Melbourne Library Service’s Comments (group member since Oct 09, 2014)

Melbourne Library Service’s comments from the Melbourne Library Service group.

Peggy Frew, author and musician, reveals her Desert Island Books in conversation with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the podcast on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Peggy's Desert Island Books

1. The Mint Lawn by Gillian Mears
2. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
3. The Children's Bach by Helen Garner

Peggy mentioned what she's currently reading, and the audiobooks that have kept her company on drives with her family:

Beloved by Toni Morrison
Late in the Day by Tessa Hadley
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman (audiobook)
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar by Roald Dahl (audiobook)


Is there a Helen Garner you haven't read yet? Do you listen to audiobooks on road trips? -Natalie

Melanie Cheng, author and GP, reveals her Desert Island Books in conversation with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the podcast on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Melanie's Desert Island Books

1. My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin
2. The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan
3. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

Melanie mentioned a film and a few books while we were chatting.

- The Farewell (film)
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
Lanny by Max Porter
Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
Here Come the Dogs by Omar Musa


Did your parents recommend books to you when you were growing up? -Natalie

Ellen van Neerven, writer of poetry and fiction, revealed their Desert Island Books in a new podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the podcast on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Ellen's Desert Island Books

1. The White Girl by Tony Birch
2. Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown
3. Under Glass by Gregory Kan

Ellen mentioned they're currently reading You Know You Want This by Kristen Roupenian.

Do you have a favourite Tony Birch book? Do you read poetry aloud to yourself? -Natalie

Santilla Chingaipe, journalist and filmmaker, revealed her Desert Island Books in a new podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the podcast on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Santilla's Desert Island Books

1. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
2. Open City by Teju Cole
3. The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell

Santilla mentioned a few other books in the course of our conversation:
Mine Boy by Peter Abrahams
An Image of Africa by Chinua Achebe
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Zambian “Afronaut” Who Wanted to Join the Space Race by Namwali Serpell
Known and Strange Things: Essays by Teju Cole

Have you read books set in different countries in Africa? Do you read 600-page books? How do you feel about 'sci-fi' as a genre? Drawn to it, curious about it, or avoid it? -Natalie

David Astle, crossword maker, revealed his Desert Island Books in a new podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the podcast on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


David's Desert Island Books

1. Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes
2. Bridge on the River Drina by Ivo Andric
3. Draw Your Weapons by Sarah Sentillies

David mentioned a few other books in the course of our conversation:
Out of Sheer Rage by Geoff Dyer
Peter Handke, Austrian novelist
Ten Million Aliens by Simon Barnes
A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit
Net Loss by Sebastian Smee, Quarterly Essay 72, November 2018
Australia Fair by Rebecca Huntley, Quarterly Essay 73, March 2019



Read any of David's favourite books? Or his recent reads? Or did you lose a spelling bee in Primary School and still remember when and why and who beat you? - Natalie

George wrote: "just popping in to say this caused me to read Bluets & i loved it, thanks!"

Sophie will be pleased to know this! Thanks for getting in touch, George. Have you read any of Sophie's other choices? -Natalie

Ah, I love that you called it a Sedaris moment! I think we've all had one of those. Glad you enjoyed the podcast. Happy reading Claire's recommendations! Which one will you start with? -Natalie

Carly Findlay, appearance activist, speaker and author of Say Hello, revealed her Desert Island Books in a new podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the podcast on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Carly's Desert Island Books

1. George's Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl
2. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
3. Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales

Carly also talked about what she's been reading:

Just for Clicks by Kara McDowell
Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi

Did you grow up reading Roald Dahl, and did you find his books dark and disturbing? Or gleefully wicked? Did you fall for Eleanor too? And have you had Leigh Sales read her book to you? It's a real treat! - Natalie

Nevo Zisin, non-binary activist, speaker and author, revealed their Desert Island Books in a new podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the podcast on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Nevo's Desert Island Books

1. Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin & Ezekiel Kwaymullina
2. The Mere Wife by MAria Dahvana Headley
3. Tomboy Survival Guide by Ivan Coyote

Nevo talked about a few other books in the course of our conversation:

Highway Bodies by Alison Evans
Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown

Do you read YA books? Or do you assume they're not for you? How important is representation in fiction to you? - Natalie

Sophie Cunningham, author, revealed her Desert Island Books in a new podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the podcast on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Sophie's Desert Island Books

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
2. The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
3. The Overstory by Richard Powers

Sophie mentioned a few other books in the course of our conversation:

Bluets by Maggie Nelson
The Red Parts by Maggie Nelson
Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Normal People by Sally Rooney

Natalie mentioned:
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
Becoming by Michelle Obama

Did we spoil Jane Eyre for you, or have you read it countless times like us? Thoughts about Maggie Nelson's writing style? How do you feel about trees? - Natalie

Virginia Trioli, Walkley Award winning journalist and anchor of ABC TV's News Breakfast, revealed her Desert Island Books in a new podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the podcast on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Virginia's Desert Island Books

1. The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown
2. Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellmann
3. The Master by Colm Toibin
4. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
5. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Virginia mentioned a few other books in the course of our conversation:

The Arsonist by Chloe Hooper
Washington Square by Henry James
The Line of Beauty by Alan Holinghurst
The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin


How many of these have you read? Did Virginia convince you to read any of them? -Natalie

Claire Hooper, comedian and co-host of The Great Australian Bake Off, revealed her Desert Island Books in a new podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the episode on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Claire's Desert Island Books

1. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
2. Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
3. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Claire had a full list of books she has loved recently, and what's next on her reading pile:

