FREE JUNE 2010 Readings Monthly Marieke Hardy on Benjamin Law • Cate Kennedy on Robin Black OURTESY SCRIBE PUBLICATIONS) C ( INDELIBLE INK OR'S G DETAIL OF COVER FIONA MGRE DETAIL Christos Tsiolkas interviews Fiona McGregor AUS FICTION HUMOUR FICTION NON-FICTION NON-FICTION DVD JAZZ CD CLASSICAL $32.95 $27.95 $27.95 $32.95 $27.95 $55 $39.95 $19.95 $34.95 $32.95 $34.95 >> p5 >> p4 >> p6 >> p11 >> p10 Blu-ray $44.99 >> p17 >> p19 >> p16 June book, CD & DVD new releases. More new releases inside June event highlights : David Marr, Benjamin Law, Lisa Miller, Nicolas Rothwell, Street/Studio, Bob Graham. More events inside All shops open 7 days, except State Library shop, which is open Monday - Friday. Carlton 309 Lygon St 9347 6633 Hawthorn 701 Glenferrie Rd 9819 1917 Malvern 185 Glenferrie Rd 9509 1952. Port Melbourne 253 Bay St 9681 9255 St Kilda 112 Acland St 9525 3852 Readings at the State Library of Victoria 328 Swanston St 8664 7540 email [email protected] Check opening hours, find event details, or browse and buy online at www.readings.com.au 2 Readings Monthly June 2010 From the Editor JUNE HIGHLIGHTS ThisTHE READINGS Month’sBLOOMSDAY News NEW LITERARY T-SHIRTS I’m excited about this issue (if FOUNDATION Bloomsday in Melbourne’s seventeenth COMING SOON IN JUNE I say so myself) – and by Applications for the Readings Foundation celebration, on Wednesday 16 June 2010, Celebrating the world's some fantastic June titles. will open in August, 2010. The Foundation focuses on the Circe chapter of James Joyce’s greatest stories through Fiona McGregor’s clever, aims to increase and formalise Readings’ Ulysses. The play and seminar dramatise the fashion, each T-shirt funny, moving novel Indelible ongoing commitment to support the local ways in which Joyce pits the New Sexology features iconic and rare Ink (Normally $32.95, Our community. The Foundation will support against the Purity Police. Performances will book covers. These special price $27.95) is quite Victorian individuals and organisations that be staged at the New Ballroom Theatre, striking works of art simply brilliant – and already wish to further the development of Literacy, Trades Hall, at 1pm and 7.30pm ($35) with acknowledge that many a firm Readings favourite. It’s set to be the Community Work and the Arts. Funds for the Seminar at 3.30pm ($20), and dinner people in different parts of most talked-about Australian novel since The the Foundation are derived from a share of at La Notte in Lygon St at 6pm ($45) (All the world don't have access to books at all. Slap. Though it’s a very different beast, it has a Readings’ profits, individual donations and three events are $90). Bookings essential. For each T-shirt sold, Out of Print will donate similar sense of engaging fully and openly – proceeds from Readings’ ‘accommodation Please phone Bob Glass on 9898 2900. one book to a community in need through and with great verve – with contemporary window’ and gift-wrapping service. Books for Africa. Readings are excited to be Australia, and the way we live now. So it Vintage CLASSICS stocking Out of Print Clothing T-shirts at our seems appropriate that Christos Tsiolkas The Readings Foundation donated a total of WINTER OFFER shops in Carlton, Hawthorn, St Kilda and interviews her about it on page 5. Visit our $64,000 in its inaugural round last year. The online at www.readings.com.au. four selected projects were: Ward off the winter chill website to read Mark Rubbo’s rave review. with a stack of books. In Here’s a taste: ‘Every now and again a novel The Aboriginal Literacy Foundation: to June, buy a Vintage Classic WHO’S AFRAID OF just takes your breath away with its audacity provide a tailored and individual tutoring from a marvellous selection INTERNATIONAL LAW? and its perceptive take on life and the world. program to disadvantaged and isolated in- including Suite Francaise, Indelible Ink is such a book ... a powerful, LECTURE SERIES digenous children in Swan Hill ($10,000) War and Peace, Moll Flanders, The Australian Catholic University's School of assured and incredibly mature novel; it is a The Jungle Book and The Year Somebody’s Daughter Theatre Company: Philosophy presents Who’s Afraid of Inter- subtle and sympathetic portrait contemporary of Living Dangerously, and to conduct a program encouraging disen- national Law?, a six-week Wednesday lecture of family life. Few readers will fail to see receive a free copy of Patrick White: A Life by gaged or marginalised rural school students series, hosted by philosophy professor and reflections of their own lives within its pages.’ David Marr – the perfect wintry read. While in Wodonga to join a creative arts program acclaimed author Raymond Gaita, beginning Marieke Hardy interviews Australia’s answer stocks last, at all shops except State Library. working with Somebody’s Daughter Theatre June 16. Each lecture will be held at 6:30pm to David Sedaris – the marvellous Benjamin artists and young people from HighWater in the Mercy Lecture Theatre at the ACU, St Law – for his first book, The Family Law LONELY PLANET: Theatre ($20,000) Patrick’s Campus, 115 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy. (Black Inc., PB, $27.95) on p4. 