FREE MARCH 2016 BOOKS MUSIC FILM EVENTS OUR MAGIC HOUR Elke Power on Jennifer Down’s debut novel page 6 TALKING TO MY COUNTRY Bronte Coates on Stan Grant’s call to action page 14 NEW IN MARCH DAVID JENNIFER STAN WAR AND BONNIE DYER DOWN GRANT PEACE RAITT $32.99 $29.99 $29.99 $29.95 $26.95 $27.99 page 7 $24.95 page 21 $21.95 page 7 page 14 page 22 READINGS MONTHLY MARCH 2016 3 News READINGS’ 47TH BIRTHDAY It’s Readings’ 47th birthday on Saturday 5 March! To celebrate, we’re offering our customers the chance to win a $500 Readings gift voucher. Simply spend $47 or more in one transaction anytime on Friday 4 March, Saturday 5 March or Sunday 6 March, and you’ll go in the draw to win. In-store customers will need to fill out an entry form at the counter of any of our five shops at the time of purchase, and attach their receipt. Online customers will automatically be entered into the draw. A winner will be drawn on Friday 11 March. Please note, only the winner will be notified. 20% OFF THE BLOOMSBURY REVELATIONS SERIES We’re offering 20% off the Bloomsbury Revelations series in March. The series features thinkers who have fundamentally shaped the way we see the modern THE 2016 STELLA PRIZE LONGLIST Stephen, Peter and Matt Hill – founded world, and includes books by Jacques The Stella Prize longlist for 2016 has been one of the world’s biggest skate, street Derrida, Henri Lefebvre, René Girard, Leo announced. Celebrating the contribution and surf companies, Globe International. Tolstoy, Winston Churchill, Homer, Susan of Australian women to literature, the To celebrate the release of Unemployable Strange, Slavoj Zizek, Theodor W. Adorno, $50,000 prize was awarded for the first we’re running a competition throughout Constantin Stanislavski, Gilles Deleuze time in 2013 to Carrie Tiffany for Mateship the month of March: buy a copy of and more. The full range is available at our with Birds, to Clare Wright in 2014 for Unemployable at Readings and go in the Carlton shop; selected titles are available The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka, and last draw to win a prize pack. Each prize pack at our Hawthorn, Malvern and St Kilda year to Emily Bitto for The Strays. The contains a Globe skateboard deck, a Globe shops, as well as online. This offer is 2016 Stella Prize longlist is: The Women’s cap and a Globe T-shirt. Purchase online available for in-stock titles only and only Pages, Debra Adelaide; The Other Side of at readings.com.au to automatically go while stocks last until 31 March, 2016. Readings Monthly the World, Stephanie Bishop; Panthers into the draw. In-store customers will Free independent monthly newspaper and the Museum of Fire, Jen Craig; Six need to complete and hand in the supplied published by Readings Books, Music & Film THE READINGS CHILDREN’S Bedrooms, Tegan Bennett Daylight; Hope competition entry form at the counter BOOK PRIZE SHORTLIST Farm, Peggy Frew; A Few Days in the with their receipt attached, or send the Editor ANNOUNCEMENT Country: And Other Stories, Elizabeth form and receipt together to: Readings Elke Power Marketing Department, PO Box 1238, The Readings Children’s Book Prize, Harrower; A Guide to Berlin, Gail Jones; [email protected] Carlton, Vic 3053. Competition closes on established in 2014, recognises and The World Without Us, Mireille Juchau; Thursday 31 March. Only the winner will be celebrates books that families love reading A Short History of Richard Kline, Amanda Editorial Assistant notified. Good luck! together, or that children read under the Lohrey; Anchor Point, Alice Robinson; The Alan Vaarwerk Natural Way of Things, Charlotte Wood; [email protected] covers with a torch late into the night because they can’t bear to put them down. and Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays on Hunger, Fiona Wright. The 2016 Stella Advertising The Prize seeks to support an Australian Prize shortlist will be announced at noon Stella Charls author – one who has published no [email protected] more than four children’s books – in on Thursday 10 March, and the Prize itself (03) 9341 7739 establishing their position as a valued will be awarded in Sydney on the evening contributor to children’s literature. We’re of Tuesday 19 April. Graphic Design looking forward to announcing our 2016 Cat Matteson shortlist online on Tuesday 15 March. The OPERA AND BALLET DVD SALE [email protected] winner will be announced in July, and will To celebrate the opera and ballet season, be awarded a prize of $4,000. Please visit Front Cover Readings is offering up to 50% off a readings.com.au/the-readings-children-s- Readings Monthly cover design by Cat wide range of opera and ballet DVDs. book-prize for more details, including the Matteson using elements from the cover of