FREE JULY 2012 Readings Monthly Alice Pung on Majok Tulba • Nick Earls EE REVIEW P.7 EE REVIEW P.7 S . ANCIENT LIGHT IMAGE: DETAIL FROM COVER OF JOHN BANVILLE'S IMAGE: DETAIL John Banville’s new novel Ancient Light July book, CD & DVD new releases. More new releases inside. FICTION AUS FICTION BIOGRAPHY AUS FICTION KIDS DVD POP CLASSICAL $32.99 $19.95 e $16.82 $29.95 $24.95 $24.95 $39.95 b $49.95 $19.95 $26.95 $21.95 >> p7 >> p5 >> p11 >> p5 >> p15 >> p17 >> p18 >> p19 July event highlights : Ita Buttrose at Cinema Nova; Kylie Kwong at Hawthorn; Simone Felice & Josh Ritter at Carlton. More inside. All shops open 7 days, except the State Library shop which is open Monday – Saturday, and the Brain Centre shop which is open Monday – Friday. 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 FIRST GLANCE PROGRAM AND PASSES ONLINE NOW 2 Readings Monthly July 2012 From the Books Desk Mark’s Say By the time you read this column, the News and views from Readings’ managing Miles Franklin prize will have been awarded This Month’s News director Mark Rubbo VISIT THE MELBOURNE MIFF for 2012. Always a horse race – goodness BRAIN CENTRE The Melbourne Interna- A number of years ago gracious, Mr Waterhouse was even offer- tiona Film Festival’s First (AND OUR NEW SHOP) Jamie Byng, of the ing some (surprisingly generous) odds on it Glance of its 2012 program DURING OPEN HOUSE Scottish publishing house this time around! – I detected a great deal has been revealed! Ahead of MELBOURNE Cannongate, was talking of goodwill from the literary community the full program announce- Explore 100 incredible with Canadian author towards the shortlist this year: it’s clear the ment on 13 July, First buildings for free over the Margaret Atwood. The judges allowed their subjective opinions to Glance offers a preview of weekend of 28 and 29 July talk got around to favourite books and roam freely, and the choices reflect their the Festival with highlights 2012. Open House Mel- Attwood in her distinctive Canadian passionate engagement with some of the drawn from a cross-section of the pro- bourne allows you to explore drawl said that the book that she had given fine fine work that was produced over the gram. ‘We’ve been keeping mum up until great contemporary, historic away most copies of in her life was The last 12 months. now so it’s good to let at least a few little and sustainable buildings and Gift by Lewis Hyde. Hyde’s book is a cats out of the bag,’ said Festival Director But every month we see a new or emerging spaces that you would not cultural study of giving. Atwood told Byng Michelle Carey. ‘We're thrilled to be fiction writer knocking on the door normally get to access. that she would send him a copy and that if bringing Michael Haneke’s stunning for our attention, and July is no exception. he liked it, he must promise to publish it Amour (image above) from Cannes to In this issue, my colleague Jess Au finds Join a special tour of the Melbourne Brain in the UK. “How could I refuse her?” Melbourne as well as the latest work from much to admire in Jennifer Mills’s short- Centre and take the rare opportunity to Cannongate did indeed go on to publish the always delightful Wes Anderson and story collection The Rest is Weight. Already go behind the scenes where cutting edge The Gift and it became one of their best festival favourite Werner Herzog … with a couple of books under her belt, here neuroscience research takes place. Visitors selling titles but one thing they did, Byng I think it’s going to be the best MIFF is a writer that one senses is only going to are welcome to explore the Dax Centre, told a recent meeting of Australian book- yet!’ Visit MIFF at miff.com.au for First grow in stature in the years to come. home of the Cunningham Dax Collection. sellers was to give away 1000 copies – 500 Glance; full program released on 13 July. And Nick Earls, with his own collection The gallery comprises of creative works by in Edinburgh and 500 in London. “It was Welcome to Normal, proves that it doesn’t people with mental illness and/or emo- READINGS MIFF DVD SALE an amazing experience. Reaction ranged matter how many times you’ve gone tional trauma. Younger visitors might like to from suspicion to great pleasure. I had around the track as an author, you’re only observe cool demonstrations of a strawberry Readings is a proud sponsor