Monday, September 11, 2017

Event alert: Bill Goldstein on modernism, Matthew Janzen on beer, Sandy Brehl on Norway during WWII, the Scott Brothers on stage, Jason Reynolds on a kid who loves to run, Helen Odessky on anxiety, and Evan Moffic on the spirituality-happiness link.

The abundance of riches event season is here!

Monday, September 11, 7:00 pm, at Boswell:
Bill Goldstein, author of The World Broke in Two: Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, D.H. Lawrence, E.M. Forester and the Year that Changed Literature.

Bill Goldstein, the founding editor of the books site of The New York Times on the Web, reviews books and interviews authors for NBC's Weekend Today in New York. He is also curator of public programs at Roosevelt House, the public policy institute of New York's Hunter College.

I thought maybe this book came out of Goldstein's doctoral thesis (City University Graduate Center, 2010), but it turns out the subject of that was John Milton. I read Paradise Lost in college, but sadly, I cannot discuss it at length. Or even briefly.

The World Broke in Two tells the fascinating story of the intellectual and personal journeys four legendary writers make over the course of one pivotal year and how their writing lives are changed by the publication of two seminal works, most notably Ulysses.

The Times Literary Supplement just published an over-the-top rave of the book from Gerri Kimber, in advance of the British publication. It begins "It is hard to imagine there is anything left to say about 1922, the literary annus mirabilis that saw the publication of the twin pinnacles of modernist prose and poetry: Ulysses and The Waste Land...Goldstein takes four authors – Eliot, Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence and E. M. Forster – and weaves around them a fascinating and engrossing tale, not only of their writing during that one special year, but their personal lives as well" You'll have to log in to read the entire review, or maybe, like our good customer Dennis, you already got your copy in the mail and found the review to be nothing short of smashing."

Every event for this book has had 50+ people. Let's hope Boswell does not break the streak.

Tuesday, September 12, 7:00 pm, at Boswell:
Matthew Janzen, author of The State of Craft Beer.

Matthew Janzen is a Waterloo native and UWM graduate. He was an advertising copywriter before quitting to follow his interests in craft beer while also maintaining a position in the Marine Corps Reserve as a scout sniper instructor.

Matthew Janzen spent over two years collecting the images and stories featured in this 272-page journey across the state visiting over 130 breweries, farms, factories, and industry suppliers. Following his curiosity down the rabbit hole, Janzen quit his job to delve into the nitty gritty of making beer. He worked with brewmasters, owners, employees, and farmers to capture every stage of the process. This book brings to life the beer we know and love. Now, he gears up to release the book, which was also 100 percent sourced and manufactured in Wisconsin.

Of State of Craft Beer, Chris Drosner writes in the Wisconsin State Journal that State of Craft Beer "is a 272-page dopplebock of a coffee table book that’s impressive both in- and outside its handsome leather cover."

Thursday, September 14, 7:00 pm, at Boswell:
Sandy Brehl, author of Mari’s Hope.

Muskego-based Sandy Brehl is a teacher and an active member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Mari's Hope is the dramatic conclusion to Brehl’s historical fiction set in occupied Norway sees Mari become more involved in her village’s resistance. Despite ever-present dangers, including a snooping German soldier and a former friend turned collaborator, Mari is determined to do the right thing.

Here’s what others have had to say about Odin’s Promise and Bjorn’s Gift, the first two books of the series. Kathleen Ernst, author of the American Girl Caroline Abbot series, says “Readers will cheer for Mari as she discovers her inner strength – and the courage to help celebrate Norway’s spirit of resistance.” Angela Cerrito, author of The Safest Lie, raves “An exciting and detailed look at the occupation of Norway, through the eye of a young, brave girl.”

