FREE FEBRUARY 2010 Readings Monthly your independent book, music and dVd newsletter • eVents • new releases • reViews BY MARTIN AMIS (JONATHAN CAPE) SEE PAGE 5 CAPE) SEE PAGE BY MARTIN AMIS (JONATHAN THE PREGNANT WIDOW IMAGE FROM Martin Amis returns with The Pregnant Widow p5 February book, CD & DVD new releases. More new releases inside. CRIME FICTION AUST FICTION NATURAL MEMOIR DVD POP CD CLASSICAL HISTORY $32.95 $27.95 $29.95 $44.95 $59.95 $24.95 $29.95 >> p8 >> p7 >> p6 $44.95 >> p9 >> p15 >> p17 >> p19 >> p10 February Event Highlights at Readings. See more events inside. ALEXANDER PAGES TO POETRY PAULA CONSTANT XUE XINRAN MCCALL SMITH AT READINGS AT READINGS AT ASIALINK AT THE CAPITOL CARLTON PORT MELBOURNE THEATRE All shops except SLV open 7 days. SLV closed Sundays. 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Join the conversation. wheelercentre.com 2 Readings Monthly February 2010 From the Editor LOOKING AHEAD: 2010 ThisREADINGS AUSTRALIAN Month’s the most talked-about News Australian writer Amsterdam, Sleepers, PB, $24.95); A new publishing year is already underway BOOK CLUB of 2009, took out top place – though not Look Who’s Morphing (Tom Cho, Giramondo, – and with that comes a brand new ‘to read’ Readings runs three Australian Book Clubs for his controversial zeitgeist-surfing novel PB, $24.99); Unparalleled Sorrow (Barry list. Some titles are from the recognisable big where members read and discuss contempo- The Slap, but for his earlier masterpiece, Dickins, Hardie Grant, PB, $29.99); Sold names; others are new releases from lesser rary Australian fiction and non-fiction. The Dead Europe (Vintage, PB, $24.95). (Brendan Gullifer, Sleepers, PB, $24.95); The Contract (Brett Hoffman, Michael Joseph, known writers I’ve long loved; still others are groups are run at our offices in Carlton on the The runners-up were Alexis from writers I’ve never yet read. first Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of each PB, $32.95); This is How (M.J. Hyland, Text, Wright’s Carpentaria (Gira- PB, $32.95); Cooee (Vivienne Kelly, Scribe, Big names? Freshly arrived on my desk, month. There are a limited number of places mondo, PB, $26.95), and still available for 2010 so if you are interested PB, $32.95); Infiltration (Colin McLaren, there’s the latest Ian McEwan, Solar (Jona- Peter Carey’s The True History MUP, PB, $32.99); Lovesong (Alex Miller, than Cape, March), a satirical novel about in joining please contact Clare McKenzie on of the Kelly Gang (Vintage, 9341 7726 or [email protected]. A&U, HB, Normally $39.95, Our special climate change. I heard McEwan read a PB, $24.95) – all tied in price $33.95); The Lost Mother (Anne Sum- work-in-progress extract from this at Ad- au – but hurry, as there are only 8 precious second place and Tim spaces remaining! mers, MUP, HB, Normally $35, Our special elaide Writers’ Week two years ago and am Winton’s The Turning price $26.95). keen to pick up where he left off. There’s (Picador, PB, $24.95), Christos Tsiolkas’s also a new Don Delillo next month – Point UNIVERSAL DVD SALE The Slap (A&U, PB, $32.95), Richard FESTIVAL SEASON BEGINS: Omega (Picador) is about a secret war advi- Looking for some summer viewing? Flanagan’s Gould’s Book of Fish (Picador, PB, PERTH & ADELAIDE sor at the end of his tenure and a filmmaker Want to restock your DVD cabinet? $24.95) and Nam Le’s The Boat (Penguin, PB, The bookish festival season who plans to make a documentary about We have some great bargains at Readings this $24.95) all tied in third place. officially begins at the end of him. The early review from Publisher’s Weekly month, with selected Universal titles included this month, with the Perth is overwhelmingly positive. In April, a new in a 2-for-$15 sale. See page 16 for a list of GARNER & LANAGAN: Writers’ Festival and Adelaide novel from Lionel Shriver, So Much for featured titles. ‘Best NEVER Read’ Writers’ Week intersecting. That (Fourth Estate), takes a hard look at Late last year, The Guardian Both are the oldest festivals in America’s health care system. Bret Easton BEST MUSIC OF published a quirky little list Sarah Waters Australia, with Perth estab- Ellis has penned a sequel to his 1980s cult THE NOUGHTIES among all the ‘best of the lished in the 1950s and classic Less Than Zero (the movie of which