The Book Show

What's in a name? Florence Knapp reclaimed her own name for her novel The Names, but before that she had a crafting blog with the moniker "Flossie Teacakes".

As Florence Knapp describes to Claire Nichols, names are intrinsic to how we see ourselves and how others see us. The Names is about a woman's choice of name for her newborn son - should she call him Gordon, Julian or Bear? There are deep questions about what shapes us - nature versus nurture - and the 'what if' sliding door moments. Florence reveals her own sliding door moment when she moved to Australia as a child.

The story also explores the power of the handmade, and if you feel like making something with your hands after reading The Names, look up Flossie Teacakes' Guide to Paper Piercing.

This conversation discusses domestic violence, if you or anyone you need needs assistance call 1800Respect.

This event was recorded at the 2026 Sydney Writers Festival with Florence Knapp via satellite.

The Book Show interview with Florence Knapp

Love Agatha Christie mysteries? Dive into The Book Show's new series The Agatha Christie Murder Club as we solve mysteries about Christie, her books and legacy. Each week you'll have a chance to solve a cryptic puzzle devised by puzzle master, David Astle.

Download a printable Top 100 Australian Books 1-100 ranked.

Relive your favourite moments of the Top 100 Books countdown.

We have reconvened to solve another perplexing case: how does Agatha Christie plot the murder? We break down one of Agatha's most popular books — Murder on the Orient Express — to discover her tricks of the trade and learn about her commitment to the rules of fair play, her creative use of language clues and the closed circle mystery format.

Guest: Comedian and authorBenjamin Stevenson (Australia) is the author of the Christie adjacent novels, including Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect.

David Astle, the ABC's resident puzzle master has devised devious cryptic puzzles inspired by Agatha Christie's books. Each episode he'll provide a new clue and the answer will be the title of one of Agatha Christie's books.

Episode #2 Clue: Crows above estate?

David Astle will be back next time with the answer, and a new mystery for you to solve.

Email thebookshow@abc.net.au if you know the answer to the puzzle.

Find out more about the five-part series here.

We have reconvened to solve another perplexing case: how does Agatha Christie plot the murder? We break down one of Agatha's most popular books — Murder on the Orient Express — to discover her tricks of the trade and learn about her commitment to the rules of fair play, her creative use of language clues and the closed circle mystery format.

Guest: Comedian and authorBenjamin Stevenson (Australia) is the author of the Christie adjacent novels including Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect.

David Astle, the ABC's resident puzzle master has devised devious cryptic puzzles inspired by Agatha Christie's books. Each episode he'll provide a new clue and the answer will be the title of one of Agatha Christie's books.

Episode #2 Clue: Crows above estate?

David Astle will be back next time with the answer, and a new mystery for you to solve.

Email thebookshow@abc.net.au if you know the answer to the puzzle.

Find out more about the five-part series here.

At the first meeting of The Agatha Christie Murder Club we investigate the life of Agatha Christie to find out what led to a lifetime of writing detective fiction. How did her failed ambitions as an opera singer force her to pivot? What really happened when she was the subject of her own missing persons case?

Also, Agatha Christie is officially the best-selling novelist of all time. She was the author of 66 detective novels, 14 short story collections and she wrote The Mousetrap, the world's longest running play. Did she revel in this fame or try to protect her privacy?

Laura Thomspon, author of Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life, helps solve the case.

David Astle, the ABC's resident puzzle master has devised devious cryptic puzzles inspired by Agatha Christie's books. Each episode he'll provide a new clue and the answer will be the title of one of Agatha Christie's books.

Episode #1 Clue: Unsure hint? Delve on the rocks

David Astle will be back next time with the answer, and a new mystery for you to solve.

Email thebookshow@abc.net.au if you know the answer to the puzzle.

Find out more about the five-part series here.

Is there any genre RF Kuang can't master? Her work continually surprises readers and for her latest novel, Taipei Story, she explains why she's shifted gears to tell a quiet story infused with subtle humour.

