All Things Bookish Podcast

Today we are delighted and slightly awed to be joined by Australian author, Diana Reid, to talk about her powerful debut novel Love & Virtue, a book that has been highly praised by critics, authors, and readers for its fierce and somewhat brutal honesty. You can buy Love & Virtue here!!!

Welcome back to All Things Bookish. Today we are joined by Australian fantasy author, Alicia Jasinska, who has written The Dark Tide and most recently, and what we're here to talk about the wonderful, feminist fantasy and sapphic novel, The Midnight Girls! You can purchase a copy of The Midnight Girls here! 

In this episode we rehash our favourite 21 books of 2021, discuss our least favourite book of the year and what we have read recently! To purchase any books mentioned in our top 21 see the links below!  Shans' Reads of 2021 Consent by Annabel Lyon Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen AlpstenThe Traitor Queen by Dannielle L. Jensen Love & Virtue by Diana ReidThe Lost Queen by Signe Pike The Final Empire by Brandon SandersonAriadne by Jennifer SaintLegacy of Ash by Matthew WardLegacy of Steel by Matthew WardThe Push by Ashley AudrainLore by Alexander BrackenHouse of Hollow by Krystal SutherlandBone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart A River of Royal Blood by Amanda JoyStation Eleven by Emily St. John MandelThe Prison Healer by Lynette NoniKokomo by Victoria HannanAnything But Fine by Tobias MaddenA Lair of Bones by Helen ScheuererSiennas' Reads of 2021 Everything I Know About Love by Dolly AldertonA Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes Red Rising by Pierce BrownGhosts by Dolly AldertonCome Again by Robert Webb Waking Romeo by Kathryn Barker The Push by Ashley AudrainConcrete Rose by Angie ThomasThe Four Winds by Kristin Hannah The Prison Healer by Lynette NoniDark Shores by Danielle L. JensenA Lair of Bones by Helen Scheuerer As Far As You'll Take Me by Phil Stamper The Midnight Library by Matt HaigOne Of Us Is Lying by Karen M.McManusEmpire of the Vampire by Jay KristoffThis Poison Heart by Kalynn BayronStation Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Love & Virtue by Diana ReidShe Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan 

Welcome back to All Things Bookish - we are so delighted to be here with author and editor Tobias Madden to talk about his debut young adult novel Anything But Fine. You can purchase Anything But Fine here! 

Welcome to another episode of All Things Bookish. Before we get into the episode we'd like to acknowledge the traditional custodians on the land on which we virtually meet today, and we pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging. Today we are speaking to renowned storyteller and author, Jay Kristoff, who has won multiple awards for his work, as well as reaching the #1 international, New York Times and USA bestseller list for fantasy and science fiction! Empire of the Vampire was just released worldwide, we loved it and hope you do too!You can purchase Empire of the Vampire here. 

Welcome to another episode of All Things Bookish!We spoke to Helen Scheuerer about her latest book A LAIR OF BONES, the first book in her brand new A Curse of The Cyren Queen Quartet! You can grab a copy of the book from her website here: https://helenscheuerer.com/shop/

Welcome to another episode of All Things Bookish.  Today on the podcast we are delighted to be chatting to the Queen of Imagination herself, Tabitha Bird, about her very recently released The Emporium of Imagination, which follows her magical debut novel A Lifetime of Impossible Days.You can buy The Emporium of Imagination here. 

In this episode we are extremely excited to be chatting with best-selling Australian author Lynette Noni. Lynette is a full-time writer and author of the #1 bestselling young adult fantasy series The Medoran Chronicles, along with the multi-award winning and bestselling Whisper duology, and her latest series, the Prison Healer trilogy. We have both just finished reading the first book in her latest works, The Prison Healer and loved it! You can purchase The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni here. 

In this weeks episode we discuss our past, current and future reads. We chat about our top 5 books that have the best pretty cover, storyline, characters and book bfs/gfs. Lastly, we chat with Shan's best mate Dylan, a book lover and Teacher-Librarian. Show Notes:Sienna's Reads-The Prison Healer by Lynette NoniThe Betrayals by Bridget CollinsThe Emporium of Imagination by Tabitha BirdShan's Reads-A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett SinclairThe Final Empire by Brandon SandersonThe Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

This week we discuss our recent reads, our Book of the Month: The Prophets, and chat with bookstagrammer @rebireads. Show Notes:Sienna's reads:Ready Player Two by Ernest ClineA Wild Winter Swan  by Gregory MaguireThe Prison Healer by Lynette NoniShan's reads:Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.The Prison Healer by Lynette NoniTo purchase our book of the month, The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.  head over to WellRead. 

