Marketing and Events Coordinator Stella Charls shares her top five picks from our July event calendar!

Stephanie Bishop in conversation with Emily Harms

July is a fabulous month for those who love good conversation! Authors Rod Jones, Alex Hammond and Gregory Day, will all be visiting us across the month for in-depth discussions on their books. I’m particularly excited to hear Stephanie Bishop chat about her second novel, The Other Side of the World, as judging by staff responses, this book looks set to be one of the best fiction releases of the year.

When? 6:30pm, Tuesday 7 July
Where? Readings Carlton
Bookings? Free, but please book here.

Tim Fischer on Sir John Monash and the call for recognition

Tim Fischer (who served as Deputy Prime Minister in the Howard Government from 1996 to 1999) will give a fascinating talk about Australia’s ‘Maestro’ Sir John Monash – the topic of his recent book.

When? 6:30pm, Wednesday 8 July
Where? Readings Carlton
Bookings? Free, but please book here.

Book launch: We Are Here by Cat Thao Nguyen

This is my pick for book launches this month. We Are Here is told through the bright and unflinching eyes of Cat Thao, a girl born in a refugee camp. Thao tells of her family’s journey to Australian, and her own coming of age against the backdrop of an immigrant experience.

When? 6:30pm, Thursday 9 July
Where? Readings Hawthorn
Bookings? Free, no booking required.

Where’s OzYA going right, and where’s it going wrong?

Joun us along with Melbourne literary journal Kill Your Darlings for a lively discussion about young adult fiction in Australia: Who’s reading it, and why? Are there enough diverse voices? How can we all do it better? Our panellists – Marisa Pintado, Melissa Keil, Susan La Marca and Danielle Binks – will discuss these questions and more. Readers, bloggers, writers, teachers, publishers, reviewers, enthusiasts are all welcome.

When? 6:30pm, Tuesday 14 July
Where? Readings Hawthorn
Bookings? Free, but please book here.

Meet the winner of the 2015 Readings Children’s Book Prize

We recently announced Trace Balla as the winner of the Readings Children’s Book Prize for this year! The Prize recognises and celebrates Australian books that children love to read, and raises the profile of debut and on-the-rise Australian children’s book authors. Balla’s Rivertime is a tender and beautifully illustrated tale of a boy and his bird-watching uncle on a paddling trip along Australia’s Glenelg River. Come along to hear Balla in conversation with special guest judge and children’s author Sally Rippin.

When? 4:30pm, Tuesday 28 July
Where? Readings Hawthorn
Bookings? Free, but please book here.

And, don’t forget these two upcoming August event for your diary…

• National Bookshop Day, Saturday 8 August
• Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton launch The 65-Storey Treehouse, Wednesday 12 August

See our full events program here.