A podcast for readers who want to know the stories behind the pages đ Join Caitlin and Michelle, two book nerds who bring you in-depth conversations about writing and publishing from those on the inside. Grab a cuppa and get ready to chat books.
My Brilliant Career pt 3: a captivating adaptation for a modern audience
Welcome to the final part of our 3-part series celebrating the iconic Australian feminist novel My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin. In this episode, Caitlin and Michelle are diving into the new Netflix series adaptation of this Australian classic novel.
For your convenience, here's everything else we mentioned in this episode:
Bridgerton (TV series)
Anne of Green Gables
Whistle (film)
The Newsreader (TV series)
Deadlock (TV series)
Wentworth (TV series)
Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word. Make sure you're following the podcast so new episodes appear in your feed as soon as they're available.
We've â got a Substack publicationâ (https://betterwords.substack.com/). At the end of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. â Come say hi!â (https://betterwords.substack.com/)
Connect with us on Instagram: â @betterwordspod (https://www.instagram.com/betterwordspod/)
30 Aug 2026
My Brilliant Career pt 2: discussing 'the very first Australian novel'
Welcome to the second of our 3-part series celebrating the iconic Australian feminist novel My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin. In this episode, Caitlin and Michelle are discussing the novel, originally published in 1901.
About the book:
Growing up on her parentsâ outback farm, Sybylla is desperate to read, write, sing and achieve great things.
Yet her aspirations for a âbrilliant careerâ are persistently thwarted, first by the arduous demands of rural family life, and later by the shackles of a proposed conventional marriage to the wealthy Harold Beecham.
With only her brilliant, conflicted mind to guide her, Sybylla is forced to define a life on her own terms.
*Caitlin accessed a copy through her work at Harper Collins.
For your convenience, here's everything else we mentioned in this episode:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
My Brilliant Career, Smith & Taylor classics edition (https://www.waterstones.com/book/my-brilliant-career/miles-franklin/kerrie-davies/9781961884755)
Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word. Make sure you're following the podcast so new episodes appear in your feed as soon as they're available.
We've â got a Substack publicationâ (https://betterwords.substack.com/). At the end of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. â Come say hi!â (https://betterwords.substack.com/)
Connect with us on Instagram: â @betterwordspod (https://www.instagram.com/betterwordspod/)
12 Aug 2026
My Brilliant Career pt 1: Miles Franklin's trailblazing literary life
Welcome to the first of our three-part series celebrating the iconic Australian feminist novel My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin. In this first part, Michelle is taking inspiration from Just the Gist (our favourite podcast) to tell Caitlin the incredible life of Stella Miles Franklin. We promise youâll also be obsessed with her by the end of this episode.
Sources:
âMy Brilliant Careerâ by the National Museum of Australia (https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/my-brilliant-career)
Miles Franklin by Dr Rachel Franks for State Library of NSW (https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/stories/miles-franklin )
(Please excuse some bumpy noises when Michelle got very passionate while telling this story and couldnât stop moving her hands)
For your convenience, here's everything else we mentioned in this episode:
Henry Lawson (poet)
Banjo Paterson (poet)
Trent Dalton (author)
Fierceland by Omar Musa
The Miles Franklin Award
The Stella Prize
Life of M by Rachel Cusk
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
Chat 10 Looks 3 (podcast)
Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with a bookish friend to help spread the word. Make sure you're following the podcast so new episodes appear in your feed as soon as they're available.
We've â got a Substack publicationâ (https://betterwords.substack.com/). At the end of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. â Come say hi!â (https://betterwords.substack.com/)
Connect with us on Instagram: â @betterwordspod (https://www.instagram.com/betterwordspod/)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
3.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 53 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
75
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
77
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