Winner of The Readings Prize 2018 · 2018-10-25 · Jennifer Down wins The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction 2018 ... these stories of strength and grace will open your eyes

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FREE NOVEMBER 2018

A .S. PATRIĆpage 7

JANE HARPERpage 11

CHLOE HOOPERpage 12

KAREN FOXLEEpage 19

GRAND SALVOpage 22

WORKING CL ASS BOYpage 21

page 6

Winner of The Readings

Prize 2018

$1295

3R E A D I N G S M O N T H LYNovember 2018NEWS

Summer Reading Guide & Readings’ Best of 2018 As in previous years, in lieu of publishing a December–January edition of the Readings Monthly, we’re putting together a guide to the best books, music and DVDs of 2018, as voted by all Readings staff. This eight-page guide will be available in all Readings shops throughout December and January, and will be mailed to all Readings Monthly subscribers in the first week of December along with the Summer Reading Guide. We hope you enjoy our recommendations!

Jennifer Down wins The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction 2018 We’re delighted to announce that Jennifer Down is this year’s winner of The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. Our judges described her short story collection, Pulse Points (Text), as ‘subtle, elegant and accomplished’. They noted that it ‘stood out to the judging panel for its emotional maturity and complexity. Down’s ability to make a reader feel what her characters are feeling is remarkable’. Down will receive prize money of $3,000. Pulse Points is available from all Readings shops and online for a special price of $26.99 (was $29.99). For more information see page 6.

Hope Shines anthology The Hope Prize is the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s national short story competition which encourages writers to explore the theme of resilience in the

face of adversity and poverty. The Hope Prize also offers two Women’s Writing Career Development Scholarships worth $5,000 each, an initiative supported by The Readings Foundation. Hope Shines (Simon & Schuster) is an anthology of stories entered into this year’s Hope Prize. Uplifting, poignant, funny and affecting, these stories of strength and grace will open your eyes and heart to the experiences of so many of our invisible citizens. All royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to the Hope Prize.

Readings Subscriber Shopping Day Our annual Readings Subscriber Shopping Day is on Thursday 15 November! We’re offering all Readings Monthly and Readings e-news subscribers 20% off full-priced books, CDs, vinyl, stationery and calendars, and 10% off full-priced DVDs. If you subscribe to the Readings Monthly, simply bring this month’s cover sheet into any Readings shop to redeem this offer. Otherwise, sign up to our e-news at readings.com.au/sign-up before Monday 12 November and we’ll send you an email invitation which you can either print off or show at the counter on your phone. Please note, offer applies in store only (not online) on in stock items. This offer is not available in conjunction with any other discounts or special offers and it is not valid on gift cards, lay-bys, special orders, special price items, cards or magazines.

12 Days of Christmas Once again, we’ll be running our annual 12 Days of Christmas promotion, offering a special deal every day for 12 days. The 12 Days of Christmas special offers will run from Monday 19 November until Friday 30 November. To receive information about each day’s offer, sign up to our e-news at readings.com.au/sign-up

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E D I TO R I A L A S SI S TA N T S Judi Mitchell and Ellen Cregan

PR O O F R E A D E R SMarie Matteson and Ellen Cregan

K I D S / YA C U R ATO R SAngela Crocombe and Dani Solomon

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Anna Burns wins The Man Booker Prize 2018 Milkman by Anna Burns has been named the winner of this year’s Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Kwame Anthony Appiah, chair of the 2018 judges, says: ‘None of us has ever read anything like this before. Anna Burns’ utterly distinctive voice challenges conventional thinking and form in surprising and immersive prose. It is a story of brutality, sexual encroachment and resistance threaded with mordant humour’. For more information visit themanbookerprize.com/fiction

November News

4 November 2018R E A D I N G S M O N T H LY

November EventsEvent times and locations are subject to change.

For the most up-to-date information on events, please check readings.com.au/events

Thursday 1 November, 6.30pm

TONI JORDAN IN CONVERSATION WITH CHRISTINE GORDON Join us to hear Toni Jordan – the award-winning, bestselling author of Addition and Nine Days – discuss her new novel, The Fragments, with Readings’ Christine Gordon.

Readings Carlton, 309 Lygon Street, Carlton

Free, but please book at readings.com.au/events

Thursday 1 November, 6.30-7.30pm

THE UNCOLLECTED PLAYS OF SHAUN MICALLEF We are thrilled to have Shaun Micallef joining us to discuss his latest work, The Uncollected Plays of Shaun Micallef, a hilarious collection of satirical plays and the stories of how he came to write them.

Church of all Nations, 180 Palmerston Street, Carlton

Ticktets are $5 per person, or $35 per person with a signed copy of the book. Bookings essential at readings.com.au/events

Thursday 1 November, 7pm for a 7.30pm seating

A MEAL WITH THE BAR LOURINHÃ DUO Enjoy a delicious meal while you hear the fabulous Bar Lourinhã duo, Matt McConnell and Jo Gamvros, chat with Melbourne Editor and Food Critic for Australian Gourmet Michael Harden about their wonderful new cookbook. In Eat at the Bar: Recipes inspired by travels in Spain, Portugal and Beyond, McConnell and Gamvros share their love of Europe’s bar dining culture through incredible, vibrant recipes from tapas to mezethes. They explore the amazing flavours and relaxed hospitality that inspired them to embrace and redefine bar dining culture in Melbourne.

Bar Lourinhã, 37 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

Tickets are $110 per person and include a meal and a signed copy of Eat at the Bar. Places are strictly limited, book at readings.com.au/events

Wednesday 7 November, 6.30pm

MARIA LEWIS ON FEMINIST WITCHES & GHOSTS Come along to hear fantasy writer Maria Lewis talking about her new book, The Witch Who Courted Death, and reinventing witches and ghosts with a much-needed feminist twist.

Readings Carlton, 309 Lygon Street, Carlton


Thursday 8 November, 6.30pm–7.30pm

MARKUS ZUSAK IN CONVERSATION WITH MAGDA SZUBANSKI Join us to hear two of Australia’s most-loved authors in conversation. Markus Zusak (The Book Thief) and Magda Szubanski (Reckoning) will discuss Bridge of Clay, Zusak’s highly anticipated new novel.

Melbourne Athenaeum, 188 Collins Street, Melbourne

Tickets are $25 per person and bookings are essential. Please book at readings.com.au/events


THE HOPE PRIZE 2018 BOOK LAUNCH The Hope Prize is the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s national short-story competition, judged by Cate Blanchett, Quentin Bryce and Kate Grenville. Supported by the generosity of the late Prudence Myer, the Readings Foundation, and publisher Simon & Schuster, it encourages writers to explore resilience in the face of adversity. Join us for the launch of the wonderful 2018 short-story collection.

Readings Hawthorn, 701 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn

Free, no booking required.


ANNABEL CRABB IN CONVERSATION WITH SHARLEE GIBB Come along to hear the brilliant Annabel Crabb and Sharlee Gibb talk about Crabb’s new cookbook, Special Guest, and how to host friends and family with easy, basic fare in real homes without stress.

Church of All Nations, 180 Palmerston Street, Carlton

Tickets are $40 per person and include a signed copy of Special Guest. Please book at readings.com.au/events

Saturday 10 November, 10.30am

A SPECIAL STORY TIME WITH MEM FOX AND JUDY HORACEK

Join Mem Fox and Judy Horacek for a special story time as they read from their new book, Bonnie and Ben Rhyme Again. It’s a companion to Good Night, Sleep Tight from the team behind Where is the Green Sheep?

Readings Kids, 315 Lygon Street, Carlton


KIDS

Monday 12 November, 6.30pm

TIM FLANNERY ON EUROPE Come along to hear celebrated author Tim Flannery discuss his latest book, Europe: A Natural History. This surprising ecological history is more than just the story of Europe and the Europeans.



Wednesday 14 November, 6.30pm

MIKEY ROBINS IN CONVERSATION WITH HELEN RAZER Comedian and self-confessed food-lover Mikey Robins has written an irreverent romp through the history of food and culinary craft, Seven Deadly Sins and One Very Naughty Fruit. Guided by the truth of the ages that ‘where there is food there is folly’, Robins will discuss some of the most bizarre stories of all time with Helen Razer. Prepare to be shocked, and to laugh out loud!

Readings St Kilda, 112 Acland Street, St Kilda



KAREN FOXLEE IN CONVERSATION WITH MIKE SHUTTLEWORTH Join award-winning author Karen Foxlee as she discusses her latest children’s novel with Readings’ own Mike Shuttleworth. A big-hearted story, Lenny’s Book of Everything is about loving and letting go. See our review on page 19!



Sunday 18 November, 12pm

A LUNCHTIME FOOD SAFARI WITH MAEVE O’MEARA To celebrate the release of Maeve O’Meara’s new book, Food Safari Elements: Earth, Fire, Water, we are delighted to invite you to lunch and to hear from the star herself about the importance of celebrating our senses through food.

Rumi Restaurant, 116 Lygon Street, East Brunswick

Tickets are $95 per person and include a signed first edition of Food Safari Elements: Earth, Fire, Water, and a two-course meal.

Please book at readings.com.au/events


JESSIE COLE IN CONVERSATION WITH ANNA KRIEN Jessie Cole’s Staying is a searing memoir about surviving the suicide of loved ones, and finding a place to heal. Come along to hear the acclaimed novelist discuss Staying with Anna Krien.

Readings St Kilda, 112 Acland Street, St Kilda



STORIES TO MAKE YOU SMILE WITH JOANNA NELL, TONI JORDAN & WILLIAM MCINNESEscape a bruising year by enjoying a glass of wine while three wonderful authors – Joanna Nell, Toni Jordan and William McInnes – talk about their latest books and themes of kindness, compassion and community.



Wednesday 21 November, 6.30pm–7.45pm

DAVID MARR IN CONVERSATION WITH GEORGE MEGALOGENISCome along to hear David Marr, one of Australia’s most unflinching reporters of political controversy and eloquent biographers, discuss My Country, the definitive collection of his writing to date.


Tickets are $40 and include a signed, first-edition hardback copy of My Country. Please book at readings.com.au/events


PIA’S TABLE TASTING Join MasterChef’s Pia Gava for a little tasting and a drop of wine as we celebrate her new book, Pia’s Table, and Italian history, tradition, food and family.



EVENTS

5R E A D I N G S M O N T H LYNovember 2018


HELEN GARNER IN CONVERSATION WITH CHLOE HOOPER To celebrate the new hardback release of Australian classics Monkey Grip and The Children’s Bach, we are delighted to have Helen Garner joining us to talk about the impact on her writing life of these two novels.


Tickets are $35 per person and include your choice of one of the two signed books. Please book at readings.com.au/events

December Events

Saturday 1 December, 11am til 11pm

A MARATHON READING OF THE ODYSSEY The Stork Theatre presents a Homeric marathon: Emily Wilson’s new translation of The Odyssey told in full over 12 hours by 30 different performers. Come along for your favourite chapter, bring a picnic, stay for the whole 12-hour marathon or come and go as you please.

M.Pavilion, St Kilda Road (in the Queen Victoria Gardens, opposite the Arts Centre on St Kilda Road)

Free, no need to book.

Tuesday 4 December, 6.30pm–7.30pm

CRAIG HORNEIn Daddy Who?, author and musician Craig Horne gives an insider’s story of a band that in eighteen months changed the course of Australian rock history. Join us for a night of nostalgia, and a possible sing-along!

Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon Street, Carlton


Book LaunchesBoone Shepard: The Silhouette and the Sacrifice by Gabriel Bergmoser Come along to celebrate the release of Gabriel Bergmoser’s latest book in the

Boone Shepard YA series, Boone Shepard: The Silhouette and the Sacrifice. Thursday 1 November, 6.30pm Readings Kids | Free, no booking required.

Broad Plain Darkening by Clare Rhoden Join Clare Rhoden for the launch of the second book in her dystopian sci-fi trilogy. Following on from book one, The Pale, Broad Plain Darkening sees the world of the Pale under threat again. Monday 5 November, 6.30pm Readings Carlton | Free, no booking required.

Yes Yes Yes by Alex Greenwich and Shirleene Robinson Join us to celebrate the release of Yes Yes Yes: Australia’s Journey to Marriage Equality by advocates Alex Greenwich and Shirleene Robinson. It reveals the untold story of how a grassroots movement won hearts and minds and transformed a country. Sunday 11 November, 2pmReadings St Kilda | Free, no booking required.

Tokyo by Michelle Mackintosh and Steve WideJoin Michelle Mackintosh and Steve Wide for the launch of their book Tokyo, which explores the joys of visiting this great, dynamic city – whether for the first, second or hundredth time. Monday 12 November, 6.30pmReadings State Library Victoria | Free, no booking required.

Modern Motherhood and Women’s Dual Identities by Petra Bueskens Join Anne Manne as she launches Petra Bueskens’ provocative and original new book, Modern Motherhood and Women’s Dual Identities: Rewriting the Sexual Contract. Wednesday 14 November, 6.30pm Readings Carlton | Free, no booking required.

Feel Great and Look Your Best by Margaret Boyd-Squires Join highly regarded naturopath Margaret Boyd-Squires for a celebration of the release of her book, Feel Great and Look Your Best: Anti-Inflammatory Recipes. Thursday 15 November, 6.30pm Readings St Kilda | Free, no booking required.

The Great Cave Rescue by James Massola Join James Massola for the launch of his book, The Great Cave Rescue, the extraordinary story of the 18-day ordeal to bring the young Thai soccer team and their coach to safety. Thursday 15 November, 6.30pm Readings Carlton | Free, no booking required.

Night Walk by Alison Binks Join Alison Binks as Tim Cope launches her new picture book, Night Walk, a captivating story about a little boy’s adventurous night out while camping. Sunday 18 November, 2pm Readings St Kilda | Free, no booking required.

Night Fishing by Anna Ryan-Punch Join Anna Ryan-Punch for the launch of her poetry collection Night Fishing, which tells stories of love and motherhood, of lost faith and suburban rental houses, and of improvising in adulthood. Monday 19 November, 6pmReadings State Library Victoria | Free, no booking required.

Lillian’s Eden by Cheryl Adam Join Cheryl Adam for the launch of her debut novel, Lillian’s Eden. Adam takes the reader to post-war Australia and the stark realities of rural life behind the rose-filled gardens. Tuesday 20 November, 6.30pm Readings Hawthorn | Free, no booking required.

Missing Pieces by Caroline de Costa Join Caroline de Costa for the launch of the second book in the Cass Diamond crime series, Missing Pieces. This series brings together thrilling plots and a wonderful social conscience.Thursday 29 November, 6.30pmReadings St Kilda | Free, no booking required.

Mark’s Say

Not many of you will have heard of Patricia O’Donnell, who sadly passed away last month, and that’s the way she

liked it. However, she had a huge impact on Melbourne’s cultural and culinary life that needs to be recognised. My first recollection of meeting Trish was during the Queenscliff Carnival of Words, which Trish initiated. I’d originally known Trish’s sister, Mietta, the proprietor of Mietta’s in the city, a place where we held a very successful series of literary events in the early ’80s. Trish turned the heritage-listed Queenscliff Hotel into Mietta’s Queenscliff, and ran that until 2002. Trish was immediately welcoming and instantly began connecting me with other people she felt I should meet – or, conversely, with people she felt should meet me. That’s the thing she did all her life: connect people.

When she moved from Queenscliff to Melbourne, she took over the North Fitzroy pub Lord Jim’s and, with the help of Six Degrees architects, turned it into the North Fitzroy Star (Trish was always into good local design). The Star became a cultural centre of the north; Readings used to regularly hold events there. Trish helped to make things happen and if she thought something was important, there would be no charge, so the Star became a regular fundraising venue for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, the Stella Prize (Trish was a significant financial supporter of that Prize) and many other organisations. For many years Trish also hosted a dinner for the writers appearing at the Melbourne Writers Festival. Trish, as ever a force in the background, would only attend briefly to make sure everything was OK.

In the upstairs rooms writers such as Carrie Tiffany were given cheap boltholes to practice their craft. People were devastated when she decided not to renew her lease. It was like losing your second home. When her sister Mietta passed away she set up the Mietta Foundation to supports the arts, something Mietta was passionate about. Trish, myself and Readings’ then events manager, Pierre Sutcliffe, created a mini literary festival at Federation Square named after Mietta. Trish served on the Library Board from 1999–2008 and was chair of its collections committee. Trish was one of the most remarkable people I’ve met; I, and this city, will miss her.

It’s five years since we established the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction; our first winner was Ceridwen Dovey for her collection of stories, Only the Animals. This year’s winner goes to another collection of stories, Pulse Points, by Melbourne author Jennifer Down. It’s Jennifer’s second book and I’m particularly pleased because Jennifer was one of the first recipients of a Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Fellowship funded by the Readings Foundation. It’s also a terrific book!

Each Christmas season we have lots of extra special offers that you can only find about by subscribing to our e-news – you can ask at any of our shops or do it online – don’t miss out.

As this is my last column for the year, may I thank you for your ongoing support for Readings and all the writers and artists who produce our wares and wish you a merry Christmas and fulfilling New Year.

Dear Reader

There are always far, far, far too many new books to talk about adequately in this column, but seriously, this month is out of

control. But I want to use some words to say something about Jennifer Down, whose Pulse Points is the winner of this year’s Readings Prize. I think Down is actually a genius, and couldn’t agree more with judges about the quality of her writing: her ability to convey the emotional world is peerless. If you ever have a chance to hear her read her own work, take it up – I won’t ever forget her delivery of ‘Dogs’ at the MWF panel I chaired in 2017. You could have heard a pin drop. Congratulations, Jennifer, and welcome to the Readings Prize Winners’ Club!

Let the felicitations continue for A.S. Patrić, our resident Miles Franklin Award-winner on staff, whose collection, The Butcherbird Stories, is Fiction Book of the Month. Our reviewer commends Alec’s way of writing below the surface of things, and particularly his ‘profound understanding of the desperate, catastrophic way that we love’. If you are yet to read Patrić, this collection is a great place to begin (and we can hook you up with a signed copy). Also out this month are new Australian novels from Jane Harper, Toni Jordan, Jock Serong and Tom Keneally (and some handsome editions of Helen Garner’s Monkey Grip and The Children’s Bach).

