The Bookshelf

Time to reassess your TBR pile – To Be Read, that is – ready for 2025. To help, some of the best books and literary discussions from the past year.Kate and Cassie's review of Rita Bullwinkel's Headshot was first broadcast on 16 August 2024Kate and Richard Aedy's discussion of Catherine McKinnon's To Sing of War was first broadcast on 28 June 2024Cassie and Kate first delved into Rodney Hall's Vortex on 22 August 2024

Ready for some Big Books? Ambition, money, philosophy, bodies and history – all explored through history.Cassie and Tom Wright's review of Andrew O'Hagan's Caledonian Road was first broadcast on 28 March 2024Kate and Cassie with Polish publicist Anna O'Grady, on Olga Tokarczuk's The Empusium, was first broadcast on 20 September 2024English writer Francis Spufford spoke to Kate about his novel Cahokia Jazz on Radio National's Big Weekend of Books in June 2024

Catch up on the best books and discussions about them from the last year. A songwriter, a plaintive guitar, time travel and a motel are all in the mix.Kate and Cassie's review of Willie Vlautin's Horse was originally was originally broadcast on 26 July 2024Cassie and Jonathan Green's appraisal of Kaliane Bradley's Ministry of Time was originally broadcast on 30 May 2024Kate, Kate Mildenhall and Beejay Silcox disagreed over Miranda July's All Fours back on 21 June 2024And bookseller David Gaunt and NZ Festival Director Claire Mabey gave their book recommendations on 26 July 2024

Detectives, tea ladies, journos, psychologists – what's the appeal of the crime series and repeat protagonist? Kate Evans with crime writers Michael Robotham, Tim Ayliffe and Amanda Hampson onstage at the BAD Sydney Crime Festival.GUESTSMichael Robotham, internationally bestselling crime writer, whose books include the Joe O'Loughlin series and the Cyrus Haven series. His latest is Storm Child.Tim Ayliffe, journalist and novelist, whose central character is also a media man. John Bailey is his name – and the latest book in that series is The Wrong Man.Amanda Hampson is an author of many novels, whose crime novels, set in the 1960s, feature tea ladies. Her latest is The Cryptic Clue.CRIME SERIES MENTIONED IN THE DISCUSSIONIan Rankin, Rebus seriesMichael Connelly, Bosch and McEvoy seriesAnne Cleeves, Vera seriesJanet Evanovitch, Stephanie Plum seriesKerry Greenwood, Phryne Fischer seriesStieg Larsson, Lisbeth Salander seriesPeter Høeg, Miss Smilla's Feeling for SnowStephen King's Holly Gibney seriesPatricia Cornwall's Kay Scarpetta seriesMick Herron's Slow HorsesTom Clancy, worksPeter Temple's Jack Irish seriesJohn Le Carre, worksJack Beaumont, Frenchman seriesWalter Mosley, Easy Rawlins seriesAdrian McKinty, Sean Duffy seriesSulari Gentill, Rowland Sinclair seriesCandice Fox, worksSujata Massey, Perveen Mistry seriesChris Hammer, worksCandice Fox, worksDon Winslow, worksPresenter: Kate EvansProducer: Kate Evans + Sarah CorbettSound engineers: John Jacobs + Tegan NichollsExecutive Producer: Rhiannon Brown