The Bookshelf

19

What are you reading, loving or being challenged by? We review the latest in fiction for dedicated readers and for those who wish they read more.

Recent Episodes
  • Niall Williams’ Time of the Child might just be the big ‘feel-good book of the year’
    Nov 8, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Dark Skies, a quest and nature writing in Inga Simpson’s The Thinning
    Nov 1, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Matricide, the (Virginia) Woolfmother, Norwegian woods: Graeme Macrae Burnet, Michelle de Kretser, Karl Ove Knausgaard
    Oct 25, 2024 – 0:54:04
  • Melanie Cheng's The Burrow: can a pet rabbit heal a family dealing with tragedy?
    Oct 18, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Twins, pumas and a colonial western in Robbie Arnott’s Dusk
    Oct 11, 2024 – 0:54:05
  • Tim Winton and the ruined future of his novel Juice 
    Oct 4, 2024 – 0:54:08
  • What's the verdict on Sally Rooney's new novel Intermezzo?
    Sep 27, 2024 – 0:54:36
  • French provocateur Michel Houellebecq + Olga Tokarczuk's health resort horror
    Sep 20, 2024 – 0:54:37
  • The rich and entitled are back but so are Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton
    Sep 13, 2024 – 0:54:46
  • Malcolm Knox's The First Friend: a black comedy set in Stalin's Soviet Union
    Sep 6, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • 2024 mid-year review
    Aug 30, 2024 – 0:54:46
  • Vortex: a new novel from Rodney Hall, twice winner of the Miles Franklin Award
    Aug 23, 2024 – 0:54:07
  • Rita Bullwinkle's Headshot: a luminous debut that steps into the boxing ring
    Aug 16, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Miles Franklin Literary Award 2024
    Aug 9, 2024 – 0:54:35
  • Weird fiction writer China Miéville's surprising collab with Keanu Reeves
    Aug 2, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Willy Vlautin's The Horse: drenched in twangy music and heartbreak
    Jul 26, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Dylin Hardcastle's A Language of Limbs: emotionally true, structurally complex
    Jul 19, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Awfully Rich: Taffy Brodesser-Akner's Long Island Compromise and more
    Jul 12, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Fairytales are at play in Julia Phillips' Bear
    Jul 5, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Catherine McKinnon's To Sing of War takes us to PNG during WW ll
    Jun 28, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • A new fiction title from bestselling author Bruce Pascoe
    Jun 21, 2024 – 0:54:04
  • Jenny Erpenbeck's Kairos, winner of the 2024 International Booker Prize
    Jun 17, 2024 – 0:54:00
  • In Parade Rachel Cusk blurs reality and fiction
    Jun 7, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Kaliane Bradley's extraordinary time travel love story
    May 31, 2024 – 0:54:04
  • Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch joins an all-star panel from SWF
    May 25, 2024 – 0:53:56
  • A new novel from Miles Franklin winner Shankari Chandran
    May 17, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Claire Messud's epic family odyssey
    May 10, 2024 – 1:00:33
  • Colm Tóibín's long awaited sequel to Brooklyn
    May 3, 2024 – 1:00:15
  • Gabriel Garcia Marquez's lost novel
    Apr 26, 2024 – 0:58:35
  • One Day author David Nicholls is back
    Apr 19, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • A never before published novel from Charmian Clift
    Apr 12, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Bri Lee's The Work explores art, ambition, privilege and power
    Apr 5, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Andrew O'Hagan's Caledonian Road is "majestic"
    Mar 28, 2024 – 0:54:03
  • Téa Obreht, Asako Yuzuki, Steven Carroll: dystopia, butter, murder
    Mar 22, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Reimagining Huckleberry Finn, a talking fox, art and alienation
    Mar 15, 2024 – 0:53:36
  • Three new Australian novels! Iain Ryan, Amy Brown, Sharlene Allsopp
    Mar 8, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • A Trans-Tasman edition: Myfanwy Jones, Anna Smaill and Sulari Gentill
    Mar 1, 2024 – 0:54:05
  • Meditations on writing: Gail Jones, Jennifer Croft and a new anthology edited by Margaret Atwood
    Feb 23, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Dreams and nightmares: Leo Vardiashvili, Teju Cole, Matthew Blake
    Feb 16, 2024 – 0:56:27
  • Mysteries and meta-physical thrillers: Kemper Donovan, Mike McCormack and Alex Michaelides
    Feb 9, 2024 – 0:54:05
  • New fiction from Francis Spufford, Hisham Matar and Kiley Reid
    Feb 2, 2024 – 0:53:36
  • We're back for 2024 featuring new novels from Katherena Vermette, Dolly Alderton and Jonathan Lethem
    Jan 26, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Summer Reads: history remade, futures reimagined
    Jan 19, 2024 – 0:54:08
  • Summer Reads: True Crime, historical injustice, NZ satire and God's Teeth
    Jan 12, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Summer Reads: from Aphra Behn to Max Porter
    Jan 5, 2024 – 0:54:06
  • Summer reading: heists, horses, Harlem, Ireland, rage
    Dec 29, 2023 – 0:54:04
  • Summer Reads: Impossible creatures, an Indian thriller and love in a cherry orchard
    Dec 22, 2023 – 0:54:07
  • Romance, crime, adventure: Summer reading recommendations
    Dec 15, 2023 – 0:54:06
  • Best Books of 2023: What to read now, next and over Summer
    Dec 8, 2023 – 0:54:08
  • Bad Art Mother: Canberra Writers Festival Book Club pod extra
    Dec 7, 2023 – 0:57:43
Recent Reviews
  • A teacher-writer
    Literary criticism at its best
    Love listening to the hosts and their guests each week talk about the latest in fiction. Discovered many new authors and titles, and always look forward to a new episode.
  • Michelle Bernstein
    A Must Listen for Booklovers
    As an adult who recently became visually impaired, I have become increasingly reliant upon podcasts to keep up with new releases and backlist titles I may have missed. The Bookshelf is a terrific resource. Unlike many other book podcasts, Kate and Cassie (and their guest reviewers) delve deeply into each book. It is obvious that each reviewer has given the book serious consideration as the conversations explore more than just the basic themes and a brief analysis of the characters. But the conversations are fun, not academic, and are geared for readers who enjoy literary fiction. They explore novels from around the world which introduces me to new authors, although some of the titles have not been made available in audiobook format in the U.S. where I live. Just a wonderful podcast- so glad I found it. Thanks, Michelle
  • incognito82
    Really great book podcast
    I am so glad to stumble upon this podcast. I read tons of podcasts and many of them are intolerable. This is so good.
  • JustEmilyC
    Best of the best
    Perhaps up their with the Good Read podcast by the BBC this may be the best book-related podcast in all of book-related podcasts. And I listen to a ton of book-related podcasts.
  • Lord Montdore
    Insightful and entertaining
    I only stumbled across this show a few weeks ago but it is now a must-listen podcast for me, along with the NY Times Book Review (mostly new fiction and non-fiction) and BBC’s A Good Read (Books and Authors, mostly fiction). The episodes I have heard so far discuss books from around the world rather than being unduly parochial. I like the guest reviewers and especially that Kate and Cassie do not shy away from (polite) negative reviews. One of the most valuable aspects of a book review for me is an indication that I should probably not spend my time on a particular book. There is enough over-praising of books already; this show strikes me as very impartial. Oh, and Kate has one of the most mellifluous voices you could hope to hear.
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