Cosponsorship!
Thursday, September 14, 7:30 pm, at The Riverside Theater, 114 W Wisconsin Ave:
Boswell is cosponsoring the Scott Brothers House Party, in conjunction with the release of It Takes Two: Our Story

For their millions of fans around the world, twin brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott are masters of the impossible - finding and transforming ordinary houses into stunning dream homes. As hosts of multiple top-rated series on HGTV including Property Brothers: Buying & Selling, Property Brothers at Home and Brother Vs. Brother, they entertain millions of fans with their winning blend of sibling rivalry and humor. Now Milwaukee fans can experience the duo in person during a stop on their nationwide tour, The Scott Brothers House Party at the Riverside Theater on Thursday, September 14.

Jonathan and Drew’s House Party tour, inspired by their new memoir, It Takes Two: Our Story, offers fans an uncensored look into their lives. There will be plenty of audience participation as they breakdown their dos and don’ts, share the wisdom they’ve gleaned as entrepreneurs, and reveal all the hilarious moments that don’t make it onto television. Door prizes, impromptu design consults, behind-the-scenes bloopers, and plenty of laughs will round out this fun evening with Jonathan and Drew.

Tickets are now available, and include admission and a copy of It Takes Two. A limited number of VIP seats that include the best seats in the house and a post-show photo opportunity are available. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Friday, September 15, 6:30 pm, at Boswell:
Jason Reynolds, author of Patina.

This event is cosponsored by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.

Jason Reynolds is crazy about stories. He is a New-York-Times-bestselling author, a National Book Award Honoree, a Kirkus Award winner, a Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors.

Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities who are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves.


In The New York Times Book Review, Tom Rinaldi reviewed Patina along with another running book for kids and wrote: "For nearly all of us who see ourselves (wishfully or otherwise) as athletes, competitive sport leaves us behind long before we’re ready. Yet we often find meaning in memories of competition from years past, and we hope our children will find the same. There is, and will always be, a competitiveness to life, and a ready metaphor in how that competition plays out in sports. And whether you’re an athlete or not, such themes carry a lasting power." Of the book, he wrote: "Reynolds’s ability to weave story lines in Patina’s life across both particular and universal ground — race and class, acceptance and grief, loyalty and individuality — is seamless and moving."

Sunday, September 17, 3 pm, at Boswell:
Helen Odessky, author of Stop Anxiety from Stopping You: The Break-through Program for Conquering Panic and Social Anxiety.

This event is cosponsored by REDgen, a nonprofit that promotes balance and resiliency in the lives of children and teens.

Based in Chicago, Helen Odessky is a highly sought after clinical psychologist, coach, and anxiety expert. She has been working with individuals, teens, and couples for nearly 15 years.

In her book, Dr. Odessky offers an explanation of the process of anxiety and strategies that work. Dr. Odessky draws on fifteen years of clinical experience to guide adults and teens through the process of not only learning how to overcome anxiety, but also how to enrich their lives. Here's Odessky on The Morning Blend talking about the book.


Stop Anxiety from Stopping You offers a foreword from John Duffy, a highly sought-after clinical psychologist, certified life coach, parenting and relationship expert, relationship expert on The Steve Harvey Show, and author of The Available Parent.

Monday, September 18, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Rabbi Evan Moffic, author of The Happiness Prayer: Ancient Jewish Wisdom for the Best Way to Live Today.

This event is cosponsored by the Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center.

At age 30 Evan Moffic became the leader of a large congregation. He had great success. But he couldn't find happiness. Then he found a 2000-year-old prayer. In it were hidden elements of Jewish wisdom. They became a part of his life and those of his congregation and transformed them and him. In the tradition of Rabbi Harold Kushner, Moffic opens up wisdom that has been at the heart of Judaism for thousands of years. He distills the "Eilu Devarim", an ancient prayer for happiness found in the Talmud, into ten practices that empower us to thrive through setbacks, so nothing can hamper our happiness.

Here's Moffic talking to Illinois Public Media on the show The 21st, where he talks about the relationship between spirituality and happiness.

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