Monday, October 31, 2022

Six events to anticipate: A Holiday Book Talk with Sales Rep Jason Gobble, Will Guidara (virtual) on Hospitality, Sara Woster on Painting, Jenna Kashou on Milwaukee, plus YA Faves Jamie Pacton (at Boswell) and Ebony LaDelle at The Table


Tuesday, November 1, 2 pm
Rep Picks with Jason Gobble
In-Person at Boswell - click here to register

If you are a regular at Boswell, you will occasionally hear about a bookseller learning about a book through rep night. This series of programs offered our sales reps discussing new books to booksellers, a mix of gift ideas and hand-sell recommendations. This program has been going on for over 35 years, first at Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops and now at a joint session sponsored by Boswell and Oconomowoc’s Books & Company. While we can’t vouch that Milwaukee has first, this idea has spread around the country, such that these rep nights became popular at many other bookstores.

While all of our sales reps do a great job, there are some that stand out – booksellers will change their personal calendars to attend their presentations. One of these reps is Jason Gobble, who sells the Knopf-Doubleday list for Penguin Random House in the Upper Midwest. A former Publishers Weekly sales rep of the year, Mr. Gobble’s breadth of knowledge, combined with his charm, dry wit, and uncanny ability to spot customer favorites has benefitted many a bookstore. It was his doing that led to Penguin Random House picking up the Shady Hollow series, which now is a bestseller at indie bookstores around the country; Shady Hollow is now in its sixth printing!

It was Books & Company’s idea to have Jason Gobble present to their customers, and this year, we were lucky enough to book an add-on event, the afternoon of their evening presentation. We know that 2 pm events don’t work for everybody, but they are surprisingly popular with many of our customers. If I was a Friend of Boswell and not the proprietor, I’d either consider taking a sick day just to see him or drive the 40 minutes to Oconomowoc for the evening event.

Tuesday, November 1, 6 pm
Will Guidara, author of Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
in conversation with Sally Haldorson for a virtual event - click here to register

Boswell Book Company and Porchlight Book Company join forces again, as we like to do, to present a virtual event featuring restauranteur Will Guidara, a former coowner of New York City’s legendary Eleven Madison Park. Guidara will be in conversation with Porchlight Managing Director Sally Haldorson about Unreasonable Hospitality, his new book which offers up essential lessons in hospitality for every business. Cosponsored by Visit Milwaukee.

Guidara was twenty-six when he took the helm of Eleven Madison Park, a struggling two-star brasserie that had never quite lived up to its majestic room. Eleven years later, it was named the best restaurant in the world. Radical reinvention, a true partnership between the kitchen and the dining room, and memorable, over-the-top, bespoke hospitality. This hospitality extended beyond those dining at the restaurant to his own team, who learned to deliver praise and criticism with intention, why the answer to some of the most pernicious business dilemmas is to give more, not less, and the magic that can happen when a busser starts thinking like an owner.

Any and every business can choose to be a hospitality business and transform ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences. Featuring sparkling stories of his journey through restaurants, with the industry’s most famous players like Daniel Boulud and Danny Meyer, Guidara urges us all to find the magic in what we do, for ourselves, the people we work with, and the people we serve.

Will Guidara is Cofounder of The Welcome Conference and the Cofounder and former Coowner of Make It Nice, a restaurant group that includes Eleven Madison Park, Made Nice, and The NoMad.

Wednesday, November 2, 6:30 pm
Sara Woster, author of Painting Can Save Your Life: How and Why We Paint
in conversation with Mary Louise Schumacher, in-person at Boswell - click here to register

Boswell hosts an evening with Sara Woster, artist and founder of The Painting School, who visits with her new book, Painting Can Save Your Life, which invites readers into the vibrant world of painting as a creative practice powerful enough to transform our lives.

Sara Woster is a painter, teacher, and art evangelist who believes in art as a form of mindfulness, a ritual for healing, and an outlet for self-expression. In Painting Can Save Your Life, Woster welcomes readers into this transformative art form, inviting them to pick up a brush and discover how painting can help you see the world in a whole new way.

Combining the practical how-to of Betty Edwards with the spirit and inspiration of Julia Cameron, Woster is an important new voice in the creativity/self-help space. The pandemic has inspired millions of people around the world to establish new hobbies that soothe their souls in troubled times. Woster’s book is the perfect guide for this moment, combining

detailed and accessible how-to with a new twist on wellness.

Sara Woster has illustrated several children’s books, and her animations, multimedia, and collaborative performances have been shown at numerous art venues including the Hammer Museum, UCLA, and Franklin Art Works in Minneapolis. She has been granted a Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Fellowship, a Franconia Sculpture Park residency, and a Brooklyn Arts Council SU-CASA residency. Woster also has a creative writing degree from The New School.

