Podcasts & Books

Skip the search and dive into 17 of the best Australian podcasts for 2025. With a week's worth of listening, you'll be entertained and inspired.

We've found the best cookbooks so you'll never have to eat out again. Kind of.

Start your self-care era with some of the best self-help books around, as chosen by us.

Jump on the true crime bandwagon, hit play, and start bingeing these must-listen podcasts.

The best audiobooks to please every ear, from romantasy best sellers to literary classics. 

Ah, France, the nation of l’amour, exceptional fromage and striped bretons; it’s the world’s most travelled to destination for good reason.

When searching for your next podcast binge, turn to Australia’s greatest storytellers—Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices—for a truly enriching listen.

Ahead of the highly anticipated drop of Sex Therapy: Sessions with Chantelle Otten, we spoke to Otten about her new series and the intimate dinner she's hosting to celebrate. 

Snacks begin with a refreshing hit of Sydney Rock Oysters, drenched with Roku Gin and tonic granita.

So, whether you want to reminisce about Game of Thrones and The O.C. or find out hot gossip from The Sopranos and The Office–we’ve rounded up the best rewatch podcasts available for listening now.

Whether you’re a life-long bookworm or you’ve never quite gotten into reading, now is the perfect time to fall in love with books. From crime and romantic drama to historical fiction and everything in between, we’ve found your next favourite read.

The truth is, you’d be doing yourself a complete disservice if you didn’t work your way through this essential reading list, stat.

Chances are you’re already dabbling in sustainability by using reusable products and making thoughtful swaps to better our planet. Now it’s time to take things up a notch by giving your reading list some serious cred with our favourite books on sustainability.

Whether you’re a baby feminist or a seasoned equality fighter, this list covers the freshest feminist reads from Australian and international authors alike. From mind-blowing factual works to eye opening fiction and even a few timeless classics, put your reading glasses on and add these prime publications to your to-read list.

There’s nothing more glorious than curling up with a good book.

While the rainbow celebrations, glitter-fuelled performances and drag icons and legends that are set to fill your world are no doubt the highlight, we love that this time is also a chance to really champion, get behind and amplify LGBTQIA+ voices and stories even more. 

The next generation of children’s books guaranteed to keep even the busiest tiny tot occupied.

Summer and reading go hand in hand.

In a world where there are movie adaptations of just about every book ever written, we’re at risk of forgetting the joy actually reading a book can bring. A fancy front cover, the feel of the paper, that new book (or old book) smell – these are things a film just can’t provide.

Essential reading.

 Kleenex Ultra Soft at the ready.

Serious page-turners you won’t be able to steer away from.

We delved into the world of mindfulness and meditation apps and here's what we found. 

Reading is a bullet-proof method for accepting stress, learning how to cope with it, and living happily ever after. 

Cashing in your AL and going on vacay might seem tempting, but these tips will help your craft a healthy foundation for dealing with burnout in the long run. 

We share tips on how to implement achievable goals, ahead of Reason Season with Rob and Lachlan from Funny Business. 

As part of the Evenings module for Reason Season, these our fave reads to unwind before bed to reap all of those relaxing rewards.

Join us for Reason Season to craft healthy daily habits and routines.

 In case you’ve been out of the podcast loop, wellness is the new true crime.

Enter the SBS Emerging Writers' Competition and you could win $5,000.

Barefoot Investor is great and all but have you read these?

If you’re keen to step up your sustainability game and keep the momentum going you've already achieved through this crisis, then look no further than this practical guide to going plastic-free. 

Autobiographies are a window into the soul and sometimes they are so powerful they can change the reader, so and here are our top picks of the 10 you should read at least once in your life.

With International Women’s Day before us, what better way to get yourself prepared than listening to some podcasts that are hosted by women, for women. We’ve put together a list of some of the best podcasts right now that cover a wide variety of topics, both thought-provoking and LOL-worthy. These listens are relatable, entertaining, and are bound to leave you feeling empowered and ready to celebrate International Women’s Day.

 Think new talent, new reads and new voices that are well worth your time.

Bless your ears with these incredible LGBTQI+ podcasts that will make you laugh and cry with their raw, honest and hilarious storytelling. From celebrity hosts and guest stars to award-winning journalists and activists, these queers podcasts are seriously binge-worthy.

Full-blown heart-palpitating terror from start to finish.

Bring on the climax.

Here are 15 brilliant books we’ll be both reading and giving this silly season.