100 MILLIONTH All lectures are free, no bookings required. For Australian short-story queen Cate Kennedy Olympic Adult Education: to provide GUIDEBOOK OFFER more information, visit http://www.acu.edu. reviews a gorgeous new American collec- literacy tuition for older-aged, long-term Lonely Planet is celebrating the publication au/61940, phone 9953 3160, or email leonie. tion, If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This migrants who are extremely disadvantaged of its 100 millionth guidebook by invit- [email protected]. (Scribe, PB, $27.95) on p9 for us. There’s an because of their low-level reading and writ- ing travellers to enter an Instant Win Your enthralling, inventive new novel from David ing skills ($12,995) Way Around the World promotion in June. ALFRED DEAKIN Mitchell, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Fitzroy Learning Network: to upgrade their Earlier this year, the fifteenth edition of LECTURE SERIES Zoet (Sceptre, PB, Normally $32.99, Our music studio which is used by youth from the guide to Australia was officially the 100 In 2010, the Alfred Deakin Lecture Series special price $27.95), which Readings’ Jus- disadvantaged backgrounds ($8,000) millionth book to be published in Lonely will be presented by the Wheeler Centre tine Douglas reviews at length on p6 (‘I can- Planet’s 37-year history. To celebrate this from June 6–12. Curated by Professor Tim In addition to supporting the aforemen- not imagine reading a better book this year’). milestone, Lonely Planet is giving away Flannery, noted scientist and author of The tioned projects, Readings has a long- And in At Home: A Short History of Private $50,000 in prizes to be instantly won. Enter- Weather Makers, The Future Eaters, Throwim standing commitment to donating to the Life (Doubleday, HB, Normally $55, Our ing is easy! All you need to do is purchase Way Leg and Country, 30 of Australia’s best Brotherhood of St Laurence’s Home Interac- special price $39.95), the erudite, always- a specially marked guidebook with a sealed minds will discuss, debate and share their tion Program for Parents and Youngsters entertaining Bill Bryson puts domesticity sticker revealing a unique code inside, then opinions and expertise on the issue of climate (HIPPY) literacy program and Sacred Heart under the microscope. Happy reading! enter your code on Lonely Planet’s promo- change. Keynote speakers and panellists are Mission in St Kilda. tional website to instantly win prizes from PICK OF THE shelves leaders in policy, business, finance and new STA Travel, Canon, Catherine Manuell technologies who are working to address Please visit www.readings.com.au or email I’ve found some great, unusual reads lurking Design and of course, Lonely Planet. Lonely the climate change problem. Readings will [email protected] for more on Readings’ shelves lately (it pays to do an Planet thanks its loyal Readings travellers for be selling books during all of the events at details. old-fashioned poke around the shops). Sher- 37 years of support. Good luck! BMW Edge, Federation Square. There will man Alexie won this year’s prestigious, peer- also be the opportunity to have books signed voted PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for by authors after the events. Come be a part of War Dances (Grove, HB, $36.95), a short- the conversation, the solution and the future story collection interspersed with poetry. It’s at The Deakin Lecture Series. All events are a fantastic little book that follows Alexie’s free, but please book via The Wheeler Centre celebrated YA novel The Absolutely True website at www.wheelercentre.com. Diary of a Part-time Indian (Anderson, PB, $19.95). ‘I wanted to write a book that was Clarification: a reverse of that,’ Alexie told The Washington APRIL Feature ON Post after his win. ‘I wanted to do a weird book and re-establish my independent, MARIA TUMARKIN small-press roots.’ Rumours abound that a In April, we were very pleased to feature local edition is on its way – look out for it. Maria Tumarkin’s memoir Otherland (Vintage, PB, Normally $34.95, Our special I pounced on a couple of sturdy collections price $29.95) as our New Australian Writing by celebrated American short-story writers. feature. It has, however, been brought to our At a whopping 980 pages, covering four attention that there was a misunderstand- collections, The Collected Stories of Deborah ing in Rachel Power’s interview with Maria Eisenberg (PB, $36.95) is an absolute steal, Tumarkin, where it was implied in the final and will appeal to those who loved Lorrie text that her young son was left solely in Moore’s The Collected Stories (Faber, PB, the care of her mother while Maria and her $27.95) – like Moore, Eisenberg is mordant- older child, Billie, were in Russia and the ly witty and sharply poignant.