The start of a new month means that there's a new issue of Readings Monthly available online and in our shops. Below you can read the foreword from the latest issue – and keep an eye on the blog for more updates and recommended new releases throughout the month!
The Melbourne Writers Festival is just around the corner, launching on the 8th of May. The theme of this year’s festival is ‘magical thinking’ and the festival director, Veronica Sullivan, has put together an incredible line-up of local and international writers. From the international cohort there are some really big names, but two stand out as being favourites with Readings customers: Samantha Harvey, author of last year’s Booker Prize-winning novel Orbital, and Colm Tóibín.
The last time Tóibín was a guest of MWF was in 2013 when he was promoting his novel The Testament of Mary. I was lucky enough to be the bookseller at that event and to listen in on his discussion with Michael McGirr. I had never read any Tóibín at the time, but I was so impressed by his intelligence and charm that I felt compelled to seek out his books. I have now read all of them except for the one he discussed that evening, The Testament of Mary. It is an enriching experience to hear an author discuss a work that you’ve read, but it is also fascinating to hear someone discuss their work when you haven’t yet read it. So I would encourage all of you to book a ticket to a session with someone you might not be familiar with.
I am looking forward to seeing Harvey in conversation with Melbourne-based author Kate Mildenhall. While I presume they will be discussing Harvey’s masterpiece, Orbital, she has an extensive backlist that I have yet to delve into. I imagine there are many fans out there who are in the same boat as me. Harvey’s publisher, Penguin Random House, has assured us that many of her backlist titles will be available for us to stock at our festival shop. You will also be able to find these in our other shops after the festival if you don’t get the chance to make it along to the event.
