John Duffy with Molly Fay, Michael Bowen at Whitefish Bay, Jaquira Díaz, Lawrence Lanahan at UWM, Holly Black, Game Night, and Paul Wellington with Nicholas Robinson at Tippecanoe Library. Lidia Bastianich is sold out, but Mitch Albom tickets look like they are still available.

Just how did we wind up working on so many events on Tuesday, November 19? In addition to the four we're talking about here, Amie and I are doing a book talk at Elmbrook School District in the morning. The way it usually works is that we pick the perfect date for an event. Then another opportunity comes to us that is less date-flexible. Didn't seem to be a conflict. And then the other events came along where we were not the leads - they were already set and were looking for a bookstore partner.

I will note that this mostly happens on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is when outside groups are most likely to schedule programming. On the upside, you certainly have several great options if you want to hear a speaker on Tuesday evening, even with Bastianich sold out.

Monday, November 18, 7 pm, at Boswell:
John Duffy, author of Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety: A Complete Guide to Your Child's Stressed, Depressed, Expanded, Amazing Adolescence, in conversation with Molly Fay

Clinical pyschologist, life coach, and parenting expert John Duffy speaks to Molly Faye, Emmy-winning reporter and WTMJ4 Morning Blend host Molly Faye about Duffy's latest book, which focuses on the changing teenage brain. Cosponsored by REDgen, whose mission is to advocate for the mental health and wellbeing of all youth. At this time, registration is still open at redgen-duffy.eventbrite.com. Walk-ups are fine. You might wind up checking in through our friends at REDgen.

No parent experienced their teen years the way children do today; children as young as eight-years-old are prematurely self-conscious, over-stressed, and overwhelmed. Duffy provides strategies and tips for actively learning the world of our children, so that when they need us, we can be there armed with understanding.

Kids are growing up with nearly unlimited access to social media and the internet, and unprecedented academic, social, and familial stressors, and children are exposed to information, thought, and emotion that they are developmentally unprepared to process. As a result, saving the typical “teen parenting” strategies for thirteen-year-olds is now years too late. Duffy offers a guide for parents raising children who are growing up quickly and dealing with unresolved adolescent issues that can lead to anxiety and depression.

Monday, November 18, 6:30 pm, at Whitefish Bay Library, 5420 N Marlborough Dr
Michael Bowen, author of False Flag in Autumn

Milwaukee-are attorney and author of numerous mysteries such as Badger Game and Damage Control appears at the Whitefish Bay Public Library for his latest, a political thriller that asks why there wasn't an October surprise before the 2018 mid-term elections.

The irrepressible Josie Kendall finds herself in the middle of the novel’s provocative question, but answering it quickly confronts her with an even more dramatic challenge: What about 2020, with control of the White House at stake? Will Josie find the guts to leave the Beltway cocoon, where the weapons are spin, winks, nudges, and strategic leaks, and venture into a darker world where the weapons are actual weapons? Josie knows that you don't do politics with choir girls, but if she wants to end up on the side of the angels, she'll have to find some angels who play a little dirty.

Tuesday, November 19, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Jaquira Díaz, author of Ordinary Girls

Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at UW-Madison Díaz visits with her searing memoir of growing up in housing projects in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach, one of the most anticipated books of the year according to Time, Publishers Weekly, The Millions, and more.

Growing up in housing projects, Díaz found herself caught between extremes. From her own struggles with depression and sexual assault to Puerto Rico’s history of colonialism, Díaz writes with raw and refreshing honesty, triumphantly mapping a way out of despair toward love and hope, to become her version of the girl she always wanted to be. Diaz’s memoir provides a vivid portrait of a life lived in and beyond the borders of Puerto Rico and its complicated history.

From Reyna Grande in The New York Times Book Review: "A skilled writer, Díaz is meticulous in her craft, and on page after page her writing truly sings. Her temporal leaps and switches in tense and point of view make the overall delivery both powerful and complex...But perhaps disorientation is necessary to convey the life of this ordinary girl who was forced to grow up too quickly and fend for herself."

Tuesday, November 19, 7 pm, at UWM Greene Hall, 3347 N Downer Ave:
Lawrence Lanahan, author of The Lines Between Us: Two Families and a Quest to Cross Baltimore's Racial Divide

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Urban Studies Programs and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council present an evening with journalist Lawrence Lanahan, whose book, based on a Baltimore Public Radio fifty-episode series, received Columbia University’s duPont Award, which honors excellence in broadcast and digital journalism.

