Best Gary Frey Podcasts (2025)

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Superstar children's author Andy Griffith reviews! Plus, Omar Musa's Fierceland and Geoff Dyer's Homework 54:06

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1h ago54:06

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Australian poet, artist, hip hop musician and author, Omar Musa, tells a story of Australia and Borneo, forests and fathers, in his new novel Fierceland. An American saga of love, war, and complicated families in Patrick Ryan’s Buckeye, and experimental British author Geoff Dyer returns with Homework, a look back on his childhood and coming of age …

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Greyhounds, dark academia and an Amish community in new fiction by Toni Jordan, R.F. Kuang and Ron Rindo 54:35

5d ago54:35

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An Australian story of the tender, eager lives of greyhounds and their owners in Tenderfoot by Australian author Toni Jordan. Dark academia in Yellowface author R.F. Kuang’s new fantasy novel, Katabasis. Sport, miracles, and the Amish, in Ron Rindo’s Life, and Death, and Giants. BOOKS Toni Jordan, Tenderfoot, Hachette R.F. Kuang, Katabasis, Harper …

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150: Lessons From KGB Spy Jack Barsky 1:12:02

7d ago1:12:02

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“I became an American & said goodbye to them [the KGB].” – Jack Barsky Sounds like the opening line of a spy thriller. Except this one’s real. For a decade, Jack lived undercover in the U.S. as a KGB agent. His mission wasn’t excitement. No tuxedos. No martinis. Just the discipline to disappear — and never get caught. And he did it so well that he …

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A simmering summer in Greece, rare snails, dystopia with a twist: new fiction by Amy Taylor, Leif Enger and Maria Reva 54:37

12d ago54:37

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The Bookshelf continues to explore new fiction, beginning in this episode with Ruins by Amy Taylor, a plunge into holiday chaos during a simmering summer in Greece. Maria Reva’s Endling takes us to Ukraine, where an eccentric scientist is breeding rare snails. And, Leif Enger’s I Cheerfully Refuse...dystopia with a twist. BOOKS Amy Taylor, Ruins, A…

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AI in America, a kidnapping in Corsica, the transformative power of boxing: books by Gary Shteyngart, Darrow Farr, and Lucas Schaefer 54:36

19d ago54:36

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Kate and Cassie discuss Vera, or Faith, Gary Shteyngart’s new novel about a ten-year-old Korean-American girl growing up in a dystopian United States. Alongside guest critics, they also look at The Bombshell by Darrow Farr, which traces the radicalisation of a young French woman in Corsica, and The Slip by Lucas Schaefer, the story of a missing tee…

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149: Changing Course to Find Your True Calling with Ryan Monk 1:02:57

23d ago1:02:57

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"I thought my calling was to be a Catholic priest." – Ryan Monk It wasn’t a whim. Ryan devoted years — undergrad, master’s, a year of theology in seminary — to answering what he believed was his life’s purpose. But somewhere along the way, a quiet unease began to grow. His head said priesthood but his heart whispered his gifts might belong in a dif…

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People turning into trees, mythical rivers rising...new novels by Rhett Davis and Gurnaik Johal (plus, Irish fiction with Colm Tóibín) 59:25

28d ago59:25

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Australian author Rhett Davis re-imagines the everyday in his novels. In his latest, Arborescence, ordinary people begin transforming into trees. Is it a cult? Performance art? Or something else entirely? Also on the show: Guest reviewer Roanna Gonsalves discusses Saraswati, the debut novel by Gurnaik Johal, which winds its narrative around a sacre…

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2025 Miles Franklin Literary Award assessed 54:06

1M ago54:06

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A critical assessment of the shortlist and winner of Australia’s most prestigious literary award, The Miles Franklin Literary Award. Kate and Cassie are joined by guests, scholar and literary biographer (and former judge of the MFLA) Bernadette Brennan; and critic and publisher, Geordie Williamson. BOOKS Brian Castro, Chinese Postman, Giramondo Mic…

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148: Using Data and AI In Business with Andrew James 1:04:55

1M ago1:04:55

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“That’d be impossible… unless?” – Andrew James How do you respond when life throws a punch? If you’re like most people, when you hit a wall, you just push harder—longer hours, more stress, hoping brute force will somehow get you through. If you’re like Andrew, you stop. Take a breath. And then ask the simple question that’s carried him through ever…

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Parties, scandals, sex, love: new novels by Nell Zink, Amy Bloom and the controversial James Frey 54:06