International fiction is truly diverse this month, with writing from Greenland (Niviaq Korneliussen’s Crimson), China-in-exile (Ma Jian’s China Dream), Japan (Yukiko Motoya’s Picnic in the Storm), Japan-by-way-of-Australia (Kei Iwaki’s Farewell, My Orange), Italy (Matteo Righetto’s Soul of the Border), and Norway (Matias Faldbakken’s The Waiter). There are also new releases from Barbara Kingsolver, Sarah Moss, Mohammad Hanif, Jonathan Coe, M.R. Carey, Laura Purcell, George R.R. Martin, J.K. Rowling, Eileen Myles, and a blistering short-story debut, Friday Black, from Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah whose name I promise you will hear from now on. Lucia Berlin fans can get a double dose of this amazing woman’s work in the form of a collection of stories (Evening in Paradise) and a memoir (Welcome Home).

I haven’t stopped thinking about Chloe Hooper’s The Arsonist since I read an advance copy a few months ago. It’s our sensational and essential Nonfiction Book of the Month. You also need books from Sarah Smarsh, Alice Pung, David Marr, Marina Benjamin, Jill Lepore, David Grann, Jonathan Franzen, Stephen Fry; Patrick Mullins’s groundbreaking biography of Billy McMahon; memoirs from Ed Moreno, Anne Summers, Michelle Obama, Kerry O’Brien and Kiese Laymon; Brow Books’ latest offering, Going Postal; manifestos from Sohaila Abdulali, Gemma Hartley and Mary Portas; and I cannot wait to get my hands on Beastie Boys Book, by and about popular music’s most loveable ratbags.

And finally, dear reader, I can hardly believe it’s time to bid you adieu for the year, as the Readings Monthly takes its annual hiatus until our February 2019 issue. But you’ll hear from us one last time before the end of the year, with our annual special edition containing the year’s best books, as voted by our staff.

EVENTS + COLUMNS

6 November 2018R E A D I N G S M O N T H LY NEW AUSTRALIAN WRITING

shortlist was a hard task, and involved a lot of deliberation. Jamie Marina Lau’s Pink Mountain on Locust Island is a dream-like, rapidly paced, pulpy novel that challenges concepts of language in contemporary Australian fiction. Moreno Giovannoni’s The Fireflies of Autumn brings together lessons learnt and passed down through generations. Robbie Arnott’s Flames is a fantastic, genre-bending adventure. Tracy Sorensen’s The Lucky Galah is historical fiction from a wonderfully unexpected perspective. And Shaun Prescott’s The Town is a brilliantly written, surreal, and unique literary novel.

There are fourteen short stories in Pulse Points. These stories are all very different to one another, but each deals in the moments of everyday life that sting. In the story from which this collection takes its name (and the first in the collection) a couple travelling along a country road come across a lifeless body. In another, a woman travels to Yamanashi, Japan, to revisit the location of her brother’s suicide. In a third, a woman tangles herself in an illicit affair with a student as her partner attempts to recover from addiction. These are the sorts of stories that leave bruises behind.

All of the stories in this collection are examples of the extent to which empathy can be employed in fiction – Down looks at human emotion under a microscope in each of these stories, but always does so with care and compassion. To read a story from Pulse Points is to feel it, too. As well as being impressed by Down’s masterful use of emotion in her writing, the judging panel also appreciated the great attention to detail throughout the book. These stories

are set all around the world, with characters from all sorts of backgrounds, but every incident feels authentic – it’s clear that she researched these places and situations comprehensively.

Pulse Points is a subtle, elegant and accomplished short story collection. It stood out to the judging panel for its emotional maturity and complexity. Down’s ability to make a reader feel what her characters are feeling is remarkable.

Jennifer Down said of her win that ‘[i]t’s a profound honour to receive this year’s Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction – and it’s no less an honour to be in the company of five other writers whose skill and approach to storytelling I greatly admire. Readings Carlton was where I used to go between classes at uni; it’s where my first book was launched; and where I still feel so much at home, so this feels extraordinarily special. I’m very grateful to this year’s judges, and to Readings for championing new Australian writing in the way only an independent bookseller can.’

As this year’s winner, Down will receive $3,000 in prize money. Pulse Points joins a stellar line-up of previous winners of the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction, including three novels – Sam Carmody’s haunting The Windy Season; Zoë Morrison’s profound Music and Freedom; and Stephanie Bishop’s wonderfully crafted The Other Side of the World – and Ceridwen Dovey’s unforgettable short-story collection, Only the Animals.

Ellen Cregan, chair of the judging panel 2018, and Readings marketing and events coordinator

The winner of the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction in 2018 is Pulse Points by Jennifer Down.

The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction, now in its fifth year, is awarded to a work of fiction by an Australian author. Authors’ first and second works of fiction are eligible for the prize. The Prize for New Australian Fiction is one of three literary prizes that Readings awards each year, the other two being the Readings Young Adult Book Prize and the Readings Children’s Book Prize. Each of these prizes exists to celebrate the work of early-career Australian writers, and over the past five years eleven authors have been awarded prizes across the three categories of the Readings prizes.

This year, almost ninety works of Australian fiction were considered. The judging panel, made up of four Readings booksellers, was joined by award-winning author Tony Birch as guest judge and Readings’ managing director Mark Rubbo to decide upon a winner from a shortlist of six books. The judging criteria was focused on selecting books that were highly original, and experimented with form or language. The six books the judges selected for the shortlist were the ones that surprised us, kept us on our toes, and those we felt to be the most innovative of all the books considered.

This year’s shortlist was incredibly strong. The range of books represented on this shortlist was broad – it included books set in the country and city, books that experimented with literary styles, and books that showed great emotional depth. Choosing just one winner from this

Winner of The

Readings Prize 2018

Pulse Points by Jennifer Down wins The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction 2018

To read a story from Pulse Points is to feel it, too.

Pulse PointsJennifer DownText. PB. Was $29.99

$26.99

7R E A D I N G S M O N T H LYNovember 2018FICTION

New Fiction

A.S. Patrić won the Miles Franklin Award in 2016 for his debut novel, Black Rock White City. His latest book, The Butcherbird Stories, is a collection of twelve stories that confirm his craftsmanship as a writer.

Many of the stories peek behind the veil of dull suburbia to reveal the vivid, yet oftentimes disturbing, lives being lived beneath the surface. A taxi driver, caught in the rain, distractedly awaits the results of his hospitalised wife. A chef fantasises incessantly about a daydreaming backpacker. Two young boys, destructive for the sake of it, unwittingly destroy their friendship in a rampaging afternoon.

Patrić writes with a profound understanding of the desperate, catastrophic way that we love

Patrić has a manner of describing the way we live our lives that commands a sense of place. When painting the sweltering heat of summer in suburban Melbourne, Patrić, writing as a migrant displaced from his homeland of Serbia, writes: ‘On long summer Sunday afternoons the local pool became a necessity, no longer the luxury it often seemed. The grassy hills rolling away from the water to the cyclone fences were covered with thin towels, filled out by a community

that, aside from these sweltering days, never saw itself whole.’There is a deep loneliness to the world Patrić weaves. Throughout his stories,

individuals float aimlessly, constantly aware of the fragility of things. Yet, deeper than this, Patrić writes with a profound understanding of the desperate, catastrophic way that we love.

In ‘Butcherbird’, possibly the most poignant story in his collection, Patrić describes the everyday struggles and fears of fatherhood, concluding with the image of a father comfortingly singing his child to sleep, despite knowing he is just as inept, and frightened by the world, as her.

In some of Patrić’s stories, love is accompanied by great acts of violence or slow-burning failures. Yet in others, like ‘Butcherbird’, it is shown in its purist, most affecting form.

Caitlin Cassidy is from Readings Hawthorn

BOOK OF THE MONTHFiction

The Butcherbird StoriesA. S. PatrićTransit Lounge. HB. $29.99

Australian Fiction

The FragmentsToni JordanText. PB. $29.99

Toni Jordan’s latest novel, The

Fragments, holds within its pages a fable-like fervour for the written word. Using parallel stories which both have the theme of loss at their

core, Jordan has created a unique and wonderful plot. One story centres on the life of reclusive and world-famous New York author Inga Karlson, who becomes victim to a terrible fire. Fragments of Karlson’s second novel are all that survive this heartbreaking disaster. The other tale, set in Brisbane in the heat of summer, examines the life of bookseller and former academic Caddie Walker.

These stories are brought together when Caddie makes it her mission to solve the mystery surrounding the remains of the Karlson’s novel. In doing so, Caddie learns to trust her instinct and integrity. Jordan depicts the nuances of bookselling without ever resorting to romantic platitudes, and counterbalances that world with the tragedies of hidden love that entwine both stories. The Fragments is a mystery that spans cities, class, people and timezones, and it’s a page-turner with plot developments transpiring right to the very last pages.

Admirably, not only is this a delightful novel, but Jordan’s story also illustrates the impact and power an author’s work can have on its readers. How wonderful it is when the world gathers in awe of published work. If you love reading Jane Harper or Holly Throsby or indeed Jordan’s other novels, this is the perfect weekend read. The Fragments is undoubtedly Jordan’s finest work to date.

Christine Gordon is the events manager for Readings

PreservationJock SerongText. PB. $29.99Available 19 November

A little-known (though maybe

soon-to-be-well-known) historical event forms the basis for Jock Serong’s latest novel, Preservation. Using the 1797 shipwreck of the Sydney Cove off the

coast of Preservation Island in Bass Strait as a starting point, Serong imagines what might have happened during the trek survivors made from what we now call Ninety Mile Beach in Victoria to the frontier town of Sydney. Seventeen men began the walk; only three were found, barely alive, just south of Sydney town. What happened to the other fourteen? The group was made up of British merchant seamen set to make their fortune in the infant colony, and Bengali lascars who had joined the journey in Calcutta, where the

ship set sail. What happened when the walkers encountered Indigenous peoples along the way? And did the party shrink by virtue of misfortune, or by design?

Preservation is a skilful and, most importantly, very entertaining work of imagination, full of tension and menace, that keeps the reader sweating over what will become of the protagonists until the very end. A more odious villain than the imposter tea merchant, Figge, could hardly be imagined: he and another unreliable survivor hinder attempts by officials in Sydney to understand exactly what happened. Serong uses all his crime-writing tricks of the trade in this literary novel, and it’s hugely effective. This is the kind of historical fiction writing that makes the reader wonder where the ‘real’ past ends and invention begins – which is just the way Serong wants it to be. Underpinning this story is an accomplished writer’s voice that queries what Western/settler histories of Australia are really made of, tells of the chaos and devastation caused by colonisation, and speaks in dialogue with the Indigenous knowledges and histories that are at last becoming widely acknowledged.

Alison Huber is the head book buyer for Readings

Two Old Men DyingTom Keneally Vintage. PB. Was $32.99

$29.99Learned Man is the child of humankind as we know it; of those who are thought to have travelled from the Rift Valley in Africa and to ancient Australia. Shelby Apple is an acclaimed

documentary-maker who, after making films about Learned Man’s discovery, turns his sights on Eritrea. In perhaps his boldest novel, Tom Keneally explores the journeys of modern Australians alongside the imagined story of ancient Learned Man, whose remains were discovered in Western NSW decades ago.

Monkey GripHelen GarnerText. HB. Was $29.99

$24.95With an introduction by Charlotte Wood, this is an elegant new hardback edition of the novel that launched Helen Garner’s career. Upon its publication in 1977, Monkey Grip divided the

critics; today, it is regarded as a masterpiece. The novel shines a light on a time and a place and a way of living that had never before been presented in Australian literature.

The Children’s BachHelen GarnerText. HB. Was $29.99

$24.95This is another beautiful new hardback edition of a modern Australian classic by Helen Garner. Ben Lerner describes The Children’s Bach as ‘a jewel’ in the new introduction. First published in 1984,

Garner portrays her characters with a clear eye for their dreams, their insecurities and their deep humanity.

International Fiction

Evening in ParadiseLucia BerlinPicador. HB. $34.99

I read Evening in Paradise in a single

sitting, mesmerised by the places and characters, and what they revealed about the cultures of the times. Names recur but are intermingled. A character

from one story will emerge in a different story, but with a different name, in a different place. Yet as you traverse the tapestry the book weaves, a single luminous thread ducks and bobs brilliantly throughout, holding it all together; a vibrant, generous, female character, gentle, strong and free, full of love, sorrow and mirth: meet Lucia Berlin.

Berlin’s life – or a version of it she wanted to imagine and present – lies in the foundation of every story. Semi-autobiographical, her characters travel through all the places Berlin did. We meet three husbands, four children, and a woman who writes while losing and finding herself in bottles of Jim Beam. It becomes impossible to confidently draw a line between fiction and autobiography. Did she turn herself into a modern artwork for her first husband (he was a sculptor, just like in the story)? Did she deal with a corpse off the coast of Mexico?

If characters Lucha, Laura, Maria, Maya, Clare and Maggie are one and the same, the book is almost as much a novel as it is short stories – one with a fascinating structure. Lucia Berlin is dead and the structure is a pastiche of somebody else’s construction, but I’m not sure it matters (didn’t Roland Barthes explain the death of the author in the ’60s?). Or perhaps it is more a memoir. As it so happens, an official memoir is also due out this month. It might even demystify some of this blurring between fact and fiction. It won’t reduce the resonance of Berlin’s writing. Besotted as I am by the woman that is Lucha-Laura-Maria-Maya-Clare-Maggie-Lucia, I can’t help but think it impossible you won’t be too.

Leanne Hermosilla is from Readings Carlton

China DreamMa JianChatto & Windus. HB. $32.99

It’s no coincidence that Ma Jian

dedicates this book to George Orwell. Named after Xi Jinping’s vision for Chinese prosperity, China Dream is a tale of the self, broken over the rack of the

state. As Director of the China Dream Bureau, Ma Daode proposes a microchip that, when implemented, would delete an individual’s dreams and replace them with Party propaganda. However, his violent past in Mao’s Red Guard threatens to rip his own mind in two.

Ma Jian has written an extraordinary depiction of a nation caught between the tides of progress and history, of a people’s struggle beneath the state. Officials compose aphorisms by day and drink in Red Guard-themed sex clubs when the blinds are drawn; the author casts a bleak shadow illuminated by brief yet brilliant moments of wit. The story eases in and out of its more surreal moments as if the concept of deleting

8 November 2018R E A D I N G S M O N T H LY FICTION

dreams is as commonplace as sexting on WeChat. If only Ma Daode’s memories were as transient as his pleasures.

Even writing from Europe (Ma is exiled from his homeland), China Dream is a rebellion, bringing to mind Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn at his best and most belligerent. It’s a novel of anger and frustration but also a plea to his countrymen and women, who risk losing the right to think for themselves. What Ma warns in clear and gripping prose is that the individual may be expected to surrender to the state but the repercussions are their own, and if the only way to erase one’s guilt is to make others appear even guiltier then the past will repeat itself forever. ‘“First it’s fists,” says Ma Daode, “then it’s bricks, and before you know it, it will be guns.”’ Ma Jian has thrown a short, sharp punch that lands on the mind and heart.

Paul Goodman is from Readings Hawthorn

Friday BlackNana Kwame Adjei-BrenyahRiverrun. HB. $29.99

We live in an era where we get told to

accept who we are and show it – but is that really true for people of colour? We ask them to whitewash themselves to appear successful and to fit in.

They have to learn how to make themselves appear ‘less threatening’ to keep themselves safe; they have to ‘turn down their Blackness’.

Friday Black is Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s fiction debut. The brutal honesty with which he writes shows how it is to be young and black in America. The twelve short stories are intense and include situations as varied as entertainment simulations where violence is seen as justice, a stampede of Black Friday zombie shoppers who scrape the dead under the shelves, and the joy that comes with successfully communicating in a half-learned language. Adjei-Brenyah illustrates the range of human complexities that come with a world that prizes pharmacological happiness but scorns emotions and human connection, being trapped in a time loop without consequences, and a shared purgatory between a college shooter and victim who work to prevent more violence.

Adjei-Brenyah has an explosive voice and has created authentic worlds that make you feel like you’ve travelled far in a small range of pages. He really captures the toll of consumerism, the idea of racism as sport, the corrupt criminal justice system, and cultural unrest. The stories are set out in an order that will chill you to the core with their unyielding realism, then fill you with fire against the injustice of racism, and end with the hope of redemption for humankind.

Cindy Morris is from Readings Carlton

CrimsonNiviaq Korneliussen Hachette. PB. $27.99

Niviaq Korneliussen begins her novel

Crimson with a letter to the reader: ‘I began creating characters and stories on paper and suddenly the whole world was available to me.’

Crimson, originally titled Home Sapienne, is the story of five young, queer Greenlanders negotiating their existence and relationships in the small,

claustrophobic world of Nuuk and social media. Stifled Fia leaves a long-term relationship and moves in for a while with Arnuk, her brother’s best friend, who seems to have lost her job and spends her time moving from one party to another. It’s spring in Nuuk and the nights are never dark; people move from one party to another as the sense of the sun never quite setting evokes both the far Northern setting and the existential state of youth, unmoored in the world.

Originally written in Greenlandic and then rewritten in Danish by the author before beginning its journey into translation in French Canadian, English, etc., Korneliussen speaks of the need to rewrite it in Danish to be accessible to everyone, as not all Greenlanders speak Greenlandic.

Greenlandic is a polysynthetic language, in which a whole sentence can be conveyed in one word, and Crimson is prefaced by a cast list whose names can simultaneously mean many things. Beginning with a letter to the reader and a cast of characters, names explained, evokes the explanatory notes that often prefaced nineteenth-century literature. This works beautifully in concert with the use of text messaging and hashtags to meld what may be expected from a novel about modern Greenlanders with what is a novel of Greenlanders.