No matter what kind of reader you are, we’ve got your bookworm needs covered with all of the best LGBTQI+ books, from romantic comedies to confrontingly honest memoirs and powerful classics.

Get ready to dive into the unruly world of politics.

Your write of passage.

In 2020 we consumed a shedload of podcasts, and the one that truly stuck out for us, was The Dropout. Not familiar? The true crime series chronicled the insane life of Elizabeth Holmes, the former billionaire turned fraudster and jail dweller. 

 Enlighten yourself harder than the 1700s.

2020 was the year we needed podcasts more than ever. From giving us the chance to virtually armchair travel around the world, to listening to groundbreaking investigative journalism firsthand—there’s been a shedload of incredible podcasts hitting the airwaves this year. If you’re in need of some solid recommendations for summer, you’re in luck because we’re here to tell you what to plug into as you hide from your extended family this holiday season.

 Escapism at its finest.

Investigative journalist Rachel Brown returns with season two, this time unpacking the infamous story of Nicola Gobbo (AKA Lawyer X), the criminal lawyer and recently ousted police informer who’s currently in hiding.

Slasher fans—and Victorians who’ve exhausted every other streaming platform available—can rejoice in the news that Australia now has another content service available called Shudder. It’s a fright-focused affair streaming only horror and the sub-genres that fall under the category.

Booktopia has recently dropped a super slick Textbook Finder, which allows you to source your books and have them speedily shipped direct to your door in one to two days, totally fuss-free.

While Tiger King proved to be the MVP of iso-life viewing, Where The Crawdads Sing absolutely took out the top spot for the book world. And now, fans can rejoice because it’s being adapted for the big screen and we’re pumped!

These days, it’s almost as if every person and their dog has a podcast. If you really wanted, you could piece one together with the voice recorder on your phone and some shoddy, free-to-download software. 

As we start the new year and we’re all trying to suss out what 2021 has in store for us, we’re furiously reading up on our star signs to see how we’ll get that promotion at work, find our soulmate and survive the next retrograde.  To help you become a zodiac master, we’ve rounded up the best astrology books for you to check out. 

If 2020 has you thinking new year, new job, then we’ve got good news for you. Instead of trawling through job sites (that will come later) first, get your inner boss inspired by listening to people who know exactly how to land the perfect gig. 

We decided to catch up with the guy behind it and chat all things about the making of Search Engine Sex, how sex is represented in today’s pop culture and the weirdest phrase he knows for “wanking”. 

Oh, queen Bey, how we have missed you! In news that the world truly needs right now, Beyoncé has announced she’s finally dropping a new visual album next month. Black Is King will premiere on 31 July on Disney+, right on the heels of the one-year anniversary of The Lion King reboot.

The new true-crime podcast series Chasing Charlie is about as juicy as they come. The seven-part series follows an eight-year chase of New Zealand con artist Paul Bryan Gill, it involves six-figure cash sums, intercontinental escape acts and it’s told by the private investigator who worked the case from day dot, Julia Robson.

OnePlate’s newest cookbook Brunch In Melbourne, featuring over 130 brunch recipes from 100 iconic cafes and restaurants around Melbourne—and we can't wait to get our hands on it.      

Recipes include “Sourd’Ohhhh” and “Pump Her Nickle”.

With restrictions easing, we’re finally seeing that glimmering light at the end of the iso tunnel but until that time comes, we’ve found your latest obsession to keep you entertained at home: virtual escape rooms. 

While we loved binging the craziness that was Netflix’s Tiger King, sometimes we need a hit of wholesomeness, and it doesn’t get much better than having Harry Potter himself serenade us with a reading of the J.K Rowling novel that made him a household name.

While we’re loving our Netflix binges and we’ve dominated every puzzle put in front of us, we’re craving a new creative outlet, and ironically, we actually mastered it when we were kids. Yep, we’re talking adult colouring in books, the grown-up version of our childhood pastime.

From the Australian Outback to huge sand dunes in the heart of the Orkney Islands — travel books will transport you to places all over the world.

Rejoice, the doyen of documentaries, Louis Theroux, is finally set to release a podcast thanks to the good folk at the BBC.

If you thought Instagram and YouTube was the only vice to satisfy your travel bug, think again.

Found yourself with a little extra time on your hands? Who would have thought? Get comfy, switch on your reading light and unleash your inner bookworm on these eight long reads guaranteed to get you through isolation, however long that may be. 

Expect to be blessed with titles outside the mass market, nuanced characters, compelling themes and rich plots. Basically, all the ingredients for a good read.