Taipei Story follows a Chinese American student trying to connect with her heritage while uncovering some confronting family secrets. The novel's origins lie in RF Kuang's own experience of attending an intensive Mandarin course in Taiwan when her grandfather died. As she describes to Claire Nichols, as well as mourning his loss, his death was a profound blow to her search for a meaningful connection with her Chinese heritage and she struggled to find the right language to express her feelings. And she wondered, how much harder it would be for a younger person from the diaspora seeking a link to their heritage?

Listen to Claire's interview with RF Kuang about Katabasis and Yellowface.

Love Agatha Christie mysteries? Dive into The Book Show's new series The Agatha Christie Murder Club as we solve mysteries about Christie, her books and legacy. Each week you'll have a chance to solve a cryptic puzzle devised by puzzle master, David Astle.

Relive your favourite moments of the Top 100 Books countdown. Download a printable Top 100 Australian Books 1-100 ranked and also, the list from 101-200.

You voted, we counted and now we know: Tim Winton's Cloudstreet is our favourite-ever Australian book. In this Top 100 Australian Books afterparty we relive the highs, the lows and the controversies of the countdown.

Claire Nichols and Hilary Harper take a deep dive into conversations from The Book Show with your favourite Top 100 Books authors. Tim Winton reflects on how Cloudstreetsaved him, Markus Zusak shares the stories that made The Book Thief and we hear from other favourites: Melissa Lucashenko on Too Much Lipand Charlotte McConaghy on Wild Dark Shore.

We also dig into the ABC archives for a 1987 interview with Sally Morgan on her seminal memoir, My Place.

Download a printable Top 100 Australian Books 1-100 ranked.

Relive your favourite moments of the weekend countdown.

Tune into our sister show, The Bookshelf, for the ones that got away (and the 101-200 list).

Donateto the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, our Top 100 Australian Books partner.

Top 100 Australian Books: Ranks 1–100

1. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak3. Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton4. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent5. A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey6. Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden7. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams8. The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan9. The Secret River by Kate Grenville10. The Dry by Jane Harper

11. Possum Magic by Mem Fox and Julie Vivas12. Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe13. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta14. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks15. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas16. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy17. Storm Boy by Colin Thiele18. My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin19. Magic Beach by Alison Lester20. Wifedom by Anna Funder

21. My Place by Sally Morgan22. The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book by Maryanne Blacker and Pamela Clark23. Stasiland by Anna Funder24. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay25. Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner26. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay27. The Harp in the South by Ruth Park28. Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth29. The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do30. My Brother Jack by George Johnston

31. Monkey Grip by Helen Garner32. Animalia by Graeme Base33. Breath by Tim Winton34. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion35. Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton36. Limberlost by Robbie Arnott37. I Can Jump Puddles by Alan Marshall38. Joe Cinque's Consolation by Helen Garner39. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty40. Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey

41. Dirt Music by Tim Winton42. The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie by May Gibbs43. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks44. True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey45. All That I Am by Anna Funder46. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough47. Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park48. Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek49. The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer50. Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

51. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman52. Horse by Geraldine Brooks53. Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood54. Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally55. The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay56. The Cook's Companion by Stephanie Alexander57. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland58. The Yield by Tara June Winch59. The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku60. The Man From Snowy River by Banjo Paterson

61. Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko62. Are We There Yet? by Alison Lester63. Question 7 by Richard Flanagan64. Damned Whores and God's Police by Anne Summers65. Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran66. Carpentaria by Alexis Wright67. Voss by Patrick White68. Unreliable Memoirs by Clive James69. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute70. Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley

71. The Tree of Man by Patrick White72. This House of Grief by Helen Garner73. Scrublands by Chris Hammer74. The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes75. The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams76. The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood77. The Broken Shore by Peter Temple78. Power Without Glory by Frank Hardy79. Johnno by David Malouf80. For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus Clarke

81. We of the Never-Never by Aeneas Gunn82. Eucalyptus by Murray Bail83. Wombat Stew by Marcia K Vaughan and Pamela Lofts84. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts85. The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham86. The Lost Man by Jane Harper87. The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein88. Juice by Tim Winton89. Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko90. Puberty Blues by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey

91. Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker92. The Tall Man by Chloe Hooper93. The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead94. The Spare Room by Helen Garner95. The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose96. RecipeTin Eats: Dinner by Nagi Maehashi97. Devotion by Hannah Kent98. The Arrival by Shaun Tan99. The 13-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton100. Round the Twist by Paul Jennings

Before Knives Out, escape rooms and true-crime podcasts, there was Agatha Christie. The 'Queen of Crime' perfected the murder-mystery format and, 50 years after her death, we still can't get enough of her trailblazing take on cosy crime.