The intersecting storylines double back on each other, shifting the night from failure to triumph, and to connections made and lost. The isolated and connected world of Greenland’s capital and it’s inhabitants are beautifully evoked in a story I never thought to hear.

As the author says, ‘I dreamed of being part of something bigger’. Crimson made me feel part of something bigger.

Marie Matteson is from Readings Carlton

The WaiterMatias FaldbakkenDoubleday. HB. $29.99

Reading The Waiter by Matias

Faldbakken reminded me of one of my favourite short stories: ‘The Luncheon’ by W. Somerset Maugham. Set in the Paris restaurant Foyot’s (which

sadly no longer exists), the story tells of the quiet despair of a writer having to foot the bill for a lunch he can’t afford. Translated from Norwegian, The Waiter is also set in a famous (in this case fictitious) European restaurant, The Hills in Oslo. Like Maugham, Faldbakken is witty and observant, and writes about a protagonist for whom the restaurant environment induces anxiety and tension.

The nameless waiter of the novel’s title serves all the regular customers at The Hills. There is the Pig, an elderly gentleman who has lunch at the same table every weekday; Tom Sellers, who has donated many of the paintings that hang on the restaurant walls; and the friendly Edgar and his nine-year-old daughter Anna. In addition to meeting the diners’ every need, the waiter guarantees everything is perfect; from his immaculate uniform and the crumb-free tablecloths to ensuring each napkin has the correct number of creases. One day, a young lady joins the Pig at his table. Her unpredictability challenges the waiter’s ordered world and everything starts to unravel.

Reading The Waiter is a bit like experiencing a degustation menu. We are presented with small, sharp chapters which vary in flavour and texture. The initial

chapters set up the history and physicality of the restaurant, and are followed by those with a focus on daily routines and practices; these are more reflective and almost melancholic in nature. Once the characters are established, the action becomes erratic and surprising as we move towards a chaotic finale. As the waiter himself comments, it is sometimes ‘not really possible to distinguish between genuine statements and parody’ but this is part of the appeal of this quirky and surprisingly thought-provoking novel.

Amanda Rayner is from Readings Carlton

UnshelteredBarbara KingsolverFaber. PB. Was $32.99

$29.99Barbara Kingsolver is perhaps best known

for her award-winning novels The Poisonwood Bible (1998) and The Lacuna (2009), though her numerous other works will also be familiar to many.

With her much-anticipated new novel Unsheltered, Kingsolver brings her signature use of metaphor to issues about which she is concerned, and with which she intends to concern her readers. Both the title of the novel and the fundamentally unsound buildings that form the central settings for the two major plots function literally and metaphorically, serving to underscore the fragility of modern American democracy and society. There is nothing subtle about this signposting; Kingsolver’s fiction is her political activism.

Kingsolver introduces two families living in different centuries in Vineland, New Jersey who are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. In 2016, Willa Knox is a (recently, unwillingly) freelance journalist, attempting to keep her world turning despite family tragedy, career crises and a home that may crumble at any moment due to its inexplicable lack of foundations. In 1871, Thatcher Greenwood is a newlywed science teacher who must also grapple with a complicated family and community, financial misfortune, and a structurally unsound home.

Despite existing in different eras, the two families are linked not only by their similar plight and all that it portends, but also by a shared interest in the accomplished naturalist Mary Treat, a central character in the novel and a real historical figure from the area, celebrated in her own right, but also for her collaboration with Charles Darwin.

Through her large but not unwieldy cast, Kingsolver explores the specific anxieties of the present, as well as issues that have plagued enquiring, original minds throughout history.

Unsheltered will appeal to existing Kingsolver readers, and those looking for resonant historical fiction with political undercurrents.

Elke Power is the editor of Readings Monthly

OhioStephen MarkleyS&S. PB. $24.99

In the post-9/11 era, foreign wars,

financial meltdowns, diminishing opportunities, and increasing alienation have shaped the United States of America. A generation

of young people have come of age in the shadow of the collapse of the Twin Towers –

their lives defined by continuing crises; by multiple national tragedies that have triggered significant personal aftershocks.

In Stephen Markley’s bold debut novel, Ohio, characters carry the scars that come with living in this state of near-permanent post-traumatic stress. Framed predominantly around one night in the summer of 2013, Ohio narrates the fateful return of four ex-classmates to their hometown in the northeast of the state that gives the novel its name. Now in their late twenties, Bill Ashcraft, Stacey Moore, Dan Eaton, and Tina Ross converge on the fictional town of New Canaan – far from the biblical Promised Land implied by this name – seeking some form of redemption and resolution for their pain. Markley flashes back to their high-school years, to their various entanglements, and to that ‘defining time’ when 9/11 and the subsequent invasion of Iraq drew a line through the heartland and through their lives.

Across its 400-plus pages, Ohio takes in social activism, sexual assault, the scourge of methamphetamines, and the wounds of war to paint a portrait of life in America now. But Markley’s isn’t a clinical dissection. He writes with a fervent, emotional tone that places human lives at the centre of this national breakdown. Markley takes risks, and I admire them, even if they don’t all quite pay off. Sometimes characters function too much like broad mouthpieces for big ideas; sometimes events are pushed to the extreme. But Ohio is an ambitious novel grappling quite intimately with problems that have no simple solutions. It’s also a vital reminder that in times of crisis, fiction doesn’t need to offer us all the answers, but should ask questions that shine a light in the darkness.

Joanna Di Mattia is from Readings Carlton

Red BirdsMohammed HanifBloomsbury. HB. $29.99

Major Ellie crashes his sixty-five-million

dollar jet in the desert near the refugee camp he was supposed to bomb. It’s not really a high priority target, but Ellie was thrown a bone by his

commander to get a proper mission before his job as a ‘zoomie’ is replaced by sticky-keyboarded drone pilots. Sixty-five-million in hardware doesn’t leave much room to pay for a survival kit, however, and soon Ellie has nibbled down his last energy bar and is resisting the allure of oases and having nightmares about his wife.

Dehydrated and hallucinating, Ellie is saved by Momo, a young refugee from the camp. Well, actually, Ellie is saved by Momo’s dog Mutt, who, along with Ellie and Momo, narrates the novel. Weird, huh? Anyway, Momo hates Westerners because when his brother went to work for them he disappeared and never came back. Mother Dear and Father Dear have been no help at all, so it’s been Momo leading the search to find Bro Ali. But despite his skills and understanding of Western capitalism, Momo’s business plans are failing. Maybe the young aid worker wanting to research Momo for her thesis on the ‘teenage Muslim mind’ can be of use? Momo can’t avoid seeing the irony of being bombed by a people who then seek to council him about grief and loss.

Red Birds is a darkly funny, irreverent story of a young life in a world ruled by war-for-war’s-sake and total bureaucracy,

9R E A D I N G S M O N T H LYNovember 2018FICTION

Ghost WallSarah MossGranta. HB. $27.99

Teenage Silvie and her parents are living in a hut in Northumberland as an exercise in experimental archaeology. Her father is a difficult man, obsessed with imagining and enacting the harshness of

Iron Age life. Haunting Silvie’s narrative is the story of a bog girl, a young woman sacrificed by those closest to her, and the landscape both keeps and reveals the secrets of past violence and ritual as the summer builds to its harrowing climax.

Someone Like MeM. R. CareyHachette. PB. $29.99Available 13 November

Liz Kendall wouldn’t hurt a fly. Even when times get tough, she’s devoted to bringing up her kids in a loving home. But there’s another side to Liz, one that’s dark and malicious. An alter-ego that will do

anything to get her way. And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating. Someone Like Me is a modern take on the Jekyll and Hyde tale and an intoxicating new thriller from the phenomenal M.R. Carey.

Middle EnglandJonathan CoeViking. PB. $32.99Available 19 November

Set in the Midlands and London over the last eight years, Jonathan Coe follows a brilliantly vivid cast of characters through a time of immense change and disruption in Britain. It’s a story of modern

England, of nostalgia and delusion, of bewilderment and barely-suppressed rage. A witty and incisive state-of-the-nation from one of Britain’s great satirists, Middle England follows in the footsteps of The Rotters’ Club and The Closed Circle; this novel is a novel for our strange new times.

The Kingfisher SecretAnonymousCentury. PB. $32.99

October, 2016. Journalist Grace Elliot has just landed a scoop that she believes will make her career. A porn-star is willing to talk about her affair with the man some hope and many fear will become the next

president of the United States. But no one will touch it. Instead, Grace is sent to Europe where she discovers a story so explosive that it could decide the American election and launch a new Cold War – if she can stay alive long enough to tell it.

Picnic in the StormYukiko MotoyaHachette. HB. $29.99

A housewife takes up bodybuilding and sees radical changes to her physique – which her workaholic husband fails to notice. A newlywed notices that her husband’s features are beginning to slide

and in which the insidious power of the things we hate becomes the very thing that drive us. Told with deadpan humour, you’ll find yourself stifling an audible giggle at the absurdity of contemporary conflict.

Michael McLoughlin is from Readings Carlton

CherryNico WalkerBloomsbury. HB. $32.99

Cleveland, Ohio, 2003. The unnamed narrator, a college freshman, meets Emily. They marry before he ships out to Iraq as an army medic. When he returns, his PTSD is profound, and the drugs

on the street have changed. They attempt a normal life, but with their money drying up, he turns to the one thing he thinks he could be really good at – robbing banks. Hammered out on a prison typewriter, the semi-autobiographical Cherry marks the arrival of a raw, bleakly hilarious, and surprisingly poignant voice from the dark heart of America.

The Deal of a LifetimeFredrik BackmanMichael Joseph. PB. $19.99

A father has a story he needs to share before it’s too late. As he tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away, he reveals his past regrets and his hopes for

the future. Now, on Christmas Eve, before he can make the deal of a lifetime and change the destiny of the little girl he hardly knows, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal the answer.

Farewell, My OrangeKei IwakiEuropa. PB. $22.99Available 13 November

Far from her native Nigeria and living as a single mother of two, Salimah works the night shift at a supermarket in small-town Australia. She is shy but signs up for an ESL class. There Salimah

meets Sayuri, who has come from Japan with her husband, a research associate at the local college. When Sayuri’s infant daughter dies in daycare and one of Salimah’s boys leaves to live with his father, the two women look to one another for comfort and sustenance.

The CorsetLaura PurcellBloomsbury. PB. $29.99

Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor and awaiting trial for murder. When Dorothea’s charitable work leads her to Oakgate Prison, she is

delighted by the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology. But when she meets teenage seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another theory: Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches. The story Ruth has to tell will shake Dorothea’s belief in rationality, and redemption. Is Ruth trustworthy, mad, or a murderer?

The new book from the bestselling

author of Flesh Wounds.

“I was like Icarus. I flew too close

to the sun.”

The magical conclusion to the award-winning

Stella Montgomery series

BRIDGE OF CLAYMARKUS ZUSAK

The most anticipated novel of the decade from the author of the global phenomenon,

The Book Thief. ‘Zusak is a writer of extraordinary

empathy...a story so vibrant and so real that the reader feels enveloped by it’

The Australian

THE LOST MANJANE HARPER

For readers who loved The Dry, Jane Harper has once again created a powerful story of suspense, set against a dazzling landscape.‘What an extraordinary novel: part family drama, part indelible ode to the Outback’

A.J. Finn

THE PM YEARSKEVIN RUDD

After years of silence, the 26th Prime Minister of Australia is finally on the record about his time in government. This is the memoir of a prime minister full of energy

and ideals, while battling the greatest trials of the modern age.

NINE PERFECT STRANGERSLIANE MORIARTY

From the no.1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies.

‘One of the few writers I’ll drop anything for. Her books are wise, honest, beautifully

observed’ Jojo Moyes

1 0 November 2018R E A D I N G S M O N T H LY FICTION

around his face – to match her own. In these stories, individuals are confronted in their orderly lives, by the bizarre, the grotesque, the fantastic, the alien – and, through it, find a way to liberation. Picnic in the Storm is the English-language debut of one of Japan’s most fearless young writers.

Soul of the BorderMatteo RighettoText. PB. $19.99

Jole is fifteen the first time she accompanies her father, Augusto, as he smuggles tobacco across the Italian border into Austria. Life is hard, and without the extra money Augusto’s smuggling

brings in, the family would starve. When Augusto disappears during one of his trips across the treacherous mountains, Jole must retrace the route he took, seeking a buyer for her family’s tobacco and the truth behind her father’s disappearance. Soul of the Border is an epic story of revenge and salvation.

The Sadness of Beautiful ThingsSimon Van BooyPutnam. PB. $24.99Available 3 December

Taking readers into the innermost lives of everyday people, Simon Van Booy explores the strange ways that grief and happiness can manifest themselves suddenly in the course of our daily lives,

and the profound beauty found in memories. Occasionally, as with a man seeking a cure for middle-age depression or a couple grieving the loss of their daughter, Van Booy’s stories take a turn into the fantastic. The Sadness of Beautiful Things examines how the echoes of personal tragedy can shape us for the better.

Anthologies

Hope ShinesBrotherhood of St LaurenceS&S. PB. $19.99

Australia is a prosperous country, but there are pockets of disadvantage everywhere. The Hope Prize encourages writing that transcends stereotypes of ‘the poor’, and these ten short stories

reflect the tenacity and optimism that people show in the face of poverty and testing times. Judged by three notable Australians – Quentin Bryce, Cate Blanchett and Kate Grenville – who are passionate about defeating disadvantage in our communities, Hope Shines is a moving collection and a celebration of hope and the enduring power of community.

Best Summer StoriesAviva Tuffield (ed.)Black Inc. PB. $29.99

Summer is the time for good stories. This lively new collection draws together new and published short fiction from some of our country’s most talented storytellers. Featuring

new stories from Stephanie Bishop, Elliot Perlman, Aoife Clifford, Michael Mohammed Ahmad and many others, this collection is filled with memorable tales that will stay with you long after reading. Whether you’re by the pool, on the beach or lazing in the park, spend your summer with Australia’s best writers.

Poetry

Collected PoemsLes MurrayBlack Inc. HB. $59.99Available 5 November

Les Murray’s new and updated Collected Poems displays the full range of his poetic art. This magnificent hardback volume contains all the poems he wants to preserve, with the

exception of the verse novel Fredy Neptune, from his first book The Ilex Tree (1965) to Waiting for the Past (2015) and On Bunyah (2016). In tracing Murray’s artistic development, it shows an ever-changing power, grace and humour, as well as great versatility and formal mastery.

A Trillion Tiny AwakeningsCandy RoyalleUWAP. PB. $22.99

Candy Royalle was a spoken word poet par excellence, presenting her words and ideas with dynamism and passion. In her short thirty-seven-year life she made a profound impact on

readers and audiences. A Trillion Tiny Awakenings is uncompromisingly direct in its language and set of interests about the world and the politics that impact every aspect of our lives. This startling collection, published widely too late for Royalle to enjoy, also reveals that her poems carry love, and invoke tenderness and care.

EvolutionEileen MylesGrove. HB. $29.99

Evolution finds Eileen Myles at the forefront of American literature and culture, crafting radically introspective work in the characteristically exuberant style that the New York Times called

‘one of the essential voices in American poetry.’ Following the critically acclaimed Afterglow (a dog memoir), the poet continues their lifelong inquiry into the mystery and miracle of human life, in its mutability and temporality. With incisive humour and heartfelt honesty, these poems reconcile the body’s brevity in light of time’s limitlessness.

The FlameLeonard CohenA&U. HB. $39.99

The Flame is a stunning collection of Leonard Cohen’s last poems and writings, selected and ordered by him in the final months of his life. The book contains an extensive selection from

‘The Children’s

House is a beautiful,

hope-filled novel about

how we carve a place for ourselves in the world.’

Readings Monthly

his notebooks, featuring lyrics, prose pieces and illustrations, which he kept in poetic form throughout his life, and offers an unprecedentedly intimate look inside the life and mind of a singular artist and thinker. The Flame showcases the full range of Leonard Cohen’s lyricism, from the exquisitely transcendent to the darkly funny.

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Fire and BloodGeorge R. R. MartinVoyager. HB. Was $45

$39.99Available 20 November

Set three-hundred years before the events in A Song of Ice and Fire, this is the first volume of the definitive history of the Targaryens in Westeros, and chronicles the conquest that united the

Seven Kingdoms under Targaryen rule through to the Dance of the Dragons: the Targaryen civil war that nearly ended their dynasty forever. This is a masterly work by the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, the basis for HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Red MoonKim Stanley RobinsonOrbit. PB. $32.99

Thirty years from now, American Fred Fredericks is making his first trip to the newly colonised moon to install a communications system for China’s Lunar Science Foundation. But

hours after his arrival he witnesses a murder and is forced into hiding. Celebrity travel reporter Ta Shu also finds the moon a perilous place. Chan Qi is the daughter of the Minister of Finance, but when she attempts to return to China, in secret, the events that unfold will change everything – on the moon, and on Earth.

Plays & Screenwriting

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the Original ScreenplayJ. K. RowlingHachette. HB. $39.99Available 16 November

At the end of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Gellert Grindelwald was captured in New York with the help of Newt Scamander. But Grindelwald escapes and

Albus Dumbledore enlists Newt’s help. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world. This second original screenplay from J.K. Rowling, illustrated with stunning line art from MinaLima, expands on earlier events that helped shape the wizarding world.

1 1R E A D I N G S M O N T H LYNovember 2018CRIME

teacher who specialises in the writer R.M. Holland, whose home is now the school she teaches in. As an expert in his work, it’s her name that comes to the forefront when a colleague of hers is murdered and a line from one of Holland’s stories is left near the body. The interest in Clare is mired in suspicion, and she can only vent to her beloved and trusted journal, until one day she finds someone else’s writing in the pages: ‘Hallo, Clare. You don’t know me.’ But who is writing these words – and who is killing off those around her? Too spooky to be read by candlelight – and, possibly, even by sunlight.

