Whitcoulls Recommends: This Kingdom of Dust and What I Ate in One Year

This Kingdom of Dust by David Dyer. In 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon and were then safely returned to Earth. In an alternative scenario, what if the lunar landing module failed and they couldn’t get back? It’s a compelling premise, told in three voices – that of Buzz on the moon, his wife Joan back in a US suburb surrounded by other astronauts’ wives waiting for news of her husband, and Aquarius, a journalist hired to write the story of the moon landing who got a lot more than he bargained for.

What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci. The famous author and dedicated gourmet kept a record of his whereabouts and activities throughout 2023, including almost everything he ate. He’s selflessly dedicated to finding great food and takes enormous pleasure in thinking about, planning and then devouring his next meal. It’s a charming, interesting and easy to read diary – and he’s impressive in his commitment! 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News TALKSB Joining me now.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
To talk books is Joe McKenzie. Good morning. Hello, Hey.
I must say we had Abbott Kaylor on the show
today talking about her fantastic book Eden Undone. You'd recommended
it to me. What an amazing story and beautifully written. Yes,
just want to know is that in your Jones Picks
and we're course yes it is. Okay, so it's really
easy for our listeners to find and it's a terrific book.

(00:35):
Oh isn't it? Just yes, so thank you for that recommendation.
What have you got for us today?

Speaker 3 (00:39):
I've got a really interesting novel. It's called This Kingdom
of Dust by David Dyer, who I believe is an
Australian writer. But it's set in nineteen sixty nine, at
the time of the Apollo Moon landing, when Neil Armstrong
and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon, and it takes
a really interesting premise, which is essentially imagine what might
have happened if the lunar landing module had stuck on

(01:03):
the Moon and catastrophically failed and couldn't get them off again,
and so there they might be stuck on the moon forever.
And it's told through three voices. Through Buzz himself, who
is on the moon and clearly facing his own mortality.
There's his wife, Joan, whose back living in a very
nineteen sixties American suburb, surrounded by other astronauts, wives watching

(01:26):
the television, knowing that something might have gone wrong. And
for me, one of the really interesting things about this
book was the interaction that the wives had with NASA
and the way that NASA clearly tried to control them
and limit their access. It was very interesting. And the
third voice is a journalist called Aquarius. That's the name
by which he's known. Now. I understand that back in

(01:46):
nineteen sixty nine, when the moon landing happened, Truman Capote
was hired to write the story of the moon landing
and called himself Aquarius for that purpose. And so in
the book, this journalist character takes the name Aquarius, and
he's been hired to write the story of what happens,
But of course what does eventually happen is entirely different
from what he imagined he was going to be covering.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
I love the way people rewrite history. It reminds me
a little bit of the Apple TV show for All Mankind.
I don't know if you've seen it. I love that show.
I love the way because it is such a fascinating
time and error to kind of rewrite it. Okay, that
sounds good. Now I'm going to have a little look
at this book because you've got it with you. This
just looks divine. Stanley Tucci.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
We love Stanley Tucci, don't we.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Yeah, I do.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
I thought there'd be pictures.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
No, there's no pictures. This is called What I Ate
in One Year and other related Thoughts. And he's taken
the year twenty twenty three and kept diary notes from
the first of January to the thirty first of December
about where he was, what he was doing, and what
he ate And I have to say he is entirely
selfless in his pursuit of fine food, and he eats

(02:56):
an extraordinary amount. But it's much more than that. And
it's very fitting actually that it's come out just now
because he is starring as one of the cardinals in
the Robert Harris movie Conclave, which has just opened in
theaters here, So good timing. But This is a man
who is not shy about the fact that he lives
for food. It's one of his abiding passions. And so

(03:18):
every day he'll tell you. At the beginning of the book,
first of January, he's arrived in Rome to start filming Conclave.
He's in an apartment. First thing he does is get
the ingredients to make a meal. He eats out all
the time, he eats with friends and family. He tells
you what he ate, why he loved it or didn't
love it, and it's quite charming.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
Actually, we're not all going to get fomo, we're not
all just going to be as we read, not just.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
About the food, but about the people. He knows all
the famous names that come and go through his life.
But it really is charming. And it's one of those
books that you can easily dip in and out of
because with diary entries day after day, you can just
pick it up and put it down. It's lovely.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Yeah, and I like the bold orange cover and just
the simple photo of him as well. There it is.

Speaker 3 (04:04):
You know what you getting, And if anyone's thinking of
gifting for Christmas, it's a lovely, beautifully produced hardcover.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
No, it's great, Thank you, Joan. The Kingdom of Dust
by David Dye was the first book we mentioned, and
What I Ate In One Year by Stanley Tucci is
the second.

Speaker 3 (04:18):
We'll talk next week see then.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks A B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio