Boswell events - Nick Petrie with Bonnie North, EJ Koh with Susan Firer, Candacy Taylor at America's Black Holocaust Museum, and Melissa Hartwig Urban, which is low ticket alert

Here are this week's Boswell events!

Monday, January 13, 7:00 pm, at Boswell:
Nick Petrie, author of The Wild One, in conversation with Lake Effect's Bonnie North

Whitefish Bay author Nick Petrie returns with another thrilling installment of his award-winning Peter Ash thriller series. This time, veteran Ash must find a murdered woman’s missing son in Iceland, tracking a killer through a frigid arctic storm. Petrie will chat with WUWM Lake Effect Producer and Cohost Bonnie North. Folks who pre-ordered the book get a Nick Petrie ice scraper. While supplies last, available as well tonight.

Boswellians love The Wild One. Chris Lee writes: "The new Peter Ash thriller blends cloak (winter coat) and dagger (fishing knife) espionage-y noir with a wilderness survival story, and it’s the best book Nick Petrie has written yet. In Iceland, through a frigid arctic storm, Ash searches for a murdered woman’s missing son. The fights are crazier and the one-liners are zingy-er. Stakes are raised, powerful people commit heinous crimes, and maybe best of all, the friends and tools Peter’s leaned on in the past (including an arsenal with the ‘unlimited ammo’ cheat code) are out of reach. On his own, with nothing but his wits and the memories of wartime sins, Ash is finally forced to reckon himself - who he was before war shaped him and the things he’s done since - and decide if he can live with the man he’s become."

Starred Publishers Weekly!: "The intrepid Peter patches himself up, steals a car, eludes a squadron of police, and heads off into the wilds of Iceland searching for Óscar and his fugitive father. This is where the book begins to soar, as Peter pits his war-honed resourcefulness against the unforgiving weather and topography of Iceland, all the while being chased by a dogged police chief. This kinetic, breathless masterpiece illustrates why Petrie is here to stay"

Adds Jim Higgins in the Journal Sentinel: "The Wild One is also a love letter to Iceland and its people. During its brutal weather, which Ash foolishly underestimates, Petrie's novel characterizes it as a beautiful and civilized country. If Ash must have a dark night of the soul somewhere, he couldn't have picked a better place."

Tuesday, January 14, 7 pm, at Boswell:
EJ Koh, author of The Magical Language of Others: A Memoir, in conversation with Susan Firer

EJ Koh is author of the poetry collection A Lesser Love, winner of the Pleiades Editors Prize, and her writing has appeared in Boston Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, and World Literature Today, among others. Koh appears at Boswell with her memoir of a series of letters that helped her understand why her parents left her for another country when she was a teenager. She’ll chat with former Milwaukee Poet Laureate Susan Firer.

What a great book! Here's my rec: "When Eun Ji was a teenager, her parents left California to return for Seoul for a job, leaving EJ with her older brother. They stayed away for seven years, with only occasional trips and an attempt by Koh to live in Korea, where she trained in a Kpop training camp. Koh weaves together her own narrative with that of her relatives, telling tales of loss and survival. Punctuating the story are Koh’s mother’s letters back to America, reprinted in their original form - mostly Korean, with occasional English (sewer line) – as well as a full English translation. The voices play against each other, with the delicate and dreamlike meditations of Koh counterpointed by Mom’s earnest and matter-of-fact musings. Joined together, they form a beautiful making-of-a-poet memoir." (Daniel Goldin)

Crystal Hana Kim, author of If You Leave Me, writes “EJ Koh intricately melds her personal story with a broader view of Korean history. This memoir will pierce you.” And Don Mee Choi, author of Hardly War, praises how "remarkably and beautifully translates the language of mothers as the language of survivors."

Perfect for poets and poetry fans, folks interested in Korean history, and anyone trying to understand their mother.

Candacy Taylor, author of Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America:
Monday, January 20, 5:30 pm, at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, 401 W North Ave

America’s Black Holocaust Museum and Boswell Book Company present award-winning author, photographer, and cultural documentarian Candacy Taylor for a discussion of her new book, the first to explore the historical role and residual impact of The Green Book travel guide for black motorists. Enjoy this special Martin Luther King Jr event today with a preview event at this soon-to-reopen museum, which will feature a Green Book exhibit. This event is free. Register at candacytaylormke.bpt.me.

Tim McCarthy loves this book! His rec: "Taylor has done America a great service by documenting the history of The Green Book and what remains today of the locations it listed. The Green Book, published from 1936 to 1967, was a guide for black travelers, showing businesses that welcomed African Americans. It allowed them a degree of the safety and support they needed to enjoy travel despite the constant potential for being targeted with racial hatred and violence. In its later days, it also became a voice for demanding civil rights.

"Taylor’s details about the development and use of the book are fascinating, but her work entails so much more. She's created an impressive history of the African American economic progress which grew from having and working with automobiles, and from the increasing mobility and business opportunities they afforded. It's also personal for her, inspired by her stepfather Ron, a decorated Vietnam marine whose stories amazed her and moved her to travel across the country while searching for Green Book businesses and photographing them herself. Taylor is adept at using the past as a context to understand race in America today and what we can do to fight for equal treatment. Most importantly, this book is a smart and deeply affecting look at black people's long and agonizing struggle to get basic respect and justice. More than any book I've read, Overground Railroad made me understand the endless, malicious obstacles put in the way of basic living, solely because of skin color. It's a powerful book. I'm already eager to read it again."

Low ticket alert! Monday, January 20, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Melissa Hartwig Urban, author of The Whole30 Friends and Family: 150 Recipes for Every Social Occasion

Boswell hosts certified sports nutritionist Melissa Hartwig Urban, cocreator and CEO of the Whole30 program and a five-time best-selling author, including the #1 bestseller The Whole30. Register for this free event at whole30mke.bpt.me or upgrade to a book-with-registration option and get 10% off the cost of The Whole30 Friends and Family and signing line priority.

Since 2009, millions of people have changed their health, habits, and relationship with food with the Whole30. It has never been easier to make Whole30 meals at home, but navigating social gatherings can feel daunting. Now there's The Whole30 Friends and Family, packed with recipes for all of life’s special moments, from birthdays to baby showers, barbecues to brunches.

All of the recipes are Whole30 compliant, designed to mix and match to create the perfect menu whether you’re hosting or contributing a dish as a guest. And in true Whole30 style, the recipes are creative, colorful, and so flavorful that your guests will never miss the added sugar. These fun, creative meals will make social gatherings a breeze and let you effortlessly share your Whole30 experience with those you love.

We're close to capacity on this event! If you're planning to come, make sure you register.

Photo credits! Nick Petrie credit Troy Fox. Candacy Taylor credit Katrina Parks.

More on the updated event grid.