Thursday, November 3, 6:30 pm
Jenna Kashou, author of Milwaukee Scavenger
in-person at Boswell - click here to register

Scavenge your way into Boswell for an evening with Milwaukee writer and journalist Jenna Kashou, who offers a whole new way to discover the Cream City with her new book, Milwaukee Scavenger.

As the saying goes: There's always good things brewing in Milwaukee! Indeed there are and you won't have to hunt too hard to find them. Take a closer look at those places you might have passed by or stop and visit a neighborhood you only know by name. Milwaukee Scavenger invites you to discover the city with new eyes.

From Shorewood to Bay View to Lincoln Village to Sherman Park, each chapter is designed to help you discover or rediscover historic landmarks, natural wonders, dazzling works of art, and new hot spots in the city. See how fast you can guess all the clues in your own neighborhood and beyond as this scavenger hunt challenges visitors and locals alike to explore the city one neighborhood at a time.

Jenna Kashou is a journalist specializing in spreading love for MKE. She is author of 100 Things to Do in Milwaukee Before You Die, 2nd Edition, and wrote the ‘Girl About Town’ column for Milwaukee Magazine. She has also been writer in residence at the historic Pfister Hotel.

Friday, November 4, 6:30 pm
Jamie Pacton, author of The Vermilion Emporium
in conversation with Jenny Chou, in-person at Boswell - click here to register.

Boswell welcomes back Wisconsin-based YA author Jamie Pacton for an evening of conversation about her new novel, The Vermilion Emporium, a timeless story of love and deadly consequences that’s something like The Radium Girls set in the enchanting world of Howl’s Moving Castle. In conversation with Jenny Chou of Boswell.

A lonely boy with a knack for danger and a circus performer’s daughter meet outside a mysterious curiosity shop and together they discover a book that teaches them to weave starlight into lace, a skill that brings them to the attention of the ruler of the land. A powerful and romantic adventure set in a whimsically magical world. The Vermilion Emporium shines a light into the darkest spaces. It’s about healing in a world shrouded with despair and discovering a spark of magic when you need it most.

Allison Saft, author of A Far Wilder Magic, says: "Packed with fantastical adventures, heartfelt whimsy, and delightful characters, The Vermilion Emporium is as luminous as starlight lace itself. Jamie Pacton will make you believe there is magic to be found around every corner."

Jamie Pacton is author of The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly and Lucky Girl. When not writing, she teaches college English, obsessively reads obscure history, hikes, bakes, and plays video games.

Monday, November 7, 6 pm
Ebony LaDelle, author of Love Radio
in person at The Table, 5305 W Capitol Dr - click here to register

Ebony LaDelle, author of Love Radio, appears at The Table, a community space sponsored by Alice’s Garden. Located in the former Capitol Drive Lutheran Church, The Table offers 1st Century Style Community in the 21st Century. And LaDelle’s book offers a story that’s witty and romantic, a YA teen novel about a self-professed teen love doctor with a popular radio segment who believes he can get a girl who hates all things romance to fall in love with him in only three dates.

Love Radio stars Prince and Dani, two Black teens determined to pursue their goals in a story of sweeping romance, biting wit and humor, and the pursuit of happy endings - a much-needed addition to the growing canon of stories centering Black joy. Prince Jones is the guy with all the answers. At seventeen, he has his own segment on Detroit’s popular hip-hop show, Love Radio, where he dishes out advice to the brokenhearted. But the only romances in his life are the ones he hears about from his listeners. Until he meets Dani Ford. Yet Dani is focused on her plan: ace senior year, score a scholarship, and move to New York City to become a famous author. When the romantic DJ meets the ambitious writer, sparks fly. Prince is smitten, but Dani’s not looking to get derailed. She gives Prince just three dates to convince her that he’s worth falling for.

Jasmine Guillory, author of Drunk on Love, says: "Love Radio is pure joy. This book is a celebration of Black love, Black teenagers, Black friendship, and the Black family, and I adored it from beginning to end."

Midwesterner Ebony LaDelle is a marketing pusher by day, storyteller by night. She’s a graduate of Howard University, and cohosted the monthly video series Why Not YA?.

Photo credits
Jenna Kashou by Uttke Photography
Ebony LaDelle by Taylor Baldwin

Sunday, October 30, 2022

Boswell bestsellers, week ending October 29, 2022

The late and latest Boswell bestseller report - week ending October 29, 2022

Hardcover Fiction:
1. The Passenger, by Cormac McCarthy
2. Signal Fires, by Dani Shapiro
3. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
4. Under a Veiled Moon, by Karen Odden 
5. The Boys from Biloxi, by John Grisham
6. Liberation Day, by George Saunders
7. Lucy by the Sea, by Elizabeth Strout
8. The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles
9. Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng
10. The Winners, by Fredrik Backman

No real competition this week for our #1 new release - we've been getting requests for The Passenger for months, the first Cormac McCarthy novel since (could it be?) The Road in 2006. And the companion novel, Stella Maris, releases in December. The critics are all over the place on this one. John Jeremiah Sullivan was "positive" in Book Marks, but sort of lays out why some reviewers might be less so: "The Passenger is far from McCarthy’s finest work, but that’s because he has had the nerve to push himself into new places, at the age of all-but-90. He has tried something in these novels that he’d never done before."

