Working with The Reader's Choice on Some Upcoming Events

Back when I lived in the Yankee Hill area, I used to take a lot of walks. (I wasn't just more centrally located; I also seemingly had a lot more time). One of my favorites was to wander around the Brewer's Hill and Beerline neighborhoods. I was fond of taking the steel staircase from the Van Buren-Holton Street bridge down to river level and look at the construction of all those condos. We toured a few too!

If I was with friends, I might take them to Roots on Hubbard Street. If it was a Friday or Saturday, I'd head over to Northern Chocolate to stock up on Jim's fruit and nut delicacies, or perhaps some of chocolates set in antique molds. I'm already getting hungry thinking about it.

Another great place to stop by is The Reader's Choice, located on King Drive and Brown. Carla Allison has a great selection of what she calls "The best in literature by minority authors." She's also got a very good history and culture section, plus a wonderful assortment of kids books.

I stopped by the store this week, to brainstorm about upcoming events with Rebecca Skloot (on September 1st) and Michele Norris (on September 30th, at Alverno). As I entered, she was talking up The Fourth Turning to our friend Eric. I was embarrassed to say I hadn't read it, even though I am interested in that kind of thing. Carla was quite passionate on the book and if he didn't buy it, I was ready to.

I asked her for three of her favorite books, to feature here. They were:

The Right Mistake, by Walter Mosley. She's a huge fan of Mosley, and promises that there is life beyond Easy Rawlins. This is one of his more recent books (Mosley is prolific, and has been known to publish a couple of books per year). Hey, this is a great suggestion for Socrates Cafe, the philosophical discussion group that is returning to the Boswell location this fall. The first meeting is Saturday, September 11th, at 2 PM. It's free and open to the public.

I think people who like Walter Mosley might enjoy Attica Locke's Black Water Rising, so I suggested that go on Allison's likely quite substatial "maybe I should read this" pile.

Black Women in the Image of God, edited by Dorothy Winbush Riley. This is one of Allison's all-time favorites, and not an easy one to find. It's a collection of art, photography, and even sculpture that depicts women of African descent through the ages.

Oy, there was a wonderful kids book that we talked about, but I can't read my scribble. I also failed the famous author test on their wall of past events. To my credit, I'd probably fail the test at most other bookstores.

When you're done, cross the street and head to Fein Brothers. It's a really great restaurant supply store. Oh, and you are only a block from Northern Chocolate. Or just walk up and down the blocks east of the store, with some of the finest historical housing stock in the city, much of it in beautifully restored condition.

And don't forget about our events with Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, on September 1st, at Boswell, 7 PM, and Michele Norris, on September 30th at Alverno, with tickets available at the box office.