Monday, February 28, 2022

Events this week - Lauren Kate, Kevin Barry, Judy Batalion, Dolly Parton and James Patterson

Here's what's going on this week - three virtual and one in-person offsite event.

Tuesday, March 1, 7 pm
Lauren Kate, author of By Any Other Name (on sale March 1)
in Conversation with Rachel Copeland and Danielle Dresser for a Virtual Event
Register for this event here.

Boswell Book Company and Anderson’s Bookshops of Downers Grove and Naperville join forces to present a romantic evening of author conversation featuring the #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Kate, whose latest is an enemies-to-lovers romance about an editor, her bestselling author, and one life-changing secret. Books also available from Anderson's Book Shop.

After numerous YA novel and one foray into historical fiction, Lauren Kate's debut romance novel has already gotten a starred Publishers Weekly review. They write: "Kate delivers a delightful rom-com that begs to be devoured in one sitting… smart and adorable." Booklist called By Any Other Name "Charming and witty." And as for it being recommended by Forbes, that ones throws me off a little - Forbes recommends books? That aren't about corporate success? Who knew? (Addendum - so it's most recommended books, according to select podcasters. Here's the link.)

Our own romance guru, Rachel Copeland, is also a fan. Here's her rec: "Lanie Bloom has a great life - her dream job as an editor and a fiancé who fits every requirement on Lanie's 99-item list, inspired by the works of beloved and reclusive writer Noa Callaway. No one has ever seen her, but Lanie and Noa have corresponded professionally for years. But when Lanie finally learns the truth about her favorite author, everything she thinks she knows is called into question. This book gave me all the good 80s and 90s Meg Ryan rom com vibes, and like a lot of reviewers out there, I actually did read it in one sitting - it's just that addictive. Lanie is a winning protagonist - at times frustratingly impulsive and stubborn, but with an outstanding capacity to reflect and redirect herself in a way that feels both relatable and aspirational. This book left me wanting more in the best way possible - like the best romance novels, I just wanted to spend more time with this story."

We're also excited by our first bookseller collaboration with Anderson's. While we've cohosted events in multi-store collaborations, this event features a bookseller from each store (Rachel, in our case) in conversation with the author. And as for Anderson's, their conversation partner is Danielle Dresser, who under the name Danielle Jackson, has a novel coming from Berkley this summer called The Accidental Pinup!

Lauren Kate is the internationally bestselling author of nine novels for young adults, including Fallen, which was adapted into a movie. She is also the author of The Orphan's Song, her debut adult novel, so that means By Any Other Name is her second adult novel.

Thursday, March 3, 2 pm
Kevin Barry, author of That Old Country Music (on sale in paperback - March 1)
In conversation with Daniel Goldin and Special Guest for a virtual event
Register here for this event.

Boswell Book Company and CelticMKE present an afternoon with Irish writer Kevin Barry, author of novels such as Night Boat to Tangier (one of The New York Times ten-best books for its publication year), for a conversation about his latest book, That Old Country Music, a collection of short stories of rural Ireland in the classic Irish mode: full of love (and sex), melancholy and magic, bedecked in some of the most gorgeous prose being written today. This event cosponsored by UWM Center for Celtic Studies.

All of Barry’s prodigious gifts of language, character, and setting in these eleven exquisite stories transport the reader to an Ireland both timeless and recognizably modern. In this new collection, we meet a gallery of west Ireland characters poised on the cusp between hope and disaster: A forlorn and sensitive young man favoring art films takes romantic aim at a mysterious Polish waitress. A morbid town crier hounds the main drag of Limerick with the inevitable greeting 'Did you hear who died?' And in the title story, a pregnant young woman waits anxiously in a van while her older fiancé undertakes, no doubt unwisely, robbing a petrol station with a claw hammer.

