Readings.com.au: Hawthorn

Maggie Alderson

2008-11-21T00:00:00Z

Maggie Alderson also joined us on the 30th of October with a crowd decked out with mainly women and the odd man, she was warm and engaging, reading from her latest bestseller How to break your own heart.

She let us in on what inspires her, how she writes and most importantly where she got those gorgeous heels.

What a fun night !

Kate Grenville on Slow TV

2008-11-20T00:00:00Z

Kate Grenville, author of The Secret River, was at Readings Hawthorn in October talking about her new book The Lieutenant. Watch the video below courtesy of our friends at Slow TV.

Kate Grenville Part One

Kate Grenville Part Two

Robert Dessaix on Slow TV

2008-11-18T00:00:00Z

Robert Dessaix was recently at Readings Hawthorn talking about his new book Arabesques. Slow TV were there capture the event which you can watch now.

Robert Dessaix Part One

Robert Dessaix Part Two

Maggie Beer

2008-11-12T00:00:00Z

It was the week of Maggie's, Readings was alive and buzzing last week with yet another wonderful cocktail party with the beautiful and warm Maggie Beer, with tastings from her latest book Maggies Kitchen.

The dishes on offer included a Olive Tart, Broad Beans with Pecorino bruschetta & gorgeous Mozzarella Sandwiches.

This wonderful event was sponsored by Annies Lane.

John Clarke

2008-10-29T00:00:00Z

Saturday 13 December 2008 at 10:00am

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

For 20 years, Bryan Dawe has been trying to get some sense out of John Clarke. In 1987, John and Bryan began to broadcast on radio a series of weekly interviews in which prominent and newsworthy figures spoke openly about issues of the day. This noble public service soon took to television screens, where their weekly report has brought a welcome splash of colour to the week’s events for over two decades.

To celebrate this milestone, Text is publishing the very best of these interviews in one volume for the first time titled The Catastrophe Continues: 21 Years of Interviews. All the stars of the era are here: Hawke, Keating, Kennett, Howard, Costello, Latham, Ruddock, Rudd. John, as the prominent or newsworthy figure, deals with matters as he sees fit. Bryan persists with dignity and strives for understanding.

Free, no need to book.

Michael Leunig signing his new book The Lot

2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

Saturday 06 December 2008 at 10:00am

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

The Lot is a collection of musings from a truly original thinker on everything under the sun, and many things over the moon. In even the smallest, simplest things, Leunig finds the eternal key. And no matter how confronting the topic, he awakens and upholds the funny side. The uplifting side. The side you’d forgotten about – or didn’t realise was there. Michael Leunig is a Living National Treasure, who loathes and detests all forms of pandering and thus has never won an award in his life.

Free, no need to book.

Paddy Dewan book launch

2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

Thursday 20 November 2008 at 6:30pm

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

Walking Through a Real Fantasy is Paddy’s first collection of poems. Many of the poems are reflections on life encountered as a paediatric surgeon travelling the world to be trained, and then training others in developing countries. The poems have been inspired by a diverse range of poets, authors, events and people, such as a court room appearance that was the subject of ‘Look the tiger in the eye’, which was based on the tiger and the boy in Yann Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel The Life of Pi.

Free event, but please book by email or on 8345 0001.

Ethics Cafe

2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

Monday 24 November 2008 at 6:30pm

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

‘Searching for and the provision of information in libraries – the moral duty of reference librarians’ is this month’s topic. The Guest speaker is Dr Bonna Jones, Program Coordinator of the Bachelor of Business (Information and Knowledge Management) at RMIT University. She worked for many years in academic libraries, primarily in reader services positions. Convened and chaired by Dr Ralph Blunden.

Free. No bookings required.

Jenny Hocking discussing Gough Whitlam: A Moment in History

2008-10-15T00:00:00Z

Monday 17 November 2008 at 6:30pm

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

Jenny Hocking’s new book Gough Whitlam: A Moment in History is the first contemporary and definitive biographical study of the former Labor prime minister. Hocking’s narrative skill and scrupulous research reveals an extraordinary and complex man, whose life is, in every way, formed by the remarkable events of previous generations of his family, and who would, in turn, change Australian political and cultural developments in the twentieth century. Gough Whitlam: A Moment in History is a magnificent biography that illuminates the path that took one man to power.

Free, but please book on 9819 1917 or by email.

Vivienne Kelly book launch

2008-10-15T00:00:00Z

Thursday 13 November 2008 at 6:30pm

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

Cate Kennedy will launch Cooee, the story of Isabel Weaving who is not quite who she seems. True, she’s a daughter, a sister, a mother and an ex-wife, having escaped one unsatisfactory marriage, although not with her relationships with her children intact. Her second husband, Max, is the love of her life but is no longer around, the grief caused by his absence made bearable only by the visits of her beloved granddaughter. Gradually and unwittingly, Isabel discloses more about herself, her family and the enigmatic Max. This dark and elegant literary mystery will have you gasping at its unexpected revelations, but also doubled over at Isabel’s blackly comic wit.

Vivienne Kelly has spent most of her working life as a university administrator, and is currently a freelance researcher based in Melbourne.

Free, no need to book.

John Carroll in conversation with David Tacey

2008-10-15T00:00:00Z

Wednesday 12 November 2008 at 6:30pm

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

The Western tradition relies on a balance between fulfilling the ego and allowing the soul freedom to speak. But, with modernity, the old certainties that guided human life have faded. A crisis of meaning has followed.

