Virginia and Louise do a deep dive into Barbara Kingsolver’s Pullitzer Prize winning and compelling novel Demon Copperhead and talk all things Charles Dickens as well as adding some shameful new entries to the infamous Ick Register.

Books

Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, 1838

Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, 1854

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, 2023

More Deep Dives

Emma, by Jane Austen

Television

Emma, mini series, 2009

Slow Horses, series 1-3 Apple TV+

One Day, Netflix 2023

Louise and Virginia thought it might be fun to do an episode on books that they feel a bit embarrassed to have never read (until now). There were a lot of books to choose from, but they discuss four in this conversation.

During this chat they also create an Ick Register for authors who use words that give the ick, so that readers can be warned in advance (kind of like a trigger warning, but more basic).

Books

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, translated by Jay Rubin

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Television Shows

Scrublands - Stan

Boy Swallows Universe – Netflix

Podcasts

The Children of Rutherford County – Serial

The Queen’s Reading Room

Louise and Virginia have a great conversation about a lovely Western Australian novel. Salt River Road by the very talented debut author Molly Schmidt captures the large Tetley family at the worst time of their lives. Their wife and mother, Elena, has died after a long illness and left them all devastated. Although the book looks at grief through the eyes of several different characters, it has a forward-moving arc, plenty of heart, and a wonderful ending, with an authentic Western Australian, 1970s feel.

Book

Salt River Road by Molly Schmidt, 2023, published by Fremantle Press

Binge TV

Strife

Netflix

The Crown

Louise and Virginia have a conversation about two books with many overlaps, one fiction and one non-fiction, and reflect on the fact that none of this information was taught in the classroom when they were at school.

Books
Killing for Country by David Marr
Edenglassie by Melissa Lukashenko

TV Show
The Crown – Netflix

Podcasts
The Rest is History – Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland
The Rest is Entertainment – Richard Osman and Marina Hyde

Virginia and Louise dive into four new releases some of them from our favourite authors!

They also encourage everyone to get their hands on Salt River Road by Molly Schmidt for a bookclub deep dive episode coming up.

Books

The Fraud, Zadie Smyth, 2023, Hamish Hamilton Penguin

Normal Rules Don’t Apply, Kate Atkinson, 2023, Penguin Random House

Tom Lake, Ann Patchett, 2023, Harper Collins

Pearl, Sian Hughes, 2023 UQP

London’s Number One Dog-Walking Agency: A Memoir, Kate MacDougall, 2021 William Morrow

Salt River Road, Molly Schmidt, 2023 Fremantle Press

Streaming

Welcome to Wrexham, Disney

Podcasts

The Whistleblowers, ABC Background Briefing

Louise and Virginia have finally had a conversation about six literary controversies/hoaxes/scandals and it’s a lot of fun! This is a Topic they both find fascinating so it was great to select three stories each and dive in.

Authors

Norma Khouri
John Hughes
Carmen Mola
Antonio Mercero
Agustin Martinez
Jorge Diaz
Harold Stewart
James McAuley
Dawn Dorland
Sonya Larson
Helen Demidenko/ Darville

Books

The Dogs by John Hughes
Forbidden Love by Norma Khouri
The Hand that Signed the Paper by Helen Demidenko/Helen Darville

Article

Who is the Bad Art Friend? by Robert Kolker – The New York Times Magazine 2021

Virginia and Louise have read a swag of newly released books both well-known authors and others new - and only some with the hype they deserve.

Books

Yellowface R F Kuang Harper Collins 2023

Crook Manifesto Colson Whitehead 2023

The Sitter Angela O’ Keefe Queensland University Press 2023

Old God’s Time Sebastian Barry 2023

Podcasts

The Trial of Lucy Letby UK The Mail Metro Media

Inside Design Jane Ledger

Theatre

‘A Twelfth Night’ - Bell Shakespeare Company

This time it’s Louise’s turn to talk about the massive French classic that she has been reading, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. Louise tells Virginia about a very impertinent act by the original translator of the novel, and they discuss the aspects that Louise loved and some that she wasn’t so keen on. Hugo and Dumas were both born in 1802 and were literary confrères throughout their lives, so Notre-Dame and Monte Christo make a great pairing.

Book

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo

Related Blog:The Gothic Wanderer Wordpress