Books, Baby!

• The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

  This month, Ian, Bev, and Alo dive into The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, joined by special guest Nell.The Bee Sting is a sweeping, tragicomic family saga that captured readers (and Booker Prize judges) alike. We unpack its unforgettable characters, explore Murray’s distinct writing style through each point of view, and debate that twist ending that left us reeling.But before we get stung by all that drama, we kick things off with a lively chat about ABC Radio National’s Top 100 Books of the 21st Century — the surprises, the snubs, and the titles that made us cheer (or roll our eyes).Books mentioned in this episode:Burial Rites - Hanna KentLola in the mirror - Trent DaltonBoy Swallows Universe - Trent DaltonStag Dance - Torrey PetersDetransition, Baby! - Torrey PetersThe burrow - Melanie ChangToo Much Lip - Melissa LucashenkoDark Emu -Bruce PascoeCarpentaria - Alexis WrightLife of Pi - Yann MartelThe Book Thief - Markus ZusakProphet Song - Paul LynchThe Luminaries - Eleanor CattonThe Cannibal's Daughter - Rosa MonteroBad Girls - Camila Sosa VilladaThesis on a domestication - Camila Sosa VilladaThe Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny - Kiran DesaiThe Little Stranger - Sarah WatersA room above a shop - Anthony ShaplandConnect with us via email (⁠[email protected]⁠) and on Instagram!Books, Baby! – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksbabypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hosts:Ian – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@bookish_ian⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bev – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksgonewilde⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alo – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@books.swallows.universe⁠⁠⁠⁠Guest Host:Nell - @nellreadsbooks

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• Stag Dance by Torrey Peters

  September’s episode of Books, Baby! takes us into the world of Torrey Peters’ Stag Dance, a bold collection of stories about that doesn’t shy away from messiness, desire, and transformation. Across its pages, Peters gives us characters who are stumbling, reaching, and reinventing themselves in ways that feel both raw and achingly human.Join Alo, Bev and Ian as we dive into these stories—unpacking their humor, heartache, and the sharp truths about love, gender, and selfhood that Peters threads throughout her work. Books mentioned in this episode:Ministry of Time - Kaliane BradleySeascraper - Benjamin WoodAudition - Katie KitamuraNot a River - Selva AlmadaFathoms: the world in the whale - Rebecca GiggsDetransition, Baby! - Torrey PetersSeparate Roos - Pier Vittorio TondelliHoneybee - Craig SilveyConnect with us via email (⁠[email protected]⁠) and on Instagram!Books, Baby! – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksbabypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hosts:Ian – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@bookish_ian⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bev – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksgonewilde⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alo – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@books.swallows.universe⁠⁠⁠⁠

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• Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa

  In this episode of Books, Baby!, Ian, Bev, and Alo dive into Saou Ichikawa’s haunting novel Hunchback. With its fragmented storytelling and stark lyricism, the book offers an unflinching look at the intersections of embodiment, shame, desire, and intimacy. The hosts unpack how Ichikawa captures the vulnerability of inhabiting a body that exists outside of societal ideals, while also carving out space for tenderness and connection.Their discussion highlights the way Hunchback brings disabled experiences and desires into focus, expanding what is often represented in contemporary literature in translation.Books mentioned in this episode:​When the cranes fly south - Lisa Ridzén​They came to slay: The Queer culture of D&D - Thom James Carter​The las one - Fatima Daas​The white book - Han Kang​Pink Slime - Fernanda Trías ​Audition - Katie Kitamura​The land in winter - Andrew Miller​Flashlight - Susan Choi​Universality - Natasha Brown​Intimacies - Katie Katamura​Tokyo Ueno Station - Miri YuButter - Asako YuzikiNot such thing as an easy job - Kikuko TsumaraJust by looking at him - Ryan O'ConnellConnect with us via email (⁠[email protected]⁠) and on Instagram!Books, Baby! – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksbabypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hosts:Ian – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@bookish_ian⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bev – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksgonewilde⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alo – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@books.swallows.universe⁠⁠⁠⁠

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• Separate Rooms by Pier Vittorio Tondelli

  In this special in-person recording, hosts Alo, Bev, and Ian come together at the stunning Narrm Ngarrgu Library in Melbourne to discuss Separate Rooms by Pier Vittorio Tondelli. Originally published in 1989, this poignant queer novel has been reprinted after more than 30 years and is soon to be adapted into a film by Luca Guadagnino.The episode delves into the book's meditation on grief, memory, and the enduring traces of love. As the protagonist navigates the emotional aftermath of losing his partner, the hosts reflect on the novel’s emotional depth, its timeless relevance, and its significance within queer literary history.Books mentioned in this episode:​The Makioka Sister - Jun'ichiro Tanizaki ​Stag Dance - Torrey Peters​The Hours - Micahel Cunningham ​Medea me cantó un corrido - Dahlia de la Cerda​Reservoir Bitches - Dahlia de la Cerda​The Safe Keep - Yael van der Wouden ​Toward Eternity - Anton Hur​Call me by your name - André Aciman​Marlo - Jay Carmichael​The Emperor of Gladness - Ocean Voung​Consumed - Aja Barber Connect with us via email (⁠[email protected]⁠) and on Instagram!Books, Baby! – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksbabypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hosts:Ian – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@bookish_ian⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bev – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksgonewilde⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alo – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@books.swallows.universe⁠⁠⁠Special thanks: To Simone – ⁠⁠⁠@sims_solace- for hanging with us and taking pictures of the behind the scenes of this episode

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• Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp: Winner of the 2025 International Booker

  In the fourth episode of Season 5 of Books, Baby!, Ian, Bev & Alo are joined by returning guest host Simone (⁠⁠@sims_solace) discuss Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, the winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize. This marks the first time a short story collection has taken home the award, and we dive into what makes it so powerful. We explore Mushtaq’s unforgettable characters and how her spoken-style prose builds such disconcerting emotional heights.Books mentioned in this episode:​​Reservoir Bitches - Dahlia de la Cerda​​Under the Eye of the Big Bird - Hiromi Kawakami​​Perfection - Vicenzo Latronico​​Hunchback - Saou Ichikawa​On the Calculation of Volume 1 - Solvej Balle​We do not part - Han Kang​A Tail for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki​All the Violent Tiaras: Queering the Greek Myths - Jean Manzies​The Hours - Michael Cunningham​Before Night Falls - Reinaldo ArenasConnect with us via email (⁠[email protected]⁠) and on Instagram!Books, Baby! – ⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksbabypod⁠⁠⁠⁠Hosts:Ian – ⁠⁠⁠⁠@bookish_ian⁠⁠⁠⁠Bev – ⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksgonewilde⁠⁠⁠⁠Alo – ⁠⁠⁠⁠@books.swallows.universe⁠⁠Guest Host:Simone – ⁠⁠⁠@sims_solace

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