Hanging Out in Bookstores

Bookstores! The smell of paper. The piles of stories. All the great authors pressed tightly together, spooning on the shelves.

These are some of the reasons that you’re more likely to find me in a bookstore than a bar on a Saturday night.

Before I left Melbourne, one of my top Saturday night hangouts was Readings in Carlton. Outside, on Lygon Street, people sipped at late night lattes and club-goers shuffled past in six-inch heels, tugging at miniskirts. Not me, though. I sat inside with everything I needed in one place: paperbacks, time to browse, money in my pocket for a new book, and Ivan (also, thankfully, a book geek).

When I was writing Love with a Chance of Drowning, I would sometimes walk into Readings and picture my book sitting among the new releases. It was a fantasy—nothing more than a silly game I played for fun.

With a goofy smile, I’d say to Ivan: “Imagine if our book was in here.”

“It will be,” he’d reply with conviction. “I promise.”

I’d arch an eyebrow at him and shake my head in disbelief. He’s always making crazy promises.

And he’s always right…

Love is on shelves right now, spooning with great authors, just as it was my fantasy. But I’ve imagined it so many times that seeing it on shelves is just plain confusing.

No. That can’t be real?

On Tuesday, we’ll head to our Saturday-night hangout—our second home—where I’ll be speaking as a guest author at Readings. I’ll talk a little about the journey and my book, and I’ll be doing a book signing.

If you’re in Melbourne, come along and pinch me. 

I’m going to be talking about travel, fear, and my publishing story.

I’m also appearing in an Ocean Grove bookstore, called Bookgrove. The owner, Stacey Moore, very kindly invited me to come and launch there. If you’re interested in joining us, come by at 6.45pm for some champagne cocktails. There will be a talk, a Q&A, and a book signing.

If you know someone in the Melbourne area who might be interested, it would be fantastic if you could pass this along.

Readings
Tuesday 12 March 2013 at 6:30pm
Readings Carlton: 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria
Please book on 03 9347 6633 or at events@readings.com.au

Bookgrove
Wednesday 13 March 2013 at 6.45pm
Bookgrove Ocean Grove: 1/73 the terrace, Ocean Grove, Victoria
Please book on 03 5255 5973 or email stacey@bookgrove.com.au

Torre DeRoche

Torre DeRoche is the author of two travel memoirs, Love with a Chance of Drowning (2013) and The Worrier’s Guide to the End of the World (due out September 2017). She has written for The Atlantic, The Guardian Travel, The Sydney Morning Herald, Emirates, and two Lonely Planet anthologies.