This month, Ian, Bev, and Alo dive into The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, joined by special guest Nell.

The Bee Sting is a sweeping, tragicomic family saga that captured readers (and Booker Prize judges) alike. We unpack its unforgettable characters, explore Murray’s distinct writing style through each point of view, and debate that twist ending that left us reeling.

But before we get stung by all that drama, we kick things off with a lively chat about ABC Radio National’s Top 100 Books of the 21st Century — the surprises, the snubs, and the titles that made us cheer (or roll our eyes).

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Burial Rites - Hanna Kent
• Lola in the mirror - Trent Dalton
• Boy Swallows Universe - Trent Dalton
• Stag Dance - Torrey Peters
• Detransition, Baby! - Torrey Peters
• The burrow - Melanie Chang
• Too Much Lip - Melissa Lucashenko
• Dark Emu -Bruce Pascoe
• Carpentaria - Alexis Wright
• Life of Pi - Yann Martel
• The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
• Prophet Song - Paul Lynch
• The Luminaries - Eleanor Catton
• The Cannibal's Daughter - Rosa Montero
• Bad Girls - Camila Sosa Villada
• Thesis on a domestication - Camila Sosa Villada
• The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny - Kiran Desai
• The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters
• A room above a shop - Anthony Shapland

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Connect with us via email (⁠booksbabypod@gmail.com⁠) and on Instagram!

Books, Baby! – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksbabypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Hosts:

Ian – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@bookish_ian⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Bev – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksgonewilde⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Alo – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@books.swallows.universe⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest Host:

Nell - @nellreadsbooks