Book Shambles

During a break from filming the new season of his sitcom The Ex PM, Robin and Josie are joined by one of Australia’s most celebrated comedic writers and performers, Shaun Micallef. They chat about his latest book The President’s Desk, favourite comedian biographies, a mutual love of silent film and the difficulty writing Trump based satire in Australia.

UK audiences may best know Judy Nunn as Ailsa Stewart from Home and Away, but she is also one of Australia's most successful novelists of period fiction. She joined Robin and Josie to chat her latest book, Spirits of the Ghan, plus the work of Pat Barker, RM Ballantyne and how to make sound effects with cabbages.

Welcome to season 6 of Book Shambles with Robin and Josie! We kick off with a bumper episode that is one we recorded out in Australia as part of the Cosmic Shambles LIVE tour. Our guest is Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, science broadcaster, communicator and author of over forty bestselling science books. Topics of discussion include jet lag and climate change, Dr Karl’s own works plus those of Steven Pinker, Richard Holmes, Peter De Vries and much more!

In the final episode of this season, psychotherapist and author Philippa Perry joins Robin and Josie this week to talk about some of the best books in her field, as well as her own work. Philippa also brought along some of her favourite books including work by Jane Austen, Harvey Pekar and EF Benson.

Children's author and poet A.F Harrold sits down with Robin and Josie to talk about his own work and some his favourite poetry and children's books including the work of Russell Hoban, Brian Patten and Raymond Briggs. Also, in our first ever commercial break, that isn't really a commercial break, Nat Metcalfe pops in to let us know about the best new comics out right now.

Comedian Dane Baptiste joins Robin and Josie this week to talk about how Malcom X’s biography got him into stand up comedy, how he preferred Beowulf to Judy Blume and the influence of the comic series 2000 AD.

Theoretical cosmologist Professor Fay Dowker joins Robin and Josie this week to talk about the science behind Alan Moore's work, Émile Zola, Noam Chomsky, the letters of Albert Einstein and more, including quizzing Josie on the Newtonian physics of her butt on her chair...

Stand Up Mathematician and author of Things To Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension, Matt Parker joins Robin and Josie this week. They talk about all things numbers. Best books on maths, books about mathematicians, puzzle books and plenty more. And Matt will be joining Robin, Josie and others for our live tour of Australia and New Zealand in March/April. Details at cosmicshambleslive.com

This week Robin and Josie sit down to talk inspirational books with founder and director of the Daughter’s of Eve organisation and FGM campaigner, Nimko Ali. There’s chat of religious texts, George Orwell, Walt Whitman and many more besides.

Welcome to Season 5 of Book Shambles, now part of the Cosmic Shambles Network! Artist and writer and Raoul Martinez joins Robin and Josie to kick of Season 5 of Book Shambles. They discuss Raoul's new book Creating Freedom, have a bit of a debate about free will and chat about the work of Howard Zinn, Rebecca Solnit, Noam Chomsky and more.