When it comes to the current state of the world, it’s important to look for the silver linings. So, come through the real MVP of self-isolation and physical distancing–books. That’s right, whether you’re a life-long bookworm or you’ve never quite gotten into reading, now you’ve got nothing but time to fall in love with books. 

Every noteworthy podcast trending hard right now.

If you have a love-hate relationship with Mercury Retrograde, you’re intrigued by equinoxes and solstices and are inexplicably obsessed with everyone and anyone’s rising sign, listen up.

With news dropping this week that The Handmaid’s Tale season four will commence filming this March, our curiosity on the future of Gilead has only increased tenfold. But rather than wait for the new season to drop (no word on the release date as yet) why not go straight to the source? The creator of The Handmaid’s Tale and our newest fave, The Testaments, Margaret Atwood is headed to our shores for a national tour.

Plus everything you need to binge this week.

​When LA Times reporter Christopher Goffard released a little-known podcast by the name of Dirty John last year, true crime buffs lost their collective minds. The podcast became a smash hit and spawned a Netflix show of the same name, plus a bunch of international speaking events… because who wouldn’t want to hear the dulcet tones of Goffard in person?

The shadowy mouse empire is moving, and it’s coming for your bank account.

It's time to start that second life you've been dreaming of.

If you have moments where you find yourself scrolling through Insta, longing for a life that isn’t yours, you’re going to want to plug in to this epic new podcast stat. The Happiness Lab comes to us from Yale professor Dr Laurie Santos, who’s course, “Psychology and the Good Life,” inspired the podcast and became Yale’s most popular class in over 300 years.

Finding the right book to suit you can be a big task, so we’ve done the hard yards to bring you a list of some of the best books on mindfulness.

If there’s one thing we can’t get enough of right now, it’s true crime podcasts, so we’re always a little giddy when we uncover one particularly chilling. And it doesn’t get much creepier than having the voice behind one of your favourite cartoons talk you through heinous true crimes in graphic details. 

While we endure the anxious and long wait for season four of The Handmaid’s Tale to hit our screens (and find out if June ever does escape that hell hole), it turns out you can get your Gilead fix sooner than you think.  

Dubbed as “a paranormal S-Town”.

There have been a ton of great new podcasts out in 2019 and other not-so-new-ones that had strong seasons. But like with anything entertainment-related, diving into the podcasting universe can take you on an information overload trip if you don't know where to start. Luckily we’re here to tell you what to plug into your ear holes and what to leave out of your binge-listening sessions as you hide from your extended family this holiday season.

Mark down June 27 for more witchcraft and wizardry.

Eyes starting to shrivel up? Might be time to ditch the screens and try something a bit more...analogue. We’ve got some crackerjack new release books in November.

The story of infamous backpacker murderer Ivan Milat.

If sleeping has become more chore than snore, it’s time you plugged in to switch off; these are the best slow lit podcast to help you hit the hay.

Like with anything entertainment-related, diving into the podcasting universe can take you on an information overload trip if you don't know where to start. Luckily we’re here to tell you what to plug into your ear holes and what to leave out of your binge-listening sessions as you hide from your extended family this holiday season.

Chris Dawson has been arrested, and it’s all getting very real. 

We've already popped it on our reading list.

Got an entertainment buff you need to please? From retro arcade games to stylish sound systems, we’ve got something that will have them cancelling all their plans for 2019.

Obviously we've included the one about Lyn Dawson ie. the unsolved murder across the news.

"I've listened to too many podcasts" said no one ever.

​Want to skip the queues and snag a private dining room at Sydney’s Chin Chin? How about a year’s free yoga in Brisbane? Maybe a private session at Bass & Flinders mixing you own signature gin? Well, they’re all up for grabs.

All your Sunday inspo wrapped into one handly lil' package.

The team spent an entire year within the criminal courts in Cleveland so you'll get to hear everything that happened on the inside.

All your Sunday inspo wrapped into one handly lil' package.

​We’re kicking off a new Book Club series today, so settle down and get comfy. Maybe pop the kettle on. Every month we’ll be checking out a handful of hyped new releases in the literary world, and September is looking like a bumper month. We’ve got J.K. Rowling’s new thriller, a Homeric saga from Pat Barker, and Lisa Brennan-Jobs’ scathing biography of her late dad, Steve. (You know Steve, right?)

The Harry Potter hype is just about to get stronger as it has just been announced that three new books will be added to the ever-growing brand!

