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The only books you need to read this summer

 

Each week on Mamamia OutLoud we’d give our recommendations of what we had watched/read or listened to that week. But you told us you wanted more. So we came up with three bonus episodes that would give you just that.

When it comes to wanting something decent to read, there are a lot of options.

Magazines. Books. Essays. Long reads. Short stories. Blogs. Poetry, if you’re so inclined. You name it, it’s out there.

But, it can be pretty overwhelming. Do you choose non fiction? Fiction? Staff picks? Can you trust best-sellers? Who CAN you trust for a recommendation?

Enter the Mamamia OutLoud team. Mia Freedman, Monique Bowley and Jamila Rizvi are sharing the best things they’ve read this year, both old and new.

Let’s get started….

Non Fiction – Reckoning by Magda Szubanski

Released in September this year, Magda’s memoir tells the story of her life, intertwined with her father’s experiences as a German resistance fighter in World War Two.

Mia Freedman says: “Most celebrities don’t write memoirs themselves. But Magda was adamant that she wanted to write it. And oh my God, she can write. Forget the twists and turns of her relationship with her father and the fact she came out as a lesbian at 51. The woman can write.”

Long Form Read- Fatal Distraction by Gene Weingarten 

Fatal Distraction is a long form investigative piece that was written and published in The Washington Post in 2009, about parents forgetting their young children in hot cars. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 2010.

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Monique Bowley says: “I read it a few years ago, and it has stuck with me since.  Every summer I think about it. It’s so haunting and beautifully composed and gripping. The whole story hinges on this question: What type of person forgets their child in a car? And the answer is; every kind of person.”

Fiction – Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides


Released in 2002, this coming of age story is based on a family saga that has a major impact on the protagonists life as she realises she is actually a hermaphrodite. 

Jamila Rizvi says: “I will re-read favourite books for comfort occasionally. This year I read Middlesex again. I have decided that it’s the best book I have ever read.  It just made me sit back and look at the mastery with which he writes, and the ability to take his reader on the most fantastic journey.”

Essay – Annabel Crabb’s Quarterly Essay: Stop At Nothing.

Written for the 2009 Quarterly Essay, Crabb’s piece Stop At Nothing chronicles the life and adventures of Malcolm Turnbull. 

Mia Freedman says: “It’s from when he was opposition leader a long time ago. But the essence of Malcolm hasn’t changed and Annabel’s beautiful writing hasn’t changed. I was reminded of it when he was elected Prime Minister, it’s very interesting.”

Listen to the full episode of the podcast to hear a lot more reading recommendations…..

 

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Want MOARRR reading? Why not check out our bookclub podcast here:
https://www.mamamia.com.au/best-summer-reads/
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