1M ago54:06

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Parties, scandals, sex, love, families, friendship, death – these books have, as they say, all the things. Nell Zink’s Sister Europe moves through one night in Berlin, while Amy Bloom’s I’ll Be Right Here sweeps through 80 years of history, and in James Frey’s Next to Heaven, the beautiful and rich fall apart rather spectacularly. BOOKS Nell Zink, …

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New Australian crime + hungry ghosts and a great white whale 59:00

2M ago59:00

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Stories of the sea – and a great white whale in Xiaolu Guo's Call Me Ishmaelle; Hungry ghosts and kitchen mishaps in Daria Lavelle's NYC set novel Aftertaste; and the latest Australian crime fiction (of which there is a lot!) BOOKS AUSTRALIAN CRIME FICTION:  Mark Brandi, Eden Paul Daley, The Leap Sam Guthrie, The Peak Angie Faye Martin, Melaleuca M…

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147: Growing, Running, And Selling On Your Terms with Ron Weatherly 55:37

2M ago55:37

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“It’s me just wanting freedom… freedom to make my own choices & live life on my terms.” - Ron Weatherly Ron didn’t start his waterproofing company, Dry Pro Foundation and Crawlspace Specialists, with a business plan, angel investors, or even a clue how to fix a foundation. He started with a crawlspace, raw knees, whatever tools he could scrounge, &…

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Sydney Writer's Festival: The State of the Art of the Novel 54:06

2M ago54:06

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What’s the state of fiction today? Four brilliant minds—Samantha Harvey (UK), Rumaan Alam (USA), Torrey Peters (USA), and Robbie Arnott (AUS)—tackle the question live at the 2025 Sydney Writers’ Festival. Expect bold takes, big ideas, and a few surprises.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Mystery in new fiction from Ben Okri, Sameer Pandya and Anjet Daanje 54:06

2M ago54:06

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The same question is at the heart of three very different international novels on The Bookshelf this week, “What really happened”… To a WWI soldier who has forgotten his name and identity in The Remembered Soldier by Dutch author Anjet Daanje? To a fortune teller for the elite class in Ben Okri’s Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Broken-hea…

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146: Serving Your Way To Success with David Amigo 1:07:43

2M ago1:07:43

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"I’m not in charge… & it’s a really nice feeling.” – David Amigo Most entrepreneurs chase control. David finds peace in letting go. Because when you’ve been a factory scab at 11, a product manager slinging cookies in your 20s, & a minority owner pushed out of your own family’s business — you learn fast: control is an illusion. What isn’t? Character…

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Sweat, sport and sharp Australian satire; And the 2025 International Booker Prize winner 54:06

2M ago54:06

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What would make a great Australian sporting novel? Our guests discuss translating the love of the game, footy nicknames, and intense team culture in ex-AFL player Brandon Jack’s Pissants. And making sport of the Melbourne literary scene, Dominic Amarena’s debut novel I Want Everything is a clever, celebratory satire. Kate and Cassie also review the…

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Popular fiction across space and time, and queer bush doof thriller in Thomas Vowles' Our New Gods 54:05

3M ago54:05

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The latest best-selling novels from Taylor Jenkins-Reid (Atmosphere) and Fredrik Backman (My Friends) explore 1980s astronauts, ambition and romance; and teenage anguish, friendship and art. Emotive and cinematic, how often is popular fiction written for the screen? Speaking of the screen, screenwriter Thomas Vowles’ debut novel Our New Gods takes …

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145: How Curiosity Can Lead to Fulfillment with Behdad Jamshidi 53:43

3M ago53:43

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"Business… is the best way for me to reach my full potential & see who I can become." – Behdad Jamshidi (Bee) Growing up doing math drills at the kitchen table, Bee didn’t dream. Structure, discipline, grit—that was his operating system. When he became an engineer, it wasn’t out of passion. It was logic. A clear, safe path. But underneath it all? A…

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Reading James Joyce's Ulysses for Bloomsday (and new fiction galore) 1:00:00

3M ago1:00:00

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A guide to James Joyce from Irish writer Mary Morrissy, ahead of Bloomsday (16 June); New Zealand writer Becky Manawatu continues to explore howls of pain and compassion in her second novel, Kataraina; and magic realism in the boundaries between life and death, and Eastern Europe, in Helen Marshall's The Lady, the Tiger and the Girl Who Loved Death…

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New fiction from Gail Jones, S A Cosby and Seán Hewitt 54:06