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Painting Can Save Your Life, by Sara Woster (Register for November 2 in-person event here)
2. Go-To Dinners, by Ina Garten
3. Dinner in One, by Melissa Clark
4. The Stolen Year, by Anya Kam
5. Working Girls, by Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamlodchikova
6. I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
7. And There Was Light, by Jon Meacham
8. Inciting Joy, by Ross Gay
9. Song of the Cell, by Siddhartha Mukherjee
10. Slenderman, by Kathleen Hale

There was a siting of Trixie Mattel in the store this week, which set a couple of hearts aflutter. Stock of Working Girls: Trixie and Katya's Guide to Professional Womanhood were signed; books were sold. All the advance trades were over-the-top positive - Publishers Weekly called the book "hysterical", nothing that "this bawdy manual slays."

Paperback Fiction:
1. It Stars with Us, by Colleen Hoover
2. We Were Never Here, by Andrea Bartz
3. The Sentence, by Louise Erdrich
4. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, by Sangu Madanna
5. Once Upon a December, by Amy E. Reichert (Register for November 30 event here)
6. It Ends with Us, by Colleen Hoover
7. Fire and Blood, by George R.R. Martin
8. The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon
9. People Immortal, by Vasily Grossman
10. Girl One, by Sara Flannery Murphy

Our Books and Beer Book Club is one of our two in-person Boswell-run reading groups, meeting at Cafe Hollander on the third Monday. Their next selection is Girl One, which the publishers position as The Handmaid's Tale (isn't it always?) meets Orphan Black. I was interested to note that when the publisher promoted the hardcover, they used librarian and bookseller reviews, but they only used first name/last initial and not the store, even though we identify both on Indie Bound and Library Reads. Authors got their full name - Kami Garcia wrote "A genre-defying, thought-provoking thriller that is impossible to put down." More on our book clubs here. 

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. Heart Speak, by Sherrill A Knezel
2. A History of Milwaukee Drag, by BJ Daniels and Michail Takach
3. Milwaukee Scavenger, by Jenna Kashou (Register for November 3 event here)
4. Brewtown Tales, by John Gurda (Register for December 6 event by emailing publicity@wisconsinhistory.org)
5. 111 Places in Milwaukee You Must Not Miss, by Michelle Madden
6. Inheritance, by Dani Shapiro
7. Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest, by Teresa Marrone
8. Milwaukee River Greenway, by Eddee Daniel
9. Vegan Cooking for Two, by America's Test Kitchen
10. Invisible Child, by Andrea Elliott

One thing that's been missing from the paperback nonfiction list is the dominance of regional books that we used to see more of in past years. I can't remember last time that Milwaukee-area titles took up half the list, but I know it wasn't uncommon in the past. Both Milwaukee Scavenger and Brewtown Tales are off to good starts.

Books for Kids:
1. Moving to Mars, by Stef Wade, illustrations by Erin Taylor
2. Our World of Dumplings, by Fracie Dekker, illustrations by Sarah Jung
3. A Place for Pluto, by Stef Wade, illustrations by Melanie Demmer
4. The Very Last Leaf, by Stef Wade, illustrations by Jennifer Davidson
5. Diper överlöde V17, by Jeff Kinney
6. There's a Ghost in the House, by Oliver Jeffers
7. What Feelings Do When No One's Looking, by Tina Oziewicz, illustrations by Aleksandra Zajac
8. Pigeon Will Ride the Rollercoaster, by Mo Willems
9. Sea in the Way, by Sophie Gilmore
10. She Persisted: Sally Ride, by Atia Abawi, Chelsea Clinton, and Alexandra Boiger

Sea in the Way, the new book written and illustrated by Sophie Gilmore, is both a Jenny Pick (sales rep) and a Jen pick (our buyer). The latter writes: "Badger misses her friend Bear terribly. What do you do when your best friend lives all the way on the other side of the sea? If you’re Badger, you grumble to the sea that it is in the way. And when the sea finally agrees to let Badger cross, it is on three conditions. What starts out as a quest for Badger to see Bear ends up being something much more. The Sea in the Way is a delightful picture book with charming illustrations about friendships and new experiences."

Monday, October 24, 2022

Five events this week: Michail Takach and BJ Daniels at Boswell, Michael Mehta Webster (virtual with Urban Ecology Center), Karen Odden, Dani Shapiro, and Sherrill Knezel in-person at Boswell

Monday, October 24, 6:30 pm
Michail Takach and BJ Daniels, coauthors of A History of Milwaukee Drag: Seven Generations of Glamour
in-person at Boswell Book Company - click here to register until 5:30 pm. 

