It’s Official. We’re in Love with Josh Ritter.

Last night we had the pleasure of hosting singer/songwriter Josh Ritter to perform songs and speak about his novel, which we’ve loved, Bright’s Passage. But pleasure doesn’t quite describe it.  Joy, now that’s a good word. This was a joyful event. Ritter is one of the kindest, most humble human beings I’ve ever met. His sincerity and genuine enthusiasm shine through in a smile that makes it clear that he loves what he does – writing, performing, talking with his fans about where they’re from, what they do for a living, what they think of Austin, jotting down their recommendations for the best breakfast spots (my vote was for Magnolia.)

In short, we had a wonderful time.  If you haven’t read Bright’s Passage yet, we highly recommend it (and we now have signed copies, so it’s a good time to pick one up.) Here are some photos from last night:

Before the event, Josh met with the Rewritten History Book Club, which read and discussed Bright’s Passage this month.

Between reading passages from the book, Josh played us some of his songs. He selected songs about angels, to highlight the character of the angel in Bright’s Passage. His talk covered a variety of topics, from the process of writing his first novel to the subject matter and why he chose it, how he developed the character of a soldier home from World War I, and the larger theme of how one maintains faith in the face of the violence and destruction of war.

After signing books for fans…..

…he signed books for us.

This has gone down in BookPeople history as one of our all-time favorite events. Thanks to all who came out and shared the night with us, and so many thanks to Josh Ritter for making it to Austin. Come back soon!