Each episode we solve a case together. What made her mysteries so propulsive? What happened when she was the star of her own missing-persons case? And would The Thursday Murder Club, or Only Murders in the Building exist, without Agatha Christie?

Plus, each episode we'll put your little grey cells to work with a cryptic puzzle brought to you by David Astle, the ABC's resident Puzzle Master.

The surprising Australian links in Min Jin Lee's latest novel American Hagwon. And Bonnie Garmus stresses the importance of poetry in Peck and Peck, the follow up to Lessons in Chemistry.

Why did it take ten years to write American Hagwon, the third novel exploring the Korean diaspora after Pachinko? Find out as Korean American author Min Jin Lee describes to Claire Nichols the ideas behind this family saga set just after the Asian financial crisis. The novel which centres on the sacrifices parents make to educate their children, but is also about expectations, class, migration and ultimately a celebration of family unity. While tackling the endemic Korean private cram academies called Hagwon, the story takes us to Korea, Sydney and California. And as a regular visitor to these shores, Min Jin Lee has some interesting conclusions about Australia's education and health systems.

And while Bonnie Garmus tells Claire Nichols the themes in her latest novel are very different from Lessons in Chemistry, the idea for Peck and Peck also came to her after a bad day at work. This time though it was a poem on the radio that sparked a story about a young man with an ear for identifying good poetry. And the complexities of twins.

Conservative politician and bestselling author, Jeffrey Archer has died at 86. In one of the final interviews of his life, he recounts how his changing financial, personal and political fortunes propelled his writing career.

Jeffery Archer's own life story was just as colourful as those in the pages of his books. He was a British MP until he went bankrupt, then in 1976 he published the novel Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Lesswhich began his 50 year career as a novelist. He was made a British Lord, worked for Margaret Thatcher and went to jail for perjury.

With his days in politics long behind him, Jeffrey Archer was in a reflective mood for this interview. He told Claire Nichols that his new novel, Adam and Eve, was the best thing he'd written and it would be his last.

Why Shaun Micallef's latest novel DeAth Takes a Holiday features a cast of gothic characters including a vampire suffering from ennui, zombie slaves and the resurrection of the skeletal remains of Queen Victoria's husband.

What happens when you have to step in to a gig at the last minute? With almost zero preparation Claire Nichols had to draw on all her skills to fill in as host at the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival. But with a guest like comedian, author, TV presenter Shaun Micallef perhaps even the most rigorous research can never prepare you for what's about to unfold. Thank goodness Claire had actually read and interviewed him about his new book DeAth Takes a Holiday, a unique perspective on the Gothic romance horror where the harbinger of Dracula attempts mortality. You can hear that interview here. From his hilarious description of the font used, to the inspiration for the book; the 19th century satirical utopian novel Erewhon, Shaun pokes affectionate fun at the format of books, reprises his favourite historical figures and ponders more serious questions about the current state of the world. And is that Trump making an appearance?

Geraldine Brooks explains how she stumbled across the story that inspired her 17th century plague novel, Year of Wonders and Zoe Foster Blake channels her favourite getaways and strong female friendships in her latest novel Group Chat.

For Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books vote, Geraldine Brookstakes Claire Nichols back to the beginnings of her beloved debut Year of Wonders and reflects on whether it's an Australian novel despite being set in 17th century England. Now, 25 years after publication, Geraldine is amused by how she depicted horses in the novel (she's now a keen horserider), but she's still proud of it and offers wise words about the importance of accepting our younger selves.

Will you be voting for Year of Wonders? Vote now in ABC Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books.