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Our Souls At Night by Kent Haruf
The Dry by Jane Harper
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman


Claire asked Natalie what she was reading:

The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie


Do you gift books and then request to borrow them immediately? Do you read on planes? -Natalie

Kate Torney, CEO of the State Library Victoria, revealed her Desert Island Books in a new podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the episode on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Kate's Desert Island Books

1. Tree of Man by Patrick White
2. Melbourne by Sophie Cunningham
3. Old Tom by Leigh Hobbs

Kate delighted in sharing what she's been reading, and listening to, and here's the full list:

Books:
The Rip / Mark Brandi (available February 2019)
On J. M. Coetzee: Writers on Writers / Ceridwen Dovey
Any Ordinary Day / Leigh Sales
You daughters of freedom: the Australians who won the vote and inspired the world / Clare Wright
Mine / Susi Fox
Follow the leader: democracy and the rise of the strongman / Laura Tingle

Audiobooks:
The Driver's Seat / Muriel Spark
The only story / Julian Barnes

Natalie's audiobook suggestion for Kate:
Reckoning : a memoir / Magda Szubanski, read by Magda herself


Were you forced to study Patrick White at school? Are you in love with Melbourne? Have fond memories of Old Tom? What library books did you borrow every time you visited the library as a child? -Natalie

Sarah Bailey revealed her Desert Island Books in a new podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the episode on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Sarah's Desert Island Books

1. Tully by Paullina Simons
2. In the Woods by Tana French
3. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

In chatting more about books with Sarah, we named lots more books and some TV shows and they are listed below:

The Wolf Hour by Sarah Miles
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
TV show Broadchurch
TV show The Wire
Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
Normal People by Sally Rooney
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Virgin Suicides & Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Have you caught the Sally Rooney fever? Read Conversations with Friends? Agree with Sarah or me on that book? Would love to know! -Natalie

Benjamin Law revealed his Desert Island Books in a new podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the episode on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Benjamin's Desert Island Books

1. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
2. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
3. Dying, A Memoir by Cory Taylor


In chatting more about books with Benjamin, he mentioned a number of extra books as listed below...

The Hours by Michael Cunningham
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Arrival (film)


Benjamin convinced me to watch the film Arrival, and to watch it before I read the short story that the film was based on. I always do that the other way around; read the book first. But Benjamin was so convincing! How about you? Have you seen Arrival? Or read the Ted Chiang story it's based on? -Natalie

Beverley Wang revealed her Desert Island Books in a podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the episode on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Beverley's Desert Island Books

1. Anne of Green Gables by L.M.Montgomery
2. Nothing to Envy: Love, life and death in North Korea by Barbara Demick
3. The Hate Race by Maxine Beneba Clarke

In chatting more about books with Beverley, she mentioned these titles...

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea's Elite by Suki Kim
Foreign Soil by Maxine Beneba Clarke
The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Did you grow up reading Anne of Green Gables? Did you want to be Anne? Or be friends with Anne? Did you see yourself in the Anne books? What was the first book you saw yourself in? Please share! -Natalie

Oslo Davis revealed his Desert Island Books in a podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the episode on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Oslo's Desert Island Books

1. Flann O’Brien’s The Third Policeman
2. Ben Katchor’s Hand Drying In America
3. Barry Blitt, Blitt

In chatting more about books with Oslo's, he mentioned these titles...

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge
Outline, Transit and Kudos, three novels in a trilogy by Rachel Cusk
The Visiting Privilege: New and Collected Stories by Joy Williams
Ecstatic Cahoots: Fifty Short Stories by Stuart Dybek
Room to Dream by David Lynch and Kristine McKenna

I loved flicking through the Barry Blitt book and recognising lots of the illustrations from having seen them in the New Yorker magazine. Are they familiar to you too? -Natalie

Michael Williams revealed his Desert Island Books in a podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the episode on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Michael's Desert Island Books

1. Bel Canto / Ann Patchett
2. Sailing Alone Around The Room / Billy Collins
3. True Stories / Helen Garner

In chatting more about Michael's reading habits, he lists some other recommended books...

What I Loved / Siri Hustvedt
Goodnight, Sleep Tight / Mem Fox
Beautiful Animals / Lawrence Osborne

After recording this episode, I rushed into the library and borrowed Bel Canto, and it exceeded even Michael's praise. What an exquisite novel. Have you read it? Or any other of Michael's choices? –Natalie

Robyn Annear revealed her Desert Island Books in a podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the episode on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Robyn's Desert Island Books

1. Of Maidens and Youths / Robert Louis Stevenson
2. The Fields Beneath / Gillian Tindall
3. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men / James Agee & Walker Evans

In chatting more about Robyn's reading habits, she reveals she's currently reading the new Mary Shelley biography called simply Mary Shelley by Miranda Seymour.

Have you read any of Robyn's favourites? –Natalie

Jane Harper revealed her Desert Island Books in a podcast with librarian and host, Natalie Mason.

You can listen to the episode on our SoundCloud page, iTunes, or your favourite podcasting app. Best to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!


Jane’s Desert Island Books

1. Gone Girl / Gillian Flynn
2. Killing Floor / Lee Child
3. The Witches / Roald Dahl

In chatting more about Jane’s reading habits, she recommended a few extras to me.

The Power / Naomi Alderman
The Woman in the Window / AJ Finn


It was a real delight to chat to Jane about her reading habits.

Have you read any of Jane’s favourites? Are you also addicted to Lee Child like I suddenly am? –Natalie