Book Club is back! Each month our new host, Mamamia writer Billi FitzSimons, will be joined by two Mamamia writers to discuss the books you can’t put down right now.

This season of Book Club is available exclusively to MPlus members. To join, head to mamamia.com.au/mplus. 

If you want a head start, our first three books are as follows...

• The Survivors by Jane Harper
• Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
• A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu

As well as access to our new Chatterbox function - where you can chat everything books and reading with Mamamia staff and guests - members receive 10% off all books purchased at Booktopia.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dropping into your feed in 2021 with a bonus ep from Mamamia Out Loud.After a year many of us struggled to find the energy and attention span for a lot of reading, Holly, Jessie and Mia are here with the page-turners you won't be able to put down in 2021...

From big hits to an old classic, and even one from our very own, here is your definitive list of book recommendations to read this summer, into the rest of 2021 and beyond.

THE END BITSBooks mentioned:

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld 

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton

I Give My Marriage a Year by Holly Wainwright 

Below Deck by Sophie Hardcastle 

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell 

Phosphorescence by Julia Baird

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Darkness Visible by William StyronFollow us on Instagram @MamamiaOutLoud CREDITSHosts: Mia Freedman, Holly Wainwright and Jessie Stephens

Producer: Emma Gillespie CONTACT US

Via our PodPhone on 02 8999 9386Via our email at outloud@mamamia.com.au 

Via our Outlouders Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/groups/329632330777506/Mamamia Out Loud is a podcast by Mamamia https://www.mamamia.com.au/author/mamamiaoutloud/

Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey! We're just popping into your feed to share an awesome episode of Lady Startup Stories with you - the podcast where Mia Freedman interviews female founders about the highs and lows of running their own business.

This episode features Sally Hepworth. Sally is an author, a mother, a wife, and the primary breadwinner for her family.

From the outside, Sally’s business is successful. Amy Poehler has even optioned the rights to turn one of her books into a TV show. 

But last year, Sally was told that the book she was writing wasn’t good enough, which meant she had no income for a year. 

So she had to adapt and this is how she did it. 

This episode of Lady Startup Stories is brought to you by GoDaddy. The place to go to get your business idea online.

Are you busting to start your own business but you don’t know where to start? Get info about The Lady Startup Activation Plan here... https://www.ladystartup.com/pages/waitlist/

Want insider tips and tricks for your business direct from Mia Freedman each week? Get the free Lady Startup newsletter here... https://www.ladystartup.com.au/

Want to help lift other women higher and maybe get a boost for your biz? Follow us on Instagram… https://www.instagram.com/ladystartups/

Looking for a community of kickass Lady Startups (and other women who want to start businesses)? We have a free one for you right here... https://www.facebook.com/ladystartups/

Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Mia Freedman, co-founder of Mamamia and founder of Lady Startup

Guests: Sally Hepworth

You can buy Sally's books here - https://www.sallyhepworthauthor.com/.

Producers: Leah Porges and Samantha McDonald

Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was Gloria Steinem who said, “The truth will set you free… but first it will piss you off.”

Now, 62 years since she wrote her first book, ‘The Thousand Indias’, Steinem has published a book of her most iconic quotes.

“Without leaps of imagination” she once wrote, “or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.”

And then there was, “Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry.”

Now 85, Steinem is the author of eight books, and best known as one of the most effective and admired spokespeople of the American feminist movement. 

So, what is she currently pissed off about? And has the world actually changed that much since feminism challenged everything?

Remember, this is a Book Club, so we're assuming if you're listening you've read the book.  That means there will be spoilers, so if you haven't read it, grab a copy, get reading and join us after you've turned the last page.  We'll be right here waiting for you!

Come join our Book Club Facebook group here.

You can buy Gloria Steinem's books on Apple Books at apple.co/mamamia

Your host is Jessie Stephens. 

Leah Porges is the producer of Mamamia Book Club. 

You can call Jessie and Leah on 02 8999 9386. 

Head to https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe/ to get this and all our pods delivered straight to your inbox.

Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ask a woman to name her favourite book of all time, and many, without skipping a beat, will tell you it’s The Bronze Horseman. 

Often referred to as one of the greatest love stories of all time, The Bronze Horseman is set in Leningrad, upon the backdrop of World War II. As Hitler’s armies encroach on the Russian city, Tatiana, nearly 17, meets, Alexander, and their relationship begins to develop. 

When Paullina Simons was writing the novel, she prayed that someone else would feel just half of what she felt while writing it. No doubt, they did.

Selling more than 400,000 copies in Australia alone, Simons’ book, and the subsequent series, have become a cult classic. 

So where did the idea for The Bronze Horseman come from? And is Tatiana based on anyone specifically? And, as corny as it sounds, how do you write a book that finds its way into the hearts of people all over the world? 

Remember, this is a Book Club, so we're assuming if you're listening you've read the book.  That means there will be spoilers, so if you haven't read it, grab a copy, get reading and join us after you've turned the last page.  We'll be right here waiting for you!

Come join our Book Club Facebook group here.

You can buy Paullina Simons' books on Apple Books at apple.co/mamamia

Your host is Jessie Stephens. 

Leah Porges is the producer of Mamamia Book Club. 

You can call Jessie and Leah on 02 8999 9386. 

Head to https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe/ to get this and all our pods delivered straight to your inbox.

Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter FitzSimons is one of Australia’s best selling non-fiction authors of the last 20 years. With no less than 36 published works to his name, FitzSimons is also one of the countries most popular columnists and after-dinner speakers. 

