FREE SEPTEMBER 2020 The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction 2020 shortlist page 5 New books by Elena Ferrante, Yotam Ottolenghi, Yaa Gyasi, Jock Serong and more BOOKS MUSIC FILM EVENTS VIKA & LINDA page 22 ELENA KATE BRIAN DEER HELEN FIONA HARDY FERRANTE MILDENHALL page 13 MACDONALD page 18 page 6 page 6 page 16 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 2020 SHORTLIST THE READINGS PRIZE FOR NEW AUSTRALIAN FICTION Available now at Readings readings.com.au | search ‘Readings Prize shortlist’ on our website to buy all six books in one specially priced pack NEWS September 2020 READINGS MONTHLY 3 a copy of the book from Readings, and will his highly anticipated new novel on Tuesday run until 30 September 2020. The entry 6 October, and many more! For details on Bargains September form is online. For all of the details about how to watch, and to see what’s on offer You might notice something missing from how to enter, visit readings.com.au/news/ across our whole events program, visit your Readings Monthly this month. Due to enter-our-how-to-write-the-soundtrack-to- readings.com.au/events the ongoing lockdowns, restrictions and News your-life-competition or search for the book supply issues in Victoria, we are unable on our website. to include our Bargains page in this Readings Puzzle September edition. But don’t worry, the If we have learnt anything this year, it’s Bargains page will return to the Readings Readings shops & COVID-19 The Readings Prize for New Australian that puzzles are essential. And just in Monthly, and, in the meantime, you can We’d like to thank all of our customers for Fiction 2020 Shortlist time for the end of the year, the Readings still browse our wonderful range of bargain their continued support throughout the This year’s shortlist for the Readings 1000-piece puzzle is back. This updated books at readings.com.au/bargains past few months. Due to the ongoing public Prize for New Australian Fiction has been version of the puzzle features a new range (You might also notice that ‘Mark’s Say’ health situation in Melbourne, our shops are announced! The shortlisted books are The of our favourite recently released books. is missing this month. Again, don’t worry! operating a little differently. For the most Animals In That Country by Laura Jean You can find the puzzle online (search His column will return next month.) up-to-date information about how we’re McKay, Dolores by Lauren Aimee Curtis, for ‘Readings puzzle’ on our website), or trading, our trading hours, and any special Lucky Ticket by Joey Bui, A Lonely Girl is a contact our shops for more information. trading conditions, please visit readings. Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu, Smart Ovens com.au/our-shops. You can also follow for Lonely People by Elizabeth Tan and us on social media (@readingsbooks on The House of Youssef by Yumna Kassab. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook) or sign This year’s guest judge is author (and 2019 up to our enews (readings.com.au/sign-up) Readings Prize winner) Alice Robinson. She to get current information as it happens. will join our staff judging panel to select a winner from the shortlist. Read more about the shortlisted titles on page 5. How to Write the Soundtrack to Your Life competition We are utterly delighted to have a Readings online events brand-new children’s novel from author In response to the COVID-19 health crisis, extraordinaire (and Readings bookseller) Readings has moved its events program Fiona Hardy this month! How to Write the online. Each month, we’re bringing you Soundtrack to Your Life is a funny and an array of local and international authors moving mystery about family, friendship and discussing their books, all accessible finding your voice. To celebrate its release, and available to watch right from your we’re partnering with publisher Affirm Press home. Upcoming highlights include Hetty to offer Readings customers the chance to McKinnon talking about her new cookbook win an ultra-special prize pack, including on Tuesday 29 September, Jane Harper a CASIO keyboard, keyboard stand and discussing her new thriller, also on 29 Bluetooth headphones. This competition is September, Craig Silvey (author of the open now for anyone who has purchased award-winning Jasper Jones) chatting about READINGS MONTHLY SUBSCRIBE Free, independent monthly newspaper You can subscribe to Readings Monthly published by Readings Books, Music & Film and our e-news by visiting our website: readings.com.au/sign-up EDITOR A tender and fierce Elke Power DELIVERY UPDATE [email protected] A note on delivery charges: as of September 2020, we have increased our rates. Please story about