I'm Supposed to be Writing the Email Newsletter--A Preview?

Like many booksellers, I have subscribed to a number of other bookstore email newsletters. One thing I have noticed is that lots of folk don't say quite as much about each event. I really have to think about writing shorter newsletters more frequently. And that double-column thing is quite controversial. I'm practicing writing less, but I want a feature! While I'm gearing up, why not lay out some upcoming events and today's new releases?

First I'd tell you about some events in the store. All our weeknight events are at 7 PM, and our weekend event is at 2 PM. Except for the Cake Boss signing, which is at Noon.

Tonight (11/2) is Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n' Bitch Superstar Knitting. We're hosting the event with Loop Yarn Shop on Humboldt (but to make it clear, the event is at Boswell). Patricia is going to introduce. The talk is structured like a free lace-making class. There's no admission fee.

Tomorrow (11/3) is Scott Buer from Bolzano Artisan Meats, who was named one of America's Best Butchers. The event is part of the national launching of Primal Cuts: Cooking with America's Best Butchers. The event is cosponsored by Slow Food Wisconsin Southeast--they will have a table. Also, one of Buer's farmes is attending.

Thursday (11/4) is Steve Paulson, editor of Atoms and Eden: Conversations in Religion and Science. It's 20 interviews with major players in the relationship with religion and science. Folks who enjoyed Krista Tippet's Einstein's God should mark their calendars.

Friday (11/5) is our Triple Lit Fest with Gina Frangello, Davis Schneiderman, and Zoe Zolbrod. All are Chicago-based writers published by literary small presses. These novels and stories are a little more experimental than what you see from major houses, though you might say that Schneiderman's Drain is sort of a Suzanne Collins style dystopian novel for adults (only). And Zolbrod's book, Currency, (I haven't read everything, I'm trying to pick up clues, reminds me of some old Denis Johnson). Frangello's stories in Slut Lullabies try are said to be alternately despairing and hopeful, sort of that pretty meets gritty esthetic. I believe this talk will have the adult language warning up front.

Saturday (11/6) is our event with Nathan Rabin. I feel like I booked this two hours ago. It's for his movie column book, My Year of Flops: The A.V. Club Presents One Man's Journey Deep Into the Heart of Cinematic Failure. I loved it. Read more on the AV Club website. Oh, and maybe you missed my blog entry.

Also on the Chicago-Boswell express, historian Nora Titone's Monday event (11/8) is for My Thoughts Be Bloody: The Bitter Rivalry Between Edwin and John Wilkes Booth That Led to an American Tragedy. I have already learned that it is the trend in biographical research to focus on the family instead of the individual. Civil War buffs, this is your event. Of course I'd feel better about the turnout if we had reenactments going on in the lot behind us, but based on the enthusiasm we had for the Robert Kennedy event, can I play the Abraham Lincoln card? You like Abraham Lincoln, don't you?

Tuesday (11/9) is our co-sponsored dinner at Bacchus for David Tanis's Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys. Chez Panisse, Chez Panisse! Oops, I should check in with John Wise to see how ticket sales are going. It's almost my last chance to order more books.

Wednesday (11/10) is our Wisconsin Humane Society co-sponsored event with Linda and Allen Anderson for Dogs and the Women Who Love them. There's a raffle with WHS. There's a photo contest with a prize from Eco Pet. It's a shopping night--10% of designated purchases (that means you have to tell us) go back to WHS, and not just Dogs and the Women who Love Them. Anything. Do your holiday shopping now. Well, at least buy your Christmas cards.

Thursday (11/11) is our Cake Boss signing at 12 Noon. I watched a marathon on Saturday. Buddy is rumored to be making a cake for every event. No, he's not. It's a straight signing. To hear him talk, you've got to get tickets to his Riverside Theater performance/demo.

And at one point, I'll lead folks to the website for events further out in the future.

If you're not a fan of admittedly amazing artisan dry-cured meat, there are also three events of note going on tomorrow (Wednessday, 11/3)

1. At 4 PM at Marquette's Weasler Auditorium (that's 1442 West Wisconsin Avneue), Robert D. Putnam will be presenting the Weasler lecture, in conjunction with the release of his new book, American Grace: How Religion Unites Us and Divides Us. This is the acclaimed author of Bowling Alone, people. Schwartz sold this very well for years and it is one of the most cited books of the last decade. He's a professor at Harvard. The event is free. We're selling books there, so say hi to me. Need more info? Here's a link to Marquette's info.

2. Not for you? Well, how about Tom Burrell speaking at Reader's Choice for his book, Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority. This talk is also at 4 PM, and Reader's Choice is at 1950 North Doctor Martin Luther King Drive. It's also free.

3. Don't forget the JCC's Book and Culture Fair, all through November. Wednesday evening is one of the highlights, Myla Goldberg with her new novel, The False Friend. Yes, The Bee Season author is at the JCC, which is at 6255 North Santa Monica Blvd. Admission is just $5. This is at 7 PM.

Here are some of the new books that came out today that I was considering writing about:

Luka and the Fire of Life, by Salman Rushdie. It's said to be a sequel to Haroun and the Sea of Stories.

Moonlight Mile, by Dennis Lehane. Back to mystery/thriller from his last historical. Specifically, back to Gone, Bab,y Gone.

Towers of Midnight, the new Robert Jordan, written by Brandon Sanderson. Readers tell me that Sanderson's last was good.

Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories, by Simon Winchester. We're shelving this in our Biography/Oceans section.

My Reading Life, by Pat Conroy. This is a bookish memoir, normally something a lit critic writes. But we booksellers gladly welcome this kind of thing from anyone.

Simple Times, by Amy Sedaris. Does to craft what I Like You did for entertaining. You heard about this and Next Chapter's event at Turner Hall on our rep night post.

Beginner's Grace: Bringing Prayer to Life, by Kate Braestrup. Look at that, a new publisher! This seems more instructional rather than her last two, which were more personal essays. Now that I don't buy the new books, I find myself, despite looking through regular and e-catalogs, to be a bit surprised.

Enough procrastination. Time to get working!