My Sister, the Serial KillerOyinkan BraithwaiteAtlantic. PB. $27.99Available 28 November

There are whispers in the industry about this book: next-big-thing type of whispers. Korede is a nurse, uncompromising, fastidious, and bitter about her sister. Ayoola is

glorious, beautiful beyond compare, charms everyone who meets her, and has killed three men. In self-defense, she says, but Korede is not entirely sure; all she knows is that she has to clean up afterwards, and that it is becoming too common an occurrence with the men Ayoola dates. As Ayoola wafts through life, determined not to take anything seriously – including death – she catches the eye of Tade, the doctor Korede yearns for. Now, Korede fears for both her heart and the life of the man she loves. A Nigerian-set, darkly humorous story of family ties good, bad and dangerous.

Man at the WindowRobert JeffreysEcho. PB. $29.99Available 3 December

Echo Publishing has relaunched with the first book in Robert Jeffreys’ Cardilini series, set in 1960s Western Australia and following the mostly drunk, not-particularly-admired

detective as he is handed an easy case and takes it further than anyone expected – or wanted. In an exclusive boys’ school, a headmaster is shot, and it is deemed an accident. But Cardilini, railing against the upper classes, thinks there is more to it than that, and drags himself off the floor to unearth the school’s darkest, most appalling secrets – ones that many in power are unwilling to hear.

Also out in November & DecemberWe’ll have a new Michael Connelly with Dark Sacred Night (A&U, PB, was $32.99, special price $29.99); Janet Evanovich continues the puns with Look Alive Twenty Five (Headline, PB, $29.99); the twenty-third Jack Reacher arrives with Lee Child’s Past Tense (Bantam, PB, was $32.99, special price $27.99); along with Sujata Massey’s The Widows of Malabar Hill (Random House, PB, $29.99); Anthony Horowitz’s The Sentence is Death (Random House, PB, was $32.99, special price $29.99); Soren Sveistrup’s The Chestnut Man (Penguin, PB, $32.99); John Sandford’s Holy Ghost (S&S, PB, $32.99); Matthew Condon’s The Night Dragon (UQP, PB, $32.95); Hakan Nesser’s Root of Evil (Mantle, PB, $29.99); Joanna Baker’s Slipping Place (Ventura, PB, $29.99) … and more!

Dead Write

with Fiona Hardy

Kingdom of the BlindLouise PennyHachette. PB. $32.99

Louise Penny’s bestselling Chief Inspector Gamache mysteries are popular for a reason: they are set in a snow-blown small town in Quebec, populated by interesting characters and

curious happenings, along with bloodshed. In the aftermath of a recent case that saw less success and more carnage – along with missing drugs – Gamache and his colleagues wait with dwindling hope for his name to be cleared. In the meantime, Gamache has been named an executor for the estate of a woman he never knew, along with two others who have no recollection of her either. They accept out of curiosity, but soon it becomes clear that this is no quirky side-project, but something much, much more deadly.

The Wych Elm Tana FrenchPenguin. PB. Was $32.99

$29.99Readings’ beloved Tana French is back and has set aside her Dublin Murder Squad series to release this standalone tale of a golden boy whose life throws him lemons for the first time.

Carefree Toby has cruised through life with his supportive family, good job, loving girlfriend and raucous friends, and has little sympathy for those who aren’t successful. But when a burglary goes violently wrong, Toby leaves for The Ivy House, his family home, to recuperate, and

Killing Eve: No TomorrowLuke Jennings Hachette. PB. $29.99

Killing Eve, the TV show based on Luke Jennings’ blisteringly fun Villanelle series, has sent many Readings staff into a frenzy of binge-watching, and the books themselves are the

same: rocket-fuelled cat-and-mouse thrillers that you’ll stop everything else in your life to read. In this second book, assassin Villanelle remains on the tail of Eve Polastri, who is just as determined to uncover who Villanelle truly is – and who in MI5’s highest echelons is not to be trusted. Across Europe and deep into the past, Jennings’ newest tale is an adventure worth hunting down.

The Spite GameAnna Snoekstra HarperCollins. PB. $29.99

As we head towards the end of the year and, for some, the end of high school, it’s about time for a tale of how those school years can skew how you think – until it wrecks your life entirely.

Ava is an adult who has not forgotten the pain of her youth, nor the three women who put her through that pain: Saanvi, Cass, and Mel. All this time later, as they lead their new lives unaware of Ava’s simmering rage, revenge is now on its way. As Ava mercilessly ruins the lives of those who ruined hers, she realises that one of the women may be not quite as unaware as she thought. A suspenseful, Melbourne-based story of good gone very, very bad.

help out his dying uncle. His childhood memories happily sustain him until the discovery of a human skull in the trunk of an elm tree in the garden – and suddenly the past doesn’t seem quite so rosy.

Heaven SentAlan CarterFremantle Press. PB. $29.99

If you like your punchy police procedurals set west of the usual Australian crime, then Alan Carter is your man. Cato Kwong is in a place not often inhabited by detectives – that is,

happiness – and leaves his lovely wife and new child each morning feeling good before being confronted by the newest horror on the beat: a serial killer who leaves a literal calling card on the victims. The aftermath of the most recent death is witnessed by a local journo desperate to prove his worth via unorthodox investigation methods, but he’s not the only person affected personally by the murders. These deaths start to get under Cato’s skin, and his perfect life comes under threat in more ways than one in this wry, rollicking thriller.

The Feral DetectiveJonathon LethemAtlantic. PB. $29.99

In the lead up to American political leadership taking an unexpected turn for the orange, Phoebe Siegler travels from New York to the Californian desert to find Arabella, the missing

daughter of one of her friends. In order to navigate the chaos of both missing persons and the Inland Empire, Phoebe gets help from Charles Heist, a shambles of a man who is nevertheless very good at finding those who are missing – or who may not want to be found. With locations as bright as the sun and characters with personality to spare, this sparky tale will knock you off-balance and work your brain in the very best kind of way.

Kill ShotGarry Disher Text. PB. $29.99Available 3 December

Garry Disher is winding up 2018 with both a fiery new bestseller and the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award for all the literary gifts he’s given grateful readers over the years. In

Kill Shot, the legendary Wyatt is pottering around Sydney, getting into minor criminal escapades. Nothing too bad, really, until word gets around that there’s something not so minor in the works. Some corporate type is about to avoid bail by running away with a ton of cash, and Wyatt wouldn’t mind some of it for himself. But when it turns out he’s not the only one who heard about this, it might be more than money he’s fighting for.

The Stranger DiariesElly GriffithsHachette. PB. $29.99

Elly Griffiths, typically known for her Dr Ruth Galloway mysteries, this month delivers a gothic thriller with a literary bent – and a whole lot of murder. Clare Cassidy is a

Jane Harper won so many awards for her debut novel, The Dry, that I could use my entire word count just listing them. But if I did that, I wouldn’t have the chance to tell you to go and read this, her standalone third book, and another powerful read that cements her as one of Australia’s premier authors.

The Lost Man will coat everything you know in a thin layer of red dust as you sit, immobilised by the story of Cameron Bright, the man found dead and burned from the heat beside a lone grave in the middle of the desert, nine kilometres from his well-stocked, air-conditioned – and perfectly working – four-wheel-drive.

This is raw, unadulterated rural crime; all that nothing becomes an intense something in Harper’s hands.

In a place like Balamara, neighbours live hundreds of kilometres apart, roads lie empty for days and the isolation can make people do crazy things to escape the world, but Cam – who had plans to meet his younger brother that day, and wasn’t that type of person – would surely have chosen a less brutal way out. At least, that’s what Cameron’s older

brother, Nathan, thinks, not that he’s seen much of Cam lately himself. Or anyone else for that matter, since the entire community hates him, and his immediate family lives three hours away. But now, with his teenage son visiting him for the Christmas holidays, and his brother’s funeral looming, Nathan can’t shake all the unanswered questions out there in the vast expanse of Queensland outback.

This is raw, unadulterated rural crime; all that nothing becomes an intense something in Harper’s hands. Events unfold in a simmering slow burn that is impossible to tear your eyes from, and Harper hones her focus on a small fistful of characters that populate an area the size of entire European countries, making everything small and enormous at once. Christmas is coming – and you should buy this for everyone you know.

BOOK OF THE MONTHCrime

The Lost Man Jane Harper Macmillan. PB. Was $32.99

$27.99

1 2 November 2018R E A D I N G S M O N T H LY NONFICTION

New Nonfiction

career, and his doomed attempts to recast views of his much-maligned time as Australia’s prime minister. Tiberius with a Telephone gathers deep archival research and extensive interviews with McMahon’s contemporaries and colleagues, and is an authoritative and colourful account of a unique politician and a vital period in Australia’s history.

Biography

Kerry O’Brien: A MemoirKerry O’BrienA&U. HB. Was $44.99


Veteran journalist Kerry O’Brien’s life has spanned the post-war era through the maelstrom of the nuclear and digital age – a remarkable time of change that has no match in human

history. He has witnessed life changing events, and explained the intricacies of the world to millions of Australians as we sat in the comfort of our lounge rooms. In this intimate, ground-breaking account, O’Brien reflects on the big events, the lessons learned and lessons ignored, along with the foibles and strengths of public figures who construct our world.

Australian Studies

Australia – What Happened?Ben PobjieAffirm. PB. $29.99

When our politicians are busy playing musical chairs, our cricketers acting suspiciously with sandpaper, and a murderous starfish with twenty-one arms roams around the

Great Barrier Reef we, as a nation, must ask a tough question: how did it come to this? In Australia – What Happened? Ben Pobjie turns an incredulous eye on the history of Australia to bust open the national mythology, reveal the truth about what it means to be an Australian and work out what happened to all our best-laid plans.

Tiberius with a TelephonePatrick MullinsScribe. HB. Was $59.99


William McMahon was a significant, if widely derided and disliked, figure in Australian politics in the second half of the twentieth century. This biography tells the story of his life, his

In February 2009, the state of Victoria experienced extreme weather events that provided the perfect conditions for the bushfire catastrophe that has come to be known as Black Saturday. One hundred and seventy three people died; hundreds more were injured; countless individuals bear psychological wounds. The scale and enormity of the devastation to the natural world is hard to comprehend. More difficult to understand still is that some of the fires were deliberately lit. In 2012, Brendan Sokaluk was convicted of the crime of arson, and is currently serving a sentence of seventeen years and nine months for lighting the fire that burned around the area of Churchill in Gippsland and killed eleven people. What person could possibly want to cause such shocking damage to the environment and its inhabitants? Enter Chloe Hooper, who excavates ‘the mind on fire’, the mind of this arsonist.

I don’t mind admitting that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to read this book; I have a not unusual fear of bushfires that comes from living through Ash Wednesday as a child growing up in the Dandenongs. Even now, every single time I hear a siren, I am back in that time and feel anxious. But I could not put this amazing book down.

Hooper begins with a beautifully poetic, mournful account of the ruin wreaked by the fire – she writes the landscape so very well – before focusing on the police and the investigation that eventually results in the arrest of Sokaluk. We learn about a vulnerable man and his outsider

life growing up with what is found to be undiagnosed autism. We follow the work of the team from Legal Aid tasked with defending him. We enter the courtroom; we hear the evidence. All the while, though we know the facts and the outcome of the case, it is still hard to grasp what exactly took place on that day. Things burned and people died, that much is certain. But the arsonist – as criminal archetype and as unique individual – remains somehow unknowable, begging the question, what could ‘justice’ in and for this situation possibly look like?

It’s a tough book to read in parts. I think I cried solidly for thirty pages near the beginning as Hooper describes some of the heartbreaking events with stunning, lyrical clarity. But the care she has taken with this story and its people is also care for the reader, who she accompanies on this journey like a close friend. The Arsonist is not just our book of the month; it’s one of the books of the year. Absolutely not to be missed.

Alison Huber is the head book buyer for Readings

BOOK OF THE MONTHAustralian Studiess

The Arsonist: A Mind on FireChloe HooperPenguin. HB. Was $39.99

$29.99

BecomingMichelle ObamaViking. HB. Was $49.99


In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America –

the first African-American to serve in that role – she established herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has defied expectations, and whose story inspires us to do the same.

You Are Always With Me: Letters to MamaFrida KahloHachette. HB. $45

Frida Kahlo is regarded as one of Mexico’s greatest painters. But beyond the familiar images there is a private story about a daughter who confided in her

beloved mama, Matilde Calderon Kahlo. Until now, Frida’s handwritten letters to her mother have only been available to scholars. Funny, observant and honest, they chart Kahlo’s relationship with her mother, and reveal the marvellous, critical painter’s eye in her description of people and places from Mexico, San Francisco and New York.

Germaine: The Life of Germaine GreerElizabeth KleinhenzKnopf Australia. HB. Was $39.99

$34.99As one of the first researchers permitted to trawl through the Germaine Greer Archive housed at the University of Melbourne, Elizabeth Kleinhenz found evidence

of a brilliant teacher, serious scholar, wag and ratbag, mentor and icon. For Elizabeth, two things are certain: women’s lives today are very different from how they were when Germaine Greer and she left school; and much of the change that has occurred over the past half-century can be directly attributed to the lifetime of scholarship, hard work and influence of Germaine Greer.

Heavy: An American MemoirKiese LaymonBloomsbury. PB. $29.99Available 1 December

Kiese Laymon grew up a hard-headed black son to a complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson, Mississippi. From his early experiences of sexual violence, to his suspension

from college, to his career as a young college professor, Laymon charts his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, abuse, anorexia, obesity, sex, writing and ultimately gambling. A defiant yet vulnerable memoir that Laymon started writing when he was eleven, Heavy is an insightful exploration of weight, identity, art, friendship and family.

King of the Air: The Turbulent Life of Charles Kingsford SmithAnn BlaineyBlack Inc. HB. $49.99Available 3 December

Charles Kingsford Smith was the most commanding flyer of the golden age of aviation. He broke records with his daring voyages: the first trans-Pacific flight from America to Australia,

the first flight across the Tasman, the first non-stop crossing of the Australian mainland. In November 1935, Kingford Smith’s plane crashed and he was lost at sea. This brilliant work from one of Australia’s foremost biographers reveals the complicated, tumultuous life of a fascinating figure, who pursued his obsession to the greatest heights.

Let Her FlyZiauddin YousafzaiW.H. Allen. PB. $27.99Available 19 November

For over twenty years, Ziauddin Yousafzai has been fighting for equality. Taught as a boy in Pakistan to believe that he was inherently better than his sisters, Ziauddin rebelled

against inequality from a young age. When he had a daughter, he vowed that Malala would have an education, something usually only given to boys, and he founded a school that she could attend. Personal in its detail and universal in its themes, this landmark book shows why we must all keep fighting for the rights of girls.

Unfettered and AliveAnne SummersA&U. HB. Was $39.99

$34.99This is the compelling story of Anne Summers’ extraordinary life. She has travelled around the world moving from job to job, advised prime ministers, led feminist debates, and

much more. Whatever position she has held, she has expanded what’s possible and helped us to see things differently – often at high personal cost. Unfettered and Alive is a provocative and inspiring memoir from someone who broke through many boundaries to show what women can do.

Welcome Home: A Memoir with Selected Photographs and LettersLucia BerlinPicador. HB. $34.99

Before Lucia Berlin died, she was working on a book of autobiographical sketches with the working title ‘Welcome Home’. The work consisted of more than twenty chapters that started

in 1936 in Alaska and ended (prematurely) in 1966 in southern Mexico. In this publication of Welcome Home, her son, Jeff Berlin, fills in the gaps with photos and letters from her eventful, romantic, and tragic life. From Alaska to Argentina, Kentucky to Mexico, New York City to Chile, Berlin’s world was wide. And the writing here is, as we’ve come to expect, dazzling.

1 3R E A D I N G S M O N T H LYNovember 2018NONFICTION

Discover a new favourite

Heroes Stephen Fry

The dazzling companion volume to the bestselling

Mythos. There are heroes - and then there are

Greek heroes.

Super Natural Tobie Puttock

A beautiful collection of 100 simple, flavour-filled

dishes that vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians will love.

Germaine Elizabeth Kleinhenz

As a student in Melbourne, Elizabeth Kleinhenz heard frequent talk of this almost mythical figure,

Germaine Greer. Arguably the most significant and influential Australian woman of her time.

New Jerusalem Paul Ham

Award-winning historian Paul Ham tells the story

of religious obsession and persecution, of noble ideals trampled to dust, of slavish

sexual surrender … all in the name of Christ.

“...she will ultimately be recognised as one of the most influential and significant

women in the Australian diaspora.”GERMAINE BY ELIZABETH KLEINHENZ

Read more at penguin.com.au

w w w . n e w s o u t h p u b l i s h i n g . c o m

Y es Yes Yes, written by two advocates intimately involved in the struggle for

marriage equality, reveals the untold story of how a grassroots movement won hearts and minds and transformed a country. From its tentative origins in 2004, through to a groundswell of public support, everyday people contributed so much to see marriage equality become law. The book captures the passion that propelled the movement forward, weaving together stories of heartbreak, hope and triumph. It is based on personal memories and more than forty interviews with key figures and everyday advocates from across Australia.

Business

Work Like a WomanMary PortasBantam Press. PB. $35

Women today are working in a man’s culture, and it’s holding us back. In Work Like a Woman, Mary Portas examines the world of employment, how it works against women and what

needs to change. This book is a manifesto for all: from young women entering the workforce and older women trying to integrate professional and family ambitions, to executives running businesses and creating best practices, and the businesses that employ them. Honest, accessible and entertaining, it is a bold and inspiring vision of the future world of work.

How to Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant SpeakingViv GroskopRandom House. HB. $29.99

Most books about public speaking don’t tell you what to do when you open your mouth and nothing comes out, or what to do in the moments when you are made to feel small. They

don’t tell you how to own the room. This book does. From the way Michelle Obama projects ‘happy high status’, and the power of J.K. Rowling’s understated speaking style, what is it that our heroines do to make us sit up and listen, and how can we achieve that ourselves?