Coauthors Michail Takach and BJ Daniels appear at Boswell for a conversation about their new book, A History of Milwaukee Drag, which celebrates Milwaukee’s place in the history and impact of drag queen culture.

For over a century, drag has been a force in Milwaukee nightlife. On June 7, 1884, "The Only Leon" brought the fine art of female impersonation to the Grand Opera Hall, launching a proud local legacy that continues today at This Is It, La Cage, Hamburger Mary's, D.I.X. and other venues.

Historians Takach and Daniels recognize that today's LGBTQ liberties were born from the strength, resilience, and resistance of yesterday's gender non-conforming pioneers. This is a long overdue celebration of those stories, including high-rolling hustler of the Fourth Ward "Badlands" Frank Blunt, over-the-top dinner theater drag superstar of the 1950s Adrian Ames, and "It Kid" Jamie Gays, first-ever Miss Gay Milwaukee and Latin community hero.

BJ Daniels has done hair and makeup work on set for film and video, taught the art of hairdressing as a licensed professional, and has covered Fashion Week in New York City. Daniels still works behind the chair, and lens, and performs in drag. Michail Takach is a reporter and communications professional who earned a masters in communications and history at UW-Madison. As the curator of the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, Takach produces ongoing articles, documentaries and podcasts about local history.

Tuesday, October 25, 7 pm
Michael Mehta Webster, author of The Rescue Effect: The Key to Saving Life on Earth
in conversation with Meenal Atre for a virtual event - click here to register

Boswell Book Company and the Urban Ecology Center cohost a virtual evening featuring ecology and philanthropy expert Michael Mehta Webster for a conversation about his new book, The Rescue Effect, which reveals how we can use this natural resiliency to help reverse the effects of climate change. In conversation with Meenal Atre of the Urban Ecology Center, our event cohost.

As climate change continues to intensify, the outlook for life on Earth often seems bleak. Yet hope for the future can be found in the “rescue effect,” which is nature’s innate ability to help organisms persist during hard times. Like a thermostat starting the air conditioning when a room gets too warm, the rescue effect automatically kicks in when organisms are stressed or declining. Webster argues that there are good reasons to expect a bright future, because everywhere we look, we can see evidence that nature can rescue many species from extinction; and when nature alone is not up to the task, we can help. Combining rigorous research with gripping storytelling, The Rescue Effect provides the cautious optimism we need to help save life on Earth.

Here’s Boswellian Kay Wosewick’s take on The Rescue Effect: "Webster wants to help save species intelligently. He describes six ‘rescue’ processes, some which often happen on their own, some we can nudge, others we can aggressively employ to save species. Refreshingly, Webster understands we can’t save everything, and we also need to acknowledge that nature is, always has been, and will continue, changing, with or without us."

Michael Mehta Webster’s research interests focus on how organisms and ecosystems adapt to environmental change, how this information can be translated into effective conservation strategies, and the practical and ethical dilemmas that arise along the way. As an executive director of a conservation organization, program officer at a leading environmental foundation, and academic scientist, he has led efforts to connect cutting edge science to the management of species and ecosystems in the wild.

Wednesday, October 26, 6:30 pm
Karen Odden, author of Under a Veiled Moon
in conversation with Erica Ruth Neubauer, in-person at Boswell - click here to register

Karen Odden joins us at Boswell for a conversation about her brand new Victorian-era mystery, in which a fatal disaster on the Thames and a roiling political conflict set the stage in London for Inspector Corravan’s work. In conversation with Milwaukee author Erica Ruth Neubauer, author of the Jane Wunderly mysteries.

September 1878. Pleasure boat Princess Alice collides with the Bywell Castle, a huge iron-hulled collier, on the Thames, and shears apart, throwing all 600 passengers into the river; only 130 survive. It is the worst maritime disaster London has ever seen, and early clues point to sabotage by the Irish Republican Brotherhood. For Scotland Yard Inspector Corravan, the case presents challenges. Irish by birth, his attentions are pulled by accusations of prejudice and his family member’s involvement in an Irish gang. As London threatens to devolve into terror and chaos, Corravan must uncover the harrowing truth, which will shake his faith in his countrymen, the law, and himself.

Kirkus Reviews calls Odden’s latest a hearty dose of "Victorian skulduggery with a heaping side of Irish troubles." And Edgar-winning author Mariah Fredericks says: "Rich in emotion and historical detail, Under a Veiled Moon is a brilliant tale of the dark, thorny places where the personal and the political intertwine."

