Our Managing Editor shares her podcast, book and show recommendations for summer
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“What did I even watch and read this summer…?”
That was the question I asked myself after our wonderful Associate Editor Emma Macdonald dumped me in it in her own summer recommendations article earlier this month, promising my recommendations would be out by month’s end. Thanks Emma!
Just kidding, I actually really appreciated the nudge because, once I got writing, it turns out I have PLENTY to recommend.
Grey summer forecast? No worries. These cute books, hilarious podcasts and gripping shows will brighten any day.
Read
I have to say, I was an absolute shocker when it came to reading over the summer break. Why? Because one of my favourite things to do on a hot day is lay in the shade at the beach and crack a good book and sadly, this summer’s bumper serving of grey skies and humidity made absolutely no one want to lie on the beach.
Luckily, with a few bluebird days recently I was able to hang out with Canberra author Abra Pressler’s adorable Love and Other Scores at Civic Pool, spending the day with Gabriel and Noah and their very sweet tennis-player-meets-bartender-during-the-Australian-Open queer romance.
Perfect for fans of the banter in Red, White and Blue and the summery settings of Emily Henry’s novels, Abra paints a glorious picture of Melbourne in the sizzling summer heat – and how great to be able to read it while the Open is on?
Rather contrastingly, I’ve also been trying to read more non-fiction, and borrowed A Short History of South East Asia from my Dad, which has been a cracking read, with the histories of countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia compressed into 15 page, bite-sized summaries with a focus on modern political history. As someone who has recently visited the region a few times, deep diving into these unique histories gave me a more robust understanding of these ancient cultures.
Listen
Luckily, where my summer lacked in reading, it more than made up for in listening. With many hours spent on the road, my phone was always loaded up with a fresh podcast and I have a few gems to share.
Who Shat on the Floor at My Wedding?
If you just spat out your coffee reading the name of this podcast, just wait until you listen to it. This deeply satirical ‘investigative’ podcast is, as you might expect, one big joke, as Kiwi comedian Lauren Kilby unpacks who could have taken a poo on the floor of her friend Karen Whitehouse and Helen McLaughlin’s chic Amsterdam wedding five years ago.
Listen along as Lauren, Karen and Helen interview the wedding guests (including ex-boyfriends, wait staff and parents), use a lie detector bought from a cheap website to interrogate suspects and ponder, in quite some depth, whether the type of underwear the guest was wearing could cause a poo to accidentally end up on the floor. Hysterical.
Closet Confessions
Another podcast that never fails to put a smile on my face, I originally followed author Candice Braithwaite on Instagram for her snappily edited ‘get ready with me’ content and enviable wardrobe but her Closet Confessions podcast with co-host actor and comedian Coco Sarel was one of my best discoveries of 2023.
As they say so well at the start of every episode, the premise is simple — the hosts gather in Candice’s expansive wardrobe to ‘get things off their chest’ and then read a listener’s ‘confession’ and give their advice. Aside from being whip-smart, deeply perceptive and utterly hilarious, Candice and Sarel’s genuine care for their audience and community shines through in every episode. It’s not people of colour’s responsibility to educate non-POC on their experiences, perspectives and worldviews, but I have learned so much from this podcast – and laughed so much too.
One minute you’ll be questioning your life choices or wiping away a tear, the next you’ll be trying not to laugh too hard while parked next to someone at a red light.
Ghost Story
Al Jazeera journalist Tristan Redman doesn’t believe in ghosts. Instead, he spends his time covering sobering events like the invasion of Ukraine. But even he will admit that things used to move overnight in his childhood bedroom in Richmond, London and when he realises that other people who lived in the house have been haunted by the ghost of a faceless woman, his attention is piqued.
Then, he learns that his wife’s family used to live in the house next door – and that her great-grandmother was sensationally killed by two gunshots to the face.
Yes, this is all real and yes, Tristan is going to get to the bottom of it. Add in the fact that Tristan’s wife’s family is the fascinating Dancy family (featuring renown academic Jonathan Dancy and actor Hugh Dancy) and you have one addictive podcast.
Two Broke Chicks
From deep life lessons to clever ways to save on your favourite brands and indulgences, Australian pod Two Broke Chicks perfectly fills the post-magazine-advice-column void in my life. They now even have an advice segment!
Episodes perfectly balance deep and meaningful conversations about the identity crises facing modern women in their 20s and 30s with money-saving hacks, beauty advice, product recommendations, interviews with fascinating Australians (like influencer, model and businesswoman Riley Hemson) and a big dose of banter from these two best friends. Hosts Al and Sal (Alexandra Hourigan and Sally McMullen) may live inside of each other’s minds and finish each other’s sentences, but you’ll never feel on the outside and this pod has easily slotted into my weekly rotation as an instant pick-me-up.
The Trial: Brianna Grey and The Trial: Ashling Murphy
If you’re a True Crime podcast aficionado, you likely listened to the deftly edited court reporting podcast The Trial of Lucy Letby. Well, its hosts, journalists Liz Hull and Caroline Cheetham, have covered two more trials — the case of murdered school teacher Ashling Murphy in rural Ireland and the case of murdered teen Brianna Ghey, who was killed last year by two 15-year-old school friends in Yorkshire. Court reporting is a fading art, but Liz and Caroline have breathed new life into this ancient form of journalism.
I don’t recommend these series lightly to those who can’t stomach court reporting, which covers exactly what the jury hears each day in court and nothing more. But I personally believe we owe it to these women to not turn away. More than 60 women were murdered in Australia in 2023 alone, and paying attention to the criminal trials of murderers such as these gives voice to this awful reality, and momentum to the battle cry that women are not safe in modern society. Let these cases not be swept under the rug.
Watch
Give me a cosy British police procedural and I’m a happy lass, so this summer was spent enjoying the final few seasons of Lewis (BritBox), which follows grumpy Northern cop DCI Robert Lewis and his enigmatic Inspector James Hathaway as they solve crimes in gorgeous Oxford, with my Grandma (I watched it with my Grandma, she’s not part of the crime-fighting team).
I also ripped through seasons one and two of Reacher on Amazon Prime, which are sure to thrill any action lover and are (I’m told) the best adaptation yet of Lee Child’s beloved Jack Reacher books. Like everyone, I became obsessed with Saltburn (Prime) – a complete triumph, in my opinion – and if you’re looking to get into KDrama, My Demon on Disney+ has all the best ingredients – a brilliant career-driven, revenge-obsessed female lead, a modern fantasy premise, a fake marriage and a 1000-year-old demon played by the swoon-worthy Song Kang.
If you’re looking for something a little more factual, I was totally enthralled by Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl on a Disney+, a documentary about the anonymous blogger behind the original ‘Gossip Girl’ website of the mid-2000s.
Next up on my TBW list is a slew of post-summer recommendations from my HerCanberra and Supercurious colleagues like The Brothers Sun and American Nightmare (both Netflix).
