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This month, local author Chris Barton is giving away a hardcover and audiobook version of Flying Lessons & Other Stories, a wonderful middle-grade anthology published by Crown Books for Young Readers in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. The book includes writing from beloved authors like Kwame Alexander, Grace Lin, and Jacqueline Woodson. Barton allowed us … Continue reading Chris Barton talks with Ellen Oh and Kelly J. Baptist
Benjamin Alire Sáenz is an award-winning author of poetry and prose for adults and teens. His last YA novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, which tells the story of a life-changing friendship between two teenage boys living in El Paso, was a Printz Honor Book, winner of the Stonewall Award, the … Continue reading Q&A with Benjamin Alire Sáenz
McSweeney's author John Brandon, who debuted with the simmering and suspenseful Arkansas in 2008, is releasing a brand new book called Citrus County. We'll have a review forthcoming, but for now check out the music playlist Brandon submitted to the well-known music/lit blogger Large Hearted Boy. LHB's Book Notes series asks authors to submit and discuss a number of songs that relate to their book.
For the last two years, Craig Johnson has consistently been one of our mystery section's bestselling authors. The Cold Dish, the first book concerning northern Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire, seems to always be on the section's top ten, as well as sometimes appearing in the store’s over all ranks. We’re lucky enough to have Craig involved with two upcoming events.
Jake Silverstein's debut book, Nothing Happened and Then It Did: A Chronicle in Fact and Fiction, is a partly true, partly imagined chronicle of a young journalist's attempt to find his first great story. This search takes Jake from the drought-ridden ranches of West Texas and Mexico, to a poetry contest in Reno, Nevada. We'll … Continue reading Interview with Jake Silverstein, “Nothing Happened and Then It Did”
Anna Mitchael is the debut author of Just Don't Call Me Ma'am: How I Ditched the South, Forgot My Manners, and Managed to Survive My Twenties with (Most of) My Dignity Still Intact. It's a very funny and engaging memoir about her southern upbringing, big city life and her never-ending quest for adventure. She'll be reading portions of the book and signing copies this Friday, April 2nd at 7PM.
April Lurie and Varian Johnson (local YA fiction all-stars) are having a dual release party their new books, The Less-Dead and Saving Madie, this Saturday, March 27th at 2PM. At the event the authors will interview each other about their new work and discuss social taboos not meant for the easily offended. There will be refreshments, of course.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Slacker, Red Headed Stranger, Dazed and Confused, El Mariachi, Office Space...There's a long, long list of classic movies made in Austin by Austinites. Something about this city's culture has convinced a growing number of film-making mavericks to work at home. In her new book Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids: 30 Years of Filmmaking in Austin, Texas, Alison Macor, former film critic for the Chronicle, uses her pain-staking research and interviews with Richard Linklater, Tobe Hooper, Robert Rodriguez (and many others) to retrace Austin's cinematic history and remember the people that made it happen.
Seasoned political reporters John Heilemann and Mark Halperin interviewed over 200 sources for their best selling book Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime - a page turning tell-all about the scandals, decisions and drama of the 2008 presidential election. John and Mark will be here this Friday, March 5th at noon to discuss the election, it's key players and sign copies of the book. They were nice enough to answer a few questions for the blog.
Ted Gioia is an author and musician, responsible for several scholarly, yet avidly readable chronicles on the history of blues, jazz and work songs. His most famous book, The History of Jazz, is an epic sprawling survey of this century's most dynamic genre. His new work, The Birth (and Death) of the Cool, is a cultural study of the social attitudes of the 20th century, how 'cool' became the prevailing style, and how advertisers use it to their advantage.
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