Here in this revised edition of Ego and Soul, John Carroll examines the battlegrounds across which a struggle for meaning is being fought — including work, sport, intimacy, the university, shopping, tourism, computers, democracy, and a retreat into nature.

John is professor of sociology at La Trobe University in Melbourne. His recent books include The Western Dreaming (2001), Terror: a meditation on the meaning of September 11 (2002), The Wreck of Western Culture: humanism revisited (2004), and The Existential Jesus (2007).

Free, but please book on 9819 1917 or by email.

Jeremy Stock book launch

2008-10-15T00:00:00Z

Monday 10 November 2008 at 6:30pm

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

Dr Justin Clemens will be launching Jeremy’s book, The City, With Such Lightning Speed.

Civilisation has come to us at a cost – a large part of that cost is the economic metaphor.’ What escapes the economic metaphor, even partially, even for a moment or two, and the sacrifice it makes as it does so – intelligence, the future, time travel, the almost infinite resource, and love – is the material of this book – its subject and object - its drive, engine, fuel, ignition and exhaust. Wonderful.

Free, no need to book

Roland Harvey

2008-10-15T00:00:00Z

Sunday 16 November 2008 at 12:00pm

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

A wonderful opportunity to watch Roland create his beautiful art and read from his new fun book Roland Harvey’s Big Book of Christmas. This has stories about how Christmas is celebrated in Australia and all round the world, recipes for Christmas treats, and fabulous ideas for homemade gifts, this is the perfect Christmas book for the whole family, full of Roland Harvey's lively and humorous illustrations. One of Reading’s favourite authors.

Free, but please book on 9819 1917.

Maree Eggleston book launch

2008-10-14T00:00:00Z

Sunday 09 November 2008 at 3:00pm

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

Small Secrets is about country girl Leah Bingham, who begins nursing in a Melbourne hospital where she finds the unsympathetic, military-style training easier to handle than her family whose secrets continue to draw her back home. A funny, surprising, occasionally confronting glimpse into a bygone world, this coming of age story explores the value of friendship and the fluid nature of relationships.

Free, no need to book.

Robert Drewe

2008-10-08T00:00:00Z

On Monday night, Robert Drewe was at the Hawthorn store to talk about his new collection of short stories, The Rip. We were all captivated as he read The Whale Watchers and The Rip to us. Robert said he was inspired to return to the short story format after editing the Best Australian Stories for Black Inc. He also filled us in on some of his neighbours that feature in his regular piece in The Age.

Jo Case has interviewed Robert for the October Readings Monthly. Our monthly newsletter is available in stores or online.

Gary Bryson signing copies of his book Turtle

2008-10-07T00:00:00Z

Friday 10 October 2008 at 3:00pm

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

Monsieur Rat

2008-10-03T00:00:00Z

How cute & adorable is Monsieur Rat ?

Monsieur Rat loves his moustache. When an advertisement for Mega Moustache tonic catches his eye, he begins to dream about having the glossiest, silkiest, most brilliant moustache in the world. But as everyone knows, the best laid plans of mice and men…

When his moustache begins to grow uncontrollably, Monsieur Rat sets off on a journey to find the elusive Dr Mustako, expert in ‘moustachology’.

Monsieur Rat sets off on a journey that leads him to an unexpected destination.

This book has dreamy illustrations aimed at kids & adults.

Grand Final Fever

2008-09-30T00:00:00Z

Well it was a manic week leading into the grand final, Glenferrie Rd became a sea of brown & gold with almost every window dressed to impress, so we had to join the party. With a little help from our resident Hawks fan Rob Hastie (who incidentally has worked at Readings for 25 years this year) who had a field day bringing in old memorabilia, a couple of guernseys and some old footy books that I think may now be out of print, all in all it was a combined masterpiece.

Congratulations to the Hawthorn Football Club for a classic grand final win.

Anne Summers in conversation with Heather Ewart

2008-09-25T00:00:00Z

Sunday 26 October 2008 at 4:30pm

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

In her challenging, provocative essay On Luck Anne Summers picks apart Australians’ cherished belief in luck and being lucky, and suggests that maybe we can do better. She explores the gambling culture that is so intrinsic to being Australian, corruption in business, the economy, our obsession with being ‘The Lucky Country’, and which Australian city is the best example of a place that has relied on its luck and lost.

Anne Summers has worked in politics, the media and the non-government sector in Australia, Europe and the United States. She ran the Office of the Status of Women for Prime Minister Bob Hawke from 1983 to 1986 and was a political adviser to Prime Minister Paul Keating. She is a former editor of Ms. Magazine (New York) and Good Weekend and is author of several books, including the now classic Damned Whores and God’s Police.

Anne will be in conversation with Heather Ewart, political correspondent for ABC TV's The 7.30 Report.

Free event, but please book on 9819 1917 or by email.

Layne Beachley in conversation with Michael Gordon

2008-09-24T00:00:00Z

Sunday 28 September 2008 at 5:00pm

Readings Hawthorn: 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122

Join Michael and Layne for a glass of wine and a chat about their new book Layne Beachley: Beneath the Waves.

Based on extensive interviews with more than thirty central figures, including classmates, friends, family and many of the biggest names in surfing, and written by award-winning journalist Michael Gordon, Layne Beachley: Beneath the Waves is powerful, poignant, moving and unforgettable.