The Book Show

Philip Pullman's 30 year enchantment with his heroine Lyra Belacqua and His Dark Materials continues with The Rose Field. And Zoe Terakes takes a queer view of the Ancient Greek myths in Eros.Northern Lights, the first book in Philip Pullman's beloved fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials, was published in 1995 and the series has gone on to define him. His new book is the latest in a companion trilogy he started in 2017, The Book of Dust. The last instalment, The Rose Field, has been billed as the final adventure for his heroine Lyra Belacqua. Philip also tells Claire about his time in Woomera, SA, in the 1950s and whether he'll be able to step away from Lyra's story.Australian actor-turned author Zoe Terakes (Wentworth, Talk to Me, Marvel) takes a fresh look at Greek myths in their first book of short stories, Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers, and brings the queer and trans undertones of these stories into the spotlight.

From Sydney Writers Festival, two bestselling writers, David Nicholls and Liane Moriarty, reveal what it's like to see their stories go from the page to the screen.The British writer David Nicholls is best known for his novel One Day, which has been adapted to film and to television. While Australia's Liane Moriarty has seen every one of her books optioned for the screen and hit the big time with the starry TV adaptation of her novel Big Little Lies.David and Liane also discuss their latest novels, You Are Here and Here One Moment.First broadcast 26 May 2025Presenter: Claire NicholsProducer: Sarah L'EstrangeSound engineer: Carey Dell and David Le MayExecutive producer: Rhiannon Brown

God of Small Things author Arundhati Roy on her monstrous mother and becoming a writer, Colum McCann dives into the digital age with Twist and Penobscot Indian Nation writer Morgan Talty on his story of family bonds, Fire Exit.Arundhati Roy is a giant of literature. She's published two novels, including the Booker Prize-winning The God of Small Things and is a prolific author of non-fiction, much of which confronts injustice in her home country of India. Her latest book is a memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me, which examines her complicated relationship with her mother, Mary Roy. Mary was a trailblazer in education and in fighting for equality for women but as a mum, she could be cruel and even violent. She died in 2022, and in the book, Arundhati Roy writes, "perhaps more than a daughter mourning the passing of her mother, I mourn her as a writer who has lost her most enthralling subject."  In his latest book Twist, New York-based Irish writer Colum McCann (Let the Great World Spin, Apeirogon) dives into the digital age, travelling deep under the ocean into a tangled world of ruptured fibrous connections, its human cost, and repair. Penobscot Indian Nation writer Morgan Talty's Fire Exit is a story of family bonds that go beyond bloodlines. Charles is a white man who must not only confront his past but decide whether to reveal his identity to the daughter he watches from across the river that borders the Native American Reservation of the Penobscot people. A compassionate account of family, love and connections, it also explores the complications that may arise from truth-telling.Presenter: Claire NicholsProducer: Sarah L'EstrangeSound engineer: Carey Dell and David Le MayExecutive producer: Rhiannon Brown

British author Samantha Harvey joined Claire Nichols at the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival for a revelatory conversation about dreams, insomnia and publishing a book she didn't expect to write.Her 2024 Booker Prize winning novel, Orbital can be described as a "space pastoral" and it's about six astronauts on the International Space Station contemplating the wonder and beauty of the earth.  First broadcast 9 June 2025.Presenter: Claire NicholsProducer: Sarah L'EstrangeSound engineer: Carey Dell and David Le MayExecutive producer: Rhiannon Brown

Irish writer Marian Keyes joined Claire Nichols at the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival and they spoke about how Marian became a writer when she was in the depths of despair. Marian also acknowledged the wisdom she's gained in a sometimes tumultuous life.  Marian's 16th novel, My Favourite Mistake (Penguin), is another story about one of her beloved Walsh sisters, a family she's been writing about for 30 years.First broadcast 11 May 2025Presenter: Claire NicholsProducer: Sarah L'EstrangeSound engineer: Carey Dell and David Le MayExecutive producer: Rhiannon Brown