Karen Odden taught literature at UWM and has contributed essays to numerous books and journals and edited for the journal Victorian Literature and Culture. A member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, she is author of award-winning historical mysteries. Erica Ruth Neubauer is the Agatha Award-winning author of the Jane Wunderly investigations, including the books Murder at the Mena House, Murder at Wedgefield Manor, and Danger on the Atlantic.

Thursday, October 27, 6:30 pm
Dani Shapiro, author of Signal Fires
in conversation with Lauren Fox, in-person at Boswell Book Company - click here to register

Boswell is pleased to host the Milwaukee return of Dani Shapiro, author of books such as Inheritance and Devotion, for her latest work, Signal Fires, a life-affirming novel about a tragedy that connects two families across generations. In conversation with Lauren Fox, the Milwaukee-based author of novels such as Send for Me and Days of Awe. Cohosted by UWM's Sam and Helen Stahl Center for Jewish Studies. Masks required at this event.

Shapiro’s gripping new novel begins on a summer night in 1985 when three teenagers have been drinking. One of them gets behind the wheel of a car, and, in an instant, everything changes. Each of their lives, and that of the young doctor who arrives on the scene, is shattered. For the doctor’s family, the circumstances of that fatal accident will become the deepest kind of secret, one so dangerous it can never be spoken.

Signal Fires is one of 2022’s most anticipated books, as noted by LitHub, BookPage, The Millions, and others. Ruth Ozeki, author of A Tale for the Time Being, says: “Signal Fires is an urgent and compassionate meditation on memory, time, and space. Shapiro has created a world that's as wrenching as it is wondrous.” And from Meg Wolitzer: “A haunting, moving, and propulsive exploration of family secrets.”

Dani Shapiro is a best-selling novelist and memoirist and host of the podcast Family Secrets. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Time. She has taught at Columbia and New York University and is the co-founder of the Sirenland Writers Conference.

Friday, October 28, 6:30 pm
Sherrill Knezel, illustrator of Heart Speak: A Visual Interpretation of Let Your Life Speak
in-person at Boswell - click here to register

Wauwatosa illustrator Sherrill Knezel visits for an evening featuring her latest work, an authorized visual representation of Parker J Palmer's classic book Let Your Life Speak. More than seventy heartfelt images accompany excerpts from Palmer, inviting reading to explore and embrace both their own limits and their own potential as they listen to their inner voice and courageously follow its lead. Please note, Palmer will not be present at this event.

Whether the words of Let Your Life Speak are familiar signposts on the roads you have traveled or they are new to you, Knezel’s work offers an opportunity for reflection and discernment in regard to your life, community, and calling. From the introduction Palmer wrote for the book: "I'm very excited about the way Sherrill has used her gifts of art and insight to interpret and express some of the key ideas in Let Your Life Speak."

From Pardeep Singh Kaleka, coauthor of The Gifts of Our Wounds: "Heart Speak is a beautiful participatory journey into the depth of self and the soul of society. Palmer's words combined with Knezel's illustrations carefully explore unconscious behaviors, patterns, relationships, and thoughts of everyday existence. This book provides a real road map for clinicians, help groups, parents, families, and friends to contemplate and engage in conversations that lead to movement, growth, and healing. But experience this book for yourself first. It's a true gift!"

Sherrill Knezel is a graphic recorder, illustrator, and art educator who specializes in visual literacy. She is the founder of Meaningful Marks LLC, a graphic recording/illustration firm that focuses on using the power of visuals to support nonprofits, educators, and corporate sector clients. She is a contributing author to Stories in EDU and Social Action Stories, and won the Excellence in Visual Journalism Award for her work in the Milwaukee Independent.

Photo credits
Erica Ruth Neubauer by Rachel Neubauer
Dani Shapiro by Beowulf Sheehan

Sunday, October 23, 2022

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending October 22, 2022

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending October 22, 2022

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Signal Fires, by Dani Shapiro (Register for October 27 event here)
2. Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
3. Liberation Day, by George Saunders
4. Lucy by the Sea, by Elizabeth Strout
5. The Last Chairlift, by John Irving
6. Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng
7. Babel, by RF Kuang
8. Ithaca, by Claire North
9. The Rabbit Hutch, by Tess Gunty
10. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin

In any other parallel universe, I would have expected Demon Copperhead to be our #1 debut for the week, but I should note that George Saunders's Liberation Day was at Barbara Kingsolver's heels. But in this universe, we had a very nice first week pop for one of my favorite books of 2022, Signal Fires, even though Dani Shapiro's event is not until next week. There are some amazing events coming up (John Green, Jamie Lee Curtis are two of the conversation partners)- visit Shapiro's website for details.

Demon Copperhead is a retelling of David Copperfield and I guess that I am taken aback that the consumer reviews are more mixed than the trade - that could account for the debut that was a bit less than my expectations. Molly Young writes in The New York Times: "Of course Barbara Kingsolver would retell Dickens. He has always been her ancestor. Like Dickens, she is unblushingly political and works on a sprawling scale, animating her pages with the presence of seemingly every creeping thing that has ever crept upon the earth." 