Cultural Studies

Close to Home: Selected WritingsAlice PungBlack Inc. PB. $32.99

Alice Pung arrived on the Australian literary

scene with the 2006 publication of her memoir, Unpolished Gem. She has since gone on to write a second memoir, a series of

children’s books, a young adult novel, various essays and short fiction, as well as edit two anthologies, earning herself a reputation as a revitalising force in local literature. Close to Home brings together a collection of her short non-fiction writing over the years and it is a book that will delight fans as much as newcomers.

The essays collected here are divided into loosely themed sections and while many centre on ideas of home and homecoming, they cover a diverse range of themes – from the expansive (migration, class, racism, and the power of literature), to the specific (doll museums, birthing classes, and what people actually buy at Kmart at 3am). In some pieces, she delves into the hidden corners of Australian society, and in others she unpacks her family heritage and past, or shares anecdotes and reflections from her travels.

What remains unchanged through this sprawling collection of ideas is Pung’s distinctive voice – her humour, candour, generosity and attentiveness shine through, making it impossible to think of Pung in any kind of box but her own. In

the essay where she explains how and why she had to take risks in writing about her father for her second memoir, Her Father’s Daughter, she speaks openly of the pitfalls of telling migrant stories: ‘If I placed the more shocking ‘killing fields’ chapters of the book first, the book would inevitably and simply follow the migrant trajectory of “success”, but my father would always be seen as an eternal “refugee” because our current mainstream discourse about “those who’ve come across the seas” is polarising and unsophisticated.’

Funny, tender and wholly charming, Close to Home is certain to inspire thought and compassion.

Bronte Coates is the digital content coordinator and the Readings Prizes manager

HeartlandSarah SmarshScribe. PB. Was $32.99

$29.99 The product of multiple generations of

teenage mothers, Sarah Smarsh was just a child and living below the poverty line in rural Kansas when she first heard a voice from

within. This voice grew into a disembodied internal power that was to help her to live a different life from the rest of the women in her family. When she became a teenager herself, she recognised the voice as that of her unborn child. Without reliable adult guidance and a stable home, she had cause to wonder what advice she would give to a daughter of her own. Smarsh credits this internal relationship she developed as her way out of poverty and this book is her attempt to honour this voice by articulating what she wished someone had told her, ‘what it means to be a poor child in a rich country founded on the promise of equality’.

Throughout the book Smarsh directly addresses her unborn child and while this unique framing device might have seemed contrived were it handled by a lesser writer, Smarsh’s prose is extraordinarily beautiful, evocative and unsentimental, and framing the book in this way reveals unique insights into gender, the body and poverty. Like Matthew Desmond’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning book Evicted, which examines the connections between housing instability, profit and poverty, Smarsh also sees the transience her family experienced as a product of their class and an unequal economic system. Her mother moved around so much that she attended five schools in five towns in one year. Smarsh herself had attended eight different schools by ninth grade. Unlike J.D Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, another memoir about white working-class upbringing, Smarsh does not just see the American Dream as being in crisis, but also as founded on false premises. In this way, Heartland is able to offer a more nuanced analysis of gender, race, and class within the power structures of American politics and culture.

Kara Nicholson is from Readings online

Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know: The Fathers of Wilde, Yeats and JoyceColm TóibínPicador. PB. $29.99

In his 2013 book New Ways to Kill Your

Mother: Writers and Their Families, Colm Tóibín exposed a roster of famous writers behaving badly. With Mad, Bad, Dangerous


and triumph. Based on personal memories and more than forty interviews with advocates from across Australia, it covers the movement’s origins in 2004 through to the unsuccessful High Court challenge, a public vote in 2017 and the Parliamentary aftermath. It reminds us that social change is possible and that love is love.

InsomniaMarina BenjaminScribe. HB. $27.99 Available 1 November

With her new memoir Insomnia, Marina Benjamin has produced an unsettling account of a liminal condition that treats our inability to sleep not as a disorder, but as an existential experience that

can electrify our understanding of ourselves, and of creativity and love. At once philosophical and poetical, the book ranges widely over history and culture, literature and art. Benjamin aims to light up the workings of our inner minds, delivering a startlingly fresh look at what it means to be wakeful in the dark.

The PatchJohn McPheeText. PB. $29.99Available 19 November

John McPhee’s The Patch is just that: patches of work across a writer’s lifetime that come together to form a quilt of essays, reflections and reminiscences. Ranging across a variety of

genres and styles, subjects and moods, his patches are collected from writings that have not previously appeared in any book. Fit to be consumed all at once, or savoured piecemeal, The Patch gives a full taste of his impeccable power over language.

What We Talk About When We Talk About RapeSohaila AbdulaliVintage. PB. $19.99

Sohaila Abdulali was gang-raped as a teenager in Mumbai. Drawing on her own experience, her work with hundreds of survivors as the head of a rape crisis centre in Boston, and her

research in India and elsewhere, Abdulali wants to change the conversation around rape culture. Drawing on the fact that she is both victim and survivor, Abdulali doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but she passionately believes that we must talk about rape and we must talk about how we talk about rape.

The White DarknessDavid GrannS&S. HB. $29.99

Henry Worsley was a devoted husband and father and a decorated British special forces officer who believed in honour and sacrifice. In November 2015, aged

fifty-five, Worsley bid farewell to his family and embarked on his most perilous quest: to walk across Antarctica alone. Here, David Grann tells Worsley’s remarkable story with intensity and power. Illustrated with more than fifty stunning photographs from Worsley’s journey, The White Darkness is a story of courage, love and a man pushing himself to the extremes of human capacity.

History

The Nameless NamesScott BennettScribe. HB. $49.99

Few Australians realise that of the 62,000 Anzac soldiers who died in World War I, over one-third are still listed as ‘missing’. The Nameless Names lays bare the emotional toll inflicted

upon families, describing those caught between clinging to hope and letting go, those who felt compelled to journey to distant battlefields for answers, and those who shunned conventional religion and resorted to spiritualism for solace. This moving book delicately reveals the human faces and the devastating stories behind the names listed on the stone memorials.

The New Silk RoadsPeter FrankopanBloomsbury. PB. $27.99Available 1 December

When The Silk Roads was published in 2015, it became an instant classic. A major reassessment of world history, it compelled us to look at the past from a different perspective. The

New Silk Roads brings this story up to date, addressing a world that is changing dramatically. It provides a timely reminder that we live in a world that is interconnected. This important – and ultimately hopeful – book asks us to re-read who we are, illuminating the themes on which all our lives and livelihood depend.

Seashaken Houses: A Lighthouse History from Eddystone to FastnetTom NancollasParticular Books. HB. $39.99

Lighthouses are striking totems of our relationship to the sea. Today we still depend upon their guiding lights for the safe passage of ships. Nowhere is this truer than in the rock lighthouses

of Great Britain and Ireland, constructed on desolate rock formations, and made of granite to withstand the power of the ocean’s waves. Seashaken Houses is a lyrical exploration of these singular towers, the people who built and inhabited their circular rooms, and the ways in which we value emblems of our history in a changing world.

These Truths: A History of the United StatesJill LeporeW.W. Norton. HB. $56.95

The American experiment rests on three ideas: political equality, natural rights and the sovereignty of the people. Telling the story of America, beginning in 1492, These Truths asks

whether the course of events has proven the nation’s founding truths or belied them. Finding meaning in contradiction, Lepore weaves American history into a tapestry of faith and hope, of peril and prosperity, of technological progress and moral anguish. This spellbinding chronicle offers an authoritative new history of a great, and greatly troubled, nation.

to Know: The Fathers of Wilde, Yeats and Joyce, he continues this project of drilling down into the intimate and domestic lives of his writer subjects. Thanks to his forensic interest, we readers get to enjoy some gossipy material, but Tóibín is also intent on using his research to bring more meaning to the already well-known lives and works of Wilde, Yeats and Joyce. For example, we learn that W.B. Yeats’ sisters, Lily and Lolly (yep) never really got along, and we also find out that they are the real-life models for ‘the weird sisters’ referred to by Buck Mulligan in James Joyce’s Ulysses.

Tóibín gives the reader a strong sense of the way that his own life is entwined with the physical and literary architecture of Dublin. A city walk becomes thick with memory and association, zipping in a heartbeat from his recall of chats with old mates to a Samuel Beckett anecdote. Similarly, the Wilde, Yeats and Joyce families cross-reference each other throughout this book, which is itself another literary brick in a Dublin built of words. Scandal and dissolution haunt the fathers of Wilde and Yeats, good salacious stuff, but when Tóibín gets to James Joyce and his dad, the book really flies. James’s brother Stanislaus referred to their father as ‘a crazy drunkard’, and this appears to be a clear-sighted judgement of the man. But Tóibín argues that, via his works, James Joyce performed a loving act of transubstantiation for the image of their father. And with this observation, Tóibín creates a potent coda for a book which investigates the mutual transformations of life and art.

Bernard Caleo is a member of the Readings events team

Through the Night: Dispatches from UranusEd Moreno & Caio Fernando AbreuPB. $24.95

In 1990 Ed Moreno was given a death

sentence: at just 25 years of age he tested HIV positive and doctors gave him five years to live, at best. Almost thirty years later, with the help of

antiretroviral treatment, Moreno is no longer infectious and, thankfully, is still very much alive despite the virus.

As a person living with HIV, Moreno explores through his writing what it is to ‘live a life controlled by a microscopic organism ... able to reproduce itself inside the body. An alien.’

Prolific Brazilian journalist and author Caio Fernando Abreu died of AIDS-related complications in 1996. He was one of the most important voices of the AIDS epidemic and one of the first writers to mention AIDS in a major work of fiction (Pela Noite/Through the Night) in 1982. His body of work is largely inaccessible to English-language readers, as so little of it has been translated to English. Moreno has made it his task to bring Abreu’s words to a broader readership through his translations.

The text here is an expanded version of a performance Moreno has been sharing with audiences (most recently performed at this year’s Melbourne Writers Festival) and offers a potent mix of Abreu’s original Portuguese writings, Moreno’s English translations, cultural commentary, memoir, letter, lament and chronos.

This book is ‘a conversation across time and space’ between Moreno and Abreu, with the virus an all pervasive (and invasive) thread through both authors’

lives and works. Moreno queries whether it is even him or the virus writing the words. The style is intimate and highly personal, moving and sometimes confronting. It delights in the poetic rhythms of language while exposing the darker realities of what it is to live with HIV.

‘The virus makes the decisions in this union. I’m just along for the ride.’

This is an important read and a stunning introduction to some powerful writing – both Abreu’s and Moreno’s.

Deborah Crabtree is from Readings Carlton

The End of the End of the EarthJonathan FranzenFourth Estate. PB. $32.99Available 16 November

In The End of the End of the Earth, Jonathan Franzen returns with renewed vigour to the themes that have long preoccupied him. Whether exploring his complex relationship with his uncle,

recounting his young adulthood in New York, or offering an illuminating look at the global seabird crisis, these pieces contain all the wit and realism that we've come to expect from Franzen. These essays trace the progress of a unique mind wrestling with itself, with literature and with some of the most important issues of our day.

Fed UpGemma HartleyHachette. PB. $29.99 Available 13 November

Gemma Hartley wrote an article in Harper’s Bazaar in September 2017 called ‘Women Aren't Nags – We’re Just Fed Up’, which instantly went viral. The piece, and this book, address

‘emotional labour’: the unpaid, often unnoticed work, done by women, that goes into keeping everyone comfortable and happy. Dubbed as the next feminist frontier, emotional labour couldn’t be more relevant to these times we’re living in. Fed Up is a must-read for those who want to harness the power of emotional labour and create a more connected, equal world.

Going Postal: More than Yes or NoQuinn EadesBrow Books. PB. $32.99

In 2017 the queer and gender-diverse community of Australia undertook an incredible campaign of everyday activism around marriage equality. Many were shocked at the vitriol

that rose up. By the end, everyone was truly exhausted. This edited collection guides the reader through the highs and lows of the marriage equality postal vote. Combining serious scholarship, humour, manifestos, and simple tales from childhood, readers are flung into the emotional melting pot that constitutes a definitive turning point in Australian queer histories.

Yes Yes YesShirleene Robinson & Alex GreenwichNewSouth. PB. $29.99

Everyday people contributed so much to see marriage equality become law. This book captures the passion that propelled the movement, weaving together stories of heartbreak, hope

1 5R E A D I N G S M O N T H LYNovember 2018NONFICTION

WallsDavid FryeFaber. HB. $39.99

At the dawn of humanity's ascent, there was only bloody conflict. But then came the invention of the wall, dividing populations into two opposing groups. On one side were those who gained

enough of a respite from the clash of arms to think, create, preserve, trade. On the other were the unwalled, warriors driven by the search for plunder. With provocative insight, Walls charts the centuries-long uneasy tension between the walled and unwalled, showing how walls shape the human psyche.

Music

Beastie Boys BookMichael Diamond & Adam HorovitzFaber. HB. Was $49.99

$44.99Formed in New York City as a hardcore band in 1981, Beastie Boys struck an unlikely path to global hip-hop superstardom. Here is that story, told for the first time in the words of the band. This

book includes wide-ranging contributions from famous writers and cultural figures like Colson Whitehead, Spike Jonze, Amy Poehler, and Wes Anderson. Running throughout are a plethora of colour photos and illustrations, as well as a graphic novel, a cookbook, mixtape playlists, a fake snobby music magazine, and much more.

Mythology

HeroesStephen FryMichael Joseph. PB. Was $35

$29.99There are heroes, and then there are Greek heroes. Few mere mortals have ever embarked on such bold and heartstirring adventures, overcome monstrous perils, or outwitted vengeful gods,

quite as stylishly as Greek heroes. Join Jason aboard the Argo as he quests for the Golden Fleece, witness Oedipus solve the riddle of the Sphinx, and discover how Bellerophon captures the winged horse Pegasus to help him slay the monster Chimera. Heroes is the story of what we mortals are capable of at our worst and our very best.

Politics

My Country: Stories, Essays and SpeechesDavid MarrBlack Inc. HB. Was $39.99

$34.99David Marr is one of Australia’s most unflinching, forensic reporters of political controversy. In Marr’s hands, those things we call reportage and commentary

are elevated to the most artful and illuminating chronicles of our time. My Country anthologises Marr’s powerful reflections on religion, sex, censorship and

the law; striking accounts of leaders, moralists and scandalmongers; elegant ruminations on the arts and the lives of artists. And there are some memorable new pieces, including the remarkable story of David Marr’s wedding day.

Capitalism in America: A HistoryAlan Greenspan & Adrian WooldridgeAllen Lane. HB. $55

Where does innovation come from, and how does it spread through a society? In Capitalism in America, Alan Greenspan unfolds a tale spanning vast landscapes, titanic figures and

triumphant breakthroughs, as well as profound moral failings. This book argues that America's genius has been its ceaseless churn of the old giving way to the new. At a time when productivity growth has again stalled, stirring up the populist furies, and the continuation of American pre-eminence seems increasingly uncertain, Capitalism in America makes for urgent reading.

Science

The Dinosaur ArtistPaige WilliamsScribe. PB. $32.99

Adapted and greatly expanded from her

2013 New Yorker article ‘Bones of Contention’, Paige Williams delves again, more deeply, into the heady and complex world of

‘commercial palaeontology’ and its implications regarding national cultural heritage. The crux of this book (at its literal, paginated heart) is the case that resulted in dinosaur enthusiast Eric Prokopi’s conviction for illegally smuggling a (whole) skeleton of the Tarbosaurus bataar (the Asian variant of T-Rex) into the United States from Mongolia, via the UK, having falsified the customs declaration. Mongolia’s constitution, as it happens, stipulates that dinosaur and other fossil finds are culturally significant and national property. Thus T. bataar was seized and repatriated. But before we even get to this juicy bit, Williams unpacks the international socio-historical context and legislative frameworks (or lack thereof) that underpin the collection and distribution of palaeontological material.

Throughout the first half she introduces readers to key events and historical figures such as Mary Anning, Marsh and Cope, and Roy Chapman Andrews (long touted as the inspiration for the character of Indiana Jones), as well as the contemporary shady and legitimate collector-dealers who, even with all good intentions to promote the study of our planet’s former inhabitants, ignore cultural heritage frameworks in their quest for big dollars. Admittedly, the USA was perhaps a bit late to the party here: only in 2009 did their government introduce legislation to control this, by mandating permits and issuing them to scientists and museum affiliates. While the content of this book is fascinating, the structure is layered (think geological strata) and perhaps suffers from being too detailed and rambling. Not for the faint-hearted, it is nevertheless an ambitious and worthy addition to the natural history and science-writing canon, and also to national cultural heritage literature.

Julia Jackson is from Readings Carlton

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Detective Sergeant Philip ‘Cato’ Kwong is light on sleep but high on happiness with his new wife and their baby girl. But contentment is not compatible with life in the Job, and soon a series of murders of homeless people gets in the way of Cato’s newfound bliss. This is the fourth book in the Cato Kwong series from Alan Carter, the winner of the 2018 Ngaio Marsh Award.

In 1906, Kathleen O’Connor left Australia for thrilling, bohemian Paris. More than a century later, novelist Amanda Curtin faces her own questions, of life and of art, as she embarks on a journey in Kate’s footsteps. ‘Though O’Connor will always be part mystery, one thing is certain – through Curtin’s research we will now know much more about O’Connor and her work.’ The Artist’s Chronicle

In this spectacular volume, acclaimed landscape photographer Richard Woldendorp, AM, explores Australian trees of all shapes and sizes. From abstract close-ups to aerials, Woldendorp’s images reveal their beauty and wonder. ‘A potent reminder that we need trees – and that they need us.’ Piers Verstegen, Australian Conservation Foundation

HEAVEN SENTALAN CARTER

Gift Ideas-Readings AD-ol_FA.indd 1 9/10/18 5:30 pm


Special Guest: Recipes for the Happily Imperfect Host Annabel Crabb & Wendy Sharpe Murdoch. HB. $39.99

If, as I do, you love a good, solid cookbook with a sense of humour and exuberance, then Special Guest is the pick of this month’s cookbook bunch. Annabel Crabb and

Wendy Sharpe share recipes perfect for the home cook who is juggling an enormous range of activities but still wants to share a home-cooked meal that caters to all needs. Each dish comes from the heart and is practical and delicious!

