Bestsellers, Launch Events, More Bookseller Raves for T.C. Boyle's New Novel, and Bellevue Bookending

Here's our fiction bestsellers for this past week:
1. Tinkers, by Paul Harding
2. Swamplandia, by Karen Russell
3. Lord of Misrule, by Jaimy Gordon
4. While Mortals Sleep, by Kurt Vonnegut
5. Fadeaway Girl, by Martha Grimes

Our takeaway for this week is that if you host Paul Harding, bring in the hardcovers!

We've had several requests for T.C. Boyle's When the Killing's Done, but we had to tell them that the book has a Tuesday laydown. It's an honor having an event during launch week, but on the other hand, but this is the price. On the other hand, it doesn't leave folks much opportunity to buy the books elsewhere. So especially when there's backlist to sell (and in this case, there was), I'll take it!

Just in time for the event, I've had two more advance reads on the book. Here's the scoop from Sharon:
"When the Killing’s Done is an involved but quick-moving story set in the Channel Islands. Boyle relates the conflict between Alma Takesue, a scientist trying to protect an endangered community, and Dave LaJoy, an empassioned animal rights activist who doesn't want to see any species harmed, not even rats. Boyle also delves into the backgrounds and histories of the two main characters, which makes them each more than just their causes."

And here's Carl's take:
"Filled with moral ambiguity and three-dimensional characters like all of Boyle's best novels, When the Killing's Done pits Alma Boyd Takesue, a conservationist with the National Park Service, against businessman and environmental activist Dave LaJoy. The battleground for these two is California's Channel Islands, where the park service is attempting to re-establish a "natural balance" by eliminating invasive species such as rats and wild pigs, and which LaJoy is doing everything in his power to stop. The novel is very entertaining, and not preachy, while tackling weighty issues."

Carl has gone one further, and has been seemingly been reading nothing but Boyle for the past few weeks. He's been telling folks that When the Killing's Done is even better than Drop City!

We're also the launch event for The Union Quilters this Tuesday, February 22nd, at the Sunset Playhouse, at 7 pm. Jennifer Chiaverini's new novel goes on sale the day of the event.

Regarding nonfiction, it's great to see some early sales on Lisa Paul's memoir of helping a Russian friend navigate the dissident maze in the 1980's. The launch event is at the Shorewood Public Library (3920 North Murray) this Wednesday, Feb. 23, 6:30 pm.

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Ace of Cakes, by Duff Goldman (out of signed copies!)
2. Swimming in the Daylight, by Lisa Paul
3. The Pack is Back, by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (not in the Ingram database yet. I think we're hoping to have a direct link for sales. Did I forget to arrange for that? Yeeks, sorry.)
4. A Widow's Story, by Joyce Carol Oates
5. Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

Jason had mentioned to me recently that we've seen an upsurgence in Gladwell's Outliers yet again, but this is his first time on our bestseller list in a while. I recently enjoyed his New Yorker piece on college rankings*. Oates was featured on the front page of The New York Times today, paired with Michelle Latiolais new collection of stories, also titled Widow. And yes, it's from Bellevue Literary Press, the publisher of Paul Harding's Tinkers.

Don't you like the when posts come full circle?

*As well as Peter Hessler's piece on the Peace Corps.** Did you hear that Country Driving (which I finally finished--yes, sometimes I don't quite get it done in time for the event) hit the New York Times bestseller list. And as we're referencing articles, we have a display up that features the dog stories in Jim Higgins' literary canine roundup that was in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

**I know, just the beginning, but if you subscribe to the magazine but don't keep your issues very long, you can get free online access.

Our New Boyle-Wright Window, Bohjalian Guests, Hessler Slides

Today is the start of the "Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture for the 21st Century" exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Our window celebrates Wright and T.C. Boyle, whose novel, The Women, is the subject of their first book salon on Saturday, February 19th, at 10:30 am.

And Boyle is coming to Boswell on Thursday, February 24th. His new book, When the Killing's Done, lands on February 22nd. Fortunately Boyle has a lot of backlist, as it can be tough to promote an event so close to the release of a new book.

For Peter Hessler and Chris Bohjalian's events yesterday (2/11), we brought in their hardcovers, since the paperbacks would not be out on either until just before the events started. I went in a panic as I like to have hardcovers available at paperback reprint events. In Hessler's case, we sold out of hardcovers?

So I'm sure you're wondering, how did the events go and are you going to show me photos?

Bohjalian's event for Secrets of Eden was just lovely--beautiful setting, delicious meal, incredibly charming guest host. Everyone loved it, and why not? At what other event could you speak intimately with an author. Bohjalian sat at a different table for each course. I had hoped to take a photo of each table, but sadly, I got so involved in my dessert conversation that I forgot. Could we do this again? I'd definitely need a larger turnout to continue this. Help me figure out how I can convey the value of this very special kind of event. After the lunch, we had over both sections of the Oprah's Book Club class at Alverno college for a brief talk. Yes, we're a classroom too!

Hessler's talk for Country Driving was great and for once, the weather was perfect, for February at least. And yes, we used the slide projector again. I'm becoming an old pro at this. If you're hosting him at an upcoming event, you should be aware that his wife is Leslie Chang, the author of Factory Girls, and he talks about her and the event in her talk. I'd bring in at least five copies--we sold out immediately and had several more folks asking for it. And just to talk it up further, my sister Claudia (who came out, along with my brother-in-law Les), is a huge fan. Hessler and Chang talk about the same factory in their books, but in a totally different way. Their stories complement each other perfectly.

Panicking That I'm Not Going to Read the New T.C. Boyle Before the Event on 2/24--Good Thing Jason Already Did

After two blog posts where I talked about books that I'd read in preparation for an upcoming event, I now I'm feeling more under the gun that I should read every single book for events. I'm clearly not able to do that; not even all the big events. But I feel guilty about it.

