FREE OCTOBER 2020 A delicious new recipe from Hetty McKinnon page 5 New books by Richard Flanagan, Trent Dalton, Craig Silvey, Marilynne Robinson, Gail Jones and more BOOKS MUSIC FILM EVENTS BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN PATRICK page 22 GUEST & JONATHAN RICHARD TRENT HET T Y JESSICA BENTLEY FLANAGAN DALTON MCKINNON TOWNSEND page 18 page 6 page 6 page 17 page 19 CARLTON 309 LYGON ST 9347 6633 KIDS 315 LYGON ST 9341 7730 DONCASTER WESTFIELD DONCASTER, 619 DONCASTER RD 9810 0891 HAWTHORN 701 GLENFERRIE RD 9819 1917 MALVERN 185 GLENFERRIE RD 9509 1952 ST KILDA 112 ACLAND ST 9525 3852 STATE LIBRARY VICTORIA 285-321 RUSSELL ST 8664 7540 | SEE SHOP OPENING HOURS, BROWSE AND BUY ONLINE AT READINGS.COM.AU NEWS October 2020 READINGS MONTHLY 3 by Richard Flanagan describing some of Monthly, which will both be full of gift ideas Bargains his thoughts in writing the book. To enter and recommendations, and if you sign up to October You might notice something missing from online, simply write ‘competition’ in the notes our enews, you’ll receive lots of great ideas your Readings Monthly this month. Due to field during checkout when finalising your and special offers direct to your inbox. Visit the ongoing lockdowns, restrictions and purchase of the book. If you are purchasing readings.com.au/sign-up to subscribe. News supply issues in Victoria, we are unable to the book via pick-up from our shops, let the include our Bargains page in this October Readings staff member know over the phone edition. But don’t worry, the Bargains page that you’d like to enter the draw. The winner Introducing Latitude Pay will return to the Readings Monthly in 2021, will be chosen at random and contacted by When our shops reopen to the public, Thank you to all of our customers for your and, in the meantime, you can still browse Friday 30 October, either by phone or email. Readings will be introducing Latitude Pay continued support throughout this difficult our wonderful range of bargain books at as a payment option. Latitude Pay allows year. As you know, due to the ongoing readings.com.au/bargains customers to buy now, and then pay for their public health situation in Melbourne, our Christmas 2020 purchase in 10 weekly instalments, instead of shops are operating a little differently. For We know, it’s only October, but shopping all at once. In order to use it, customers will the most up-to-date information about how 25% off Thames and Hudson for Christmas might look a bit different this need to set up an account at LatitudePay. we’re trading, our trading hours, special To celebrate Thames and Hudson’s 50th year, and we want you to be prepared! com first, and then request to pay with trading conditions, and when our shops birthday, Readings is offering 25% off a We recommend organising your festive Latitude Pay when making their purchase will be open to the public again, please visit range of their beautiful art, design, fashion, purchases a little earlier than usual. To at the counter. Please note, Latitude Pay will readings.com.au/our-shops. You can also photography and architecture titles help, we’ll be printing our annual Summer only be available in our shops, and is not follow us on social media (@readingsbooks throughout October, including An Australian Reading Guide and a November Readings available online or via phone orders. on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook) or Garden by Philip Cox, Design Lives Here sign up to our enews (readings.com.au/ by Penny Craswell, Courtyard Living by sign-up) to get current information as it Charmaine Chan and more. When buying happens. online, apply the promo code THAMES in the final page of checkout to access the 25% discount. When purchasing from our Readings online events shops (via phone or over the counter when In response to the COVID-19 health crisis, we re-open), simply mention the promotion Readings has moved its events program when purchasing and a staff member will online. Each month, we’re bringing you apply the discount. To see the full range of an array of local and international authors books, visit readings.com.au/collection/ discussing their books, all accessible and thames-and-hudson. This offer is only available to watch right from your home. available during October, while stocks last. Upcoming highlights include Alex Miller launching his latest book on Monday 12 October, Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton Win a special edition of Richard on the latest instalment of the Treehouse Flanagan’s new novel books on Tuesday 20 October, Rosalie Ham All customers who purchase a copy of discussing her sequel to The Dressmaker Richard Flanagan’s new novel The Living on 28 October, and many more! For details Sea of