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Anna and Annie discuss the man arrested for stealing manuscripts and whether new AI technology ChatGPT can write novels.  Our book of the week is Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. Set in 1970s Belfast during the Troubles, it tells the story of a young Catholic woman and her affair with a married Protestant man. Described as "brilliant, beautiful, heartbreaking" (New York Times) and named a Best Book of the Year by the Washington Post, we loved this book. Louise Kennedy will be at Adelaide Writers' Week in March.  We can't wait! Also mentioned: Scriptnotes podcast In Suspense podcast AlphaGo documentary Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras Facebook: Books On The Go Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf and Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka in our Keep or Cull segment. Our book of the week is The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov translated by Michael Glenny. We have been meaning to read this Russian classic for ages.  A surreal, absurdist satire, it features Satan, Pontius Pilate, a poet and a talking cat.  Not what we were expecting!  We'll be back in a few weeks. Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Facebook: Books On The Go Litsy: @abailliekaras Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna, Annie and Amanda discuss our best books of 2022. Our favourite reads were: The Comfort Book by Matt Haig Border by Kapka Kassabova Devotion by Hannah Kent Love Marriage by Monica Ali Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin The Hummingbird by Sandro Veronesi translated by Elena Pala The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide translated by Eric Selland Limberlost by Robbie Arnott Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras , @mr_annie , @vibrant_lives_podcast Email: Books On The Go Facebook: Books On The Go Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss how BookTok is helping young people discover a passion for reading. Our holiday reading recommendations are: Willowman by Inge Simpson The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn Better the Blood by Michael Bennett The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margo by Marianne Cronin Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee The Palace Papers by Tina Brown The Master: The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer by Christopher Clary Coming up: Our Best Books of 2022 Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Facebook: Books On The Go Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz              

Anna and Amanda discuss book shopping on TikTok.  Our book of the week is Crossroads by award-winning author Jonathan Franzen.  This is a family drama set in 1971 American suburbia and is the first in a trilogy.  It was an instant New York Times best-seller, a Guardian Best Fiction Book of 2021 and has been described as 'a Middlemarch-like triumph' (The Telegraph).  Coming up: our Holiday Reading Recomendations and TBR. Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @vibrant_lives_podcast Facebook: Books On The Go Twitter: @abailliekaras Litsy: @abailliekaras Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Amanda discuss the National Book Award winner for fiction, The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty. Our book of the week is The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell, the follow-up novel to her hugely successful Hamnet. It's set in the Italian Renaissance and follows Lucrezia de'Medici and her marriage aged 15 to the Duke of Ferrara.  All the ingredients for a great read, we had high expectations for this one! Coming up: Crossroads by Jonanthan Franzen and our Holiday Reading recommendations and TBR! Follow us: Instagram: @abailliekaras and @vibrant_lives_podcast Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Facebook: Books On The Go Twitter: @abailliekaras  Litsy: @abailliekaras Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the court blocking the acquisition by Penguin Random House of Simon & Schuster. Our book of the week is The Trees by Percival Everett. This novel set in Money, Mississippi starts with a brutal murder which detectives Ed and Jim struggle to solve.  Satirical with absurdist elements and a whodunnit, but confronting racism and lynching in America, it has been described as a 'gory pulp revenge fantasy' (Bookforum) and 'explosive in every way' (Dua Lipa). It was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize. Coming up: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Facebook: Books On The Go Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the Readings Prize winner, Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au. Our book of the week is Real Bad Things by Kelly J. Ford.  Set around the Arkansas River, this is a suspense thriller about Jane, who returns to her home town to face up to a murder that was committed years before. Described as Southern noir or Grit Lit, this was an Amazon Best Book of the Month and is recommended for Ozark fans. Coming up: The Trees by Percival Everett. Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Facebook: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the Booker Prize winner, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. In Keep or Cull, Anna culls Mrs March by Virginia Feito and Annie keeps Seeing Other People by Diana Reid. Our books of the week are Sweet Danger and Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham, one of the queens of classic crime. Both books feature gentleman sleuth Albert Campion. Described as 'addictive as cocaine' (Independent), Agatha Christie said 'Margery Allingham stands out like a shining light.'   Coming up: Real Bad Things by Kelly J Ford and The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Facebook: Books On The Go Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the latest book sales and our theories on TikTok or #BookTok .  We also preview our new segment Keep or Cull, as we will be reading from our ever-growing TBR shelf! Our book of the week is Limberlost by award-winning author Robbie Arnott.  It's a coming-of-age story about Ned, who lives on an apple farm in Tasmania and spends the summer of 1944 hunting rabbits while his brothers are at war.  Annie loved this and has tipped it for the Miles Franklin already. Coming up: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Facebook: Books On The Go Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the death of Hilary Mantel and the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Annie Ernaux. Our books of the week are Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer and After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz, both long-listed for the 2022 Booker Prize.  We also discuss the Booker Prize Shortlist and our winner predictions. Coming up: Limberlost by Robbie Arnott Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz  