And there's another wrinkle. Often on big tours, there's sometimes no choice to be among the first stores to host an event. That makes it hard to hand-sell the book beforehand. Fortunately these authors often have backlist available, which is why you see piles of T.C. Boyle books on our author case. In Mr. Boyle's case, we're probably event #3, as his new novel, When the Killing's Done, goes on sale 2/22, and our event is Thursday, February 24th, at 7 PM, at Boswell. It is not ticketed--we welcome all Boyle fans, whether you borrow him from the library or download him on your e-reader. That said, we need to sell books in order to keep getting authors of this stature--just saying.

You say you don't like novels? Short stories are your thing? Well, how convenient, as Boyle is considered a short story master, and his new collection, Wild Child, will be out in paperback for the event.

The new novel is a story set off the coast of Santa Barbara in the Channel Islands. On one side is Alma Boyd Takesue, a National Park Service biologist hoping to preserve the native animals from interlopers like feral pigs and rats. On the other is Dave LaJoy, a local businessman, who, with his partner the folksinger Anise, is fiercely opposed to the killing of any living creature. The violence escalates in a battle of crossed environmental causes. There's also the story of Alma's grandmother, the sole survivor of a 1940's shipwreck, and Anise's mother, a sheeprancher, whose tales play into the story. The past weighing on the present, and all that!

So the good news is that our buyer Jason Kennedy read and loved When the Killing's Done:
"Two environmentalists are attempting to save two different species on the Channel Islands—one through killing rats to protect the birds, the other is trying to save the rats, birds be damned. Boyle expertly alternates perspectives as Alma Boyd Takesue attempts to eliminate the invasive species from the islands and Dave LaJoy attempts to thwart her at ever crossing. Through escalating violence, they both forget that Nature is by far the bigger force here. Boyle has some of the quirkiest characters, and their obsessions lead them far astray from the people they think they are. A fantastic novel that will have you wanting to read more Boyle."

If you haven't seen Boyle, it's an event not to be missed. Think Sherman Alexie. Way more than just a dry reading and a couple of questions. This is one of the highlights of our winter season.

There's another nice spin here. On our just-released winter 2011 book club recommendations (the complete list is on a forthcoming blog post), I am recommending T.C. Boyle's The Women, his previous novel about Frank Lloyd Wright. It's out just in time for the new Milwaukee Art Museum Frank Lloyd Wright show, which opens February 12th. Everything will be Wright with the world come February, and a good juicy novel can further the mood. I'm suggesting that book clubs read the novel in conjunction with a visit to the show.

So mark your calendars now, reserve a copy of the book (The Women now, When the Killing's Done later, Wild Child when you are in the midst of a big project and only have time for a story here and there), get tickets to the show, and maybe buy a plush Frank Lloyd Wright doll.

Why No Post Yesterday? Offsites, Collapsed Shelves, and More

I started the morning at 6:30 AM at the Pfister for a breakfast offsite with Tempo. They are a women's leadership organization, that just to confuse you a bit, includes men. Yesterday's presentation was for Gary Bradt's Ring in the Rubble, an inspiring book about coping with change. Everyone involved was very nice, sales were good, and I got a good rate at the parking garage. What could be better?

I needed a good day, as the day before was kind of tough. We lost our event with Charles Baxter event for Gryphon--the pub date was pushed back a bit and that let to him having less time before he starts at Stanford for spring semester. In the end, I was a little worried as the event was a Saturday in January, and UWM, where he is taught with almost religious fervor, was still on break. We also lost the Shepherd Express Best of Milwaukee to Half Price Books (though, admittedly, we got Critics Choice) and I heard some bad news about another indie retailer I like. I'm hoping to figure out how to help with that one in some way, but I can't talk about it. The good news was I booked T. C. Boyle for the next novel, When the Killing's Done. Jason's already read it and promised me a rec soon. Very exciting!

While I was in the store, another one of our cases collapsed. This has been happening with some frequency, and alas, our regular source for fixing this stuff has been too busy to come out with regularity. Amie found another person who came in and reinforced the shelf right away.

My favorite book series on the shelving cart turned out to be these two-in-one novels from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Really nice jackets, a good pairing of books, and a nice hardcover price of $22. Paper quality, eh. Selections from Jhumpa Lahiri, Jonathan Safran Foer, Virginia Woolf, and George Orwell. Note that the two contemporary authors left for other publishers. Would they have done this package if they were still there? I think I'd be ok with it if I was a successful author--they look nice and can build audience.

My evening was with Mona Simpson, who read from and talked about My Hollywood. The crowd was smaller than I hoped, and I accepted full blame, though I should say I didn't purposely program Nancy Pearl against Simpson. That event came up later and the Milwaukee Public Library graciously let us be involved. And we brought them the Ian Frazier event for Travels in Siberia this Sunday at 2 PM. It's a great partnership.

Oh, and did I mention, for only the second time, I left the music running as the event started? Arggggggh.

How do I get you guys to show up for a writer of this calibre? I feel like if I group too many together, folks come out for the best one (well, let's hope I have 200+ people for Nicole Krauss next Wednesday) and not the other worthy authors. I was cocky the first year, as folks were showing up for authors in bigger numbers than I expected. Now I'm back down to earth. I think each literary author needs something special behind it. Let me try to come up with something. Let's hope Mary Helen Stefaniak still has a good number of friends in Milwaukee for tonight's event for The Cailiffs of Baghdad, Georgia (7 PM, 10/22). More on events here.

Simpson was incredibly gracious and I'd recommend seeing her when she shows up in your town. I had a better time than I deserve, partly because I got to have a drink with her author escort and two other notable Wisconsin writers and it was very fun.