Hope Book Club

Put on your deerstalker, grab your magnifying glass, and make sure you have your wits about you in Episode 30 of the Hope Book Club

Join Katrina Roe & Natasha Moore as they dive into the humour, trials and first hand tales from three journalistic style memoirs this week.

We delve into some hot new holiday reads – Natasha Moore has been reading the latest novels by two of her favourite authors.

I am woman. Hear me roar. Our latest instalment of the Hope Book Club explores books about fierce and fiery women.

These cracking books all feature a plague of some description, but they’ll also make you feel a whole lot better about the current crisis.

Upgrade your brain, show off your smarts and get your genius on. It’s the brainy edition of the Hope Book Club, with a focus on Australian non-fiction.

What could be better than reading about books? In this episode, Hope 103.2’s Katrina Roe and Natasha Moore from the Centre for Public Christianity explore some of the best books about books. The Dictionary of Lost Words - the debut novel from Australian author Pip Williams, this delightful tale is set around the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary.   Young Esme spends her childhood hanging around the lexicographers in the Scriptorium, but as she grows she realises that some words, especially women’s words, aren’t making it into the dictionary. Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookshop – by Robin Sloane.  This mystery/adventure is about an unemployed digital designer who finds himself working the graveyard shift in a very unusual bookstore in San Francisco. And How Proust can Change Your Life, by Alaine de Botton – Part literary biography, part self-help, this witty and wise book by Britain’s favourite philosopher might just convince you to finally tackle Proust yourself! Plus we discuss the TV shows that are

Perfect for these chilly winter days, the Hope Book Club fires up some crackling good fireside fiction for Episode 23. Katrina Roe and Natasha Moore from the Centre for Public Christianity discuss: Fleishman is in Trouble - the debut novel of Taffy Brodesser-Akner. It’s the story of a 41 year man, Toby Fleishman, going through a bitter divorce from his wife of 15 years. Bel Canto by Anne Patchett - Loosely based on true events, a group of high profile diplomats and an opera singer are taken hostage by terrorists in South America. It’s a lockdown experience like no other. And The Giver of Stars, by Jojo Moyes - about the packhorse librarians in the mountains of Kentucky. Plus, we bring our top five heart-warming reads for the Pandemic. That’s all in episode 23 of the Hope Book Club podcast. Because life’s just better with a book!

Hope Book Club returns to the scene of the crime with another popular crime fiction episode. Natasha Moore from the Centre for Public Christianity has been reading the morbidly funny book, My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Nominated for the Booker Prize in 2019, it’s about how blood is thicker than water, and also harder to get out of the carpet. Still Life by Louise Penny is the first book in the much-loved Chief Inspector Gamache murder mystery series, set in small town Quebec. And Katrina’s been reading The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan - a cracking, Aussie-penned murder mystery set in rainy Galway, Ireland. Plus, we discuss the big, thick books we’re finally tackling in lockdown.

As the Hope Book Club turns 21, it’s all about becoming – which seems appropriate for a 21st! In this memoir-focussed episode, Katrina Roe and Natasha Moore (from CPX) share personal stories of transformation from inspiring women.  These stories of resilience and flourishing in spite of life’s challenges are perfect for these challenging times: Educated by Tara Westover, a memoir about overcoming a socially isolated childhood, growing up in a household of extreme End Times preppers Metanoia, a memoir by the Australian screen actor Anna McGahan about making peace with her body And Becoming – the much-loved autobiography of former First Lady Michelle Obama. Plus, we play Change One Word, Ruin a Book Title! So much fun!!! That’s all in this transformative, auto-biographical episode of the Hope Book Club - Because life’s just better with a book! 

Don't panic!  Supermarket shelves  may be empty, but thankfully book shelves are still well-stocked! It’s the epic 20th episode of the Hope Book Club, featuring special guest Paul Kelly. We’re talking fully Australian made, choccas with home-grown goodness, all freshly picked from our own backyard. And there’s not a roll of toilet paper in sight! In this episode Katrina Roe and Natasha Moore discuss: The Yield by Tara June Winch, a powerful indigenous story of a Wiradjuri elder facing his death, and his granddaughter who has returned from living overseas. It’s a book about indigenous language, storytelling and identity. Love is Strong is Death, a new poetry anthology by Aussie singer/songwriter Paul Kelly. And the latest from a popular Australian mystery series, A Few Right Thinking Men by Sulari Gentill. Just released in March 2020, this is the tenth book in a series. Plus Katrina and Natasha choose their all-time favourite Aussie books. It’s a bold move! Quick!  Download Episode 20 of the Hope Book Clu