The Nordic Baking BookMagnus NilssonPhaidon. HB. $59.99

World-acclaimed chef Magnus Nilsson explores the rich baking tradition of the Nordic region with 450 tempting recipes for home bakers. Nordic culture is renowned for its love of baking and

baked goods; after all the oven is another much-needed heat source! This book takes you on a journey across Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. It’s suitable for all those who have cold hands and a warm heart, and of course for those who love to bake.

Jamie’s Friday Night FeastJamie Oliver Penguin. PB. Was $39.99

$34.99 Did you know that Jamie Oliver has sold more than 40 million books and is the UK’s bestselling nonfiction author? This type of success is only possible because his recipes, his

attitude and his philanthropic actions are all incredibly good. His latest book contains the greatest dishes from his TV series Jamie & Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast. It’s the type of food that you may prepare for your kids eighteenth birthday, for a games night with friends, or, simply, for a night in with your nearest and dearest. Every recipe is suitable for cooks at any level, and, without a doubt, this collection is another winner.

Cellar BarGuy GrossiLantern. HB. $49.99

Guy Grossi says that the aim of food is not to just leave you feeling full, but it’s also to have you feeling fulfilled. The Cellar Bar, a Melbourne institution

since the 1950s, has always been synonymous with Italian dining. In his latest cookbook, Grossi shares eighty of his favourites dishes that have made the

Food & Gardeningwith Chris Gordon

Cellar Bar a place to be fulfilled with glorious, simple Italian food. And the best part? He starts the book with desserts! Each dish is beautifully photographed and the recipes are so easy that anyone could use them, whatever their level of comfort with cooking.

Fervor: A Journey Through Australian Native FoodPaul Iskov, Robert Wood & Chris GurneyMargaret River Press. HB. $39.99

Paul Iskov came up with a truly inspired idea. He harnesses locally sourced native produce, cooks it and shares it with diners at unique locations across WA, including salt lakes and

pristine beaches. Here is a more tangible product of his concept. With a focus on local and indigenous ingredients, he has recorded the finest recipes from his roving dining experience with stories by Robert Wood and photographs by Chris Gurney. The combination is stunning.

Suqar: Desserts and Sweets from the Modern Middle EastGreg Malouf & Lucy MaloufHardie Grant. HB. $55

This is the sweetest of the cookbooks this season. Greg and Lucy Malouf have finally dedicated an entire cookbook to 100 wonderful dessert treats inspired by

Middle Eastern flavours. The collection ranges from puddings and pastries to ice creams, cakes, confectionary, fruity desserts and drinks. These dishes are not difficult to prepare and have been created with Australian kitchens in mind, but retain the integrity of the original recipe.

Fruit: Recipes that Celebrate NatureBernadette WorndlSmith Street. HB. $55

Taking a harvest view of fruit, this book packs a punch by illustrating how wonderfully versatile fruit can be in cooking. Bernadette Wordl shows us how to use peach, pear and

plum in both sweet and savoury dishes, and how to ensure quinces, apples and dried fruit give a lift to the simplest of dishes. Think beyond the normal pairing of chicken and lemon, or pork and apple, to a whole new rainbow of flavours.

SuperNatural: 100 Easy Plant-Based RecipesTobie PuttockLantern. PB. $39.99

Don’t think of this as a vegan cookbook, but rather as a book that will give you 100 fresh and completely delicious recipes for all the meals and for all the

occasions in your life. There is no lecture on being a part of the wellness revolution or about saving the planet one vegan meal at a time – instead, you will be doing all this, freshly and deliciously, and you won’t even notice.

Experience the elemental flavours of the world with Food Safari.

dk.com.au

1 7R E A D I N G S M O N T H LYNovember 2018YOUNG ADULT

The first volume of this best-selling French quartet has now been translated into English and is available locally. The story is set in a world that is fractured into floating chunks, known as ‘arks ’, each overseen by an immortal being. The arks are populated by families with distinct supernatural skill sets.

Ophelia lives on Amina and, as a reader, her talent is knowing the history of an object through touch. She is also able to travel through mirrors. Her life is suddenly disrupted when she is betrothed to an unknown man from the Pole. It’s a place of which she knows nothing except freezing temperatures and giant beasts. Her fiancé, too, is cold and harsh. She travels with him to his home and is thrown immediately into hostility from both climate and people.

This richly imagined, enthralling fantasy is packed with intrigue and is a perfect choice for readers of Philip Pullman.

In spite of confusion about her situation and the reasons behind her marriage agreement, Ophelia is a bold and smart character, navigating unknown environments and struggling to find allies and answers in an unfamiliar society of excess and cruelty.

Fantastic characters and superb world-building will take hold of readers, allowing a plot revealed without hurry. This richly imagined, enthralling fantasy is packed with intrigue and is a perfect choice for readers of Philip Pullman. A cliff-hanger ending will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next instalment of this epic series. For ages 12+.

Kim Gruschow is from Readings St Kilda

BOOK OF THE MONTHYoung Adult

A Winter’s Promise: The Mirror Visitor, Book OneChristelle DabosText. PB. $22.99

Young Adult

lovers of Laini Taylor and Sarah J. Maas. For readers 14+.

Clodagh Robinson-Watts is from Readings Carlton

Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery Mary AmatoCandlewick. HB. $24.99

Edgar Allen Poe’s cemetery is

certainly the last place a newly deceased person would like to be interred within, with ‘unbreakable rules’ that, if broken, can result in you being

nailed into a coffin all over again. Freshly dead Lacy Brink is the first addition to the hallowed plots of Westminster Cemetery in over a century, bringing with her a cosmopolitan dress sense, most unholy vocabulary and thoroughly modern outlook on the afterlife that certainly couldn’t strike a more controversial note with the cemetery’s long-established rulebook.

Mary Amato creates a poignant afterlife and stokes a visceral connection to characters with whom we haven’t previously been acquainted, while also reanimating a few others that are quite recognisable (caw the raven, nevermore!). An impressive combination of a novel and a play, this book unravels the vast emotions we would all have in the wake of an untimely death, but with the added complications of being confined to a graveyard society in which residents simply cannot express emotion. Enter Lacy’s ‘open mic’ initiative.

I loved reading about Lacy’s conflict

The RiftRachael CrawWalker. PB. $19.99

Returning to her childhood home of

Black Water Island is as terrifying as it is exciting for Meg Archer. She has spent the past nine years living on the mainland with her mother after the

accident that left her and her friend Cal scarred in more ways than one.

Since Meg left, Cal has been doing his best to prove he belongs on the island, but it's hard when the strange powers thrust upon him in that same accident constantly set him apart from the Rangers, the protectors of the sacred deer. Not to mention the fact Meg still haunts his dreams.

With the dreaded Cull about to begin, tensions are high as the Rangers attempt to save the herd whilst upholding a precarious agreement with the Hunters from the mainland. The Hunters are only interested in one thing: testing out a new drug on their prey, with some nightmarish side-effects.

In her journey of self-discovery, Meg's about to learn that the old myths and legends about the Island she was raised on are not only real, but deadly. If she and Cal are to escape with their lives and also protect the ones they love, they'll have to dig deeply into their memories to discover what actually happened all those years ago.

Although honourable mentions must be given to the ‘mutant space dogs’, ‘zombie deer’, and ‘magnetic romance’; it is the intelligent, self-aware narrative that knows when to laugh at itself that will greatly appeal to a vast array of readers, especially

with the conservative factions and her newfound allegiances (once she acclimatises to being dead), and, ultimately, following as she finds her purpose in this chamber of comic misery: to provide a platform for revealing the long-kept secrets with which her charming counterparts were buried.

Timothy de Sousa is from Readings Kids

Neverworld WakeMarisha PesslScholastic. PB. $16.99

Five former high-school

friends gather for a reunion. The sixth member, Jim, mysteriously died over a year ago. Beatrice Hartley (Bee for short) hasn’t spoken to her

best friends since the mysterious death of her boyfriend. She knows they weren’t where they claimed to be the night of his death. When the opportunity to see them again comes up, she can’t turn it down. Their night together ends in a car accident that thrusts the friends into the Neverworld Wake – a lost dreamland between life and death where only one of them can survive. The friends must vote on who gets to live.

When you can’t trust what you know, how can you expect to figure out who can be trusted? In this version of purgatory, secrets come out and, with them, a last chance at answers.

Neverworld Wake challenges reality and the idea of linear time in a thriller mystery.

Marisha Pessl is the bestselling American author of Special Topics in Calamity Physics and Night Film. Never World Wake is her YA debut. It is an imaginative tale with twists and turns leading up to the inevitable vote for survival. Marisha Pessl makes us wonder – who would you choose?

Fans of One of Us is Lying and 13 Reasons Why will love this book!

Cindy Morris is from Readings Carlton

A Line in the DarkMalinda LoPenguin. PB. $19.99

Jess Wong is Angie Redmond’s best friend. And that’s the most important thing, even if Angie can’t see how Jess truly feels. But when Angie falls for Margot Adams, Jess can see it coming a mile

away. Suddenly her powers of observation are more a curse than a gift. A Line in the Dark is a story of love, loyalty, and murder.

A Very Large Expanse of SeaMafi TaherehHardie Grant. PB. $19.99

It’s 2002, and Shirin has just started at yet another new high school. It’s a turbulent time politically, especially so for a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl. But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the

first person who really seems to want to get to know her. Shirin has had her guard up against the world for so long – will she ever be able to let it down?

An astounding

and triumphant

memoir about a

white girl coming

of age in 1960’s

Mississippi.

A sparkly homage to

imagination and

creativity gone wild!

1 8 R E A D I N G S M O N T H LY November 2018

My Sunbeam BabyEmma QuayHarperCollins. HB. $24.99

See my bouncing baby, jigging on my knee. Then snuggling for a story, just baby, book and me. My Sunbeam Baby is a gorgeous, brightly illustrated new picture book about how much we love our

babies, from Emma Quay, creator of the bestselling and award-winning Rudie Nudie.

AnimalphabetJulia Donaldson & Sharon King-ChaiPan Mac. HB. $29.99

Animalphabet invites children to compare all kinds of animals. Clever hints and peep-through holes within the artwork, as well as Julia Donaldson’s rhythmic text make this a hugely entertaining guessing game as well as a gorgeous book to treasure. All kinds of children will

love embarking on this journey of discovery through the natural world, from one animal to another.

Dave the Lonely MonsterAnna Kemp & Sara OgilvieSimon & Schuster. PB. $16.99

Monstrous beasts have feelings too! This lively story of a lonely monster called Dave, who lives all alone in a retirement cave, is a light hearted reminder that we should treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves – and

that we could all do with a bit more monster in our lives!

Junior Fiction

Tales of Mr WalkerJess BlackPenguin. HB. $24.99

I fell in love with Mr Walker when he came to a

booksellers’ function. He had the insouciant manner of a well bred dog; he was a golden boy.

Trained as a guide dog for the visually impaired, he is now a canine ambassador at the Park Hyatt in Melbourne. He is also

the star of his own book about his adventures and mishaps, and it is as endearing and pleasing as Mr Walker himself. As the machinations of a hotel are revealed through the eyes, ears and, particularly, the nose of this charmingly affable dog, we meet a host of guests and staff. We enjoy his triumphs and good-natured perspectives as he sniffs out a delicious pastry or greets a world-renowned musician with a wag of his tail.

Jess Black understands dogs and as you read you feel you could reach down and pat Mr Walker.

I have had huge pleasure in selling the equally charming Plumdog and this summer I am going to have as much fun with The Tales of Mr Walker. For ages 6+.

Alexa Dretzke is from Readings Hawthorn

Captain RosalieTimothee DeFombelleWalker. HB. $19.99

This is a story about a brave and determined young girl

named Rosalie, aka Captain Rosalie, who’s on a secret mission. Set against the backdrop of World War I, we meet five-year-old Rosalie living a simple life of small pleasures with her mother.

Picture Books

Noni the Pony Rescues a JoeyAlison LesterA&U. HB. $24.99

Alison Lester is truly a legend; time and time

again she delivers perfect picture books. Her illustrations are delightful, her text rhymes seamlessly and her word choices

never feel forced. Noni the Pony’s third adventure is no exception. While out and about, Noni, along with Coco the cat and Dave the dog, meet a lost baby wallaby. As they try to re-unite little joey and family they meet many Australian critters along the way. It’s a wonderful picture book that is great for reading aloud. Children will be delighted by all the featured animals and everyone will have fun joining the ladies (cows) next door in a celebratory dance when all ends well! It’s also a great introduction to some of Australia’s wildlife so will make a really nice gift for little ones overseas.

Kim Gruschow is from Readings St Kilda

Clever CrowNina Lawrence & Bronwyn Bancroft (illus.)Magabala. HB. $24.99

Crow searches the bush for food but he can find none. When he comes across people preparing for a ceremony, his luck changes. Crow spots a turtle egg waiting to be cooked, but it is not an easy task stealing a turtle egg – even

for a clever crow. Crow must be cleverer than he has ever been before! Children will love Bronwyn Bancrofts’s distinctive illustrations, and how the Djambarrpuyngu language translation – Yolngu language from North East Arnhem Land – is woven into the design.

The Ink HouseRory DobnerThames & Hudson. HB. $24.99

Welcome to The Ink House, an artist’s mysterious mansion, built on a magical pool of ink that inspires creativity in anyone who lives there. When the artist goes adventuring, animals great and small arrive for the Annual Ink House Extravaganza! This exquisitely inked picture book by acclaimed artist Rory Dobner will

surprise and delight readers of all ages.

Night WalkAlison BinksBerbay. HB. $26.95

Night Walk is a captivating, dreamily illustrated story about a little boy’s adventurous night out while camping. Full of wonder, this story not only honours our natural and beautiful landscape but also reminds us of the commonalities that bind us

together regardless of where we are.

Children’s Books

Rosalie’s father is a soldier away at war and she barely knows him except for the letters he sends home. Letters that draw her mother away, enveloping her in wistful musings and distant longing.

A quiet, unspoken rebellion builds and Rosalie seems intent on a purpose that she holds secret. Rosalie’s mother drops her each morning at the school gate on her way to the weapons factory where she works long hours until nightfall. At school, Rosalie is too young to join the class so is set up at the back of the classroom where she sits quietly with paper and pencils. But Rosalie has a plan, and no-one will doubt her bravery and fortitude when life is irrevocably changed by the arrival of a black-edged letter.

Beautifully told and sensitively brought to life through the illustrations, this story is full of heart.

Natalie Platten is from Readings Doncaster

The Dog Who Lost His Bark Eoin ColferWalker. HB. $19.99

Patrick has been desperate for a dog forever, and this summer, with his father away, he longs for a buddy more than ever. Oz’s short, doggy life has been tough. But he believes that somewhere out there is an awesome child who will look after him. This is a warm, uplifting story for young

readers about a boy and his dog.

Middle Fiction

The AfterwardsA.F. Harrold & Emily Gravett (illus.)Bloomsbury. HB. $24.99

A.F. Harrold’s books always explore a parallel, often

creepy world that looks at love, loyalty and loss. The Afterwards is no exception, portraying a tight friendship between Happiness (Ness) and December (Ember). They share a joyous closeness and then, one day,

Ness is gone after a simple but disastrous playground mishap, and Ember struggles to understand a life without her best buddy. One day she becomes aware of an in-between world where the dead appear to be waiting. She finds a way to enter this world and plans to bring her friend back; but if that fails maybe she will have to join her. Naturally, such monumental predicaments are never simple and as she comes to understand this netherworld the tussle between her love for her friend and those she will leave behind becomes an unbearable dilemma.

The Afterwards is a gorgeously presented hardback with atmospheric illustrations by Emily Gravett and will suit readers who enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book and its ilk. For ages 9–12.

Alexa Dretzke is from Readings Hawthorn

The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering WarsJaclyn MoriartyA&U. HB. $22.99

Not since Jaclyn Moriarty’s last book have I been so

immersed in a wickedly adventurous story brimming with quirky characters, bravado and irreverent humour.

The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars is set in the busy harbour town of Spindrift,

a wonderful ‘stir fry’ of fascinating characters from surrounding kingdoms and empires – including witches, gnomes and sirens who’ve agreed to stop using magic in order to live harmoniously among the

KIDS

19R E A D I N G S M O N T H LYNovember 2018

ClownfishAlan DurantWalker. PB. $16.99

Dak’s father has died, and his mother is falling apart. Desperate to escape the atmosphere at home, Dak goes to his dad’s favourite place – the local aquarium. And there, to his amazement, is Dad, who it seems is alive and well as a clownfish! But when the aquarium is threatened with closure, Dak and

Violet, the owner’s niece, must work together to save it.

Wakestone HallJudith RossellHarper Collins. HB. $24.99

Stella Montgomery is in disgrace. The Aunts have sent her to Wakestone Hall, a grim boarding school where the disobedient are tamed. But when a friend disappears, Stella must find her. Soon Stella is thrown deeper into the mysteries of Wakestone. Will Stella save her friend in time? And

will she discover – at long last – where she truly belongs? This is the thrilling conclusion to the Stella Montgomery trilogy!

Novelty

Inside the VillainsClotilde PerrinGecko. HB. $29.99

Inside the Villains is a magnificent example of

children’s book design at its most creative and innovative. The very size and format of this work looms large and the child reader may wonder if life-sized villains lie in wait, poised to step from the book as the first pages are turned.

Within, we meet the villains: wolf, giant, and witch; and learn all about their dreadful peculiarities and foibles, before being taken through a story where the reader may revel in a sense of justice as each villain is thwarted by their own mischief-making. But this work offers even more. Interactive pull-tabs with strings and levers, lift-the-flaps and gate-folds are craftily done and will attract curious minds (young and old alike) to share and explore this remarkable book.

