PEN/Faulkner Award Finalists Announced

Finalists for this year's PEN/Faulkner Award have been announced. The winner will be announced on April 2, 2014 and the 34th annual PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Ceremony & Dinner, held at the Folger Shakespeare Library on Saturday, May 10th. Tickets are open to the public and available via their website. Congrats to all of the nominees! … Continue reading PEN/Faulkner Award Finalists Announced →

George Saunders Wins Story Prize

Bestselling author George Saunders took home the Story Prize last night for his collection, Tenth of December. In addition to honor and glory and yet more applause for these terrific, funny, strange stories, Saunders received a check for $20,000. From the judges: "George Saunders offers a vision and version of our world that takes into account the serious … Continue reading George Saunders Wins Story Prize →

What We’re Reading This Week

~ CINDY The One & Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate “I read this aloud with my daughter, and it is a great discussion starter. It’s about Ivan, a gorilla who lives in a mall, and he was content for a long time. He realizes that his life could be better, and he works hard to … Continue reading What We’re Reading This Week →

BookPeople Review: THE JESUS LIZARD BOOK – Odd & Beautiful

The Jesus Lizard Book by Jesus Lizard Reviewed by Stephanya Several months back, the BookPeople marketing department asked me if I had heard of a band called the Jesus Lizard and if we should do an event at the store for their forthcoming retrospective book. As a certifiable music obsessive, I could not stammer out, "Yes! … Continue reading BookPeople Review: THE JESUS LIZARD BOOK – Odd & Beautiful →

New Releases – 3/4/14

FICTION HARDCOVER All Our Names by Dinau Mengestu From acclaimed author Dinaw Mengestu, a recipient of the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 award, The New Yorker's 20 Under 40 award, and a 2012 MacArthur Foundation genius grant, comes a love story about a searing affair between an American woman and an African man in … Continue reading New Releases – 3/4/14 →

Consuelo is Crazy About the Crescent City

~post by Consuelo New Orleans is my favorite city, It is like love - beautiful, mysterious, complicated - and you want to keep coming back for more. I try to visit as often as I can, but luckily there is no shortage of books about the Big Easy when that’s not possible. I share with … Continue reading Consuelo is Crazy About the Crescent City →

BookPeople Review: AMERICANAH – A State of the Union Address

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Reviewed by Katie Presley We here at BookPeople were beside ourselves to welcome Ann Patchett to the store earlier this year, as we adore her as not only a favorite author but also a fellow independent bookseller. While she was here, Ann shared with us (and her packed audience) a list … Continue reading BookPeople Review: AMERICANAH – A State of the Union Address →

Bosco Blogs: Dwight Yoakam & Hardcore Honky Tonk

Dwight Yoakam: A Thousand Miles From Nowhere by Don McLeese ~post by Bosco Up in Northeast Texas, outside of Dallas, is a little town you never heard of called Commerce. I was raised there, a small college town with nothing much to it but reasons to leave. Just east of Commerce is Sulphur Springs. Our … Continue reading Bosco Blogs: Dwight Yoakam & Hardcore Honky Tonk →

Book Vloggin’ with Jan: Favorite Debut Novels

~post by Jan "I find it very interesting that the voices of these three fictional young women, two in the 1970s and one in 2014, are so strikingly familiar to me. And ultimately that's what we love about debut works, the finding of the promise of familiarity." In this month's installment of Book Vloggin' with … Continue reading Book Vloggin’ with Jan: Favorite Debut Novels →

Author Talk: Q&A With Owen Egerton

The incomparable Owen Egerton's first collection of short stories, How Best to Avoid Dying, is back in print with a fabulous new cover! Huzzah! The Chicago Tribune said of this collection, "...Egerton...applies a laser focus to our search for the sacred, with results that are both darker and more divine." Owen is a veritable staple in Austin's vibrant … Continue reading Author Talk: Q&A With Owen Egerton →