In The Lines Between Us, Lawrence Lanahan chronicles how Baltimore became so highly segregated and why its fault lines persist today, using the stories of two individuals, a white suburbanite contemplating a move to West Baltimore, and a black woman who hopes to move from a poor city neighborhood to a prosperous suburb.

Together they personify the enormous disparities in access to safe housing, educational opportunities, and decent jobs. As they eventually pack up their lives and change places, bold advocates and activists - in the courts and in the streets - struggle to figure out what it will take to save our cities and communities: Put money into poor, segregated neighborhoods? Make it possible for families to move into areas with more opportunity?

From Jacqui Banaszynski in the Star Tribune: "His reporting is evenhanded, his writing clear-eyed and dispassionate...Lanahan reveals an anger that edges on despair, and makes a clear call for something better from America."

Wednesday, November 20, 6 pm, at Tippecanoe Library, 3912 S Howell Ave:
Paul Wellington, author of Black Built: History and Architecture in the Black Community, in conversation with Nicholas Robinson of DREAM Builders

Milwaukee author and cofounder of MKE Black, Wellington explores over forty works by Black architects and their impact. He’ll chat with Nicholas Robinson, co-creator of DREAM Builders and one of only eight licensed African American architects in the state.

Please note that copies of Black Built will not be available for purchase at this event. Boswell will have the book for sale in the store or via our website, by clicking the link in this event listing title.

Wednesday, November 20, 6:30 pm, at Boswell:
Boswell’s Fall Game Night

Enjoy sampling new and bestselling games from our collection, including Boswellian favorites like Roadkill, Forbidden Island, and Quicktionary. Boswellians Jen and Aaron will offer a short intro and demos for each game, plus we’ll have giveaways too. Attendees are encouraged to come alone or in groups.

Please note this game night is for folks age 16 and up, and that some of these games involve adult language. Free registration is requested at boswellgamefall19.bpt.me. Online registrations through Tuesday. Walk-ups will be accommodated, if space is available.

Thursday, November 21, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Holly Black, author of The Queen of Nothing

#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black makes her first Milwaukee appearance in six years with her highly anticipated, jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy. Registration is free for this event at hollyblackmke.bpt.me, but you must upgrade to a copy of The Queen of Nothing to get in the signing line. This event features Holly Black in conversation with Jaime and Erin Arkin of Fiction Fare.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to keep. As the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and reeling from betrayal. Determined to reclaim everything taken from her, Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court if she wishes to save her sister. When a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity.

Will there be Fairy Food? Yes. Will there be a special Fairy drink special at Starbucks? Yes. What more can you want? We're taking registrations through Wednesday.

Monday, November 25, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Layne Fargo, author of Temper, in conversation with Kelsey Rae Dimberg

Chicago-based author Layne Fargo visits with her debut that’s a razor-sharp page-turner, named to the New York Times summer reading list. She’ll chat with Milwaukee’s own Kelsey Rae Dimberg, author of Girl in the Rearview Mirror. Prior to the event, Boswell’s in-store mystery book club will meet at 6 pm to discuss Temper.

After years of struggling in the Chicago theater scene, ambitious actress Kira finally lands the role of a lifetime. The catch? Working with a mercurial director known for pushing performers past their limits onstage and off. As opening night draws near, Kira and the theater’s slippery cofounder both start to realize the director’s dangerous extremes are nothing compared to what they're capable of themselves.

From Mindy Mejia in The New York Journal of Books: "Temper is one hell of a ride. Fargo’s writing is direct and crisp, and her characters mesmerize. She keeps the story moving and the intrigue high with fresh twists on those classic thriller genre crowd-pleasers: sex, violence, and deception. Readers won’t find better in the debut thriller category this summer." It's now close to winter and maybe they still won't!

And here's the status on the two big off-site events on Tuesday.

Lidia Bastianich at the ICC is sold out. We may have stand-by tickets at the door.

At this point, Mitch Albom is still accepting event registrations. My guess is that the website will close out advance registrations sometime today. Contact (414) 933-8002 for more information.

Photo credits
Jaquira Díaz credit Maria Esquinca