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This week, Kate and Cassie are joined by regulars Hannah Kent and Tom Wright to discuss three books that echo one another across themes of art, beauty, family and transformation. In Barbara Kingsolver's Partita, a young woman longs to escape her small town and difficult mother through music (and there are dogs and an accident); Ayad Akhtar's The Radiance follows a man whose vivid, radiant life is shaped by music and ambition (and there’s a terrible accident); And in Colm Tóibín's The Bridge, a son and father navigate change, possibility and belonging in a new world (accompanied by a whole pack of dogs). Plus, voting may have closed for The Bookshelf's Top 100 Australian Books, but we're still taking inspiration from readers' recommendations. Actor, writer and trans activist Zoe Terakes joins us to share their three favourite Australian books. Featured books Barbara Kingsolver, Partita, FaberColm Toíbín, The Bridge, PicadorAyad Akhtar, The Radiance, SummitZoe Terakes' Top 3 Christos Tsiolkas , LoadedChelsea Watego, Another Day in the ColonyTimothy Conigrave, Holding the Man Other Books mentioned Stephanie Alexander, The Cook's CompanionAlison Lester, Magic BeachShirley Hazzard, The Great FireHannah Moloney, The Good Life: How To Grow A Better WorldChristina Stead, Seven Poor Men of Sydney

In American Hagwon, the bestselling author of Pachinko, Min Jin Lee, explores family, education, ambition and the long shadow of economic upheaval, set between Seoul, Sydney and California. Louise Kennedy's Stations offers a tough and deeply felt Irish family story, while Catherine Chidgey's The Starving Bride turns hunger into a strange gothic performance. Kate and Cassie are joined this time by regulars, novelist and academic Professor Tony Birch and critic and literary judge Beejay Silcox. And, as we count down to the Top 100 Australian Books, Frank Moorhouse's biographer Matthew Lamb reveals his top three. Books featured Min Jin Lee, American Hagwon, Fourth EstateLouise Kennedy, Stations, Bloomsbury CircusCatherine Chidgey, The Starving Bride, Penguin Matthew Lamb's Top 100 picks Forty-Seventeen (1988) by Frank MoorhouseTourmaline (1963) by Randolph StowWriter Reader Critic (1992) by Dorothy Green Other books mentioned Janet McCalman, StruggletownPeter Carey, The Fat Man in HistoryThe Women's Weekly Birthday Cake BookLeonie Norrington, Djawundil Maymuru, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs and Djawa Burarrwanga, A Piece of Red ClothGretchen Shirm, Out of the WoodsColleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds

Kate and Cassie take a look at bestselling author Emily St. John Mandel's latest, Exit Party, an epic that follows a doppelgänger and a man who disappears from a Los Angeles party in 2031, leading to a journey across parallel worlds and fractured timelines. Internationally-bestselling crime writer Michael Robotham is in to discuss The Weight of Angels by John Boyne; and Graham Akhurst, novelist, academic and Director of Indigenous Studies at the University of Technology  on Turkish writer Kenan Orhan's Booker Longlisted novel The Renovation; and historian and author Anna Clark is in to share her Top 100 picks. Books featured Emily St John Mandel, Exit Party, PicadorJohn Boyne, The Weight of Angels, DoubledayKenan Orhan, The Renovation, Hamish HamiltonAnna Clark's Top 100 picks Raimond Gaita, Romulus, My FatherGay'wu Group of Women, Songspirals: Sharing Women’s Wisdom of Country through SonglinesBilly Griffiths, Deep Time Dreaming: Uncovering Ancient AustraliaThe Macquarie Dictionary, first edition published 1981Ken Simpson and Nicolas Day, Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, first edition published in 1984Other books mentioned Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of SolitudeJames Joyce, UlyssesAlexis Wright, PraiseworthyChina Miéville, The City & the CityClaire G. Coleman, worksCurtis Sittenfeld, RodhamPeter Carey, IllywhackerSteve Toltz, A Fraction of the WholeAlexis Wright, CarpentariaKim Scott, Benang: From the HeartWe want to know what you think of Radio National's book podcasts (The Book Show and The Bookshelf). Help us understand what's working, what's not, and how we can make our book programs even more useful, relevant and unmissable. Please take this quick survey.

We step into Irish bestseller Donal Ryan's world in Where Are the Kings, a tender coming of age story about a boy navigating grief. Inside a fracturing mind in Emma Cline’s Booker Longlisted novel Switzy, read with novelist Madeleine Gray. A chronicle of DIY activism, collectives and autonomous living in Sydney's west in Australian writer Max Easton’s Now, Autonomy, read for us by singer-songwriter Tim Rogers, and a newer world emerges in the wake of the American Civil War in Sebastian Barry’s new novel, The Newer World, read by author Hannah Kent. BOOKS FEATURED Donal Ryan, Where Are the Kings, DoubledayEmma Cline, Switzy, Chatto & WindusMax Easton, Now, Autonomy, GiramondoSebastian Barry, The Newer World, FaberOTHER BOOKS MENTIONED Sigrid Nunez, What Are You Going ThroughMeg Howrey, Body LanguageColum McCann, ApeirogonMelina Marchetta, Looking for AlibrandiAbigal Ulman, Hot Little HandsPatrick White, The Tree of ManHeather Rose, The Museum of Modern LoveElizabeth Jolley, The WellWe want to know what you think of Radio National's book podcasts (The Book Show and The Bookshelf). Help us understand what's working, what's not, and how we can make our book programs even more useful, relevant and unmissable. Please take this quick survey.