this amazing range of conversations with as good as your last work. DNA extraction lab. You will also be able to of MIFF and to celebrate complete strangers about the book, about browse in our new bookshop next to the cafe this year’s festival we are giving and about the power of books.” Now although publishers do like to trum- (Dr Dax Kitchen) over this Open House holding a sale of extraordi- pet their powers of divination in terms of weekend. nary DVDs at all Readings A number of years later in discussions recognising bullion in the slush pile and the shops and online at with book industry colleagues about the The Melbourne Brain Centre houses research- like, sometimes they are just damn seren- readings.com.au from importance of books and literacy in the ers of the Florey Neuroscience Institutes, the dipitous with their publishing programmes. 13 July to 19 August. community the discussion turned to Mental Health Research Institute and the Dear old Black Inc. must be in a state of Turn to page p17 for details. England’s World Book Day and its role in glee over the recent Fifty Shades phenom- University of Melbourne. It enables col- generating interest in children’s books - enon – for who’s publishing a book this laboration in new, purpose-built facilities in YA READERS’ Group was there something equivalent that could month called The Sex Lives of Australians? Parkville. This centre is the focus of Are you interested in joining be done for adult readers? It was then that Move over Christian Grey – the real ques- a $225 million project that incorporates three our Young Adult Readers’ he recalled his experiences giving copies of tion is: were the Kelly Gang gay? And not sites and is the largest neuroscience Group? If you are a broad The Gift away and wondered what would missing a beat either is Text with Nicki facility of its kind in the southern hemi- reader between the ages of happen if this was done on a massive scale Reed’s debut novel Unzipped – a somewhat sphere. It accommodates research on brain 13–17 and are interested in around the country and so the idea of saucy number I understand from Chris disorders that affect one in seven people, getting your hands on new World Book Night came into being. Gordon, who seems to have gotten rather including stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkin- books before they hit the a warm glow reviewing it for us. son’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy Studies show that reading and literacy are and mental illness. The centre is located at 30 shelves and discussing the intrinsically linked to success in work, Finally, to a grab-bag of mid-winter good- Royal Parade, cnr Genetics Lane, Parkville. books you read the previous month with a careers and many other areas of life. Byng’s ies: an important debut, Majok Tulba’s Be- Opening Hours:10am to 4pm, Saturday and small group, contact Alexa Dretzke at alexa. group argued that if they could get books neath the Darkening Sky, which Alice Pung Sunday. Tours run every 15 minutes, 15 to 20 [email protected]. Meetings are to those who hadn’t read, or who had introduces here; a stunning new edition of minutes duration. Last tour at 3.40pm. held upstairs in the new event space at forgotten the rewards and pleasures of the increasingly award-encrusted 1832 by Readings Hawthorn, 701Glenferrie Rd reading then that must surely be beneficial James Boyce; some fine Australian crime For more information on the Open House at 1pm on the 1st Sunday of the month and, not to be timid, they decided they writing on debut from Jessie Cole (Darkness Melbourne and to sign-up for updates visit commencing Sunday 5 August. wanted to give one million books away on on the Edge of Town) and Andrew Grimes www.openhousemelbourne.org one night. Authors and publishers agreed (The Richmond Conspiracy); Dancing with to forgo royalties and other fees, printers Empty Pockets, a history of Australian agreed to print the books at cost and the bohemianism by Tony Moore (which I’m BBC agreed to massively back the project. sure must unearth a lot of very entertaining The issue then was how to physically tales); and the inimitable Bill Leak returns distribute 1 million books, 40000 each with Unaustralian of the Year, which I un- of 25 titles, across the country to the right derstand will include not just the cartoons people.