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. Bad Vibes Only, by Nora McInerny (signed copies available)
2. Sondheim and Me, by Paul Salsini
3. And There Was Light, by Jon Meacham
4. Slenderman, by Kathleen Hale
5. Confidence Man, by Maggie Haberman
6. How We Live Is How We Die, by Pema Chödrön
7. The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, by Paul Newman, edited by David Rosenthal
8. I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
9. A Path Lit by Lightning, by David Maraniss
10. Life Is Hard, by Kieran Setiya

Jon Meacham returns with And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle. Why no Book Marks for this one? Does the publisher have to pay for this? So confusing. All four advance reviews are raves  (that is, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, and Booklist) with Kirkus writing: "While there are countless books on Lincoln, one of the most studied and written-about figures in history, Meacham's latest will undoubtedly become one of the most widely read and consulted. An essential, eminently readable volume for anyone interested in Lincoln and his era." 

Paperback Fiction:
1. It Starts with Us, by Colleen Hoover
2. The Book of Extraordinary Tragedies, by Joe Meno (signed paperbacks and hardcovers)
3. Once Upon a December, by Amy E Reichert (Register for November 30 event here)
4. It Ends with Us, by Colleen Hoover
5. The Sentence, by Louise Erdrich
6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
7. Verity, by Colleen Hoover
8. Crossroads, by Jonathan Franzen
9. A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J Maas
10. The Witch's Heart, by Genevieve Gornichec 

 Colleen Hoover broke records (from Publishers Weekly)  with It Starts with Us, the most pre-ordered book in Simon and Schuster history. Why should you be surprised? She has completely dominated paperback fiction bestseller lists for the past year. Reviews were certainly not needed for this one, but the Kirkus critic wrote: "Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over."


Paperback Nonfiction:
1. To Be a Water Protector, by Winona LaDuke
2. Owning Grief, by Gael Garbarino Cullen (Register for November 11 event here)
3. All Our Relations by Winona LaDuke
4. A History of Milwaukee Drag, by BJ Daniels and Michil Takach (Register for October 24 event here)
5. The Milwaukeean (Klassik), by Joey Grihalva
6. Recovering the Sacred, by Winona LaDuke
7. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
8. Empire of Pain, by Patrick Radden Keefe
9. The Book of Delights, by Ross Gay
10. It's Okay to Laugh, by Nora McInerny

Both Winona LaDuke and Nora McInerny were in town on Thursday (McInerny at Boswell, LaDuke at UWM); both authors came to town last in 2019. From the publisher: "To Be a Water Protector explores issues that have been central to her activism for many years - sacred Mother Earth, our despoiling of Earth and the activism at Standing Rock and opposing Line 3." We have a few signed copies.

Books for Kids:
1. The Truth About Mrs. Claus, by Meena Harris
2. Last Night at the Telegraph Club, by Malinda Lo
3. Our World of Dumplings, by Francie Dekker, illustrations by Sarah Jung
4. A Rover's Story, by Jasmine Warga
5. Everywhere with You, by Carlie Sorosiak, illustrations by Devon Holzwarth
6. This Is Not About a Kitten, by Randall de Sève, illustrations by Carson Ellis
7. The Three Billy Goats Gruff, by Mac Barnett, illustrations by Jon Klassen
8. Ghosts Are People Too, by Peter Ricq
9. The Official Heartstopper Coloring Book, by Alice Oseman
10. They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera

Everywhere with You is a picture book that came out in May, but it's been gathering steam since - this was its best week for sales since publication. From the starred Booklist: "The narrative flows well and tells a moving story. One magical aspect of the book is that although the dog doesn't understand the girl's language, after she reads or tells him imaginative tales, he has vibrant dreams in which the two friends share adventures. With warm colors, curving lines, and rhythmic repetition of forms, the mixed-media illustrations beautifully portray the setting as well as the main characters and their growing friendship, while the richly detailed dream scenes have a more otherworldly quality. A heartening picture book."

Monday, October 17, 2022

Six upcoming events: Kieran Setiya (virtual with Porchlight), Andrea Bartz at Elm Grove Public Library, Paul Salsini, Joe Meno, Nora McInerny, and Michail Takach and BJ Daniels (all at Boswell!)

Monday, October 17, 6 pm
Kieran Setiya, author of Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way
in Conversation with Sally Haldorson for a virtual event - click here to register

Boswell Book Company teams up again with Porchlight Book Company to present a virtual event featuring MIT Professor of Philosophy and author Kieran Setiya for a conversation about his philosophical new guide to facing life's inevitable hardships. In conversation with Sally Haldorson, Porchlight’s Managing Director.