Show Notes:Welcome back to All Things Bookish - we are so excited to be here with Kathryn Barker, author of the recently released, Waking Romeo, which is a retelling and literary mashup of Romeo & Juliet and Wuthering Weights! Kathryn’s first novel In the Skin of a Monster won the Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel. You can buy Waking Romeo by Kathryn Barker here. 

Show NotesWelcome back to All Things Bookish - we are so delighted to be here with Phil Stamper author of the young adult novel The Gravity of Us, and more recently As Far As You’ll Take Me!To purchase As Far As You'll Take Me click here

Show Notes:This week we chat about our most recent reads, mainly A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas and our issues with it. We discuss our book of the month, The Push by Ashley Audrain which is from our book subscription WellRead, and chat about all things bookish with special guest....Sienna's mum! To purchase the books discussed in our first segment click on the links below:A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. MaasStation Eleven by Emily St. John MandelWhen the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson The Morning Flower by Amanda Harding Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

Welcome back to the All Things Bookish Podcast! Laurie Forest joins us today, and I am slightly awe struck! For those who aren’t familiar with Laurie Forest, she is the epic fantasy author of the The Black Witch Chronicles, the first book being The Black Witch which was published in 2017, and the fourth book The Demon Tide will be released in 2021.Show Notes:Today we chat with Laurie about how she started writing fantasy thanks to her kids, the epicness of a good love triangle and fantasy world building. You can buy The Black Witch Chronicles here.

You’re back with All Things Bookish where we are chatting to another fabulous Australian author, Julietta Henderson. Julietta released her debut novel The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman in early January, and I can assure you, it is worth the read with reviews like “Norman Foreman will capture your heart” and “One of those gorgeous books that completely lifts your spirits and restores faith in humanity.” Show Notes:You can buy The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman here!Julietta's Reads:Anxious People by Fredrik BackmanDear Edward by Ann NapolitanoThe Thursday Murder Club by Richard OsmanBook Recommendation:A Long Way Down by Nick HornsbyThe Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews

Show Notes:Welcome to this weeks episode of All Things Bookish! Today we discuss what we just finished reading, what we are currently reading and what we will read next, we also discuss books that got us into reading and chat with bookstagrammer, Lucie, from @whatluciesreading. We hope you enjoy the episode and don't forget to check out our Instagram @allthingsbookishpod and Facebook page All Things Bookish (AUS). Shan's reads:The Bone Season by Samantha ShannonLegacy of Ash by Matthew WardThe Morbids by Ewa Ramsey Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Sienna's reads:Ghosts by Dolly AldertonRed Rising by Pierce Brown The Morning Flower by Amanda Hocking

Welcome to this week's episode of the All Things Bookish Podcast! Today we are super excited to be speaking with the wonderful Brigid Kemmerer. Brigid is a New York Times best selling author, writing books across fantasy and fiction for young adult readers. Her next book in The Cursebreakers series, A Vow So Bold & Deadly will be released in February 2021, which we know for a lot of people can’t come sooner! Show Notes:You can buy A Curse So Dark and Lonely here.You can buy A Heart So Fierce and Broken here. You can pre-order A Vow So Bold and Deadly here. Brigid's book recs: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa TahirThe Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen The Life and Medieval Times of Kit Sweetly

Welcome back to All Things Bookish! Today we are joined by the wonderful Australian author, Molly Murn, who amongst many other inspiring things, wrote the contemporary fiction novel Heart of the Grass Tree, which hands down has one of the most stunning book covers I’ve ever seen. Molly is a poet and author from South Australia, is a current PhD candidate in Creative Writing, and most recently had her book shortlisted for the 2020 Australian Indie Book awards under the Debut Fiction section! Show Notes:In this episode we discuss Molly's creative journey, from poetry to writing her debut novel and the importance of local history. You can purchase Heart of the Grass Tree here.

