own like they’re ancient texts worthy of preservation in the Library of Alexandria. Join them for monthly book club reads, interviews with authors, and a host of other book-related tangents.

Information

  • Creator
    Missing Perspectives
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Missing Perspectives
  • Show Website
    Booksmart

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