Natalie Platten is from Readings Doncaster

Nonfiction

The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth Rachel Ignotofsky Ten Speed Press. HB. $29.99

This is a highly illustrated, fascinating guidebook to

ecosystems, featuring key animals and plants. Rachel Ignotofsky, bestselling author and illustrator of Women in Science, delightfully displays both her love of natural

environments and beautiful illustrative techniques. The contents traverse the seven continents

exploring unique landscapes. There are three Australian ecosystems featured, including the Great Barrier Reef and the Tasmanian rainforests. Detailed diagrams clearly depict the carbon, nitrogen and water cycles, as well as explain aquatic ecosystems. There is a chapter on the human relationship

regular townsfolk. The story is narrated by the irreverent Finlay

(from the orphanage school) and the rather shy Honey Bee (from the posh and somewhat pompous boarding school). Furious competition between their schools produces an outcome that has each concocting outlandish schemes to punish the other.

But when malevolent characters secretly invade the town, a deadly magical flu infects the population, and children are stolen, war between the kingdoms is imminent. Fiercely determined to find their kidnapped friends, an unlikely alliance between the schools is forged. Finlay, Honey Bee and their friends hatch a plan to outwit the sinister invaders.

Set fifteen years before The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, this stand-alone tale of whimsy and irony is a pure delight, and a solid read perfect for voracious readers.

Highly recommended for ages 10+.

Athina Clarke is from Readings Malvern

with the planet and some tips for reducing our impact. The text is clear and easy to comprehend, complemented by an excellent glossary and index. This highly informative yet uniquely beautiful book on ecosystems will be a delightful reference for anyone interested in learning more about our natural environment. For ages 8+.

Angela Crocombe is the manager of Readings Kids

Endangered AnimalsMartin Jenkins & Tom FrostWalker. HB. $29.99

From the mighty Asian elephant to the tiny rosalia longicorn beetle, creatures all over the world are under threat like never before in human history. In this timely and beautiful book, conservation biologist and award-winning author Martin Jenkins introduces

just a few of the species under threat, exploring why they are in danger and how we can help them.

A World of DiscoveryRichard PlattWalker. HB. $29.99

Discover fascinating facts and figures about space travel, the human body, time, the computer and much more. Each of James Brown’s colourful illustrations is presented alongside an engaging fact-filled explanation by celebrated author Richard Platt. Covering more than 30 diverse

and fascinating topics, this is the perfect book for the whole family to enjoy.

Classic of the Month

Mortal Engines Phillip ReeveScholastic. PB. $18.99

It is eighteen years since Philip Reeve’s debut science-fiction

novel, Mortal Engines, the first in a quartet, was published. It is imminently due for global fame with a film adaptation by Peter Jackson on the way, so now is the time to immerse yourself in this classic.

Reeve is a masterful creator of imaginative universes and in this alternate future the world has been partially destroyed by a global ‘Sixty Minute War’. Cities are now on wheels and to survive they chase and devour smaller towns, taking their valuable metals and their populations as slaves. This is known as ‘Municipal Darwinism’.

The main narrator is Tom, an orphaned apprentice in London. Down in the guts of the city he meets the hero, Thaddeus Valentine, and his daughter, Katherine. An assassination attempt is made on Valentine and Tom chases the young assassin, Hester Shaw, but ends up befriending her as the two are hunted down, meeting with misadventure and new friends on the way.

Meanwhile, Katherine becomes suspicious of her father and realises he stole an ancient technology called MEDUSA, which has been used to create a bomb. These two narrative strands come together in a nail-biting climax that is not without bloodshed.

The futuristic world Reeve creates in the Mortal Engines quartet is thrillingly believable while his characters and storytelling are full of warmth and humanity. This is a riveting, action-packed adventure for ages 11 through to adult.

Angela Crocombe is the manager of Readings Kids

KIDS

Lenny’s Book of Everything is a book with a stellar cast. There is Cynthia Spink, the proud,

hard-working, worn-down, single mother of two; Mrs Gaspar, the eccentric old Hungarian lady who lives in their apartment block and looks after Cynthia’s two children while she works; Mr King, the unpleasant fruit store owner; and CJ, Lenny’s best friend and a future drummer in a rock band. But most importantly, there is Lenny herself, the young girl who tells the story of her childhood, and Davey, her good-natured younger brother who happens to have gigantism.

Lenny’s Book of Everything is a wonderful read for kids 10+, but it’s not just for kids; this is a book I know I will see being read by teary-eyed, sniffling adults on the bus to work.

This story is just … magical. It’s hard to say exactly why because Lenny lives such an ordinary life. It might be the excitement of the arrival of the latest issue of the encyclopaedia set that their mother’s sharp letter-writing skills won them that makes it magic – the way each book allows the children to see the world outside of their small town. Or it might be Davey himself – giant, always-wanting-to-do-what’s-right, imaginary-Falcon-owning Davey. Even if you weren’t seeing him from his sister’s perspective, you could not help but adore him. Lenny’s Book of Everything is a wonderful read for kids 10+, but it’s not just for kids; this is a book I know I will see being read by teary-eyed, sniffling adults on the bus to work.

Dani Solomon is from Readings Kids

BOOK OF THE MONTHMiddle Fiction

Lenny’s Book of EverythingKaren Foxlee A&U. PB. $19.99 or HB. $27.99

2 0 November 2018R E A D I N G S M O N T H LY BARGAINS

How to Build a Universe Brian Cox & Robin Ince HB. Was $39.99 Now $16.95

In this irreverent celebration of scientific marvels, Professor Brian Cox and Robin Ince cover billions of concepts, tackling everything from the Big Bang to parallel universes, fierce creatures

to extraterrestrial life, brain science to artificial intelligence. How to Build a Universe is an illuminating celebration of science – sometimes silly, sometimes astounding and very occasionally facetious.

Bring up the Bodies Hilary Mantel HB. Was $49.99 Now $14.95

Thomas Cromwell, Chief Minister to Henry VIII, must find a solution to his King’s wife troubles that will satisfy Henry, safeguard the nation and secure his own career. But neither man will emerge

unscathed from the bloody theatre of Anne’s final days. Bring Up the Bodies is the story of this terrifying moment of history, by one of our greatest living novelists.

Growing Honest Food Gabriella Gomersall-Hubbard HB. Was $39.99 Now $12.95

A barren block of land in the Australian suburbs has, over a period of 30 years, been transformed into a slice of the Calabrian countryside. This book celebrates a way of life

that’s been slowly disappearing, detailing the changing seasons and the activities that take place in the vineyard, olive grove, and kitchen each month.

Ghost EmpireRichard Fidler HB. Was $39.99 Now $16.95

In this book, turbulent stories from the past are brought vividly to life at the same time as a father navigates the unfolding changes in his relationship with his son as they travel through

Turkey. Ghost Empire is a revelation: a beautifully written ode to a lost civilization, and a warmly observed father-son adventure far from home.

Byron’s Women Alexander Larman HB. Was $39.99 Now $15.95

The most flamboyant of the Romantics, Lord Byron was a satirist of genius, yet treated women abominably. In Byron’s Women, Alex Larman creates a scurrilous ‘anti-biography’ of one of

England’s greatest poets, whose life he

November Bargains

views – to deeply unflattering effect – through the prism of the lives of the women he horribly damaged.

Elizabeth The Forgotten Years John Guy PB. Was $24.99 Now $10.00

History has pictured Elizabeth I as an icon of strength. But in 1583, when Elizabeth is fifty, there is relentless plotting among her courtiers – and still to come is the Spanish

Armada and the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. This gripping and vivid portrait of her life and times reveals the real Elizabeth, for the first time.

The Mistresses of ClivedenNatalie LivingstoneHB. Was $49.99 Now $14.95

Five miles from Windsor Castle, home of the royal family, sits the Cliveden estate. Throughout its storied history, Cliveden has been a setting for misbehaviour, intrigue, and passion. Now, in this

immersive chronicle, the manor’s current mistress, Natalie Livingstone, opens the doors to this prominent house and lets the walls do the talking.

Beneath Another Sky Norman Davies HB. Was $69.99 Now $15.95

Beneath Another Sky is Norman Davies’ account of a global circumnavigation, of the places he visited and the history he found there, from the settlement of Tasmania to the short-

lived Republic of Texas. As always, Davies has his eye on the historical horizon as well as on what is close at hand, and brilliantly complicates our view of the past.

Maps Aleksandra Mizielinski & Daniel Mizielinski HB. Was 29.99 Now $12.95

This collection of 52 illustrated maps details not only geographical features and political borders, but also places of interest, iconic personalities, native animals and plants,

people, cultures, and many more facts associated with each region. This book is a celebration of the world, from its immense mountains to its tiny insects – and everything in between.

I Must Be Living Twice Eileen Myles HB. Was $29.99 Now $12.95

Eileen Myles’ poems open new perspectives on familiar places and invite readers into lush dream worlds, imbuing the landscapes of their writing with the vividness and energy of fantasy. I Must Be

Living Twice brings together selections from the poet’s previous work with a set of new poems that reflect their unapologetic and fiercely intellectual literary voice.

Ostro Julia Busuttil Nishimura PB. Was $44.99 Now $29.99

Julia Busuttil Nishimura deftly brings together a broad range of cuisines and culinary influences using the very best produce on offer. This truly is good food, and made by

hand. Ostro contains a wealth of recipes for simple food that is comforting and generous in spirit. Slow down, take your time and enjoy it.

Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves Rachel Malik HB. Was $35.00 Now $12.95

During the Second World War, Rene Hargreaves leaves her children with her aunt. She boards a train without buying a return ticket, starting a new life on Starlight Farm. She finds its owner

Elsie Boston strange at first, yet their relationship soon develops. When their life is threatened by a strange new visitor, they must begin to fight a war of their own.

The Future is History Masha Gessen PB. Was $32.99 Now $14.95

Masha Gessen follows the lives of four Russians, born as the Soviet Union crumbled. Each came of age with unprecedented expectations, some as the children or grandchildren of the very

architects of the new Russia, each with newfound aspirations of their own. The Future is History is a powerful and urgent cautionary tale by contemporary Russia’s most fearless inquisitor.

The Neighbourhood Mario Vargas Llosa PB. Was $29.99 Now $12.95

From the Nobel Laureate comes a politically charged detective novel weaving through the underbelly of Peruvian privilege in the 1990s, during the turbulent and deeply corrupt years of

Alberto Fujimori’s presidency. A twisting, unpredictable tale, The Neighborhood is a scathing indictment of Fujimori’s regime and a crime thriller that evokes the vulgarity of freedom in a corrupt system.

Mary’s Household Tips and Tricks Mary BerryHB. Was $29.99 Now $14.95

A wonderful, practical and comprehensive household how-to from Mary Berry. Easy-to-use, practical and beautifully illustrated, Household Tips and Tricks covers

everything. With secrets from Mary for accomplishing the most challenging home-keeping tasks with ease, this detailed and comprehensive book is the only one you will need to help to turn any house into a home.

Swearing is Good For You Emma Byrne PB. Was $29.99 Now $12.95

Not only has swearing existed since the earliest human communication, but it has been shown to reduce pain, help stroke victims recover their language, and encourage people to

work together as a team. Swearing Is Good For You is a spirited and hilarious defence of our most cherished dirty words, backed by historical case studies and cutting-edge research.

Alex Through The Looking-Glass Alex Bellos HB. Was $39.99 Now $14.95

From triangles, to fractals, cones and curves, bestselling author Alex Bellos takes you on a journey of mathematical discovery with wit and enthusiasm. As he narrates a series of

eye-opening encounters with lively personalities all over the world, Alex demonstrates how numbers have come to be our friends, are fascinating and accessible, and how they have changed our world.

The Art of Cycling Cadel Evans HB. Was $49.99 Now $16.95

From being the youngest winner of a World Cup in mountain biking at 20 to the oldest post-War winner of the Tour de France at thirty-four, Cadel Evans spent twenty years at the top of his

sport. Here, he writes about the triumphs, the frustrations, how he maintained such amazing consistency, and his enduring love of cycling.

Going Bush Edward MundieHB. Was $29.95 Now $12.95

Going Bush is a treechanger’s guide to successful country living, a book that warns you of the pitfalls, and then shows you in clear, practical steps how to turn your dream into

reality. Edward Mundie offers the kind of solid, effective and reliable advice you would expect from someone with more than 50 years’ experience of tried-and-true bush wisdom.

Solar System Book & Floor PuzzleSteven Wood HB. Was $19.99 Now $12.95

Explore the planets of the solar system as you put together this amazing floor puzzle. Children will love the

vibrant colours and fun illustrations that decorate the large puzzle pieces. This puzzle also includes an accompanying book filled with interesting facts about our solar system! Suitable for ages 3+.

2 1R E A D I N G S M O N T H LYNovember 2018

Whether or not your Hogwarts letter came through the mail, get readyto apparate right back into the Wizarding World you know and love andplunge into the wizarding world of J.K. Rowling with the exciting newinstalment of the FANTASTIC BEASTS series. After dark wizardGrindelwald’s (Johnny Depp) dramatic escape, magizoologist NewtScamander (Eddie Redmayne) joins forces with a man who once calledGrindelwald a friend - young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law). With anextended cast including Ezra Miller and Zoë Kravitz, the latest magicaltale from the Harry Potter universe is a thrilling adventure where thebattle between good and evil escalates to the point of no return.

FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD November 15 (CTC)

THE CHILDREN ACT Opens November 22 (M)Melissa McCarthy stars in CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?, the truestory of best-selling celebrity biographer (and friend to cats) LeeIsrael, who turned to forgery when her style of writing fell out offashion. Abetted by her loyal friend Jack (Richard E. Grant), Leesoon finds herself raking in money – and quickly sinking into ascheme that is far more than she can handle. Lead by impressivetalent behind the scenes with director Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl), CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? is a typewriter thrillerthat should see McCarthy garner acclaim come awards season.

HHHH The Guardian“McCarthy's best performance to date, revealing haunting insights

into friendship, loneliness, and creative insecurity.” Variety

CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? December 6 (CTC)Adapted by Ian McEwan from his own novel, and directed by RichardEyre (Notes on a Scandal, Iris), THE CHILDREN ACT stars EmmaThompson as High Court Justice Fiona Maye. Presiding over caseswhere her decisions irrevocably effect people’s lives, Fiona is troubledby a case involving gravely ill 17-year-old Adam (Fionn Whitehead)that puts her in a unique quandry. Adam and his family are Jehovah’sWitnesses, and are refusing a blood transfusion that could save hislife. Taking an unorthodox tack, Fiona visits Adam in hospital, and anunlikely bond forms between them. A deeply humane film, THECHILDREN ACT is a drama of a child’s life hanging in the balance.

"Emma Thompson gives one of the most moving performances of her entire career” The Hollywood Reporter

Melbourne’s home of quality arthouse and contemporary cinema

DVDS

TV

BancroftSeason 1 $29.95 Available 7 November Elizabeth Bancroft has given

her life to the police force and promotion looks assured. However Bancroft is not all she seems. When DS Katherine Stevens, an ambitious recruit, is assigned to investigate ‘cold’ cases, she unwittingly disturbs ghosts of the past. With strong female characters at its heart, this original

crime drama is packed full of twists to keep viewers enthralled.

Berlin StationSeason 1 $34.95 Available 14 November This spy series follows Daniel

Miller, an agent who has just arrived at the CIA station in Berlin, Germany. Miller has a clandestine mission: to determine the identity of a whistleblower. As Miller dives deeper into the German capital’s hall of mirrors and uncovers a conspiracy that leads back to Washington, he wonders: Can anyone ever be the same after a posting to Berlin?

Film & TV‘Flame Trees’ is my favourite Cold Chisel song. I love its yearning; the way it coils into a melancholy, regretful tone. But for its vocalist, it’s not an easy song to sing. In Working Class Boy, Jimmy Barnes divulges that every time he performs ‘Flame Trees’ he feels physically ill because it reminds him of home. Barnes’ tricky relationship to the song makes sense, revealed as it is an hour or so into Mark Joffe’s film, because of his personal relationship to the idea of home, which is a fraught and deeply complex one.

“I was born James Dixon Swan. This is the story of how I became Jimmy Barnes,” we are told early in Working Class Boy. For those familiar with Barnes’ coming-of-age story – first laid out in painful, poignant detail in his bestselling 2016 memoir of the same name – that story is a familiar one. Born in Glasgow in 1956, Barnes’ was one of six children raised in poverty by Dorothy and Jim Swan, in an environment rife with alcohol-fuelled violence. Barnes never felt safe, and when the family migrated to Australia in 1961, the better life they hoped for didn’t come.

In Working Class Boy, brutal recollections are punctuated by the music that has been Barnes’ lifeline. The film isn’t a document of Cold Chisel’s history, but of how music can heal one man’s wounded soul. Drawn from an intimate, pared back concert at Sydney’s State Theatre, performances of ‘When the War is Over’ and the soul classic ‘The Dark End of the Street’ stand out for their raw honesty. While music is frequently an escape from reality – evoked in the image of

Cold Chisel fleeing Adelaide in a van – Working Class Boy makes it clear that for Barnes it was also chance to remake his life and finally find a home.

Joanna Di Mattia is from Readings Carlton

DVD OF THE MONTHDocumentary

Working Class BoyCollectors ed. Was $39.95

$34.95

Standard ed. Was $29.95

$24.95

Available 14 November

The SonSeason 1 $39.95

In this multigenerational saga, family patriarch Eli McCullough

struggles to maintain the oil dynasty and ranch he has built in the turbulent days of early 20th Century America. Interweaving the story of Eli as a young man and the hardships that shaped him, The Son shows how a man’s ruthless past informs his present and his future generations.

Great Indian Railway JourneysSeason 1 $29.95 Available 7 November

Steered by his 1913 copy of Bradshaw’s Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, Michael experiences the thrill of Indian rail travel as he journeys through a landscape of mountains, deserts and plains watered by holy rivers. He encounters Maharajas and Mughals, explores palaces and temples, and learns of the role that the rail network plays in India today.

The CrownSeason 2 $44.95 Available 14 November The Crown continues to follow

the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century. Beginning with an illegal war in Egypt, and ending with the downfall of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan after a devastating scandal, the second season ushers in the revolutionary era of the 1960s.

