Cassie McCullagh

I liked the first half of the book the most, and partly because oddly it was, the narrative is driven by taking research seriously.

Yeah, absolutely.

So this research, this intellectual project that she's doing, which is developing the theory of bastards, which is a sort of scientific idea that she's positing.

Which is the title of the book.

Which is the title of the book.

It's really fascinating and it does actually drive the plot.

I thought that worked.

Margot Lennigan, does this pique your interest?

Audrey Shulman's Theory of Bastards is published by Europa Editions.

And what about your to-be-read pile from each of you?

What are you either partway through or you want to read next?

Margot Lanigan.

Well, that is an unexpected third on that list.

Felicity Castagna, what are you planning to read next?

And of course, he shares the shortlist with you for the Miles Franklin Awards, which will be announced, I think, on the 26th of August.

Yes, that's right.

Very soon.

Let's meet one more reader here on the bookshelf.

Khalid Wasami is a Melbourne writer and arts producer who was fiction editor for the Lifted Brow and co-director of the National Young Writers Festival.

He's currently working at the Fitzroy Community Arts Centre, which has a truly astonishing number of arts and writing projects.