From Daniel Goldin: "Nature, libido, and a more than a few pints collide in this engaging collection of short stories from the author of Night Boat to Tangier. One middle-aged and rather somber fellow falls for a Polish barista escaping her family. Another finds that the inherited home of his gadabout uncle unlocks unusual desires. A pub is invaded by a middle-aged traveler and his spirited mother. A folk historian tracks down a signer in a nursing home who regales him with a 42-verse ditty on his death bed. Barry’s small towns and lush landscapes, hardscrabble lives of longing, and arch humor indeed reminded me of a classic country song with a Celtic twist."

Kevin Barry is the author of the novels Night Boat to Tangier, Beatlebone, and City of Bohane and the story collections Dark Lies the Island and There Are Little Kingdoms. His awards include the International Dublin Literary Award, the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Prize, and the Lannan Literary Award. His stories and essays appear in The New Yorker, Granta, and elsewhere. He also works as a playwright and screenwriter.

Sunday, March 6, 1:30 pm
Judy Batalion, author of The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos
In-Person at Congregation Shalom, 7630 N Santa Monica Blvd
Register for this in-person event here.

Congregation Shalom and the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center present an afternoon event with New York Times bestselling author Judy Batalion, who will be interviewed by Dr. Rachel Baum about her new book, The Light of Days. Boswell will be on hand to sell copies of The Light of Days, as well as the Young Readers' edition, but to make sure you get a copy, we recommend pre-ordering from our website for pickup.

One of the most important stories of World War II, The Light of Days is a a spectacular, searing history that brings to light the extraordinary accomplishments of brave Jewish women who became resistance fighters - a group of unknown heroes whose exploits have never been chronicled in full, until now. Witnesses to the brutal murder of their families and neighbors and the violent destruction of their communities, a cadre of Jewish women in Poland, some still in their teens, helped transform the Jewish youth groups into resistance cells to fight the Nazis.

A New York Times and Indie bestseller, Batalion’s book has already optioned by Steven Spielberg for a major motion picture. From The Times Literary Supplement: "The Light of Days rescues a long-neglected aspect of history from oblivion, and puts paid to the idea of Jewish, especially female, passivity during the Holocaust. It is uncompromising, written with passion - and it preserves truly significant knowledge."

Judy Batalion is author of White Walls: A Memoir About Motherhood, Daughterhood and the Mess in Between, and her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Vogue. Judy has a BA in the History of Science from Harvard, and a PhD in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute, University of London, and has worked as a museum curator and university lecturer.

Sunday, March 6, 6:30 pm
Dolly Parton and James Patterson, authors of Run Rose Run
A Multi-Store Ticketed Virtual Event
Tickets available here.

Join us for this special ticketed, virtual event featuring Dolly Parton and James Patterson in conversation about their new, coauthored novel, Run Rose Run. America’s most beloved country star and one of the country's most prolific storytellers have joined forces to create this thriller about a young singer-songwriter on the rise and on the run, and determined to do whatever it takes to survive. Presented by Boswell in collaboration with several other premier bookstores.

Tickets for this virtual event cost $25.32 plus ticketing fee, and each ticket includes admission to the event and a copy of Run Rose Run. To purchase your tickets, visit runroserunmke.eventbrite.com by clicking this sentence now. Books can be shipped via USPS media mail for an additional $4 (a deal!) - continental United States only. Please Note: Books will not be available for pickup until Monday, March 7 (publication date). We will ship ticket order books on this date as well.

Every song tells a story. Rose is a star on the rise, singing about the hard life she's left behind her. Yet she’s also on the run - find a future, lose a past. Nashville is where she’s come to claim her destiny. It’s also where the darkness she’s fled might find her. And destroy her. Run Rose Run is a novel glittering with danger and desire.

Dolly Parton is a singer, songwriter, actress, producer, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She has sold over 100 million records worldwide and has given away millions of books to children through her nonprofit, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. James Patterson is the world's bestselling author, creator of the beloved Alex Cross series, and author of more than 200 books.

If you follow multiple bookstore email newsletters, you've probably noticed that there are a lot of stores promoting this event. And that should be no surprise - how can you say no to Dolly and James?

Photo credits
Kevin Barry by Louise Manifold
Judy Batalion by Beowulf Sheehan  

More on the Boswell upcoming events page.

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