3M ago54:06

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Fiction from all over the world, crossing genres, borders and ideas in American crime writer S A Cosby's King of Ashes, a gripping tale of family, smoke, and fire; Irish writer Sean Hewitt’s Open, Heaven, a beautifully woven story about longing, escape and memory; and, first up, The Name of the Sister, the latest from acclaimed Australian literary …

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144: The Accidental Entrepreneur Journey with Austin Palmer 57:30

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"Vanilla is a great flavor." – Austin Palmer Austin may have raised some eyebrows as a kid at 31 Flavors, but he’s always known one thing: flashy doesn’t equal better. So, whether he’s picking ice cream or building financial portfolios, his approach is the same: Simple. Steady. No sprinkles required. His path started predictably—son of a CPA, becam…

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A vibrant gay coming-of-age story set in Geraldton 54:04

3M ago54:04

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Kate and Cassie read W.A. writer Holden Sheppard's King of Dirt, a vibrant, gay coming-of-age story set in Geraldton. Plus, Australian author Jennifer Mills' new one, Salvage, in which we enter a very well drawn post apocalyptic Mad Max-ish world; and, Florence Knapp's The Names has been named one of the most anticipated fiction releases of the yea…

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Sydney Writers' Festival: Top 100 Books launched with Alan Hollinghurst, Catherine Chidgey, Mariana Enriquez, Afra Atiq 55:06

3M ago55:06

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What books have shaped the 21st century so far? Recorded live at the 2025 Sydney Writers’ Festival, literary heavyweights Catherine Chidgey (NZ), Mariana Enriquez (Argentina), and Alan Hollinghurst (UK) swap favourites, challenge conventions, and dive into the fiction and non-fiction that’s made a mark—and sparked debate.…

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143: Peak Performance Strategies From Professional Sports with Carlos Salum 1:06:42

4M ago1:06:42

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“I take people as a story… I can see their higher self before they can.” – Carlos Salum Carlos grew up under Argentina’s military dictatorship—surrounded by uncertainty, but also by entrepreneurs, poets, and principled people who knew how to thrive despite it. That tension didn’t crush him. It sharpened his vision—so much so that, by adulthood, tra…

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On stage at Melbourne Writers' Festival with Hannah Kent and Beejay Silcox 54:06

4M ago54:06

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A live recording from Melbourne Writers' Festival as Hannah Kent and Beejay Silcox sit down with Kate Evans and Jonathan Green to discuss the latest fiction releases they’re enjoying, loving and being challenged by. BOOKS- Hannah Kent, Always Home, Always Homesick, Picador- Eimear McBride, The City Changes its Face, Faber- Susan Choi, Flashlight, J…

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A woman falls through the cracks of time in the first of Solvej Balle's seven-novel-series 54:04

4M ago54:04

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One day lived over and over again with humour, despair and self-improvement is what we’re up against in Danish novelist Solvej Balle’s On The Calculation of Volume, a fictional work in seven volumes, the first volume (the one we’re talking about in this episode), has been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. Plus, The Emperor of Gladness…

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142: Building Canada's Largest Snowboarding Brand at 24 with Perry Gladstone 1:03:06

4M ago1:03:06

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“I want to know what I'm capable of… but I'm not an adrenaline junkie. I just want to know how far I can take it—because I want to know what my greatest potential is.” – Perry Gladstone At 8, Perry was selling comic books at flea markets. At 15, he opened a skateboard shop that pulled in $100K that summer. By 24, he launched a snowboard company in …

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A beach holiday told four ways in Luke Horton's Time Together 54:04

4M ago54:04

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Old friends gather together on the coast in Australian writer Luke Horton’s Time Together, Kate and Cassie take a look. Plus, Jo Harkin’s The Pretender, set during the time of the Tudors' ascent it tells the story of a little-known real-life figure; and Laura Elvery’s Nightingale, a re-imagining of the life of Florence Nightingale. BOOKS Luke Horto…

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James Bradley's Landfall reveals a flooded, baked and dilapidated city 54:06

4M ago54:06

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Cities that are both flooded and on alert for the next storm in James Bradley’s Landfall. The body of a saint, dreamily and weirdly listening to everyone around her in Western Australia, in Josephine Rowe’s Little World. And from Malaysia, Tash Aw's The South, in which a family has left the city to head to a failing orchard, a story of longing, pro…

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141: Retiring at 27 To Pursue Entrepreneurship 1:03:02

