We sit down with Neal Shusterman to discuss his latest Young Adult novel, All Better Now, which speculates on what could happen if there was another pandemic, but this time, of a virus that brings contentment to its recoverees. We have a lot to talk about, including what a happiness virus would really entail, and its impacts on characters with lived experience of mental ill-health - as well as Neal’s writing and character development.

Detailed show notes, and other links: linktree.com/novel_feelings

Content notes for this episode: covid-19 pandemic; depression; suicidal ideation; cult; psychosis.

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

Join us for a fascinating interview with Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion, authors of the Menzies Mental Health series – i.e. The Glass House and The Oasis. We have a lot to talk about including the complexity of the Australian mental health care system, balancing technical accuracy and storytelling, and telling the lived experience of healthcare professionals while also prioritising the rights of people living with complex mental health conditions.

• Detailed show notes, and other links: linktree.com/novel_feelings

Content notes for this episode: inpatient hospital settings, burnout, involuntary treatment, burnout of medical professionals, stigma and discrimination facing people living with mental ill-health.

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with six directives to help her “Get a Life".

Our May book club discussion is about Get a Life, Chloe Brown, a romance novel that features characters experiencing chronic pain and trauma. We talk about impacts and healing from abusive relationships; the mental toll of chronic pain and ableism; and accurate representations of being triggered.

• Book club info, detailed show notes, and other links: linktree.com/novel_feelings
• Get a 10% discount through Amplify Bookstore with the code NOVELFEELINGS10: http://amplifybookstore.com/products/novel-feelings-book-club

Additional content notes for this episode: This book is sexually explicit. We don't discuss details of sex scenes in the episode, but maybe listen to the podcast episode (or the audiobook) with headphones on!

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

A daring literary account of a young woman’s experience of psychosis by Bengali-Australian writer Sanya Rushdi.

This March, our book club discussion features Hospital, which explores the experience of psychosis and subsequent hospitalisation, drawn from the author's real-life experience. We unpack the limitations of the medical model approach towards treatment of mental health issues, shared decision-making, and the importance of empowerment and identity in recovery.

• Book club info, detailed show notes, and other links: linktree.com/novel_feelings
• Get a 10% discount through Amplify Bookstore with the code NOVELFEELINGS10: http://amplifybookstore.com/products/novel-feelings-book-club

Additional content notes for this episode: involuntary hospitalisation, stigma of psychosis, harmful psychiatric treatments, coerced medication prescribing

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

Tara Calaby joins us on today's episode to discuss her latest novel, The Spirit Circle: a speculative historical fiction on the intersection of spiritualism and grief. The novel features women who are haunted by grief and come together as a church under the charismatic leadership of a medium. Tara discusses writing cult-ish dynamics in the story, marginalised identities in a historical context, and the impact of grief.

• Detailed show notes, and other links: linktree.com/novel_feelings

Content notes for this episode: death of a child.

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

This week, we get on the mic to discuss an unexpected identity crisis: we seem to be growing out of Young Adult (YA) fiction. We try to define what exactly YA is (a tough job!) and what we still love about books in this category, as well as grapple with why we no longer gravitate towards this area in the bookshop. And oh, we took a slight detour into discussing Middle Grade (MG) books as well.

Book club info, detailed show notes, and other links: linktree.com/novel_feelings

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

Join Priscilla and Elise for a book club discussion on Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow's complex characterisation and video game nostalgia, including an in-depth review of topics like depression, disability and chronic pain, grief, race and class.

• Book club info, detailed show notes, and other links: linktree.com/novel_feelings
• Get a 10% discount through Amplify Bookstore with the code NOVELFEELINGS10: http://amplifybookstore.com/products/novel-feelings-book-club

Content notes for this episode: Mention of characters witnessing a suicide death (minimal detail); mention of war in Gaza; discussion of gun violence, abuse of power in a relationship, and domestic violence.

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.

You are invited to join Novel Feelings' 2025 Book Club (a.k.a. season 4!) in collaboration with Amplify Bookstore. Tune in to learn about how the book club will work, to hear about our book club choices, and for a special interview with Marina from Amplify about their mission and history.

Amplify is a bookstore dedicated to books by authors who are Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Colour – with the aim to diversify your bookshelf. Get 10% off our book club picks with the code NOVELFEELINGS10.

• Book club info, detailed show notes, and other links: linktree.com/novel_feelings
• Amplify Bookstore: http://amplifybookstore.com/products/novel-feelings-book-club

Our podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.