Titles include operas from Wagner full eligibility criteria. David Dyer’s debut novel The Midnight Watch and Mozart, ballets from Tchaikovsky (March, see review on page 7). The Midnight and a host more. This offer is available Watch cover images courtesy of Hamish ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH at Readings Carlton, Hawthorn and Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Books – cover FILM FESTIVAL Malvern shops, and online until 31 design by Alex Ross and photographs courtesy Now in its 27th year, the Alliance March 2016. Only while stocks last. of Planet News Archive/Getty Images (man); Française French Film Festival is set to Adam Hirons Photography/Getty Images (deck resume its love affair with audiences UNEMPLOYABLE: 30 YEARS OF and railing); Chad Powell/Getty Images (stars); once again. Running from 2–24 March, HARDCORE, SKATE & STREET and Shutterstock (lifebuoy and ocean). the festival will screen an enchanting COMPETITION From the 1970s underground Melbourne Cartoon selection of the finest movies to emerge skate scene to a company with a Oslo Davis from France over the last 12 months. oslodavis.com Readings is proud to be a sponsor of the worldwide presence in over 100 countries, festival in Melbourne for 2016. For more Unemployable: 30 Years of Hardcore, Readings donates 10% of its profits each information and to book tickets, please Skate and Street by Jason Boulter is the year to The Readings Foundation: visit affrenchfilmfestival.org story of how three Australian brothers – readings.com.au/the-readings-foundation 20% off* any full-priced kids Children’sStory Time books for all who attend Carlton the story time session. Readings ReadingsSt Kilda ReadingsMalvern *Discount valid for 30 minutes after Fridaysat 10am Saturdaysat 10.30am Thursdaysat 10.30am completion of story time session 4 READINGS MONTHLY MARCH 2016 March Events AN EVENING FOR JENNIFER DOWN’S LAUNCH OF 16 TEACHERS & 1 OUR MAGIC HOUR 7 KATE RAMSAY’S LIBRARIANS TO BE LAUNCHED BY MEMOIR, GO WITH LOVE An evening for teachers and librarians, in two sessions. TONY BIRCH Join us for the launch of Kate Ramsay’s Go Primary years: 5pm–6pm Tony Birch will launch Jennifer Down’s With Love, a memoir about love, loss and Join authors Emily Gale and Leanne Hall debut novel, Our Magic Hour. Evocative learning that discusses what happens when, as they talk about their new books, why and and exquisitely written, Our Magic Hour just as you think that the life you’ve worked so how they talk about books, and what it’s like is a story of love, loss and discovery, and hard to create is perfect in every way, you find to create books. captures that moment when the sense of out that the love of your life is going to die. Emily Gale has worked in children’s book being being young and invincible gives way. publishing in a number of roles: editor, reader Free, no booking required for a literary agent, and book buyer. In 2014 Monday 7 March, 6.30pm Free, no booking required she was the prize manager for the inaugural Readings Hawthorn Tuesday 1 March, 6.30pm Readings Children’s Book Prize. Her writing Readings Carlton includes books for pre-schoolers, the Eliza SAVE OUR ABC Boom junior series, and two young adult novels (most recently Steal My Sunshine in 2013). Her LAUNCH OF 7 Australian democracy and new book for primary-school-age readers, The culture depend on the survival of a healthy, 2 AOIFE CLIFFORD’S Other Side of Summer, will be published in June. independent public broadcaster. Join ALL THESE PERFECT Leanne Hall is the author of novels for young Friends of the ABC for a meeting to discuss MEET YASSMIN STRANGERS adults including the Text Prize-winning This Is the future of our national broadcaster. 10 ABDEL-MAGIED Shyness and its sequel, Queen of the Night. Iris The Attorney-General of Victoria, the Hon. Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a young Muslim and the Tiger is her newly released first novel for Martin Pakula will launch Aoife Clifford’s Free, no booking required dynamo offering a bracing breath of fresh younger readers. Leanne has worked in the arts, debut crime thriller, All These Perfect Monday 7 March, 6.30pm–7.30pm air – a mechanical engineer, social advocate, educational publishing and as a bookseller, but Strangers. Described as an Australian The Readings St Kilda writer, and petrol head. Born in Sudan, her enduring passion is for youth literature. Secret History, the story centres on a first-year Yassmin founded Youth Without Borders, university student whose past catches up Secondary years: 6.15–7pm an organisation focused on helping young with her when dead bodies start appearing Join authors Jay Kristoff and Lili Wilkinson people to work for positive change in their around campus.