Mr. MercedesSeason 1 $39.95 Available 14 November ‘Brendan Gleeson’s Bill Hodges,

a retired detective haunted by an unsolved case, plays like he is soaked in the DNA of the iconic horror novelist Stephen King, in whose books Hodges was born. There is a weary melancholy to him which is distinctly King.’ – Sydney Morning Herald

The AmericansSeason 6 $39.95 Available 7 November ‘Even at its less-well-loved

moments, The Americans is still better than practically anything else around … Much has been written about how The Americans is a story of marriage. There’s less about what may be its final form: A tragedy.’ – Time

A Very English ScandalMini Series $24.95 Available 14 November It’s the late 1960s, and Jeremy

Thorpe, the youngest leader of any British political party in a hundred years, has a secret he’s desperate to hide. As long as Norman Scott, his vociferous ex-lover is around, Thorpe’s brilliant career is at risk, and eventually Thorpe can see only one way to silence Scott for good.

Film

Elvis Presley: The Searcher $29.95

He was a boy from Tupelo who grew up to become the biggest

star in music. Along the way, he absorbed a staggering range of influences, creating a revolutionary sound in his search for self-expression. Following his entire musical life journey, Elvis Presley: The Searcher features unseen photos and footage from private collections worldwide.

The Breaker Upperers $29.95

Fifteen years ago, Mel and Jen discovered they were being two-timed by the same

man. Bitter and cynical they became fast friends and formed The Breaker Upperers, a business breaking up couples for cash. Now they’re in their late-thirties and business is booming. But when they run into an old victim, Mel develops a conscience and their friendship is truly put to the test.

2 2 November 2018R E A D I N G S M O N T H LY MUSIC

Popular Music

Pop/Rock/Alt

Dionysus Dead Can Dance $19.95 | Also on vinylAvailable 2 November

From their inception in 1981, Australian duo Dead Can Dance have been intrigued by European folk traditions, not solely in

musical terms but also by secular, religious and spiritual practises. With Dionysus, the aim is to not just invoke the atmosphere and symbolic reference points, but to highlight that music can be found everywhere in some form or other.

Look Now Elvis Costello Deluxe CD $24.95 | Also on vinyl

Recorded in Hollywood, New York City and Vancouver, British Columbia, Look Now is beautiful in its simplicity,

reflective in its lyrical vision, surrounded by melodies that are nothing short of heavenly. It’s the first album Costello has made with The Imposters since Momofuku (2008) and his first new album since the acclaimed 2013 Roots collaboration, Wise Up Ghost.

Electric Ladyland: 50th Anniversary Limited Deluxe Edition Jimi Hendrix 3CD $94.95 Available 9 November

Jimi Hendrix’s ground breaking album Electric Ladyland was one of the most influential rock albums of the 20th century. This

special deluxe box set is being released in

celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of the Jimi Hendrix Experience masterpiece. Available as a 3CD/1 Blu-ray set, it includes the original album, newly remastered from the original analogue tapes.

The White Album: 50th Anniversary Edition The Beatles 3CD $39.95 | Also on vinylAvailable 9 November

For 50 years, The White Album has invited its listeners to venture forth and explore the breadth and ambition of its music,

delighting and inspiring each new generation in turn. In this lavishly presented reissue, the album’s 30 tracks are newly mixed in stereo and 5.1 surround audio.

Suspiria Thom Yorke $26.95 | Also on vinyl

Suspiria consists of 25 original compositions written by Thom Yorke specifically for Luca Guadagnino’s reimagining

of the 1977 Dario Argento horror classic of the same name. Scoring a horror film presented Yorke with altogether new challenges and opportunities, but here he manages to perfectly combine terror, longing and melancholy, creating a chaotic yet cohesive musical spell.

First Collection: 2006–2009 Fleet Foxes 4CD $39.95 | Also on vinylAvailable 9 November

First Collection 2006–2009 spans the early days of Fleet Foxes’ career, including the self-titled debut album, plus the Sun

Giant EP, The Fleet Foxes EP (formerly a

self-titled, very limited-edition, self-released EP), and B-sides & Rarities. In addition to its musical offerings, this collection features a 32-page booklet including show flyers, lyrics and artwork from the band’s early history.

More Blood, More Tracks: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 14 Bob Dylan $19.95 | Also on vinylDeluxe 6CD with book $219.95Available 2 November

Bob Dylan – More Blood, More Tracks – The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 is the latest chapter in Columbia/Legacy’s highly acclaimed

Bob Dylan Bootleg Series. This album makes available the pivotal studio recordings made by Bob Dylan during six extraordinary sessions in 1974 – four in New York, and two in Minneapolis – that resulted in the artist’s 1975 masterpiece, Blood On The Tracks.

Negative Capability Marianne Faithfull $19.95 | Also on vinylAvailable 2 November

Negative Capability is the most emotionally powerful album of Marianne Faithfull’s 54-year recording career. Facing

down arthritis and bolstered by collaborators including Warren Ellis, Nick Cave, Rob Ellis, Ed Harcourt and Mark Lanegan, Faithfull’s performance in this album is charged with brutal honesty and autobiographical reflection as she addresses losing old friends, her loneliness living in her adopted city of Paris, and love.

Songs of Love and Horror Will Oldham $24.95 | Also on vinyl

In Songs of Love and Horror, songwriter Will Oldham revisits songs that made him (that he made) and others in new versions that

quiver like fresh young things in the air of today. In each of the twelve tracks that make up this album, Oldham’s guitar and voice operate in quiet tension and ultimate accord.

Bottle It In Kurt Vile $21.95 | Also on vinyl

Travel can inspire in surprising ways: Kurt Vile discovered as much making his first record in three years, the eclectic and

electrifying Bottle It In, which he recorded at various studios over two very busy years. Every song, whether it’s a concise and catchy pop composition or a sprawling guitar epic, becomes a journey unto itself, taking unexpected detours, circuitous melodic avenues, or open-highway solos.

Broken Politics Neneh Cherry $19.95 | Also on vinyl

‘As Cherry explains, themes of political protest proliferate on Broken Politics: “Maybe politics starts in your bedroom, or

your house — a form of activism, and a responsibility. The album is about all of those things … It’s a fight against the extinction of free thought and spirit.”’ – Fact

C’est La Vie Phosphorescent $19.95 | Also on vinyl

With dreamy, soaring melodies, C’est La Vie marks the first new music from the critically acclaimed artist in five

years. This album covers a life-altering period that saw the band’s Matthew Houck fall in love, start a family, leave New York for Nashville and build a studio from the ground up.

Country

Songs of the Plains Colter Wall $19.95 | Also on vinyl

Acclaimed singer, songwriter and performer Colter Wall releases his highly anticipated new album, Songs of the Plains.

In addition to seven original songs written by Wall, the album also includes versions of Billy Don Burns’ ‘Wild Dogs’, Wilf Carter’s ‘Calgary Round-Up’ and two cowboy traditionals ‘Night Herding Song’ and ‘Tying Knots in the Devil’s Tail’.

She Remembers Everything Roseanne Cash $21.95 Available 2 November

‘With She Remembers Everything…Cash crafts uniquely textured stories from a feminine perspective. Strikingly

personal and expressive, the new music finds the artist working from a perspective she notes has been previously unavailable to her. “There is a woman’s real life, complex experiences and layered understanding in these songs,” Cash says.’ – Rolling Stone

Folk / World

Sometimes I FlyLuka Bloom $29.95

Every tune in this album is catchy, with an easily visualized and felt story based on deeply reflective lyrics using a seemingly

limitless musical vocabulary. Luka Bloom’s been doing it for 40 years now, but less than 40 seconds into Sometimes I Fly he’s doing it again: sending shivers and goose bumps up the back of your neck.

Jazz / Blues

La Fenice Keith Jarrett 2CD $29.95

This recording of Keith Jarrett’s extraordinary solo performance at Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice in July 2006 finds Jarrett entering

one of Italy’s most famous classical venues and channelling the flow of inspiration to shape something new. In this case, a suite of eight spontaneously created pieces referencing everything from the blues, to atonality, to heart-touching ballads.

Paddy Mann’s seventh album as Grand Salvo, and – the first in six years – follows his full-hearted embrace of a theme for each record he creates. The opening track, ‘A Flux of Moments’, swells with the ocean crashing against the shore, and each song cleaves to the sea, and to memories. The sea is rough with the rain, he sings in ‘All Those Stars’, a track resplendent with small, plucked notes and big, full sounds. It’s an ever-changing song, much like many on the album; many of the recordings feel like they contain a multitude of smaller songs inside them, creating a vastness of sound in five minutes.

Mann’s voice, night-time smooth, brings to earth the bright, alive notes that open ‘In the Shade’. Vocals are a significant instrument in Sea Glass, soft or strong, lending the album an Australian edge, or one so whimsical – as in the near ten-minute long experience that is ‘In the Water’ – that the voices almost feel more like a dream than an instrument.

It’s hard to categorise someone like Mann, a composer who tilts indie folk/pop with an orchestra of instruments from all over the world, adding a beautiful, expansive atmosphere to his music. Memories pull at you with every

song; ‘The Unquiet Tide’ is an understated masterpiece, Mann’s voice rolling in and out like waves; ‘Strange Days’ would be hardly out of place in a mid-century musical, ranging from the jaunty to the melancholy; and the quiet devastation of ‘Field of Flowers’, a heartbreak of a song that opens old wounds of friendship. The warmer months ahead are conducive to listening to this album as you walk along the sand, look out over the darkness of the sea and think about long-lost childhoods, and new-found albums.

Fiona Hardy is from Readings Carlton

ALBUM OF THE MONTHPop/Rock/Alt

Sea Glass Grand Salvo$19.95 | Also on vinylAvailable 16 November

2 3R E A D I N G S M O N T H LYNovember 2018MUSIC

Arvo Pärt Viktoria Mullova, Paavo Järvi & Estonian National Symphony Orchestra Onyx. ONYX4201. $29.95

When I worked Sunday

evenings at Readings in Carlton (some few years ago now) one of my favourite albums to put on in the shop

to bring the vibe down and yet give it a frisson of emotion was Arvo Pärt’s Speigel im Speigel. His simplicity of style, named ‘tintinnabuli’, or translated from the Latin, ‘bell-like’ was pioneered by Pärt in the 1970s and has inspired and been imitated by composers world-wide. Most people wouldn’t realise that, although most of this music has such simple soaring melodies, the performance can make a huge difference in the emotional impact. The musicians can really make or break a piece with their interpretation, as there’s not much written on the page and it must simply come from the soul. This latest rendition of some of Pärt’s most popular works are beautifully performed by violinist Viktoria Mullova and fellow Estonians Paavo Järvi and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. Their ease and grace within Pärt’s particular style will stop you in your tracks and have you straining your ears to hear every nuance in their translation of his black dots into (mostly) delicate and (definitely) deliberate sounds.

Kate Rockstrom is a friend of Readings

Himmelsmusik Christina Pluhar & L’Arpeggiata Erato. 9029563400. $29.95

The celebrated Baroque harpist

and theorbo player (a type of lute) Christina Pluhar has featured many a time in the Readings Monthly. She

has consistently released superb albums bringing a new life to early European music. With her ensemble, L’Arpeggiata, she has released another peek into the musical world of the seventeenth century. In their Himmelsmusik, or ‘Heavenly Music’, they are featuring sacred works exclusively from Germany, including a piece by the great uncle of the famous J.S. Bach himself. It is said that Johann Christoph Bach, as the superior composer in the family, would have been given custody of young Johann Sebastian if only he hadn’t been so terrible with money! What is particularly interesting about this album though is that a plethora of lesser-known composers from the period are featured. As I listened to the album, I couldn’t understand why they had been allowed to languish unknown for all this time. Each piece was interesting in its own right, and it’s easy to see why Pluhar and L’Arpeggiata chose these pieces to perform. Their assured performances and superstar countertenor Phillippe Jaroussky and soprano Celine Scheen are both musical in their commitment to each phrase.

Kate Rockstrom is a friend of Readings

À Portuguesa: Iberian Concertos and Sonatas Andreas Staier & Orquestra Barocca Casa Harmonia Mundi. HMM902337. $29.95

À Portuguesa offers Iberian exoticism with a difference. In the Age of Enlightenment, Portuguese music shared the favours of

certain English publishers with its Spanish neighbour and drank at the inexhaustible source of the Scarlatti sonatas. This constant exchange between Iberian chamber music and the eighteenth-century orchestra culminates in an orchestral arrangement of Boccherini’s famous Musica notturna, presented by Andreas Staier in total complicity with the Baroque orchestra of the Casa da Música de Porto.

Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts, Op. 5 (Requiem) Edward Gardner & Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Chandos. CHSA5219. $29.95

Edward Gardner and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra tackle the infinite and the immeasurable in the form of Berlioz’s

Requiem. All the grandiose, striking beauty of the Requiem’s large-scale ceremonial is encapsulated by first-class vocal and orchestral forces. The music is not that of an orthodox believer but of a visionary, inspired by the dramatic implications of death and judgement.

Chopin: Nocturnes Ingrid Fliter Linn. CKD565. $36.95

A graceful and charismatic performer, Ingrid Fliter is known for her effortless technique and thoughtful, sensitive

music-making. On this new recital, Fliter delights us with characteristically insightful interpretations which showcase both the sensitivity of her playing and the poetry of the composer’s music.

Steve Reich: Drumming Kuniko Linn. CKD582. $29.95

Kuniko’s latest recording sees the hugely talented percussionist return to the music of Steve Reich. In Drumming she delivers a

tour-de-force performance of the work, performing all thirteen parts herself and once again displaying the technical virtuosity and flawless musicianship for which she is renowned.

Life Igor Levit Sony Classical. 88985424452. 2CDs. $21.95

Igor Levit presents a new and highly personal album that has been sparked by the tragic death of a close friend. Levit reflects at the

keyboard on the experience of loss,

hovering between grief and despair, resignation and solace. From J.S. Bach to Frederic Rzewski, Life effortlessly crosses borders between eras, styles, and genres, offering a multitude of new discoveries.

J.S. Bach: Six Suites for Viola Solo Kim Kashkashian ECM. 02894817176. $32.95

On this recording, Bach’s six cello suites are played on the viola by one of the instrument’s greatest exponents, Kim Kashkashian. For

Kashkashian, Bach’s music is both a ‘true and faithful companion’ and a reference point against which all creative endeavour may be measured. The poetry and radiance of Bach’s Cello Suites (BWV 1007-1012) are transfigured in these remarkable interpretations.

Bach Inspirations Thibaut Garcia Erato. 9029560526. $19.95

Guitarist Thibaut Garcia releases his second album, a recital of works composed and inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Taking Bach’s mighty Chaconne as his centrepiece, he ranges wide: from Charles Gounod’s much-loved ‘Ave Maria’ and Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 to music by Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Alexandre Tansman and the contemporary Serbian-American composer Dušan Bogdanović.

Celtic Lute Ronn McFarlane Dorian Sono Luminus. DSL92225. $26.95

On his new recording, American Lutenist Ronn McFarlane continues his love affair with Celtic music on a journey through Ireland and

Scotland. Included on this recording are traditional pieces and music by the blind Irish harpist Turlough O’Carolan. This is a beautiful recording performed by a musician at the top of his craft. Highly recommended.

Classical Special of the Month

Schubert: The Complete Matthias Goerne Lieder Edition Matthias GoerneHarmonia Mundi. HMX290875061. 12CDs.

Was $79.95 $49.95 Please note: very limited stock at this price.

Matthias Goerne’s Schubert survey has established him as one of the most gifted exponents of the song repertoire. Goerne does not

merely ‘interpret’ Schubert: he ‘lives’ each song and invites the listener to share this poetry and musical intimacy. Matthias Goerne made his personal selection from the songs, in which the three great cycles sit alongside many masterpieces like ‘Des Fischers Liebesglück’, an interpretation which in itself would be enough to justify this magnificent undertaking.

Classical Music

Relatively little is known about Austrian composer Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (1623–1680), despite being described during his lifetime as ‘the famous and just about foremost violinist of all Europe’. Indeed, his six sonatas for violin and continuo–the sonatæ unarum fidium–are among the earliest examples of this genre. The sonatas consist largely of variations, allowing the violinist displays of virtuosity alongside passages of great restraint. For the Obsidian label, Melbourne-based baroque violinist and scholar David Irving has newly recorded the sonatas on a Jacob Stainer replica violin, an original of which was likely played by Schmelzer himself.

Recorded in the natural acoustic of St Fidelis Parish Church, West Coburg, Irving and his colleagues produce a sound that is both warm and clear, with the spontaneity of a live recording and the precision of a studio one.

Along with harpist Hannah Lane, gambist Laura Vaughan, theorbist Tommie Anderson and keyboard

player John O’Donnell, Irving has set out to recreate Schmelzer’s music as it might have been heard at the time of composition. This is quite the exercise, explained in detail in the sleeve notes, in which Irving describes fascinating particulars of elements of performance practice employed: tuning, stringing, and style of basso continuo. Of course, this may be quite a dry exercise if the music itself were not so beautiful, or so beautifully played. Recorded in the natural acoustic of St Fidelis Parish Church, West Coburg, Irving and his colleagues produce a sound that is both warm and clear, with the spontaneity of a live recording and the precision of a studio one. Irving’s own performance is both intelligent and musical, and he plays the many technically demanding passages with skill, accuracy and–importantly–flair.

Slightly incongruous is the inclusion of Johann Caspar Kerll’s passacaglia in D minor, performed on organ by John O’Donnell. While well played, the slightly gloomy sound of the organ interrupts the meditative atmosphere of Schmelzer’s sonatas. That said, there’s little else to complain about on this impressively researched and divinely performed recording.

Alexandra Mathew is from Readings Carlton

Schmelzer: The Emperor’s Fiddler David Irving Obsidian. OBSCD718. $29.95

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GREAT AUSTRALIANS T O R I E S F O R S U M M E R

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