Zoe Foster Blake describes to Claire Nichols how holidays in her favourite Greek island of Mykonos and her enduring friendships with women over decades inspired her latest novel. Group Chat is about five women in their forties who gather for a week of extravagance to support a girlfriend who's discovered her husband is cheating. As they dance till dawn, sip cocktails at beach bars or on luxury yachts, the women also question their own suburban lives and ask themselves, is that all there is?

We want to know what you think of Radio National's book podcasts (The Book Show and The Bookshelf). Help us understand what's working, what's not, and how we can make our book programs even more useful, relevant and unmissable. Please take this quick survey.

Kim Scott was so disturbed by how Noongar people were depicted in the Western Australian archive that he wrote Benang: From the Heart. Plus Kate Grenville explains the origins of her latest genre-bending book and how The Secret River became a novel.

In 2000, Kim Scott's Benang won the Miles Franklin Literary Award making him the first Indigenous author to win the prestigious prize (shared with Drylands by Thea Astley). In this special interview for Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books vote, he tells Claire Nichols why he wrote Benang as a reckoning with his own Noongar identity. Kim shares the rage he felt reading the work of A.O. Neville, the notorious WA "Chief Protector of Aborigines" and his reaction to the photos of Indigenous people used throughout Neville's racist manifesto "Australia's Coloured Minority".

Will you be voting for Benang: From the Heart? Vote now in ABC Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books.

Kate Grenville is the author of many books that explore Australian history including her celebrated novel, The Secret River. Her latest The Country Schoolmaster: A Mystery in 88 Letters is a genre-bending exploration of the archive and asks where does truth lie? Kate also tells Claire about how The Secret River began its life and why the book is still special to her.

Kate Grenville is a regular guest on The Book Show and you can listento Kate and Claire discuss the novel A Room Made of Leaves, a fictionalised account of the life of Elizabeth Macarthur. Or listento Kate discussing her novel Restless Dolly Maunder.

We want to know what you think of Radio National's book podcasts (The Book Show and The Bookshelf). Help us understand what's working, what's not, and how we can make our book programs even more useful, relevant and unmissable. Please take this quick survey.

Tim Winton explains why his beloved Cloudstreet is not a nostalgic novel, while Holly Ringland admits she was "nostalgia sick" for the 1990s while writing The World Beneath Her Feet.

Cloudstreetfollows the Lamb and Pickles families, who live under the same roof but move in very different circles. Loosely based on the two sides of Tim Winton's family, the novel's distinctive vernacular grew from the stories he heard as a child. In this interview for Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books, Tim tells Claire Nichols why the book's enduring popularity remains a mystery to him more than 30 years after its publication. Ahead of the release of his memoir, Songs from the Firefront, Tim also shares some of the true stories that feature in this classic including the heartbreaking story of his grandmother.

Will you be voting for Cloudstreet? Vote now in ABC Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books.

Holly Ringland's debut The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart was voted into the inauguralTop 100 Books in 2025 and now she's published her third novel The World Beneath Her Feet.It's about the troubled past of a gemstone expert growing up in the 1990s which is significant to Holly as the last time teenagers grew up unrecorded without social media and a camera in their pocket

Listen to Claire's interview with Holly about her second novel The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding.

We want to know what you think of Radio National's book podcasts (The Book Show and The Bookshelf). Help us understand what's working, what's not, and how we can make our book programs even more useful, relevant and unmissable. Please take this quick survey.

Helen Garner finds it painful to think back to the time when she wrote her autobiographical novel, Monkey Grip, about a young mum and her love affair with a heroin addict.

Monkey Grip was published in 1977 and was famously inspired by her own life in 1970s inner-city Melbourne. It recounts the turmoil of living in share houses and being in love but also revels in the joys of bike riding and swimming at the local Fitzroy pool. In this special conversation with Claire Nichols for ABC Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books vote, Helen reflects on the criticism the book received at the time and why writing a diary (that others want to read) is an exercise in craft.

Will you be voting for Monkey Grip? Vote now in ABC Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books.

Jordan Prosser's second novel Blue Giant is an unlikely reading companion for Monkey Grip; it's also about young people living in an inner city Melbourne share house, but this book is about millennial ennui and moving to Mars. Listen to Claire's interview with Jordan about his debut novel Big Time here(it's the third interview).

