Literary Anything

Our favourite episode of the year is out now (a bit late because Salma had jury duty!) Listen to find out the top ten borrowed fiction and non-fiction books for 2025 (for the first time ever there's no James Patterson). Also, Paula and Salma offer some good book recs for summer reading and the books we're looking forward to next year!! We also farewell Paula from the podcast for now (she'll have FOMO and will be back) and welcome Jasmine who will be joining Salma in 2026! Books they mention: House Of My Mother – Shari Franke Cat Person - Kristen Roupenian We Solve Murders – Richard Osman Thursday Murder Club – Richard Osman Beautiful Ugly – Alice Feeney The Mushroom Tapes - Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire – Chloe Hooper The Trauma Cleaner - Sarah Krasnostein This House of Grief – Helen Garner Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver Mongrel – Hanako Footman I Want Everything - Dominic Amerena Wellness - Nathan Hill The Nix - Nathan Hill The Let Them Theory – Mel Robbins Here One Moment – Liane Moriarty The Memoir Part 1 - Cher The Whole Truth - Jackie O A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing – Jessie Tu Daisy Darker – Alice Feeney Nemesis – Patricia Wolf Salt Upon The Water – Lyn Dickens Until the Red Leaves Fall – Alli Parker At the Foot of the Cherry Tree – Alli Parker Average at Best – Astrid Jorgensen Bird Box - Josh Malerman The Testaments - Margaret Atwood

For this month's podcast episode, we’re excited to share with you Walkley winning columnist, author, novelist and social commentator Jane Caro in conversation with the wonderful Ali Clarke, discussing Jane's latest novel 'Lyre Bird'. Jane talks about where her ideas come from, the writing process, how she responds to trolls online and the power of fiction. This is an amazing conversation and well worth a listen.

For this month's podcast, Paula and Salma read 'Cat Person' by Kristen Roupenian, because sometimes you just need a quick, impactful short story to get you out of a reading slump! 'Cat Person' gained significant attention when it was published in The New Yorker in 2017, for exploring the complexities of modern dating. If you haven't read it yet, head over to The New Yorker now and read it before listening to the pod. Cat Person in The New Yorker >> https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/11/cat-person Books they mention: The Metamorphosis - Kafka The House of my Mother – Shari Franke I Want Everything - Dominic Amerena The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid Yellowface – R F Kuang Lyrebird – Jane Caro The Mother – Jane Caro What Happened to Nina? - Dervla McTiernan The Scholar - Dervla McTiernan The Murder Rule - Dervla McTiernan The Housemaid's Secret – Freida McFadden The Housemaid - Freida McFadden Onyx Storm – Rebecca Yarros The Help - Kathryn Stockett Beautiful Ugly – Alice Feeney Great Big Beautiful Life – Emily Henry Here One Moment – Liane Moriarty We Need To Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver

For this month's #LiteraryAnything episode, we're sharing Hannah Kent in conversation with Pip Williams talking about Hannah's much anticipated autobiography 'Always Home, Always Homesick'. Written in rich detail and humorous and poignant anecdotes (some Hannah shares in this author talk), 'Always Home, Always Homesick' is both a memoir of her experiences of living in Iceland, and a wider consideration of the centrality of literature to the nation's culture and identity. Have you read it? You'll definitely want to after listening to Hannah talk about it! Listen wherever you get your pods.

New #LiteraryAnything podcast out now. This month, Jasmine joins Salma on the pod (for the first time in a while 🤣) to discuss Shari Franke's memoir 'The House of my Mother'. Other things they discuss: 🐛 Jasmine shares what book character she'd like to swap lives with for a day 🐉 Salma finally reads THE romantasy book 📚 There's lots to look forward to in the land of new book releases Listen wherever you get your podcasts. 🎧 TW: This episode contains discussions of child abuse, physical abuse, and sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised. If these topics may be distressing for you, please take care when listening or consider skipping this episode. Books they mention: Deep Cuts - Holly Brickley The Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle Daisy Jones and the Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid Sunrise on the Reaping - Suzanne Collins Rebel Rising – Rebel Wilson From Here to the Great Unknown - Lisa Marie Presley Would You Rather – Maggie Alderson Atmosphere – Taylor Jenkins Reid Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid Summer Island – Kristen Hannah The Women – Kristen Hannah The Stranger Beside Me - Ann Rule Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros Great Big Beautiful Life – Emily Henry Iron Flame - Rebecca Yarros Onyx Storm - Rebecca Yarros Mad Mabel – Sally Hepworth At the Foot of the Cherry Tree - Alli Parker Until the Red Leaves Fall - Alli Parker Impossible Fortune – Richard Osman Always Home, Always Homesick – Hannah Kent