Literary Anything

Mums being woke! This is the story of trans woman, Reese, who's lesbian trans partner, Amy, detransitions back to a man, Ames. Ames finds out he's going to become a father and offers Reese the chance to be the mother she's always wanted to be. Jayne and Paula set out to navigate this complicated world and discuss Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters. Plus, Paula's made up for her reading dry spell...

Get ready to fan your face and clutch your pearls! Jayne and Paula read Bridgerton: The Duke and I this month and they do not hold back! **This episode contains frank and explicit discussions of sexual activity and also non consensual sex. If you would like to skip this, please go to the 35 minute mark.** Books they mention: Bridgerton: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn On the Way to the Wedding by Ju...

This month's feature book was on many top lists for 2020, not to mention Maggie O'Farrell was at Adelaide Writers' Week this year discussing it. Jayne and Paula dig into this fictional account of the short life of Shakespeare's only son who died at age 11. Books they mention: Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell My Lover's Lover by Maggie O'Farrell The Vanishing Act by M...

Ever wanted to listen to a podcast where two grown women cry at work? Yep, it's an emotional one this month with Jayne and Paula having all the feels about Ashley Audrain's The Push. Plus what else they've been reading, Jayne's list of what's new and hot, literary news and what's next for March! Books they mention: The Push by Ashley Audrain We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver This One W...

Happy New Year! Jayne and Paula are back with another episode, this time about a quirkily titled short story anthology, Smart Ovens for Lonely People. How will this compare to the last anthology they read which underwhelmed them both? Plus, both ladies have thoughts to share on book-to-screen adaptations they've seen recently. Don't forget, they want to hear from YOU! Send your Literary Anything c...

We think the whole world is probably looking forward to the end of 2020 but Jayne and Paula have fun taking a glance back at what they read and loved (and didn't love!) over this crazy year. They also look at what our borrowers were borrowing this year, both fiction and non-fiction, and then discuss what they are excited to read in 2021. The duo also announce that in 2021 they want YOU to be a par...

A state lockdown almost prevented a normal recording of this month's very meta episode with Jayne and Paula discussing The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Spoilers, they DON'T agree on this one. Trigger warning: This episode includes brief mentions of suicide. If you'd like to avoid them please skip to 30:50. Neither of the ladies got much else read this month but Paula delivers some intriguing lit...

Jayne and Paula aren't really seeing eye to eye on this month's Booker Prize short listed book, Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi. Paula's keen to share what else she's read and Jayne gives the low down on some of the many, many exciting books that are due out this month! Books they mention: Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins Foe by Iain Reid Untamed by Glennon Doyle Salt Creek by...

In case you haven't heard, we have a series of webinars happening with our library service called Library Through the Lens. Find out more about it and book in here: https://www.marion.sa.gov.au/library-through-the-lens If you miss out or can't make the webinars, we will be recording some sessions and making them available for you here on the podcast! Listen to author Ashley Kalagian Blunt in conve...

Iain Reid's I'm Thinking of Ending Things blew Paula's mind so she insisted she and Jayne feature it for this month's episode. But does Jayne feel the same way? And does the Netflix movie version live up to the book? The ladies dive into this mind bending and divisive book! Books they mention: I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver Too Much Lip by...

On 10 September 2020 we welcomed the public back to the Marion Cultural Centre for our first in person author event since the beginning of the year. We were delighted to host Victoria Purman to discuss her historical fiction novel, The Women's Pages. From the bestselling author of The Land Girls comes a beautifully realised novel that speaks to the true history and real experiences of post-war Aus...

Jayne has some terrific insights into this month's book which, though written in 1994, is surprisingly relevant today. Paula is super excited for next month's scary selection. Books they discuss: The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa 1984 by George Orwell Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Ella Minnow Pea by...

In case you haven't heard, we have a series of webinars happening with our library service called Library Through the Lens. Find out more about it and book in here: https://www.marion.sa.gov.au/library-through-the-lens If you miss out or can't make the webinars, we will be recording some sessions and making them available for you here on the podcast! Listen to debut novelist and winner of the 2019...