We want to know what you think of Radio National's book podcasts (The Book Show and The Bookshelf). Help us understand what's working, what's not, and how we can make our book programs even more useful, relevant and unmissable. Please take this quick survey.

Omar Musa, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Nadine Garner share the Australian books that shaped their reading life. Find out what they want to do with problematic classics like My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin.

The event was recorded with The Book Show's Sarah L'Estrange at Melbourne Writers Festivalfor ABC Radio National's Top 100 Australian Booksvote which is now open.

In the Top 100 Australian Books you can choose any ten Australian titles from fiction to non-fiction, kids books to cookbooks, history, biography or memoir.

Be part of the countdown and cast your vote for your favourite Australian books here.

Tune in to ABC Radio National for the countdown weekend: Saturday, 17 and Sunday, 18 October.

Guests:

Maxine Beneba Clarke is a poet, a children's book author and illustrator. She's also the author of the memoir The Hate Race and an award winning book of short stories, Foreign Soil. Her latest book is Beautiful Changelings.

Nadine Garner has been on our screens since the 1980s and The Henderson Kids. She's also starred in The Doctor Blake Mysteries, won Best Actress at the 1988 Australian Film Institute Awards and appeared in many TV roles and on the stage.

Omar Musa is a visual artist, poet, spoken word performer, playwright, novelist, short story writer and rapper. He's the author of two novels, Here Come the Dogs and his latest Fierceland won the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award. Listen to his interview on The Book Show with Claire Nichols here.

Books discussed

Omar Musa's favourites:

The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay

The Monster that Ate Canberra by Michael Salmon

Tiddalick the Frog Who Caused a Flood by Robert Roennfeldt

Strange Objects by Gary Crew

Obernewtyn by Isabelle Carmody

Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden

Kim Scott's True Country

The Boat by Nam Le

The Year of Living Dangerously by Christopher Koch

Shadow boxing by Tony Birch

The Monkey's Mask by Dorothy Porter

Nadine Garner's favourites:

Playing Beatty Bow by Ruth Park

Unpolished Gem by Alice Pung

My Place by Sally Morgan

Dear Sun: The Letters Of Joy Hester And Sunday Reed edited by Janine Burke

Burial Rights by Hannah Kent

Mullaway by Bron Nicolls

Power Without Glory by Frank

The Women of Little Lon: Sex Workers in Nineteenth-century Melbourne by Barbara Minchinton

Maxine Beneba Clarke's favourites:

Tram to Bondi Beach by Libby Hathorn, illustrated by Julie Vivas

Possum Magic by Mem Fox, illustrated by Julie Vivas

Hating Alison Ashley by Robin Klein

My Place by Sally Morgan

Does My Head Look Big in This by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

Swallow the Air by Tara June Winch

Rock Flight by Hasib Hourani

Chinese Fish by Grace Yee

Praise by Andrew McGahan

Loaded by Christos Tsiolkas

Candy by Luke Davies

He Died with a Felafel in his Hand by John Birmingham

Unpolished Gem by Alice Pung

We want to know what you think of Radio National's book podcasts (The Book Show and The Bookshelf). Help us understand what's working, what's not, and how we can make our book programs even more useful, relevant and unmissable. Please take this quick survey.

Liane Moriarty reveals why she finally wrote the Big Little Lies sequel after being very resistant. And Garth Nix combines mystery with science fiction in his latest novel, Massif.

After the success of the Big Little Lies TV adaptation starring Reece Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, Liane Moriarty brings the story back home to Sydney with the sequel Big Little Truths. Set ten years after the events of the first novel, it's the same group of school mums but the focus has shifted from primary to high school...and there's a severed finger. Liane tells Claire's about the challenges of writing a sequel set in Australia, after the TV sequel was set in America and starred Meryl Streep.

Science fiction fans will gobble up Garth Nix's latest novel which features giant sentient mountain ranges travelling through space. While the Australian writer is known for his fantasy novels for young adults (The Old Kingdom series), he's just published his first science fiction novel for adults. Massifis about soldiers who travel on these mountain ranges to fight rolling wars between Earth and Mars. Garth tells Claire how his years in the Army Reserve shaped the book and why the characters drink so much tea.