In 2011, FitzSimons was named a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to literature, and his significant community contributions to conservation, disability care, social welfare and sport. 

But despite how busy he is, FitzSimons endeavours to write a book a year - something he has managed to do for at least the last decade. 

Host Jessie Stephens chats to FitzSimons about what makes a great story, why he’d never write fiction and how he manages to write a book a year. 

Remember, this is a Book Club, so we're assuming if you're listening you've read the book.  That means there will be spoilers, so if you haven't read it, grab a copy, get reading and join us after you've turned the last page.  We'll be right here waiting for you!

If this podcast has raised any issues for you or someone you know, please contact Lifeline 13 11 14 for support.

Come join our Book Club Facebook group here.

You can buy Peter FitzSimons' books on Apple Books at apple.co/mamamia

Your host is Jessie Stephens. 

Leah Porges is the producer of Mamamia Book Club. 

You can call Jessie and Leah on 02 8999 9386. 

Head to https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe/ to get this and all our pods delivered straight to your inbox.

Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jane Harper is the author of international bestsellers The Dry, Force of Nature and The Lost Man, and is inarguably one of the biggest names in Australian fiction. 

Harper, a former journalist, has a formula for writing a book that’s now been shared all over the world. She knows better than just about anyone, how to build intrigue, mystery and suspense, upon the backdrop of Australia’s harsh and unforgiving landscape. 

So, how does she make sure that the reader is entirely unable to put her book down? And where does she get her ideas from? 

In this episode, Jessie Stephens and Harper explore the processes behind Jane’s much-loved novels that have resonated deeply with more than one million people. 

Remember, this is a Book Club, so we're assuming if you're listening you've read the book.  That means there will be spoilers, so if you haven't read it, grab a copy, get reading and join us after you've turned the last page.  We'll be right here waiting for you!

Come join our Book Club Facebook group here.

You can buy Jane Harper's books on Apple Books at apple.co/mamamia

You can listen to Jane Harper’s Ted Talk about creativity here

Your host is Jessie Stephens. 

Leah Porges is the producer of Mamamia Book Club. 

You can call Jessie and Leah on 02 8999 9386. 

Head to https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe/ to get this and all our pods delivered straight to your inbox.

Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trent Dalton’s childhood was filled with dark people, underground rooms and strange secrets. In his critically-acclaimed debut book Boy Swallows Universe, memoir meets fiction, as Dalton explores suburban Australia, brotherhood and the most unlikely of friendships. 

All the questions you had after reading Boy Swallows Universe are answered as Jessie Stephens interviews Trent Dalton about what is widely considered one of the best Australian novels of the last decade.

Remember, this is a Book Club, so we're assuming if you're listening you've read the book.  That means there will be spoilers, so if you haven't read it, grab a copy, get reading and join us after you've turned the last page.  We'll be right here waiting for you!

Come join our Book Club Facebook group here.

You can buy Trent Dalton's book Boy Swallows Universe on Apple Books at apple.co/mamamia

Listen to Season 3’s episode on Boy Swallows Universe with Jessie Stevens and Holly Wainwright here.

Your host is Jessie Stephens. 

Leah Porges is the producer of Mamamia Book Club. 

You can call Jessie and Leah on 02 8999 9386. 

Head to https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe/ to get this and all our pods delivered straight to your inbox.

Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can you love and dislike a character at the same time? Does a story about of two being good to each other enough to make it a good book? Is this book an accurate description of loneliness? And what the hell is a jerkin?

On our final episode, we’re going to be discussing Gail Honeyman's book Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.  

Described as ‘up lit’, Gail Honeyman created the character of Eleanor in response to an article she read about loneliness, and now it’s being made into a movie by Reese Witherspoon’s production company.

But what is it about this book that some people loved and others hated?

Remember, this is a Book Club, so we're assuming if you're listening you've read the book too.  That means there will be spoilers, so if you haven't read it, grab a copy, get reading and join us after you've turned the last page.  We'll be right here waiting for you!

Come join our Book Club Facebook group here.

You can buy Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine on Apple Books at apple.co/mamamia

Your host is Jessie Stephens. 

With thanks to Keryn Donnelly

Elissa Ratliff is the producer of Mamamia Book Club. 

You can call Jessie and Lize on 02 8999 9386. 

Head to https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe/ to get this and all our pods delivered straight to your inbox.

Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s not every day you pick up a book about people having sex with a fish. But if you’re listening to this podcast you’ve probably read Melissa Broder's book The Pisces, and you’re probably here because, well, you need to talk about the fact that a woman had sex with a merman.

On this episode, Jessie is joined by her twin sister Clare and they have a lot of questions...

What do you do when you fall in love with a merman?

How many metaphors were there in this book and did we understand them all?

How do you actually have sex with a merman?

Why oh why did they have to kill the dog?

And should there have even been a merman in this storyline?

Let's find out...

Remember, this is a Book Club, so we're assuming if you're listening you've read the book too.  That means there will be spoilers, so if you haven't read it, grab a copy, get reading and join us after you've turned the last page.  We'll be right here waiting for you!

Come join our Book Club Facebook group here.

You can buy Melissa Broder's The Pisces on Apple Books at apple.co/mamamia

Your host is Jessie Stephens. 

With thanks to Clare Stephens

Elissa Ratliff is the producer of Mamamia Book Club. 

You can call Jessie and Lize on 02 8999 9386. 

Head to https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe/ to get this and all our pods delivered straight to your inbox.

Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.