Kate and Cassie with regular reviewer Tom Wright discuss new releases including Melissa Harrison’s The Given World and Malcolm Knox’s The Second Child. Plus, novelist and memoirist Mandy Sayer on her Top 3 Australian books ahead of Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books Countdown. Mandy Sayer's Top 3 Australian Books Christina Stead, The Man Who Loved Children (1940)Robin Dalton, Aunts up the Cross (1965)David Malouf, Johnno (1975) Other books mentioned A.B. Facey, A Fortunate LifeGeorge Johnston, My Brother JackEric C. Rolls, They All Ran WildEmily St John Mandel, Exit PartyColm Toibin, The BridgeBarbara Kingsolver, PartitaJohn Boyne, The Weight of AngelsMarlon James, The DisappearersMax Porter, worksPatrick Gale, worksSarah Moss, worksJoseph Furphy, Such is LifePeter Carey, IllywhackerGerald Munane, The Plains

Voting in Radio National's Top 100 Books countdown is about to open and this year we're celebrating Australian books. As you think about your own Top 10, Kate and Cassie bring together a trio of award-winning writers (including last year's Top 100 Books winner!) to reveal the Australian books they have loved and been influenced by: Trent Dalton, Claire Thomas and Steve MinOn, with a surprise appearance in the audience from Grimmish and Griefdogg author Michael Winkler. Books mentioned Storm Boy by Colin ThieleHating Alison Ashley by Robin KleinCole's Funny Picture Book by E.W. ColeThe Magic Pudding by Norman LindsayJohnno; Fly Away Peter by David MaloufWake in Fright by Kenneth CookThe Getting of Wisdom by Henry Handel RichardsonRuth Park, worksPicnic at Hanging Rock by Joan LindsayThe Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith; Schindler's Ark  by Thomas KeneallyPossum Magic by Mem FoxThe Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard FlanaganThe Book Thief by Markus ZusakCarpentaria by Alexis WrightBurial Rites by Hannah KentCloudstreet by Tim WintonBoy Swallows Universe by Trent DaltonThe Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip WilliamsShe Is Me by Tahlia IsaacDropbear by Evelyn AraluenZigzag Street by Nick EarlsThe Garden Book by Brian CastroThe Children's Bach by Helen GarnerA Fortunate Life by A.B. FaceyMy Brilliant Career by Miles Stella FranklinA Room Made of Leaves by Kate GrenvilleThe Thornbirds by Colleen McCulloughThe Transit of Venus by Shirley HazardThe Vivisector by Patrick WhiteA Short History of Longans by Mirandi RiwoeThe Lebs by Michael Mohammed AhmadCredits Presenter, Kate Evans and Cassie McCullaghProducer, Kate Evans and Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Steve FieldhouseArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Anjet Daanje's The Song of Stork and Dromedary, translated from the Dutch, explores the intimate work of death and care in the eighteenth century. Liane Moriarty returns to the world of Big Little Lies with Big Little Truths, reuniting readers with the coastal suburb of Pirriwee and her cast a decade on,  just with a little more menopausal rage, teenage angst, and a severed finger. Joining us are regular reviewer Beejay Silcox, along with Cheryl Akle from Better Reading. Plus, critic and publisher Geordie Williamson shares his Top 3 Australian books. Books The Song of Stork and Dromedary by Anjet Daanje, translated from Dutch by David McKay (Scribe)Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty (Macmillan)Geordie Williamson's Top 3 Australian Books Such is Life  by Joseph FurphyTranslations from the Natural World by Les MurrayThe Eye of the Crocodile by Val PlumwoodOther books mentioned The Secret History by Donna TarttThe Slap by Christos TsiolkasMine by Adam OustenDark Places by Kate GrenvilleJohn Brown, Rose, and the Midnight Cat by Jenny RoseLittle Bear series by Maurice SendakTell Me Something True by Michael Robotham We want your feedback! Help us understand what's working, what's not, and how we can make our book programs even more useful, relevant and unmissable. Please take this survey: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/RsSBGWuFEUCredits Presenter, Kate Evans and Cassie McCullaghProducer, Kate Evans and Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Craig Tilmouth and Micky GrossmanArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

We review the latest in fiction for dedicated readers and for those who wish they read more.

Omar Musa joins us after winning the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award. Plus, Michael Robotham and Madeleine Gray review Djamel White's Booker Prize-longlisted debut All Them Dogs and Téa Obreht's sweeping new novel Sunrise.

