The Reading Room (2pm in the Library for a start @ 2.30pm – 4pm)
This volunteer run reading and discussion group meets monthly. It is anticipated that members will read the selected book prior to attendance.
If you would like to be a part of this group (free to BMI members) please complete the Expression of Interest. We welcome your feedback through this form as we progress this great new initiative.
There will be no December meeting.
Expression of Interest to participate >
For more information go to
NOVEMBER SESSION
Past the Shallows | Favel Parrett
Brothers Joe, Harry and Miles live with their father, an abalone fisherman, on the south-east coast of Tasmania. Everyday their dad battles the unpredictable ocean to make a living. He is a hard man, a bitter drinker who harbours a devastating secret that is destroying him.
Unlike Joe, Harry and Miles are too young to leave home and so are forced to live under the dark cloud of their father’s mood, trying to stay as invisible as possible whenever he is home. Harry, the youngest, is the most vulnerable and it seems he bears the brunt of his father’s anger…
This event is a BMI Community Art Project – Ballarat’s Oldest Cultural Institution
Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Lest Angels Weep by Phillipa Nefri Clark
20/07/2026
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Lest Angels Weep Phillipa Nefri Clark Don’t miss Phillipa who will be in conversation with Kate Atkinson talking about Phillipa’s new book at BMI on 29 July at 6pm The new case is cold. Stone cold. Until another murder with striking similarities rocks a remote outback town. Detective Liz Moorland is desperate to get out of Melbourne. Away from the aftermath of shocking events surrounding her team and her father. The heat of the red dirt is a welcome distraction.
Ballarat National Theatre: God of Carnage | A BMI Community Partner
15/07/2026
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19 June – 22 June | As events are confirmed they will be listed HERE.
Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Every Time She Wakes by Petronella McGovern
13/07/2026
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Every Time She Wakes Petronella McGovern Don’t miss Petronella who will be in conversation with Paula Gleeson talking about Petronella’s new book at BMI on 20 July at 6pm An unputdownable thriller from the bestselling author of Six Minutes and The Last Trace. Every Time She Wakes is a taut, time-bending thriller about family, identity and defying fate. When careers counsellor Suze and her family are evacuated from their home during a bushfire emergency, she suddenly realises they’re being kidnapped. The van crashes
Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch
06/07/2026
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Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita who will be in conversation with Dellaram Vreeland talking about Benita’s new book at BMI on 15 July at 6pm Matrescence is a biological, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual transformation that can leave mothers without the language or support to make sense of who they are. Many feel disconnected or invisible, wondering: Who am I now? Is it normal to feel this way? Blending intimate memoir, eighteen real-life stories and years of coaching into