Waking Dreams from Readings before on how to watch, and to see what’s on offer 5pm, Sunday 25 October can go in the draw across our whole events program, visit to win a unique signed first edition of the readings.com.au/events novel, replete with handwritten annotations READINGS MONTHLY EDITOR EVENTS & PROGRAMMING PRICES AND AVAILABILITY Free, independent monthly newspaper Elke Power Chris Gordon Please note that all prices and release published by Readings Books, Music & Film [email protected] dates in Readings Monthly are correct ADVERTISING at time of publication, however prices SUBSCRIBE EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Ellen Cregan and release dates may change without You can subscribe to Readings Monthly Judi Mitchell & Ellen Cregan [email protected] notice. Special price offers apply only for and our e-news by visiting our website: the month in which they are featured in readings.com.au/sign-up PROOFREADERS GRAPHIC DESIGN Readings Monthly. Ellen Cregan & Marie Matteson Cat Matteson DELIVERY CHARGES FOR COVID19 MAIL-ORDER & OVER-THE- KIDS & YA CURATORS CARTOON While all title release dates were correct PHONE PURCHASES Angela Crocombe & Dani Solomon Oslo Davis at the time of going to press, due to the $6.50 flat rate to anywhere in Australia for ongoing COVID-19 crisis the unexpected orders under $120. Free shipping for orders MUSIC CURATOR FRONT COVER may happen along the supply chain. $120 and over. Dave Clarke The October Readings Monthly cover Please bear with us as we bring you books features artwork from the cover of DELIVERY CHARGES FOR in these rapidly changing circumstances. CLASSICAL MUSIC CURATOR Windows by Patrick Guest and illustrated ONLINE PURCHASES Phil Richards by Jonathan Bentley, courtesy of the $6.50 flat rate to anywhere in Australia for Readings donates 10% of its profits each publisher, Hardie Grant Children’s orders under $120. Free shipping for orders year to the Readings Foundation: DVDS CURATOR Publishing. Windows cover illustration $120 and over. readings.com.au/the-readings-foundation Lou Fulco by Jonathan Bentley and cover design by Kristy Lund-White. Read our review of Windows on page 18. Writing a Novel Stage 1 and 2 The writing school inside Australia’s (Six months) leading independent publisher For aspiring novelists ready to leap in and work towards a completed second draft. Get started writing, stay the distance Writing for Children and learn from publishing experts (Three months) For creators of picture books or middle-grade fiction. To meet our remarkable tutors and for course details: www.faberwritingacademy.com.au 4 READINGS MONTHLY October 2020 COLUMNS About Love, will be looking forward to her fiction debut, Ghosts. So many people Mark’s Dear discovered Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi last year, and Say Reader will be eager to meet four new customers with Mark Rubbo with Alison Huber of its unusual café. Plus, there are new books from Nick Hornby, Hari Kunzru, Nir Baram, Cory Doctorow, and Naomi You might be surprised to As Mark has pointed out, Novik, as well as a paperback edition of know that year-to-date this month’s avalanche of last year’s hit doorstop, The Eighth Life: books sales in Australia brilliant new releases for Brilka by Nino Haratischvili. are up 7.7% on last year, provokes mixed feelings Our Nonfiction Book of the Month is despite Victorian for the bookseller in Unseen by broadcaster Jacinta Parsons, bookshops being pretty much closed for the lockdown. There are so many fabulous an intimate memoir that shares her last two and a half months. It’s good news books entering the world, but we do so long journey with Crohn’s disease, as for the Australian book industry, and miss introducing them to you through well as speaking more broadly to the heartening to see books being embraced as conversations in real life, in the lively experience of living with chronic illness, a means of inspiration and escape in the bustle of our shops. We can’t wait to which affects a staggering portion of Netflix age. At Readings, our shop sales are welcome you back to our shops – and when the Australian population. Our staff down around 80%, but it’s not as bad as it we can, you’ll see the huge piles of The also review the wonderful new books sounds as our online sales are up 450%. Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard from Ramona Koval and Gabrielle That’s nowhere near enough to make up the Flanagan, our Fiction Book of the Month, Carey. Josephine Rowe has written a shortfall, but it’s enough to mean that most which Mark calls Flanagan’s most contribution to Black Inc.’s Writers on of our staff have some shifts to keep them audacious and accomplished work to date Writers series on Beverley Farmer.