secrets, EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS find the new rates below. Judi Mitchell & Ellen Cregan love and family. DELIVERY CHARGES FOR PROOFREADERS MAIL-ORDER & OVER-THE- PHONE PURCHASES Ellen Cregan & Marie Matteson $6.50 flat rate to anywhere in Australia for KIDS & YA CURATORS orders under $120. Free shipping for orders Angela Crocombe & Dani Solomon $120 and over. MUSIC CURATOR DELIVERY CHARGES FOR ONLINE PURCHASES Dave Clarke $6.50 flat rate to anywhere in Australia for orders under $120. Free shipping for orders CLASSICAL MUSIC CURATOR $120 and over. Phil Richards PRICES AND AVAILABILITY DVDS CURATOR Please note that all prices and release Lou Fulco dates in Readings Monthly are correct at time of publication, however prices EVENTS & PROGRAMMING and release dates may change without Chris Gordon notice. Special price offers apply only for ADVERTISING the month in which they are featured in Readings Monthly. Ellen Cregan [email protected] COVID19 CARTOON While all title release dates were correct at the time of going to press, due to the Oslo Davis ongoing COVID-19 crisis the unexpected may happen along the supply chain. ‘Kokomo is a delight, a book I wanted to finish in FRONT COVER a greedy rush but one I also wanted to savour.’ The September Readings Monthly cover Please bear with us as we bring you books features artwork from the cover of Kate in these rapidly changing circumstances. J. P. POMARE, AUTHOR OF CALL ME EVIE Mildenhall’s new novel, The Mother AND IN THE CLEARING Fault, courtesy of the publisher, Simon & Readings donates 10% of its profits each Schuster. Book cover design by Sandy Cull/ year to the Readings Foundation: OUT NOW gogoGingko. Cover image by Daniel Lint. readings.com.au/the-readings-foundation 4 READINGS MONTHLY September 2020 COLUMNS have published another excellent collection, New Australian Fiction 2020. We recently Dear announced the books shortlisted for this year’s Readings Prize for New Australian A REPORTER Reader Fiction. It’s an outstanding group: read the with Alison Huber report on the books on page 5, written by the chair of the judging panel, Joe Rubbo. UNCOVERS THE Our nonfiction Book of the Month If, after six weeks at home is investigative journalist Brian Deer’s SECRETS BEHIND during Stage 4 restrictions, exposé of medical misconduct, The you’ve been staring at your Doctor Who Fooled the World. The ongoing shelves thinking, ‘I’ve read impacts of Andrew Wakefield’s actions are THE SCIENTIFIC all these’, then have I got even more concerning right now. Readers some great news for you. September is of essay collections are spoilt for choice SCAM OF THE usually the month that gets me prepping for this month, with new work from Helen the Christmas season, with lots of the Macdonald, Eula Biss, and Kylie Maslen, biggest books of the year due in store. This as well as debut memoirs from Katerina CENTURY. September is bigger than ever, full of books Bryant and Gemma Carey. The many readers are waiting for, some of them fans of James Rebanks’s A Shepherd’s Life delayed from earlier in the year. Our Fiction and Raynor Winn’s The Salt Path will be Book of the Month is a case in point: Elena excited to hear they each have a new book. Ferrante’s admirers have been desperate to Other notable nonfiction releases include read her new book, The Lying Life of Adults, books from Marlee Silva, Alan Davies, and it’s finally here. There are many, many Natasha Trethewey, Jacqueline Kent, A world of Ferrante superfans here at Readings, so Anthony Sharwood, Yanis Varoufakis, expectations were nervously high. Our Nick Bryant, Marian Wilkinson, Ben heartbreaking reviewer calls it ‘a vivid, volcanic Macintyre, and Richard Broinowski on masterpiece’: I think that means everyone the life of E.W. Cole. The final few months uncertainties, can relax because it’s pretty good! of this year will be joyous for cookbook tantalising Other eagerly awaited international aficionados because there are so, so many releases out this month include books from great books on the horizon, but this month possibilities, and Sigrid Nunez, Yaa Gyasi, Andrew O’Hagan, we have two of the best: the vegetarian’s Emma Cline, Donal Ryan, Ian McGuire, delight, Ottolenghi FLAVOUR (which thorny questions Sarah Moss, Tiffany McDaniel, Michel Faber, follows Plenty and Plenty More), and Ayad Akhtar, Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Ken from Melbourne’s own emerging foodie of morality. Follett, and Sue Miller. Blue in Chicago is a icon Julia Busuttil Nishimura, A Year of collection of short stories by the late Bette Simple Family Food (her first book, Ostro, is Howland which was originally published already a Readings classic).