Show Notes:In our final episode of 2020 we discuss our favourite reads of 2020, our 5 least favourite books, our favourite books to screen, Christmas book recs and our favourite Christmas movies!! Christmas Reading Recs:Shan:Maggie's Going Nowhere by Rose HartleyThe Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly RinglandSienna:One Day in December by Josie SilverHeartstopper Series by Alice Oseman

** We apologise for the quality of the audio for this episode, due to technical difficulties we were unable to maintain the quality that we generally produce and will amend this for our next episode**Welcome to this week's episode of the All Things Bookish Podcast! Today we are speaking with Australian fantasy author Sam Hawke, who literally exploded onto the fantasy scene with her multi award winning debut novel, City of Lies. We are going to discuss her recent release and sequel, The Hollow Empire, and basically all things fantasy! Welcome, Sam and thanks so much for joining us today. Show Notes:In this episode we discuss Sams' love of fantasy growing up, her two books, world building and the importance of sibling relationships in adult fantasy books. You can purchase City of Lies here. You can purchase Hollow Empire here.

Welcome to episode eleven of the All Things Bookish Podcast! Today we have the wonderfully creative Maria V. Snyder with us to chat about her Sentinels of the Galaxy series. You might recognise Maria’s name from her hugely popular Poison Study series, or her recent fantasy series starting with The Eyes of Tamburah! Maria has won multiple awards for her fantasy and science fiction works, and we are absolutely delighted that she can join us on All Things Bookish - thanks for being with us today, Maria!Show Notes:In this episode we discuss Maria's recent science fiction series, The Sentinels of the Galaxy, writing at night time and The Terracotta Warriors of China. You can purchase Defending the Galaxy hereMaria's reads:Past read:Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris Current read:Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo Shan's reads:Past read:Navigating the Stars by Maria V. SnyderCurrent read:Chasing the Shadows by Maria V. SnyderSienna's reads:Past read:Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder Current read:All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton

Welcome back to the All Things Bookish Podcast! This week we are chatting to one of Australian’s most loved and best selling author, Monica McInerney. For those who aren’t familiar with Monica, she is a prolific fiction writer who has won too many awards to list here. Her most recent book, The Godmothers, was published in September this year, and has already received wide acclaim and praise for its depth, warmth, and tear jerking narrative. Show Notes:In this episode we talk about the research that goes into Monica's books, her writing process, inspiration for characters in The Godmothers and her love for Australian literature. You can purchase The Godmothers here. Monica's reads:Past Read:The Lost Love Song by Minnie Dark Current Read:Untwisted: The Story of My Life by Paul JenningsGrowing Up series Shan's reads:Past Read:The GodmothersCurrent Read:The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton Future Read:Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud Sienna's reads: Past Read:The GodmothersFuture Read:The Evening and Morning by Ken Follett

Welcome to this week's episode of the All Things Bookish Podcast! Today we are speaking with one of Australia’s best selling and well loved authors, Fiona McIntosh about her new historical fiction book, The Champagne War! Show Notes: In this episode we talk about researching WWII, how and why Fiona creates such morally grounded characters, and learn about the people of Épernay in 1914. You can purchase the Champagne War here. Shan's ReadsPast Read:The Mother Fault by Kate MildenhallCurrent Read:Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim Sienna's ReadsPast Read: The Champagne WarCurrent Read:Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson Future Read:The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett

This episode we discuss our last reads, our five star reads, Trent Dalton, bookish this or that and guess that book! Show Notes:Sienna's reading:Rhythm of War by Brandon SandersonSong of the Crocodile by Nardi SimpsonHoneybee by Craig SilveyThe Black Witch Chronicles by Laurie ForestShan's reading:The Motherfault by Kate MildenhallAll Our Shimmering Skies by Trent DaltonThe Champagne War by Fiona McIntosh