It’s the movie-lovers edition of the Hope Book Club! In this episode, Natasha Moore and Katrina Roe review books that have all made the leap to the big or small screen. Normal People by Sally Rooney is a millennial love story featuring an on-again, off-again romance. It explores the energising electricity of first love and the way that relationships change people.  It’s as much about the clunky moments of miscommunication, as it is about rare moments of connection.  It’s being made into a 12-part drama for BBC Three. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is a factual account of the horrors faced by ordinary people in the aftermath of the zombie wars.   While you’ll learn a lot about the terrifying impact of the undead, this book is mainly concerned with capturing the human reaction to this epochal event.  (And yes, it’s fiction.  No you didn’t fall asleep and miss the end of the world).  It was made into a movie starring Brad Pitt. And Little Women by Louisa May Alcott has been turned into a big bu

In Episode 18 of the Hope Book Club, Natasha Moore and Katrina Roe have picked out some deep thinking, but oh-so-easy-to-read, non-fiction with more fizz and sparkle than your summer drink selection! Dive in deep this summer!

In Episode 17 of the Hope Book Club, Natasha Moore and Katrina Roe accidentally stumble upon three books with a common thread – they’re all about marriage and relationships! It wasn’t planned this way, we promise! Heartburn, by Nora Ephron - an autobiographical novel from the famous screenwriter of films like When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle. The book is unashamedly based on Ephron’s second marriage (and divorce from) Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame.  It’s hilariously funny! The Museum of Modern Love by Australian author Heather Rose – this book explores the famous performance art piece, The Artist is Present by Marina Abramovic at MoMA in New York and imagines the impact it has on the relationships of those who are touched by the exhibition. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanan is a thriller in the same vein as The Girl on the Train, with a big (and slightly confusing) twist. WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!  But don’t worry, we give you plenty of notice!! P

Break out your bunsen burner - it's science time in the Hope Book Club! In this episode Katrina Roe and Natasha Moore review: - 'Lost and Wanted' by Nell Freudenberger. - Randall Munroe's 'What If?' - 'Can't Beat the Chemistry' by Kat Colmer * 'Lost and Wanted':  Poetry and science come together in this novel about a renowned physicist who has to confront the supernatural. Helen Clapp doesn't believe in life after death, ghosts or anything supernatural.  So when she receives a phone call from a friend who has just died it rocks her to the core. It’s a bittersweet story about lost friendships, grief and regrets. * 'What If?' gives compelling scientific answers to absurd random questions, such as how many humans would a rampaging T-Rex need to eat per day to survive in New York city? Or, what are the odds of meeting your one true soulmate? Or, when will Facebook contain more profiles of dead people than living ones? It's by the creator of the 'world's best web comic', Randall Munroe. * And 'Can't Beat th

It’s the Booker Prize edition of the Hope Book Club, also known as the Hubba Bubba edition, the mozzarella edition or the downward dog edition because it is going to stretch you.  Natasha Moore and Katrina Roe have picked out their favourite Booker Prize winners ahead of the 2019 annoucement: Milkman by Anna Burns (2018) Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (2017) Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (2014) Milkman was the Booker Prize winner in 2018.  It’s a tale of gossip and hearsay set in the heavily politicised atmosphere of Northern Ireland during The Troubles.  The writing style divided critics, with long sentences and an original approach to punctuation.  For example, the whole story is told without any characters being named. George Saunders’ first novel - Lincoln in the Bardo - won the Booker prize in 2017.  It’s the story of Abraham Lincoln, grieving his young son, as told by the spirits who inhabit the graveyard where he’s buried.   This is a novel that ‘teaches you how to read

In this episode Natasha Moore and Katrina Roe have picked out some cracking fiction for you: * 'Big Stone Gap' by Adriana Trigiani, * 'The Young Lion' by Blanche D’Apulget, and * 'The Lost Man' by Jane Harper 'Big Stone Gap' by Adriana Trigiani is a heart-warming small town story set around the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia – it’s also a New York Times bestseller, that’s been made into a movie. If you loved 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society', you’ll probably love this one!  Now, for some good monarchy fiction. Fans of 'Game of Thrones' or 'Wolf Hall' need to know about Australian author Blanche d’Alpuget, wife of the legendary and recently departed former Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Her historical fiction series, 'Birth of the Plantagenets', tells the stories of King Henry II during his rise to power and his marriage to the French Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, and chancellor of England Thomas Becket and his falling out with the king. Now The Lion’s Torment - the third book in this series -

It’s the crime fiction edition! Natasha and Katrina sink their teeth into "The Three Evangelists" by Fred Vargas, Dorothy Sayers' "Lord Peter Wimsey" series, and "The Ruin" by Dervla McTiernan - AND they reveal which long-term book series they have stuck with for years.

In this non-fiction episode of the Hope Book Club, Katrina Roe and Natasha Moore discuss Dear Farenheit 451, Fierce Conversations, and The Land Before Avocado.  

From quirky Professor Don Tilman to Stephen King's teenage misfit Carrie, and quirky authors themselves, this episode covers a few of literature's odd-bods.