4M ago1:03:02

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"If I can be good about business, & I can do my business well—but then also care about my people & have that noticed in the marketplace—that’s way more important to me." – Greg Lafferty At 27, Greg seemingly had it all: the pedigree, the projects, the prestige of a big job at NASA. But what he really wanted was a life of impact. So, he retired (yes…

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The Bookshelf Easter Special: Irish writer Niall Williams 54:00

5M ago54:00

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Irish writer Niall Williams with Kate Evans at the 2025 Adelaide Writers Week — with a focus on his Faha novels, History of the Rain, This is Happiness and (his latest) Time of the Child. Williams is also a screenwriter, playwright and travel writer — and his first novel, Four Letters of Love, has just been released as a film. He also appeared onst…

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A love triangle set against the beauty of Montana in Eric Puchner's Dream State 54:07

5M ago54:07

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Families, secrets, mysteries, war...Kate and Cassie read Eric Puchner’s Dream State, an American saga that spans fifty years and is set against the expansive beauty of Montana; mysterious encounters and marital strife between an actor and an art critic in New York in Katie Kitamura’s Audition, and a World War II story set in an apartment block in B…

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Folk horror, dreams under surveillance, lonely in Guatemala 1:13:09

5M ago1:13:09

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Cassie McCullagh is on leave this week, so Kate Evans and guests read Lucy Rose’s The Lamb, Laila Lalami’s The Dream Hotel, and Rachel Morton’s The Sun was Electric Light (with interview extracts from Lucy Rose on body horror and Cumbrian folk traditions, and from Rachel Morton on her move from poetry to prose). BOOKS Rachel Morton, The Sun was Ele…

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140: When Kindness Is A Strategy In Business with John Hall 1:02:08

5M ago1:02:08

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“So, it's not just about your business growth. It's also about … creating value & meaningful relationships.” – John Hall In third grade, John launched a lunch brokerage business. By college, he was building a student housing empire. And today? He’s a keynote speaker, investor, & co-founder of multiple companies — wildly different ventures but all r…

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Andrea Goldsmith's The Buried Life - and a train steaming towards disaster . . . 54:06

5M ago54:06

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Kate and Cassie read three new works of fiction, with the help of two guest reviewers: a novel of ideas, death, love and music, in Australian writer Andrea Goldsmith's The Buried Life; a real train derailment from the 1890s hurtles together rail workers, coffee sellers, anarcho-feminism, art and typewriters in Irish-Canadian writer Emma Donoghue's …

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Curtis Sittenfeld's Show Don't Tell + Tim Rogers and Zan Rowe on two new debuts 54:36

5M ago54:36

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Kate and Cassie discuss bestselling American writer Curtis Sittenfeld’s sharp and observant collection of short stories Show Don’t Tell; You Am I frontman Tim Rogers reads First Name Second Name, an excellent debut from Queensland novelist Steve MinOn, and the ABC’s own Zan Rowe (of Triple J, Double J and Take 5 fame) shares her thoughts on Scottis…

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139: From Soviet Russia to Transforming Lives with Natalia Worthington 1:02:12

5M ago1:02:12

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“I believe that the more my clients know I care about them, the more I can nudge them toward success.” – Natalia Worthington Natalia wasn’t supposed to be here—literally. As her parents rode a bus to make a life-altering decision, her father had a change of heart. That choice sparked a life defined by curiosity, compassion, & quiet rebellion. Born …

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This week’s novels takes us to Zanzibar, Budapest and Renaissance Florence 54:05

6M ago54:05

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This week’s novels takes us to Zanzibar, Budapest and Renaissance Florence with Nobel Prize-winning English-Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Theft; while guest reviewers Tim Ayliffe reads Laurent Binet’s Perspectives; and Siang Lu reads David Szalay’s Flesh. BOOKS Abdulrazak Gurnah, Theft, Bloomsbury Laurent Binet, Perspectives (translated from…

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On stage at Adelaide Writers' Week with Niall Williams, Charlotte Mendelson and Brian Castro 54:06

6M ago54:06

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This edition of the Bookshelf was recorded on stage at Adelaide Writers' Week on Sunday 2 March – with Irish writer Niall Williams (Time of the Child), English writer Charlotte Mendelson (Wife) and all the way from the Adelaide Hills, Australian writer Brian Castro (Chinese Postman). How and when do they do their best reading, what have books meant…

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138: Addiction, Feeling Stuck, And Transforming Your Life with Robbie Shaw 1:12:20