Welcome to the latest episode of the All Things Bookish Podcast! Today we have the amazing Australian author Trent Dalton with us to chat about his latest and extremely well received book, All Our Shimmering Skies. You might recognise Trent’s name from his hugely successful debut novel Boy Swallows Universe, or from his articles in various newspapers across Australia. Trent has won multiple Australian and International awards for both journalism and his novels, and we are absolutely thrilled that he can join us on All Things BookishAll Our Shimmering SkiesDarwin, 1942, and as Japanese bombs rain down, motherless Molly Hook, the gravedigger's daughter, is looking to the skies and running for her life. Inside a duffel bag she carries a stone heart, alongside a map to lead her to Longcoat Bob, the deep-country sorcerer who she believes put a curse on her family. By her side are the most unlikely travelling companions: Greta, a razor-tongued actress, and Yukio, a fallen Japanese fighter pilot. The treasure lies before them, but close behind them trails the dark. And above them, always, are the shimmering skies.You can purchase the book hereTrent's Reads:Past Read:The Mother Fault by Kate Mildenhall Current Reads:May Flies by Andrew O'Hagan Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk 1,2,3,4, The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown Shan's Reads:Past Reads:All Our Shimmering SkiesThe Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart TurtonSienna's Reads:Past Read:All Our Shimmering SkiesCurrent Read:Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin Discussion:In this episode we discuss the impact of books, the influence of Tolkien, using our local library, the research behind All Our Shimmering Skies and the character of Molly Hook.

Show Notes:Welcome to episode eight of the All Things Bookish Podcast! Today we are so grateful to be joined by the very talented Kyle Perry. Kyle is a counsellor and youth worker who has worked extensively in high schools, youth shelters and drug rehabs. In his work he encounters stories and journeys that would fill a hundred books. Kyle released his debut novel, The Bluffs with Penguin Random House, earlier this year. The Bluffs: When a school group of teenage girls goes missing in the remote wilderness of Tasmania’s Great Western Tiers, the people of Limestone Creek are immediately on alert. Three decades ago, five young girls disappeared in the area of those dangerous bluffs, and the legend of ‘the Hungry Man’ still haunts locals to this day. Now, authorities can determine that the teacher, Eliza Ellis, was knocked unconscious, so someone on the mountain was up to foul play. Jordan Murphy, the local dealer and father of missing student Jasmine, instantly becomes the prime suspect. But Detective Con Badenhorst knows that in a town this size – with corrupt cops, small-town politics, and a teenage YouTube sensation – everyone is hiding something, and bluffing is second nature. When a body is found, mauled, at the bottom of a cliff, suspicion turns to a wild animal – but that can’t explain why she was discovered barefoot, her shoes at the top of the cliff, laces neatly tied.You can purchase the book here Kyle's Reads:Past Read:Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Current Read:The Survivors by Jane Harper Future Read:The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis Shan's Reads:Past Read:We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal Current Read: The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton Future Read:The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett Sienna's Reads:Past Read:Whole New World A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell Current Read:Kingdom of Copper by S.A Chakraborty Future Read:All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton Discussion:We discuss how Kyle began his writing journey, the creation of the Bluffs, scary encounters and writing his next book!

Welcome to episode five of the All Things Bookish Podcast! This is a particularly special episode because we have the incredibly talented Kalynn Bayron joining us from the United States. Kalynn recently released the young adult novel, Cinderella is Dead, which is a reimagining of the fairytale, Cinderella. Alongside writing, Kalynn is also a classical trained vocalist, which is very very cool.You can purchase Kalynn's book here:Show Notes:Kalynn's reads:Past Reads:Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-GarciaThe Changeling by Victor LavelleCurrent Reads:Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson Legendborn by Tracy Deonn Future read:Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon Sienna's reads:Current Read: A Twisted Tale: Aladdin by Liz Braswell Shan's reads:Past Read:A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan Current Read;Riven by Bronwyn Eley Discussion:We discuss the creation of Cinderella is Dead, the influence of real world and human experience within Kalynn's work and the right way to do Mac N Cheese.

Welcome to episode four of the All Things Bookish Podcast! Shan and I are both very excited today because we are chatting with the Australian author Steven Conte.For those who aren’t familiar with one of Australia’s finest writers Steven Conte, he wrote The Zookeeper’s War in 2007 and won the inaugural Prime Minister’s award for fiction. He recently published his second novel, The Tolstoy Estate which is a powerful novel about war, love and literature! You can purchase Steven's book here: The Tolstoy Estate Show Notes:Steven's ReadsPast read: Station 11 by Emily St John MandelCurrent read:The De Cameron by Giovanni BoccaccioSienna's ReadsPast reads: The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi DareThe Tolstoy Estate by Steve ConteFuture read:City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty Shan's ReadsCurrent reads:A Secret History of Witches by Louisa MorganDiscussion:We discuss the creation of The Tolstoy Estate, World War II and the impact of covid-19 on the future of literature.