From the nightclubs of 1930s Berlin to the heartache and awkwardness of high school, and into the green rooms and backstage spaces of writers' festivals.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead’s latest novel Cool Machine is a vivid portrait of Black New York in the 1980s. The book reunites readers with furniture salesman and part-time fence Ray Carney. Kate Evans and regular reviewer, critic and essayist Beejay Silcox discuss. Also this week, Isabelle Li’s The Northern Tomb offers an intimate and richly textured portrait of life in Northeast China during the Covid pandemic, while Claire Berest’s Frida brings the passion, colour and complexity of artist Frida Kahlo vividly to the page.  Plus, Kate speaks with Ashley Hay, novelist and interim editor of Meanjin, about the magazine's rich literary history and how its archive can help guide your vote in the ABC's Top 100 Australian Books countdown. (Ashley also shares her top three Australian picks). Each week, a specially curated selection of archival material will be released at Meanjin: Meanjin – The Finest New Writing in AustraliaBooks discussed Cool Machine - Colson Whitehead (Fleet)The Northern Tomb - Isabelle Li (Puncher & Wattmann)Frida - Claire Berest, translated from French by Stephanie Smee (Mountain Leopard Press)Also mentioned But Won't I Miss Me - Tiffany Tsao (Harper Via)Beejay Silcox's recommendations Angel Down - Daniel KrausThe Children - Melissa AlbertTheir Brilliant Careers - Ryan O'NeillAshley Hay's Top 3 Australian picks The Commandant - Jessica AndersonEdenglassie - Melissa LucashenkoThe Great Fire - Shirley HazzardCredits Presenter - Kate EvansProducer - Kate Evans and Sarah CorbettSound - Tim Jenkins and Isabella TropianoArts editor - Rhiannon Brown

Dave Eggers explores the messy intersection of art, friendship and growing up in Contrapposto, while Daniel Mason's Country People follows an academic family into a Vermont landscape full of stories and believers in worlds beneath the earth. Then Maria Takolander's The End of Romance imagines life after collapse. Joining Kate Evans and Cassie McCullagh are our regular reviewers, novelist Madeleine Gray and musician Tim Rogers.  Plus, playwright and novelist George Kemp shares three favourite Australian books ahead of the ABC's Top 100 Australian Books countdown. Books discussed Contrapposto - Dave EggersCountry People - Daniel MasonThe End of Romance - Maria TakolanderCloudstreet - Tim WintonThe Sun Walks Down - Fiona McFarlaneCold Enough for Snow - Jessica AuGuest recommendations Dream Girls - Hannah GoldsteinBrother of the More Famous Jack - Barbara TrapidoThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel SparkRiverboy - Jim EwingA Suitable Man - Jock SerongFifty Beating Wonders - Dr Michelle JohnstonFlights - Olga Tokarczuk Credits Presenter, Kate Evans and Cassie McCullaghProducer, Kate Evans and Sarah CorbettSound, Micky Grossman and Tegan NichollsArts editor, Sarah L' Estrange

This week on The Bookshelf, Kate Evans and Cassie McCullagh discuss new novels including Laura McPhee-Browne's Worry Doll, a story of desire, obsession and uncertainty; Leïla Slimani's I'll Take the Fire, the acclaimed French-Moroccan writer's rich, politically charged exploration of family, memory and identity; and Kris Kneen's Rite of Spring, an eerie island novel where strange creatures lurk in the mist. Joining the program are regular reviewers, bestselling crime writer Michael Robotham and novelist and academic Roanna Gonsalves. Plus, as ABC Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books Countdown approaches, writer and historian Bruce Pascoe shares three Australian books he loves. Books discussed Worry Doll, Laura McPhee-BrowneI'll Take the Fire, Leïla Slimani (translated by Sam Taylor)Rite of Spring, Kris KneenBenang: From The Heart, Kim ScottEvery Secret Thing, Marie MunkaraMullumbimby, Melissa LucashenkoGuest recommendations Whistler, Ann PatchettThe Hunter, Tana FrenchTomb of Sand, Geetanjali Shree Credits Presenter: Kate Evans and Cassie McCullaghProducer: Kate Evans and Sarah CorbettSound: Craig Tilmouth and Micky GrossmanArts editor: Sarah L'Estrange

A live recording from the 2025 Melbourne Writers Festival, with guests Hannah Kent and Beejay Silcox. Hannah Kent, Always Home, Always Homesick (Picador)Eimear McBride, The City Changes Its Face (Faber)Susan Choi, Flashlight (Jonathan Cape)Edward St Aubyn, Parallel Lines (Jonathan Cape)Caryl Phillips, Another Man in the Street (Bloomsbury)Guests Hannah Kent is the author of the novels Burial Rites, The Good People and Devotion. Her latest book is the memoir, Always Home, Always Homesick Beejay Silcox is a critic, writer, festival director and literary interviewer Other Books Mentioned Jeffrey Eugenides, MiddlesexMichael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & ClayEric Puchner, Dream StateRebecca Makkai, The Great BelieversEmily Maguire, RaptureMariana Enríquez, A Sunny Place for Shady PeopleSusan Hampton, Anything Can Happen

We review the latest in fiction for dedicated readers and for those who wish they read more.