Anna and Amanda discuss our favourite small books. Our book of the week is Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au, the inaugural winner of the Novel Prize. This inspired us to talk about other short novels that we have loved: Guest Cat by Tikashi Hiraide translated by Eric Selland Ikigai by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles Japonisme: The Art of Finding Contentment by Erin Niimi Longhurst Summerwater by Sarah Moss  A Chess Story by Stefan Zweig translated by Alexander Starritt. Coming up: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell  Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @vibrant_lives_podcast Facebook: Books On The Go Twitter: @abailliekaras Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the 2022 Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction shortlist. Our book of the week is Bodies of Light by award-winning author Jennifer Down. This novel explores survival against the odds and is wonderfully engaging despite the subject-matter. Winner of the 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award.  Coming up: Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au and small books. Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Facebook: Books On The Go Litsy: @abailliekaras Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the death of Queen Elizabeth II and recommend these books: An Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett The Queen by Ben Pimlott The Palace Papers by Tina Brown Our book of the week is Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra. This New York Times Bestseller is set in Mussolini's Italy and 1940s Hollywood.  Described as 'a wonderful novel' (Sunday Times), 'epically entertaining' (San Fancisco Chronicle) and 'A gorgeous book ... sublime' (New York Times). We agree! Coming up: Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au and our small book recommendations. Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Facebook: Books On The Go Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss their predictions for the 2022 Booker Prize Shortlist. Our book of the week is Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley.  This novel about a young woman in Oakland has been described as 'an electrifying debut' (Dave Eggers). It is a New York Times Bestseller, an Oprah Book Club pick and is longlisted for the Booker Prize. We think it more than lives up to the hype! Coming up: Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down and Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra. Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Facebook: Books on the Go Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss literary scandals and the attack on Salman Rushdie.  Sales of his book The Satanic Verses have surged since the attack. Our book of the week is Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.  A short novel set in Ireland in 1985, it tells the story of Bill Furlong and his moral dilemma when he sees wrongdoing by the church.  Winner of the Orwell Prize for Politcal Fiction 2022 and longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize.  We loved this one! Coming up: Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down Follow us! Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Facebook: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz  

Anna and Annie discuss the mystery surrounding a killing in Zambia and Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing. Our book of the week is Violets by Kyung-Sook Shin translated by Anton Hur.  This novel explores violence and loneliness in Korean society.  Described as a 'requiem to the unseen women' (Washington Independent Review of Books) it's a thoughtful book if not our favourite by this author.  We read this for Women in Translation month. Coming up: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Facebook: Books On The Go Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss their book recommendations for Women in Translation month.  There is also a #WITreadathon on BookTube hosted by Matthew Sciarappa, Kendra Winchester and Insert Literary Pun Here if you're interested. Our WIT month books: Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk translated by Jennifer Croft Long Live the Post Horn! by Vigdis Hjorth translated by Charlotte Barslund Second Hand Time by Svetlana Alexievich translated by Bela Shayevich The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura translated by Lucy North Heaven by Mieko Kawakami translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd The Old Woman With the Knife by Gu Byeong-Mo translated by Chi-Young Kim Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung translated by Anton Hur Waiting for the Waters to Rise by Maryse Condé translated by Richard Philcox Paradais by Fernanda Melchor translated by Sophie Hughes The Mermaid's Tale by Lee Wei-Jing translated by Darryl Sterk Violets by Kyung Sook-Shin translated by Anton Hur Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Facebook: Books On The Go Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilcosz    

Anna and Annie discuss the Miles Franklin Literary Award winner and react to the 2022 Booker Prize Longlist. Our book of the week is Bolla by Pajtim Statovci translated by David Hackston. Set in Kosovo, this novel centres on Arsim, an Albanian man who falls in love with Milos, a Serbian man, just before the Kosovan war.  It won the Finlandia Prize in its original Finnish. We echo the praise of Torrey Peters:  "Devastating in the most beautiful ways ... you are in the hands of an absolute artist." Coming up: our recommendations for Women in Translation Month. Follow us! Facebook: Books On The Go Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras  Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Anna and Annie discuss the plagiarism allegations with The Dogs originally reported by The Guardian.  We love a literary scandal! Our best books of 2022 so far are: The Sentence by Louise Erdrich Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz The Candy House by Jennifer Egan The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy Devotion by Hannah Kent Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Son of Sin by Omar Sakr Annie also reacts to the Women's Prize winner and recommends the Tsundoku podcast.  Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Facebook: Books On The Go Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz