FREE AUGUST 2012 Readings Monthly Paddy O’Reilly on Jacinta Halloran • Jessica Au on Josephine Rowe CS I LASS C NTAGE NTAGE VI , THE JUNGLE BOOK ng’s I PL I K D YAR D U R L FROM COVER OF I IMAGE: DETA New Vintage Children’s Classics Highlights of August book, CD & DVD new releases. More inside. AUS FICTION FICTION BIOGRAPHY POLITICS KIDS DVD POP CD CLASSICAL $29.95 e$19.99 $29.99 e$19.47 $29.99 $29.95 e$14.95 $27.99 $29.95 $26.95 $21.95 $24.95 >> p4 >> p7 >> p5 >> p11 >> p15 >> p17 >> p17 >> p19 August event highlights : Robert Manne with Adam Bandt at Parkville, Michael Chamberlain at Readings Hawthorn. More inside. All Readings shops are open 7 days, except our Brain Centre (Parkville) shop which is open Monday – Friday. See opening hours at readings.com.au. Carlton 309 Lygon St 9347 6633 Hawthorn 701 Glenferrie Rd 9819 1917 Malvern 185 Glenferrie Rd 9509 1952 St Kilda 112 Acland St 9525 3852 Readings at the State Library of Victoria 328 Swanston St 8664 7540 Readings at the Brain Centre, Parkville 30 Royal Parade 9347 1749 See more new books, music and film, read news and reviews, check event details, and browse and buy online at www.readings.com.au 2 Readings Monthly August 2012 From the Books Desk Mark’s Say A certain industry scallywag regularly opines News and views from Readings’ managing about ‘booksniffers’ (NB: as this gentleman is NATIONALThis BOOKSHOP Month’s DAY READINGS News AT ARTS director Mark Rubbo somewhat of a Trojan of the digital book, there Saturday 11 August marks National Bookshop CENTRE MELBOURNE is some self-interest going on), which makes day for 2012 and Readings is thrilled to be Each year around this We are thrilled to announce that Arts Centre time, a group of my me all the more tempted to send him Julian taking part in the festivities celebrating book- Melbourne will now be selling a small range Barnes’s little essay A Life with Books – a splen- shops around Australia. Andrea Goldsmith, colleagues and I gather of books, CDs and DVDs, selected by Read- together with publishers to did account of what it means to live by, for and Catherine Deveny and Helen Garner will be ings, in the foyer and the newly reopened with books. The excerpt I read was most enter- reading from their favourite novels at Readings decide what books we will Hamer Hall (part of the Victorian Govern- put in our annual Summer taining, recounting Barnes’s lifelong foraging in Carlton at 3pm. See page 3 for details. ment’s recent $135.8 million redevelopment). Reading Guide. We see about 20 different the world of antiquarian bookshops, a pastime Visit www.artscentremelbourne.com.au for I’m rather fond of myself. publishers and probably close to 1000 VINTAGE CLASSICS details and upcoming shows. books; it’s an interesting process. Someone who I’m sure would have grown up CHILDRen’s ColleCTION surrounded by books is Hermann Melville’s The Vintage Classics are READINGS SIGNS UP At this stage, the finished copies of the great-great-great-granddaughter, Liza Klauss- adding to their fabulous TO BUSINESSES FOR books aren’t available, although often ad- mann, who has now written her first novel. range with a brand new A CLEAN ECONOMY vance reading copies are. We listen to the Of course there was never any expectation! Children’s Classics collection, Readings is proud to be supporting Busi- publishers and, after doing this for some Yet Tigers in Red Weather more than delivers aimed at ages 8 to 12 for just nesses for a Clean Economy, a new initiative time, you have an idea of whose judge- – it’s one of the picks of the summer season $9.95 each. The launch-list that aims to bring together companies that ment to trust. Our own experience also in the US. As Vogue puts it, ‘there’s some- of 21 books includes Dodie support a price on carbon pollution. Find out inevitably always helps us in our choices – thing about a story anchored in the summer Smith’s I Capture the Castle more at www.b4ce.com.au. for a bookseller the greatest thrill is to pick months that makes deception a little juicier, and Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, the book that readers will want to buy, and desire a little sultrier, and murder just a little among many others. See our review of Ian TRIPLE R RADIOTHON one that we will love to promote and sell. more wicked’. This tale of family summers at Serraillier’s The Silver Sword on page 15. Triple R’s annual Radiothon is on again We were pleased to see that a Readings Martha’s Vineyard in the aftermath of World from August 17-26 and will be packed full bookseller, A.S. Patrić, has a collection of War II has, by all accounts, a rather unexpect- GET READING! of great tunes, special offers and wild action. short stories, Las Vegas for Vegans, com- ed and controversial ending as well. Get Reading! is a month-long, nationwide 102.7 FM is a truly independent, non-profit ing out for Christmas. Author Wayne Remaining with fiction, on the local front we campaign that encourages all Australians to community radio station that relies on Macauley has read an advance copy and have two much-heralded second and third pick up a book and get reading! For 2012, listeners’ subscriptions to keep running, so the publisher showed us his comments: books, from Jacinta Halloran and Josephine the 50 Books You Can’t Put Down guide will tune in to ‘Answer the Call’ and keep it live ‘A.S. Patrić is one of our most daring new Rowe respectively. Halloran follows up her feature all-Australian authors. You can pick and kicking for another year. writers. Las Vegas for Vegans shows how acclaimed Dissection with a novel entitled up your copy at any Readings shop from daring he can be.’ Chris Grierson, a former Pilgrimage, which, true to its title, concerns 1 September, as well as download the first WIN $10 000 WITH manager of our Port Melbourne shop, has the journey of a mother and her daughters to chapters from www.getreading.com.au. LONELY PLANET written a book on Squizzy Taylor; John Romania in search of a miracle cure for the Lonely Planet is giving travellers the chance Hunter, Chris’s publisher, describes Touch mother’s terminal illness. It will also be the ADVANCE BOOK CLUB to win a $10 000 Jetstar travel card or one the Black as poetic. Our next Advance Book Club will give occasion for much soul-searching for these of ten $2500 Jetstar flight vouchers. Loads Last year was a big one for Australian fic- readers the chance to delve into The Yellow characters around the fractures of the past, of luggage, cameras and copies of Lonely tion and while there aren’t as many new Birds by Kevin Powers (out 11 September and the interplay of faith and hope in an im- Planet’s The Travel Book are also up for local works out this season, Michelle de with Hachette) – a novel that is already perfect world. Seldom one to rave, our editor grabs. Just purchase any specially stickered Kretser and Murray Bail both have new being hailed as a modern classic on the Jessica Au raves about this novel. Lonely Planet guide book at your local novels coming – their first for some time. psychological impact of war. Come along As for Josephine Rowe, she’s been impressing Readings bookshop and enter online. to our lovely new events space upstairs at Publishing, like most other industries, is me and many others for a long time now with Readings Hawthorn on Wednesday 12 always looking for the ‘next big thing’, and her adroit fictions, so it’s a delight to see her READINGS MONTHLY September from 6.30pm-7.30pm for wine IN THE AGE Random House bowled us all over when second collection, Tarcutta Wake, between and nibbles and a chance to share your As the September Readings Monthly will be they arrived with some statistics on a series covers and not just setting alight the literary thoughts with the publishers themselves. inserted into The Age on Tuesday 28 August, of three erotic books for women by E.L. journals. No less a genius than Wells Tower This is a free event but please RSVP to we will only be mailing it out to regional James. Published at the beginning of April, has called them ‘potent machines of emotion, [email protected] by Friday and interstate subscribers. Melbourne read- Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker miraculous for the human vastnesses they 10 August with your postal address for an ers can pick up their copy at any of our and Fifty Shades Freed have sold 2 million sound by the sparest and surest of means’. advance copy of the book! shops or in The Age itself on the day. copies in Australia. This phenomenon has Finally, do look out too for the latest edition broken a heap of publishing records here. of classy US journal McSweeney’s. Melbourne’s The printer, Griffin Press, used as much own literary main-man Chris Flynn has cu- paper as they use in a year in a few months rated a section devoted to Aboriginal writing, just producing these books. The bestselling which includes work from the likes of Tara Harry Potter books only sold 1.1 million June Winch, and a story by Tony Birch (author of course of the Miles Franklin- copies in Australia.