Readings is running a poll for all our custom- millennium’ lists. It invited a Adelaide, which kicked off in 1960, was for was rumoured to have fuelled star Rob- ers – one decade in, we want to find out your number of publishing insiders some decades the premier Australasian event ert Downey Jr’s drug problem). Imperial favourite CDs of the century so far. There’s – agents, editors and publish- for arts lovers – though, of course, these days Bedrooms is out in the US in May – and the even a $100 Readings voucher to be won. See ers – to name books that the Melbourne and Sydney festivals give it a first line is, ‘They had made a movie about page 18 for details – and for music division should have hit the big time, serious run for its money. us’. And likely late this year, we’ll see the manager Dave Clarke’s personal list. but somehow never did. Two of them were long-awaited new novel from Jonathan ‘The familiar Australian names – one of those, a The writers who’ll be Corrections’ Franzen. BEST FICTION OF book that certainly made it big here. Canon- appearing in Adelaide I’ve already read and absolutely loved two THE MILLENNIUM gate publisher Jamie Byng, who made (28 February – 5 March) forthcoming short-story collections from Culture blog The Millions headlines with his outspoken disbelief at include Sarah Waters, Richard Text (who seem to be making a habit of were among the first to Helen Garner’s The Spare Room (Text, PB, Dawkins, Philip Kerr, publish a ‘best of the $23.95) not making the 2008 Booker Audrey Niffenegger, Jim them) this year: Andrew Porter's The Theory Irvine Welsh of Light and Matter (March) and Maile millennium’ type list, to mark longlist, again wrote passionately about the Crace and Sally Vickers. Meloy’s Both Ways is the Only Way I Want the end of the first decade of a book. ‘This deceptively slight novel is as good Authors in Perth (26 February It (May). I tried to spin out these books as new century. They conducted as anything Canongate has ever published. Or – 1 March) include Marina Endicott, Patrick long as I could, rationing a story at a time. a poll of authors, writers and will publish. It’s deceptive in many ways and I Gale, Elizabeth Kostova and Patrick Ness. I’m also really looking forward to Serena by critics, compiling a list of the think its great subtlety is one of the reasons Irvine Welsh will appear at both. For more Ron Rash (Text, March), a kind of Ameri- top 20 fiction titles of the millennium from that it will only get fully appreciated over information, see www.adelaidefestival.com. can Macbeth set in a North Carolina timber the results. The top 10 were (in order): time. I’ve read it three times now and on each au and www.perthfestival.com.au respec- town. I gave an advance copy to a reviewer occasion my awe at what Garner has achieved tively. And keep an eye on our events pages 1. The Corrections by Jonathan who absolutely raved about it and now I’m increases … I still remain confident that this and website – some of these writers will be Franzen (HarperPerennial, keen to read it for myself. And I can’t wait exceptional book will be come to be widely making Melbourne stops and we’ll be hosting PB, $22.99); 2. for the next reissued Madeleine St John regarded as a modern classic. Because that is events for them. The Known World by Edward novel, A Stairway to Paradise (Text, March). what it is.’ And Gollancz editorial director P. Jones (HarperCollins, Simon Spancz wrote of Margo Lanagan’s SLEEPERS ALMANAC Hitch-22 (A&U, June), the memoirs of the PB, $25); 3. Cloud Atlas by Black Juice (A&U, PB, $21.95): ‘Yes, it was a OPEN FOR BUSINESS marvellously prickly, provocative and sharply David Mitchell (Sceptre, PB, collection of short stories and yes, the 2009 was a big year for 2666 witted Christopher Hitchens, promises to $24.99); 4. by Roberto industry wisdom is that it’s hellishly difficult fledgling Melbourne What’s Pastoralia be fascinating. Maggie Hamilton’s Bolano (Picador, PB, $25); 5. by to sell short story collections but what a publisher Sleepers. In its Happening To Our Girls? hit a cultural nerve George Saunders (Bloomsbury, PB, $23.95); collection this was. It was like having a new first year of publishing The Road in 2009. As a mother of a boy who would 6. by Cormac McCarthy (Picador, Angela Carter on your list.