Today on All Things Bookish we discuss our recent, current and future reads. We delve into the world of unpopular opinions, mainly toxic relationships in YA books and have a new guess the book for you! Don't forget to follow our instagram page @allthingsbookspodcast, follow us and message us to guess the book and win a prize! Show Notes:This week we share five facts about ourselves, from we where we live in the world to our favourite countries! 5 star reading recommendation:The City of Brass by S A Chakraborty https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780008239398/the-city-of-brass/Sienna's ReadsPast read: Piranesi by Susanna Clark Current read:Olive by Emma GannonFuture read:Retribution Dies by Chloe HodgeShan's ReadsCurrent reads:A Secret History of Witches by Louisa MorganWe Hunt the Flame by Hafsah FaizalFuture reads: The Yield by Tara June Winch The Vanishing Half by Brit BennetUnpopular bookish opinions - toxicity in YA books Sienna discusses whether Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte should be classified as a true romance novel: "This book should never make anyone's heart skip a beat". Shan raises some issues she sees in the acclaimed Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black: "He literally says, 'You are so disgusting and I hate you'". We discuss the limitations of first person POV versus multiple POVs. Listen to find out who won the bookish guessing game from our first episode & make sure to join in this week for your chance to win a prize! Next episode:We welcome the wonderful Steve Conte to the podcast to discuss his recently released The Tolstoy Estate.

Rose Hartley is the author of the contemporary fiction novel “Maggie’s Going Nowhere”, which was published in January this year by Penguin Random House. Today we discuss books that Rose loves, what she is currently working on and life in 2020. Episode 2 Show NotesHere is a link if you wish to purchase Maggie’s Going Nowhere: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/maggies-going-nowhere-9780143795483Roses’ reads:Persuasion by Jane Austenhttps://www.penguin.com.au/books/persuasion-9780099511175Theft by Peter Carey https://www.penguin.com.au/books/theft-a-love-story-9781760896522Death in Her Hands- Ottessa Moshfeghhttps://www.penguin.com.au/books/death-in-her-hands-9781787332201Shans’ reads:Past Read:An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780008125073/an-ember-in-the-ashes-ember-quartet-book-1/Future ReadsWe Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9780374313647/Siennas’ reads:Past Reads:The Bluffs by Kyle Perryhttps://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-bluffs-9781760895679Current Read:Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthewhttps://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Books/Blood-Moon-9781406393446Future Read:City of Brass by S.A. Chakrabortyhttps://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780008239404/the-city-of-brass/Book discussion:We also all discussed Naomi Novik author of Uprooted: https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781447294146/Spinning Silver: https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781509899043/spinning-silver/Katherine Arden author of The Bear and the Nightingale series https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-bear-and-the-nightingale-9781785031052

We are coming to you from Australia to discuss books, new book releases, mini reviews, unpopular opinions and author talks with local Aussie authors and international authors. Episode 1 Show NotesShans’ reads:5 Stars Reading Recommendation:Dark Shores by Danielle Jensenhttps://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781250317735/Dark Skies by Danielle Jensen https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781250317766/dark-skies/Past Read:Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri (4 stars)https://www.hachette.com.au/tasha-suri/empire-of-sandCurrent Read:Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (4 stars)https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/throne-of-glass-9781408832332/Siennas’ reads:5 Star Reads Recommendation: Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan (5 stars)https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/three-apples-fell-from-the-sky-9781786077301/Past Reads:The Harp of Kings by Juliet Marillier (5 stars)https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781760783297/A Dance with Fate by Juliet Marillier (4 stars)https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781760784225/Current Read:The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (5 stars) https://www.hachette.com.au/brit-bennett/the-vanishing-half-sunday-times-bestsellerUnpopular bookish opinion: Shan disliked Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Sienna loved this book:https://www.hachette.com.au/delia-owens/where-the-crawdads-singNext episode:Our author interview will be with Australian author Rose Hartley. Rose wrote Maggie’s Going Nowhere which was published by Penguin Australia earlier this year. https://www.penguin.com.au/books/maggies-going-nowhere-9780143795483