Jayne and Paula were not prepared for the enormity of the themes tackled in this month's pick, winner of the 2019 Miles Franklin Award, Too Much Lip. *Trigger warning. Themes of physical and sexual abuse discussed. Please skip to the 30 minute mark if you would rather avoid these topics. What Jayne had last month anticipated as a fun read the ladies find out is a complicated, fast paced, unflinchi...

In case you haven't heard, we have a series of webinars happening with our library service called Library Through the Lens. Find out more about it and book in here: https://www.marion.sa.gov.au/library-through-the-lens If you miss out or can't make the webinars, we will be recording some sessions and making them available for you here on the podcast! Drawing from Katherine's own cross-cultural exp...

This month's book has been described as "Sex in the City" meets "Catch Me If You Can" with Instagram filters. Jayne and Paula could barely wait to record the podcast so they could talk about the unbelievable grifter who is Anna Delvey and her one time BFF who wrote about her in My Friend Anna. Later, they dish about yet two more Trump books due out (one of them they decide they might actually read...

In case you haven't heard, we have a series of webinars happening with our library service called Library Through the Lens. Find out more about it and book in here: https://www.marion.sa.gov.au/library-through-the-lens If you miss out or can't make the webinars, we will be recording some sessions and making them available for you here on the podcast! Join the author who became a global sensation e...

You know Jayne's gotta be happy because this episode is jam packed with historical fiction! Paula breaks her habit of only reading books set in the modern era with not one, not two, but three of her reads this month. Find out how the ladies think the bubonic plague epidemic compares to our current COVID-19 situation when they discuss Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. As always, you'll get the g...

Jayne deems our May pick Bridget Jones's Diary meets Muriel's Wedding and Paula wholeheartedly agrees. Tune in to hear the trials of Maggie Cotton that actually did make the ladies laugh out loud in Adelaide author Rose Hartley's debut novel, Maggie's Going Nowhere. Books they mention: Maggie's Going Nowhere by Rose Hartley Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding Paris or Die by Jayne Tuttle Such...

In case you haven't heard, we have a series of webinars happening with our library service called Library Through the Lens. Find out more about it and book in here: https://www.marion.sa.gov.au/library-through-the-lens If you miss out or can't make the webinars, we will be recording some sessions and making them available for you here on the podcast! Here is award-winning poet, novelist and former...

Our world has turned upside down since last month and we know that every one of us is grappling, trying to adapt to all the changes. Jayne and Paula discuss what it's like to still be working at the library without borrowers! Most libraries are currently closed but don't worry, the ladies highlight a list of options for accessing the library online. Then they jump into this month's selection. TRIG...

Have you read American Dirt? Jayne and Paula decided to find out what all the fuss is about with this book being touted as "defining the migrant experience." They discuss the book, the controversy and more. Books they mention: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins The Crooked Branch by Jeanine Cummins The Help by Kathryn Stockett Wham! George & Me by Andrew Ridgeley G...

There's been lots of controversy in Australia surrounding the inaugural Parliamentary Book Club pick, Dark Emu, or more specifically, about its author, Bruce Pascoe. Jayne and Paula dive into this non-fiction work that challenges the prevailing thoughts about pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians as hunter-gatherers. Links they reference: The Monthly article by Russell Marks: https://www.themonthly....

It's 2020 and Jayne and Paula are starting the year off discussing The Weekend by Charlotte Wood, a stark and honest look at the decades long friendship of four women, now in their seventies, after one of them dies. Jayne also admits to a personality trait that made a certain book appeal and Paula shares a challenge one book set for her that saw her reevaluating her usual thinking. Books they disc...

Welcome to the end of year wrap up show! Jayne and Paula talk about their favourite books of the year, which was their favourite Literary Anything book and what they are excited to read over the holidays. They also countdown the most borrowed books of 2019. Books they discuss: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara Fake by Stephanie Wo...