Louise and Virginia loved discussing two authors who are surely two of America's great literary treasures.

Books

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Sula by Toni Morrison

Other things

Curtis Brown Creative writing courses, London

Television

Welsh television series

The One that Got Away ( 2025)

Keeping Faith ( 2017-2021)

Hinterland (2013)

Email hello@divinginpodcast.com

Instagram @diving_in_podcast

Song ‘Diving In’ – Original music and lyrics written and performed by Laura Adeline – https://linktr.ee/llauraadeline

Podcast sound production and editing by Andy Maher

Graphics by Orla Larkin – create@werkshop.com.au

Louise and Virginia discuss two Jonathon Coe books, both of which reflect life, politics, culture, and society in the United Kingdom, past and present, as Coe always does so brilliantly.

Books

Middle England by Jonathon Coe

Bourneville by Jonathon Coe

Other things

‘Personal Curriculum Tok’

Television

Human, ABC iView

Under Salt Marsh, Binge

Email hello@divinginpodcast.com

Instagram @diving_in_podcast

Song ‘Diving In’ – Original music and lyrics written and performed by Laura Adeline – https://linktr.ee/llauraadeline

Podcast sound production and editing by Andy Maher

Graphics by Orla Larkin – create@werkshop.com.au

Louise and Virginia dive deep into all thing’s books for Teen Readers, books categorised ‘Young Adult’ but marketed to teenagers. They discuss the creation of the category, whether publishers should provide some sort of classification system, or content advice as well as four great books and one book that, whilst very gripping, is surely mis-categorised - to Virginia’s dismay! As always they finish the conversation with a few other things they’ve been diving into recently.

Books

Return to Sender by Lauren Draper

Five Survive by Holly Jackson

Bear by Kiri Lightfoot

What’s Murder Between Friends by Meg Gatland-Veness

My Family and Other Suspects by Kate Emery

Other things

JournalTok

Television

Three Families – ABC iView

Film

Rental Family

Email hello@divinginpodcast.com

Instagram @diving_in_podcast

Song ‘Diving In’ – Original music and lyrics written and performed by Laura Adeline – https://linktr.ee/llauraadeline

Podcast sound production and editing by Andy Maher

Graphics by Orla Larkin – create@werkshop.com.au

Louise and Virginia have finally made it back to the Podcast Studio (Virginia’s dining room) after a gap of more than 18 months, and despite having forgotten how to do a podcast they somehow managed to review two new excellent Australian books that both have a journalist as the central character. They also chat about a few of the non-bookish things they’ve been diving into recently.

Books

The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done by Clare Stephens

Gravity Let Me Go by Trent Dalton

Television Shows

Victoria Beckham documentary – Netflix

One Shot - Ed Sheeran documentary

The Hack – Stan

Theatre

Bell Shakespeare Company

Housekeeping

Email hello@divinginpodcast.com

Instagram @diving_in_podcast

Song ‘Diving In’ – Original music and lyrics written and performed by Laura Adeline – https://linktr.ee/llauraadeline

Podcast sound production and editing by Andy Maher

Graphics by Orla Larkin – create@werkshop.com.au

Virginia and Louise do a deep dive into Barbara Kingsolver’s Pullitzer Prize winning and compelling novel Demon Copperhead and talk all things Charles Dickens as well as adding some shameful new entries to the infamous Ick Register.

Books

Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, 1838

Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, 1854

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, 2023

More Deep Dives

Emma, by Jane Austen

Television

Emma, mini series, 2009

Slow Horses, series 1-3 Apple TV+

One Day, Netflix 2023

Louise and Virginia thought it might be fun to do an episode on books that they feel a bit embarrassed to have never read (until now). There were a lot of books to choose from, but they discuss four in this conversation.

During this chat they also create an Ick Register for authors who use words that give the ick, so that readers can be warned in advance (kind of like a trigger warning, but more basic).

Books

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, translated by Jay Rubin

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Television Shows

Scrublands - Stan

Boy Swallows Universe – Netflix

Podcasts

The Children of Rutherford County – Serial

The Queen’s Reading Room

Louise and Virginia have a great conversation about a lovely Western Australian novel. Salt River Road by the very talented debut author Molly Schmidt captures the large Tetley family at the worst time of their lives. Their wife and mother, Elena, has died after a long illness and left them all devastated. Although the book looks at grief through the eyes of several different characters, it has a forward-moving arc, plenty of heart, and a wonderful ending, with an authentic Western Australian, 1970s feel.

Book

Salt River Road by Molly Schmidt, 2023, published by Fremantle Press

Binge TV

Strife

Netflix

The Crown

Louise and Virginia have a conversation about two books with many overlaps, one fiction and one non-fiction, and reflect on the fact that none of this information was taught in the classroom when they were at school.

Books
Killing for Country by David Marr
Edenglassie by Melissa Lukashenko

TV Show
The Crown – Netflix

Podcasts
The Rest is History – Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland
The Rest is Entertainment – Richard Osman and Marina Hyde