Banned Book Bracelets, and What's Going on This Week at Boswell.

Confession--we don't have a "banned book week" display this year. Between our event displays and other programming displays, plus the tables needed for calendars and other stuff, we simply ran out of room.  My apologies, and I hope to do a better job in 2012.

We did bring in the banned book bracelets that many indie bookstores are selling. Anne had gotten one as a gift several years back, and when she showed it to me, I agreed that we could try carrying them.  They come in two sizes--the smaller icons are mostly young adult novels. A percentage of sales goes to ABFFE (the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression).

Meanwhile, you're probably wondering what's going on at Boswell this week, aside from our Patrick Carman event at the Greenfield Public Library, which I wrote up yesterday. We've got four other great events at the bookstore.  Pardon me for a little paraphrasing and hats off to Stacie, who originally compiles this info for our press release.

Wednesday, September 28, 7:00 pm:

Mary Bergin, author of Sidetracked in the Midwest: A Green Guide for Travelers.

Did you know there is a Prairie Chicken Festival in Stevens Point every spring? Or that bicycles Lance Armstrong rode in seven Tour de France wins can be viewed at Trek’s headquarters in Waterloo?

Sidetracked in the Midwest features such wondrous, intriguing places as these Wisconsin novelties, and more, all grouped into four categories of ecotourism: food and drink, lodging and retreats, nature and wildlife, the old and the new. Whether you want to visit a Michigan art park, observe wolves and bears in Ely, Minnesota, or swing on ropes inside St. Louis’ City Museum, Bergin gathers together an eclectic mix of green nooks and crannies bound to educate, entertain and enrich with a conscience.

Mary Bergin is an award-winning travel photographer and writer who roams the globe but specializes in the Midwest, especially Wisconsin. Her work appears in AAA Living, Wisconsin Trails, USA Today, and DK Eyewitness Travel Guides. Bergin is also the author of two previous travel books, Sidetracked in Wisconsin and Hungry for Wisconsin.

Thursday, September 29, 7 pm:
Larry Watson, author of America’s Boy, Montana 1948 and numerous other novels.

We meet Matthew Garth in the fall of 1962, when the shooting of a young woman on Thanksgiving Day sets off a chain of unsettling events in his small hometown of Willow Falls, Minnesota. Matthew first sees Louisa Lindahl in Dr. Dunbar’s home office, and at the time her bullet wound makes nearly as strong an impression as her unclothed body. Fueled over the following weeks by his feverish desire for this mysterious woman and a deep longing for the comfort and affluence that appears to surround the Dunbars, Matthew finds himself drawn into a vortex of greed, manipulation, and ultimately betrayal.

“Larry Watson’s latest book, American Boy, may be his best yet. With the patient skill of a seasoned writer, Watson tells an engaging coming-of-age story of a young man in Willow Falls, Minnesota during the 1960s. Youthful passions, heartbreaks, loyalties and moral uncertainties are all rendered in vivid color.” —David Rhodes, author of Driftlesa.

And this from Carl: "A true, realistic, and intelligent novel of a teen-aged Minnesota boy in the early 1960s, in which a woman with a gunshot wound captures young Matthew Garth's imagination and continues to hold it in a fierce grip. Young Matthew first encounters Louisa Lindahl in the office of the town doctor, at whose home he spends much of his time. Along the way, Matthew endeavors to work his way into Louisa's affections, while pursuing typical teenage pursuits with Johnny Dunbar, the doctor's son. While Matthew ultimately finds out the answers to most of the questions he has about this mysterious young woman, many of these answers aren't the ones he wants. Watson does a wonderful job of peering under the masks of these small town folks and helping us see what their real selves are."

Larry Watson is the author of seven widely acclaimed novels, including the best-selling Montana 1948, which was awarded the Milkweed National Fiction Prize and a Best Book citation by the American Library Association, short-listed for the IMPAC Dublin International Award, and published in ten foreign editions. Montana 1948 was recently chosen as the official selection of the inaugural Shorewood Reads community book program. Larry Watson lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is a visiting professor of English and creative writing at Marquette University.

Montana 1948 has been chosen as the Shorewood Reads selection for fall 2011, and Watson will be speaking about the book on Wednesday, October 5, at the Shorewood Public Library, at both 3 pm and 7 pm. Visit their website here.

Friday, September 30, 7 pm:
Martin Hintz, author of A Spirited History of Milwaukee Brews and Booze.

Crack open this comprehensive history of Brew City booze. Explore Milwaukee's "rum holes," discover how the city weathered Prohibition and which Jones Island sported the longest mustache. Copy down the best recipe involving Sprecher Special Amber, Rainbow Trout and sauerkraut. Sample the rich heritage of Pabst, Schlitz, Gettelman and Miller--the folk who turned Milwaukee into the Beer Capital of the World. And save some room for the more recent contributions of distillers and craft brewers who continue to make the city an exciting place for the thoughtful drinker.

Martin Hintz has been a freelance writer since 1975, after seven years with The Milwaukee Sentinel as an editor and reporter. Founder and publisher of The Irish American Post, he is also the author of hundreds of articles for major newspapers and magazines including American Archaeology, Milwaukee Magazine, National Geographic World, Chicago Tribune, New York Post, Midwest Living, The Writer, Home & Away, and the Wisconsin Academy Review. Hintz has authored or edited nearly 100 books about Milwaukee and Wisconsin, including Wisconsin Cheese, Got Murder, Celebrate the Legend: 25 Years of IrishFest, and several titles on the Images of Milwaukee series.

Saturday, October 1, 3 pm:

Sebastian Barry, Man Booker Prize shortlisted (and for the current novel, longlisted)author of On Canaan’s Side.

A lyrical writer of Irish novels often based on his own family’s history, Barry’s work steadily receives glowing critical praise and he has twice been nominated for the Man Booker Prize. A fictionalized account of Barry’s own great-aunt’s life, On Canaan’s Side is no exception. Mike Fischer, in a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review, calls it “gorgeously written.”

Carl, one of Boswell’s own booksellers, describes and praises On Canaan’s Side:

“After her grandson dies by his own hand, a grief-stricken elderly woman chronicles her life in exile in the U.S. while trying to decide if she can go on. Lily Bere's journal of events and emotions thrillingly carries the reader through the different eras of 20th-century America, with all the accompanying details of language and mores. In a style that's both personal and inclusive, Lily's account also vividly captures her life in Revolutionary Ireland before being forced to flee for her life with her husband. This great novel is the best book I've read by the gifted Sebastian Barry, which is saying quite a lot.”

And, bookseller Sharon writes “It is by turns heartbreaking and funny. A fascinating read from an author who is a master of language and storytelling.”

Dublin-born Sebastian Barry is author of numerous plays, poetry collections, and novels, including Annie Dunne, The Secret Scripture and A Long, Long Way, the latter short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. His awards include the Irish-America Fund Literary Award, the London Critics Circle Award, The Kerry Group Irish Fiction Prize, and Costa Awards for Best Novel and Book of the Year.

It's a good week for Carl!