FREE FEBRUARY 2021 The most anticipated books of 2021 page 6 Read an extract from Growing Up Disabled in Australia page 5 BOOKS MUSIC FILM EVENTS EMMA DONOVAN & THE PUTBACKS page 22 WE ARE WHO ADAM SAM VAN GARY AMIE KAUFMAN WE ARE THOMPSON ZWEDEN LONESBOROUGH & RYAN GRAUDIN page 21 page 8 page 13 page 17 page 18 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 Congratulations to each of the seven category winners who were selected from an outstanding shortlist of 26 titles, and to Laura Jean McKay as the recipient of the Victorian Prize for Literature. Congratulations also to Louise Milligan for Witness: An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice as the winner of the People’s Choice Award. Winner VICTORIAN PRIZE FOR LITERATURE – FICTION The Animals in That Country Laura Jean McKay Scribe Publications NON-FICTION DRAMA POETRY Body Count: Wonnangatta Case Notes How Climate Angus Cerini David Stavanger Change is Killing Us Sydney Theatre UWA Publishing Paddy Manning Company Simon & Schuster Australia YOUNG ADULT INDIGENOUS WRITING UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT Metal Fish, Tell Me Why: Anam Falling Snow The Story of My Life André Dao Cath Moore and My Music Text Publishing Archie Roach Simon & Schuster Australia wheelercentre.com NEWS February 2021 READINGS MONTHLY 3 is a volunteer group of teenagers who meet Winners of the Victorian Premier’s monthly to discuss young adult books, learn News Literary Awards about the book industry, meet authors, Congratulations to the winners of the and more. This year, the board will be run Sales & 2021 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, online and we welcome applications from especially The Animals in That Country by a diverse range of from teenagers, aged Readings State Library is open again! Laura Jean McKay, which won both the 14-19, from anywhere in Australia. If you Promotions would like to join the board, please tell us We are delighted to announce our State Fiction prize and the overall Victorian Prize why you would like to take part, the types Library shop is open to the public again! Our for Literature. Other winners included Body of books you like to read, and why you love booksellers can’t wait to see you in-store, Count: How Climate Change Is Killing Us bookshops. Your application should be a and we’re very pleased to offer a special by Paddy Manning for Nonfiction, Metal 20% off all books at Readings single page document of no more than 20% off books sale to celebrate – see the Fish, Falling Snow by Cath Moore for Young State Library shop 500 words, in either Word or PDF format, sales and promotion section for more details. Adult and Tell Me Why: The Story of My addressing the points above and including To celebrate the store’s reopening, You’ll find our beautiful SLV shop (featured Life and My Music by Archie Roach for your name, age and contact details. Send we’re offering 20% off all books at our on this month’s cover!) in the State Library’s Indigenous Writing. Find a full list of winners it to [email protected] State Library shop from Monday 15 Russell Street Welcome Zone, right next to at wheelercentre.com. by 5pm, Wednesday 24 February, 2021. For Feb to Sunday 28 Feb! This special the Guild Café, which has also reopened. more details, please see readings.com.au/ 20% off sale is available in-store only For the most up-to-date information about Readings Teen Advisory Board the-readings-teen-advisory-board at the Readings State Library Victoria opening hours and conditions of entry into shop, and is not available online, or Applications for the 2021 Readings Teen our State Library shop, please visit at any other Readings shop. The readings.com.au/state-library. Advisory Board are now open! The board Readings bestsellers of 2020 discount applies to the recommended retail price, and is not valid with any We’ve tallied the numbers and our top other offers or discounts. ten bestselling books for 2020 were, in order: The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, The Yield by Tara June Winch, Ottolenghi FLAVOUR by Yotam Ottolenghi 3 for 2 nonfiction favourites & Ixta Belfrage, Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe, Throughout February, we are offering The Survivors by Jane Harper, All Our three books for the price of two on Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton, Where a range of our favourite non-fiction the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, The titles. If you purchase two books, Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel and you can choose a third book in the Beatrix Bakes by Natalie Paull. range (of equal or lesser