Crazy Rich Asians took the world by storm when it was released in 2013. And, this month the film hit theatres and you’d pretty much have to have been living under a bus not to have noticed the hype.

We’ve rounded up a list of the best books that will make you feel cultured, but also won't make you want to stab a fork into your eye. 

The recent success of shows like Call the Midwife, The Crown and good ol’ Downton Abbey proves that we all love a cheeky bit of historical fiction. Nothing captures the imagination like the secret dramas of the English court or the glitz and the glamour of the 1920’s. While a TV show is all well and good, actually reading a piece of historical fiction just takes things to a whole new level, letting you completely immerse yourself in a whole new world.

Now that the mercury has plummeted through the floor and triggered a mass deficit of electric blankets at Harvey Norman, the only thing left to do is snuggle up with a good book and a hot Milo (that’s one part milk, 6 parts Milo, 9 parts marshmallow). 

It came out two days ago and we’re already hooked.

Ready for it.

While there’s no quick fix to turning your life into a Disney movie, there’s something to be said for a good self-help book. Whether you’re struggling with money, motivation, relationships or just keeping your room tidy, here are some of our favourite books to help instantly make your life better: 

Shape, change and challenge your everyday life.

Let's be honest, your commute to and from work is unlikely to be an exciting time. You're just getting from point A—B and trying to avoid that guy with the serious coffee breath in the process. Fortunately, our Commuters' Guide To Podcasts is here with your solution, offering you bountiful recommendations to escape the monotony of that dreaded train trip. And all tailored down to the length of your commute.

We have absolutely no doubt there are some crazy adrenaline junkies out there who seek adventure at dizzying heights. If harnessing up and strapping yourself in (literally) to scale buildings sounds like your kinda thing, we definitely think you’ll love to know where you can get one of the highest and best views in Australia. 

Yep, a new Game of Thrones book is coming.

Fire up those downloads and let the LOLs run wild with the funniest podcasts out.

Let Snoop Dogg catch you up on all things pop culture.

John Green once wrote great books help you understand and they help you feel understood. Naturally, reading is a subjective process, but whether it’s learning how to live your best life, facing adversity to striving for success, here are ten books that will change the way you think.

​All right, you true crime pervs. We’re back for another month of watching shows about real things happening to real people in real time. And there’s plenty on the menu. We’ve got a couple of golden oldies (Man on Wire, Amy) and brand new docos on everything from Nora Ephron to guys collecting coral.

Here’s our round-up of the latest wave of thrillers you won’t be about to put down.

​We’re currently knee deep in awards seasons, but while everyone’s going mental for the latest film to hit the big screen, there’s plenty to watch on the small screen from the comfort of your couch as well. And the best part is, nobody is judging your snack choices at home.

They say truth is stranger than fiction, but those people probably never watched Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone. Nonetheless, there are a stack of excellent docos around right now. Maybe it’s the whole true crime trend, or the fact the world is slowly melting, but people seem to care more about real stuff now. That’ probably a good thing.   

Even though us reading enthusiasts will often agree how good the movie was whilst secretly agreeing with ourselves that the book was better, we could not be excited.

Put down that damn Jodi Picoult novel because we’ve dug up the best Aussie true crime books on the market just in time for Christmas, and Jodi’s latest heartbreaking courtroom drama is going to have to wait. Hours of bookshop research have told us that Australia is home to some pretty insane, real-life murder mysteries, and paired with a hot cup of tea and a few choccie bikkies, they make for a delicious night in this festive season.

As we wave goodbye to another year in television, we look ahead to 2018 and all the Sundays we’ll spend in bed on Netflix, eating packets of Clinkers with the curtains drawn. Some of the most notable revivals of 2017 were Will & Grace, Prison Break, Twin Peaks and That’s So Raven (look it up, that shit happened), and in 2018 we welcome some even juicier revivals on our screens.

If you’re anything like us you’ve no doubt worked your way through every true crime podcast there is by now, and you’re on an endless search to fill the void left by Serial, Shit Town, and Dirty John.

While we struggle through this complete lull in reality TV, we’ve been buoyed by the news today that there’s about to be a tell-all Bachelor book hit the market—and it’s been penned by the most recent Bachelor villain.

If you've not yet gotten into podcasts (seriously, what have you been doing?), this holiday season is the perfect opportunity to come over to the enlightened side. Way less effort than reading a book (read: trashy mag) or watching Netflix (because series binging requires a surprising amount of effort), podcasts also have the added benefit of being insanely entertaining and often educational at the same time—so it's wins all round.