6M ago1:12:20

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“One sip of alcohol literally leads to prison...there’s nothing in between anymore.” – Robbie Shaw For years, Robbie tried to outmaneuver the consequences of addiction—until the day the truth hit him like a bus. No more negotiating, no more "just one more time." His choices were death, jail, or life. We’re so grateful he chose life. That choice set…

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Australian bestseller Diana Reid returns with Signs of Damage 54:06

6M ago54:06

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Four women’s lives intertwined between Africa and the USA in Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dream Count. Plus, secrets and trauma in the South of France in Australian novelist Diana Reid’s new one, Signs of Damage; and into the Swedish wilderness to observe a group of seven unlikely people in indie musician turned novelist Annika Norlin…

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Irish writer Colum McCann’s Twist dives deep under the ocean and takes on a charismatic mystery 54:03

6M ago54:03

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Irish writer Colum McCann’s Twist dives deep under the ocean and takes on a charismatic mystery; 2024 Nobel Prize winner Han Kang’s We Do Not Part explores massacres on Jeju Island during (and after) the Korean War, stories actively repressed by both the South Korean and American governments; and Australian novelist Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark …

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137: Breaking The Scarcity Mindset with Dan Flaherty 1:07:27

6M ago1:07:27

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“If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not doing the job correct.” – Dan Flaherty With a career that has ventured from the disciplined halls of corporate American to unconventional sales & management consulting, Dan’s story comes with a powerful lesson: Growth comes from embracing calculated risk, stepping out of our comfort zones, & learning not to …

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Mothers and Sons...is the story as fraught as the title suggests? 53:46

7M ago53:46

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An examination of family dynamics through three novels...Adam Haslett’s Mothers and Sons reflects on unspoken stories and familial divides; The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr, set in 1970s Ireland, tells the story of a family that takes in a child washed ashore, and Robert Lukins’ Somebody Down There Likes Me depicts an uber-rich family who gathe…

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Alaska, folktales, mothers and daughters 54:06

7M ago54:06

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Alaska, folktales and mothers and daughters in Eowyn Ivey's Black Woods Blue Sky. Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Anne Tyler is back with Three Days in June, another novel about mothers and daughters; and Italian novelist Vincenzo Latronico's Perfection, a critique of social media and contemporary life. BOOKS Eowyn Ivey, Black Woods, Blue Sky, Tinder…

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136: Helping Chick-Fil-A, Lowe's, and More Create Brand and Purpose with Jamey Boiter 1:04:13

7M ago1:04:13

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“People don’t manage people. People lead people.” – Jamey Boiter Growing up, Jamey was blessed by a father that didn’t just raise him. He led him. In doing so, he gave Jamey a blueprint for servant leadership that would shape his entire career. From an early passion for architecture to pivoting into graphic design, Jamey learned that the true essen…

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A story of yearning, belonging, secrets and identity from Native America 57:06

7M ago57:06

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A story of yearning, belonging, secrets and identity from Native America in Morgan Talty’s Fire Exit; rusted robots, prosthetic limbs, AI and noisy families in Nigerian-American writer Nnedi Okorafor’s Death of the Author; and coercive control and walking on eggshells in Irish writer Roisín O’Donnell’s Nesting; and a brief foray into the world of ‘…

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Sweden, France, New Zealand: books from around the world 54:06

7M ago54:06

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Cassie and Kate read Marie-Hélène Lafon’s The Son’s Story, a family story that spans the twentieth-century, full of melancholy beauty and secrets. Crime writer Hayley Scrivenor reads Geoff Parkes’ When the Deep Dark Bush Swallows You Whole, a story of small towns, envy and threat in New Zealand; and documentary maker Johan Gabrielsson reads Swedish…

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135: Empowering Employees and ESOPs with Don Baker 1:05:08

7M ago1:05:08

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"I’m not a greedy guy. I don’t chase money—it follows me." – Donald Baker What does success look like to the average entrepreneur? For most, it’s all about wealth. For Don, it’s about impact. From the beginning, he’s sought to empower his employees & do the right thing, no matter the cost. Whether transforming air quality standards in pools to prot…

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A medical crisis brings one man close to love, art, and beauty 54:06

7M ago54:06

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Kate and Cassie are back for 2025! In this episode, a discussion of Panic by Catherine Jinks, about a young woman looking for a fresh start after posting a drunken rant that went horrifically viral. Novelist George Haddad, and Professor Sue Turnbull, who specialises in crime drama and fiction, are also along, to take a look at new novels by Miles F…