Reading with Pops: A Feast for Dragons, A Dance with Crows

~post by Bosco About ten years ago, my Mom met and fell in love with a straight up nerd whom she later married. My mom is an academic. She has a doctorate. She chaired the department where she taught English at a small state University. I grew up in a kind of dorky intellectual environment. … Continue reading Reading with Pops: A Feast for Dragons, A Dance with Crows →

The Changes That Came: Sam Cooke & the Beatles

~post by Joe T. I’m a big fan of celebrating anniversaries. Whether it’s birthdays, death days, or commemorating epoch events, it’s all awesome to me. This last week from January 30th through February 9th has seen two anniversaries of world shaking importance. First off, January 30th was the 50th anniversary of the recording of Sam … Continue reading The Changes That Came: Sam Cooke & the Beatles →

Carson Ellis & Colin Meloy’s Favorite Children’s Books

Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis stopped by last night to talk to a packed house about the third book in their bestselling Wildwood series, Wildwood Imperium. After a sweet slideshow of childhood pictures and artwork, a Q&A with kids in the audience, and a long signing (these two are total troopers), we asked Colin and Carson … Continue reading Carson Ellis & Colin Meloy’s Favorite Children’s Books →

Jen Lancaster: Hilarious Storyteller & Official BookPeople Favorite

~post by Katie P. New York Times bestselling author Jen Lancaster was in the store last night to read from and chat about her new novel Twisted Sisters. Lancaster’s ten previous books, appearances on NPR, The Joy Behar Show, and the Today Show have cemented her place as a beloved humorist and novelist for hundreds … Continue reading Jen Lancaster: Hilarious Storyteller & Official BookPeople Favorite →

Book Vloggin’ With Jan: Love is Dead

~post by Jan Break up stories are love stories...ending. Sometimes it's a rejuvenating purge of a nasty buildup. Sometimes it's having to let go of something that you've put a lot of time and emotion into building. Either way, they make amazing stories. In this month's installment of Book Vloggin' with Jan, Break Up … Continue reading Book Vloggin’ With Jan: Love is Dead →

Willy Vlautin: A Writer With A Big Heart (and a new book)

~post by Carolyn You can't go wrong with Willy Vlautin. His knack for speaking plainly about hard truths earns comparisons to John Steinbeck and Raymond Carver. (In fact it was a Carver story, Too Much Water So Close to Home, that inspired Vlautin to begin writing stories for the page.) This guy writes with a big heart. … Continue reading Willy Vlautin: A Writer With A Big Heart (and a new book) →

The Delicate String of Memory: THE ANSWER TO THE RIDDLE IS ME

The Answer to the Riddle is Me: A Memoir of Amnesia by David Stuart MacLean Reviewed by Steve(n) If every new experience is a bead on a bracelet, then memory is the string that unites these events into the coherent chain of a human life. David Stuart MacLean had the uncanny and horrifying misfortune of having … Continue reading The Delicate String of Memory: THE ANSWER TO THE RIDDLE IS ME →

Ishmael Beah Reads From RADIANCE OF TOMORROW

Ishmael Beah's book A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider soared to the top of bestseller lists (and book club lists) when it was released in 2007. A harrowing account of Sierra Leone's civil war, Beah's story exposed readers to the fate of child soldiers. Now he has returned with his first novel, Radiance of Tomorrow, an … Continue reading Ishmael Beah Reads From RADIANCE OF TOMORROW →

ALA Youth Media Awards Announced

This morning the American Library Association announced the winners of this year's Youth Media Awards. Included in the ALA Awards are the 2014 recipients of the Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Medal. Congratulations to all of the winners and honorees! Flora and Ulysses was one of our favorite books of 2013 and we're thrilled (and not … Continue reading ALA Youth Media Awards Announced →

Going Home Again: BIRTH, SCHOOL, METALLICA, DEATH, VOLUME 1

Birth, School, Metallica, Death: Volume 1 by Paul Brannigan & Ian Winwood Reviewed by Bosco I'm fairly sure that I first saw Metallica in the summer of '86 in Dallas, TX. I remember them being one of the greatest live bands I had seen up to then. Through that show's date until the early 21st Century, … Continue reading Going Home Again: BIRTH, SCHOOL, METALLICA, DEATH, VOLUME 1 →