Tell us what you think of Radio National's book podcasts (The Book Show and The Bookshelf). Take this quick survey.

Indian author Vikas Swarup explains the key to his success with Slumdog Millionaire; he believes his new book has a winning premise too. Plus venture capitalist turned novelist Jessy Wu's Good Intentions.

Former Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's debut novel Q&A was a hit with with readers around the world and was adapted into the blockbuster film Slumdog Millionaire. His fourth novel, The Girl With the Seven Lives, opens with a gun pressed to a woman's head as she recounts a tumultuous life marked by changing identities, slums, scams, and revenge. Describing the book as "Slumdog Millionaire meets Scheherazade," Swarup explains why he is drawn to attention-grabbing story premises. Speaking with Claire Nichols, he also discusses his belief that novels can help us better understand ourselves.

Claire mentioned she's interviewed three former diplomats on The Book Show this year. In addition to Vikas Swarup, the other two are Ian Kemish about Two Islands and Miles Franklin shortlisted author Konrad Mullerabout My Heart at Evening.

From venture capitalist to novelist, Jessy Wu explains why writing fiction feels like coming home. Her debut novel Good Intentionsintroduces us to idealistic student journalists Nadia and Jake. When we meet them a decade later the reality of grown-up life, love and business has made things a lot more complicated. Jessy also demystifies the world of venture capital and how this novel allowed her to reconnect with her true calling of being a writer.

In Sophie, Standing There bestselling author Meg Mason channels the good and bad of writers' festivals and author fandom. Plus, Bobuq Sayed's journey from Afghanistan to the US via Perth; their novel No God But Us is about two gay men in Istanbul and their dreams of a better life.

Meg Mason's third novel Sophie, Standing There is an exploration of a lonely book lover who develops an obsession with a superstar author. Meg tells Claire Nichols about her own experience of fandom (from both sides) and explains her connection to Janet Frame's Owls Do Cry and the solace it provided in her own times of loneliness.

You can listen to Meg Mason's interview on The Book Show about her previous bestselling novel Sorrow and Bliss here.

Australian raised and US based Bobuq Sayed reflects on their life as an Afghan migrant and how travel helped them embrace their cultural background. Their debut novel No God But Us is about two queer Afghan men who find themselves isolated and looking for connection in Istanbul at a time when the number of refugees seeking asylum in Europe from countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan has intensified.

Both authors share the solace of reading in difficult times.

Discover why the forests sing in Fierceland, Omar Musa'sMiles Franklin Literary Award winning novel.

Poet, visual artist, hip-hop musician and author Omar Musa finds magic in Italian beads, vengeful ghosts and the sound of the Borneo forest in his award winning novel, Fierceland. The Miles Franklin judges described Fierceland as "a psychologically layered and storied reckoning with the world we have inherited."

In this bonus episode Claire Nichols congratulates Omar and revisits her earlier conversation with him about the writing of Fierceland. Omar explains the family connection to this story of palm oil, deforestation and language.

Omar's latest book is The Vape Lord of Queanbeyan.

He will also be a guest at the London Literature Festival curated by the pop star Dua Lipa.

Why American author Dave Eggers' new novel Contrapposto has taken over 20 years to write. Plus Australian writer Maria Takolander explains the link between Elon Musk, her son and her novel The End of Romance.

Firstly, Dave Eggersis the celebrated author of the memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and his many novels, including The Circle and You Shall Know Our Velocity! There are also children's books and he's the founder of the publishing house and literary journal McSweeney's. But did you know that he's also an artist? His novel Contrapposto is about two friends in the American Midwest with big artistic dreams and what it takes to realise their ambitions. The book includes a number of nude illustrations and Eggers tells Claire Nichols why he wants to maintain the mystery about who created them.

Then, Australian poet Maria Takolanderexplains how Elon Musk's plans for the Moon and Mars fuelled her debut novel The End of Romance. It's a haunting dystopian novel set in a future world, where a mother and son struggle to survive in an abandoned house amid societal collapse.