value) for free. From memoir to politics, you’ll find a wide and thought-provoking COVID-19 update range of books to browse. This offer All our shops are now open and trading is exclusively available in all Readings as normal. We ask that all our customers shops, except Readings Kids, until maintain social distancing and follow Sunday 28 February. This offer is government guidelines when visiting our valid on select stickered, in-stock stores. For the most up-to-date information items only, while stocks last, and is about our opening hours and conditions of not available online. entry into our shops, please visit readings.com.au/our-shops. READINGS MONTHLY EVENTS & PROGRAMMING Free, independent monthly newspaper Chris Gordon published by Readings Books, Music & Film ADVERTISING SUBSCRIBE Lucie Dess You can subscribe to Readings Monthly [email protected] and our e-news by visiting our website: readings.com.au/sign-up GRAPHIC DESIGN Cat Matteson DELIVERY CHARGES FOR MAIL-ORDER & OVER-THE- CARTOON PHONE PURCHASES Oslo Davis $6.50 flat rate to anywhere in Australia for orders under $120. Free shipping for orders FRONT COVER $120 and over. The February Readings Monthly cover features a photo of Readings at DELIVERY CHARGES FOR the State Library Victoria (© 2019 Chris ONLINE PURCHASES Middleton). $6.50 flat rate to anywhere in Australia for orders under $120. Free shipping for orders PRICES AND AVAILABILITY $120 and over. Please note that all prices and release dates in Readings Monthly are correct EDITOR at time of publication, however prices Jackie Tang and release dates may change without [email protected] notice. Special price offers apply only for EDITORIAL ASSISTANT the month in which they are featured in Readings Monthly. Judi Mitchell & Lucie Dess COVID-19 PROOFREADER While all title release dates were correct Nico Callaghan at the time of going to press, due to the KIDS & YA CURATORS ongoing COVID-19 crisis the unexpected may happen along the supply chain. Angela Crocombe & Dani Solomon Please bear with us as we bring you books MUSIC CURATOR in these rapidly changing circumstances. Dave Clarke Readings donates 10% of its profits each CLASSICAL MUSIC CURATOR year to the Readings Foundation: Phil Richards readings.com.au/the-readings-foundation DVDS CURATOR Lou Fulco 4 READINGS MONTHLY February 2021 COLUMNS Atherfold told me: ‘It is hard to describe what it means to me to be back at the Readings SLV Mark’s bookshop after so long away over 2020. Being surrounded by literary sustenance once Say more, it is enticing, engaging and just simply with Mark Rubbo a breath of much needed fresh air. I can’t wait to share this with our customers again.’ To encourage you to rediscover, or indeed After having been closed discover, this beautiful Readings shop we are Open Water for the best part of a year, offering a 20% discount on all full price books Caleb Azumah Nelson the State Library of Victoria for two weeks this month: from Monday 15 A stunning, shattering debut novel about two Black British artists. (SLV), one of Australia’s February to Sunday 28 February. Tentatively, tenderly, they fall in most-loved and most-used About 10 years ago, then-director of the love. But two people who seem cultural institutions, is open again. There’s destined to be together can still be Wheeler Centre Michael Williams and I were torn apart by fear and violence. no need to book but as a precaution, visitors discussing how the Wheeler Centre could will have to scan a QR code. Just prior to support emerging writers. In the Wheeler The Silent Listener lockdown the library had completed a major Centre building, there is a gallery that Lyn Yeowart renovation with many magnificent heritage runs most of the length of the building, an Propelling the reader back and forth between the 1940s, 1960s spaces reopened to the public after decades ideal space to plonk some desks for writers and 1980s, The Silent Listener is of closure. For CEO Kate Torney the closure to use. Combine that with the ability for an unforgettable literary debut set in the dark, gothic heart of was difficult. ‘It felt counterintuitive,’ she aspiring writers to mix with the Wheeler rural Australia. said. ‘So often libraries play a critical role as a Centre folk, and it seemed like it could be community hub and trusted source of a perfect hothouse of creativity. Readings 'A wickedly dark debut – haunting information during a crisis.’ Like many agreed to throw in $20,000 a year, which and unputdownable.' organisations she and her colleagues thought would be enough for a small stipend and CHRISTIAN WHITE on The Silent Listener of different ways to engage with the public.