There is no cure for the human condition: life is hard. But Kieran Setiya believes philosophy can help. He offers us a map for navigating rough terrain, from personal trauma to the injustice and absurdity of the world. Drawing on ancient and modern philosophy as well as fiction, history, memoir, film, comedy, social science, and stories from Setiya’s own experience, Life Is Hard is a book for this moment, a work of solace and compassion.

Setiya’s book is great for fans of Atomic Habits. Daniel H Pink, author of Drive, says: "Kieran Setiya has produced the ultimate handbook of hardship. He shows why adversity is inevitable - and why facing up to that reality, rather than insisting on simple-minded notions of happiness, offers the only path to living well." And from Louis Menand, author of The Metaphysical Club: "Finding wisdom in Aristotle, Wittgenstein, and Simone Weil, and also in Dostoevsky, Emily Dickinson, and Groundhog Day, this book offers guidance on how to make the most of the hand we have all been dealt."

Kieran Setiya is Professor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author Midlife: A Philosophical Guide. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of BooksThe New York Times, and The Yale Review.

Monday, October 17, 7 pm
Andrea Bartz, author of We Were Never Here
in conversation with Noah Weckwerth, in-person at Elm Grove Public Library, 13600 Juneau Blvd - click here to register

Elm Grove Public Library hosts an evening of conversation with Milwaukee-area native Andrea Bartz, author of the Reese’s Book Club pick We Were Never Here, in which a backpacking trip leads to deadly consequences across three continents as the story traverses Cambodia, Chile, and Wisconsin. In conversation with Noah Weckwerth of Elm Grove Public Library and cosponsored by Boswell Book Company.

Emily is having the time of her life in the mountains of Chile with her best friend, Kristen, on their annual reunion trip. But on the last night of the trip, Emily enters their hotel suite to find blood and broken glass on the floor. Kristen says the cute backpacker she brought back to the room attacked her, and she had no choice but to kill him in self-defense. Even more shocking: The scene is horrifyingly similar to last year's trip, when another backpacker wound up dead. Emily can't believe it's happened again - can lightning really strike twice? Emily returns home to Wisconsin, dives head-first into a new relationship, and throws herself into work. But when Kristen shows up for a surprise visit, Emily is forced to confront their violent past.

From Sarah Weinman, writing for The New York Times Book Review: "A book that skillfully examines toxic friendship at its most extreme... When the reckoning arrives, it shows that sometimes, we should fear our friends a lot more than strangers." And from NPR: "Beneath the thrilling cliffhangers and impeccably paced plot lies a very sharp portrait of female friendship and how magical and intense it can be."

Andrea Bartz is the bestselling author of the thrillers The Lost Night and The Herd. Her writing has appeared in The Wall Street JournalVogue, and Elle, and she has held editorial positions at GlamourPsychology Today, and Self, among other publications.

Tuesday, October 18, 6:30 pm
Paul Salsini, author of Sondheim & Me: Revealing a Musical Genius
in conversation with Mike Fischer, in-person at Boswell - click here to register

Milwaukee journalist and writer Paul Salsini, the Founder and Editor of The Sondheim Review, which was the only publication devoted solely to Sondheim's work during his lifetime, visits for a conversation about his new memoir, Sondheim & Me, which details Salsini’s unique relationship with the groundbreaking American musical composer. In conversation with theater critic Mike Fischer. Masks required at this event.

Salsini’s memoir chronicles his relationship with Stephen Sondheim during his time working on The Sondheim Review. The magazine began in 1994 and Salsini shares his unique experiences interviewing, corresponding with, and speaking on the phone with the composer-lyricist through the entire next decade.

Sondheim & Me looks into Sondheim's early work, shares personal letters and interview excerpts, and collects Sondheim's own special insights into his work, often as a reaction to pieces appearing in The Sondheim Review. Salsini describes the musical genius and his working approach in revealing detail, while emphasizing Sondheim's lifelong passion and success in raising the standards of musical theater with innovative, influential, and sometimes provocative new shows.

Paul Salsini is author of ten novels set in Tuscany. Salsini is a graduate of Marquette University and worked as a writer, editor, and staff development director for The Milwaukee Journal for more than three decades. He also served as the Wisconsin correspondent for The New York Times. He is a writing coach and gives presentations on musical theater.

Wednesday, October 19, 6:30 pm
Joe Meno, author of Book of Extraordinary Tragedies
in conversation with Coe Douglas, in-person at Boswell - click here to register.

Boswell welcomes back Joe Meno, author of books such as The Great Perhaps and Hairstyles of the Damned, for his latest, Book of Extraordinary Tragedies, a moving novel about the impossibility of fate and family. In conversation with Milwaukee artist and writer Coe Douglas.

Siblings and former classical music prodigies Aleksandar and Isobel were forced to abandon their musical ambitions at a young age. Now in their twenties and doomed by a family history of failure, the two have all but given up. But when an illness forces Isobel to move home to far southside Chicago, she begins playing cello again as Aleksandar comes to see a world of possibility and wonder in the lives of his extraordinarily complicated family.

Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The House of Broken Angels, says: "I don’t know how Joe Meno does it - if I did know, I’d copy him. This book has such velocity that it generates wind, yet it is meditative and steeped in love, music, and human connection. It’s stunning."

Joe Meno is author of novels and short story collections such as Marvel and a Wonder, The Boy Detective Fails, and Hairstyles of the Damned. He’s been awarded the Nelson Algren Literary Award, a Pushcart Prize, and was a finalist for the Story Prize. He is a professor in the English and Creative Writing Department at Columbia College Chicago.

Nora McInerny, author of Bad Vibes Only: (and Other Things I Bring to the Table)
In-Person at Boswell
Thursday, October 20, 6:30 pm - capacity is limited; click here to register

Boswell hosts an evening with Nora McInerny, host of the podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking and author of books like No Happy Endings, for an event featuring her latest, a fun, raw essay collection called Bad Vibes Only: (and Other Things I Bring to the Table). This event is currently at capacity. Please check back to see if spaces open up. Walk-in registration may not be available, but we should be able to accommodate you on the signing line.

McInerny’s latest book is great for her fans as well as readers of Jenny Lawson and
Glennon Doyle - a poignant, hilarious collection of essays that offers not just a response to a society that tells us to live, laugh, love, but also a reminder that in a world where we are more connected to and observed by our peers than ever before, we still deserve the freedom to be ourselves. McInerny does not dance like no one is watching. In fact, she does not dance at all. She has captured the hearts of millions by discussing grief and loss with wit and warmth. Now, she turns her eye on our aggressively, oppressively optimistic culture, our obsession with self-improvement, and what it really means to live our lives online.

In essays that span her childhood to present, McInerny introduces us to her mind and her world while inviting us to more closely observe our own. We meet the people that challenge, question, and make her reflect on her own life, habits, and personality: her children, and their homework meltdowns, job searches, and online personalities; her college friend Kathleen, who now lives as a cloistered nun; and her uncle, a philosopher who has never used the internet.

Nora McInerny is author of It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying Is Cool Too), The Hot Young Widows Club, and Bad Moms. She hosts the award-winning podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking, has spoken on TED’s mainstage, and has contributed to publications like The New York Times, Slate, and Vox. She is very tall.

Monday, October 24, 6:30 pm
Michail Takach and BJ Daniels, coauthors of A History of Milwaukee Drag: Seven Generations of Glamour
in-person at Boswell Book Company - click here to register

Coauthors Michail Takach and BJ Daniels appear at Boswell for a conversation about their new book, A History of Milwaukee Drag, which celebrates Milwaukee’s place in the history and impact of drag queen culture.

For over a century, drag has been a force in Milwaukee nightlife. On June 7, 1884, "The Only Leon" brought the fine art of female impersonation to the Grand Opera Hall, launching a proud local legacy that continues today at This Is It, La Cage, Hamburger Mary's, D.I.X. and other venues.

Historians Takach and Daniels recognize that today's LGBTQ liberties were born from the strength, resilience, and resistance of yesterday's gender non-conforming pioneers. This is a long overdue celebration of those stories, including high-rolling hustler of the Fourth Ward "Badlands" Frank Blunt, over-the-top dinner theater drag superstar of the 1950s Adrian Ames, and "It Kid" Jamie Gays, first-ever Miss Gay Milwaukee and Latin community hero.

BJ Daniels has done hair and makeup work on set for film and video, taught the art of hairdressing as a licensed professional, and has covered Fashion Week in New York City. Daniels still works behind the chair, and lens, and performs in drag. Michail Takach is a reporter and communications professional who earned a masters in communications and history at UW-Madison. As the curator of the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, Takach produces ongoing articles, documentaries and podcasts about local history.

Photo credits
Kieran Setiya by Caspar Hare
Andrea Bartz by Bill Wadman
Nora McInerny by Chelsey Werth

Sunday, October 16, 2022

Boswell bestsellers for the week ending October 15, 2022

Here are the Boswell bestsellers for the week of October 15, 2022.

Hardcover Fiction:
1. Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng
2. Under a Veiled Moon, by Karen Odden (Register for October 26 in-person event here)
3. Lucy by the Sea, by Elizabeth Strout
4. Babel, by RF Kuang
5. Illuminations, by Alan Moore
6. Shrines of Gaiety, by Kate Atkinson
7. The Whalebone Theatre, by Joanna Quinn
8. The Winners, by Fredrik Backman
9. The Golden Enclaves, by Naomi Novik
10. The Bullet That Missed, by Richard Oman

Our top debut this week is Illuminations, the first-ever story collection from Alan Moore, the acclaimed comic book writer of V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. Needless to say, Bloomsbury keeps the Neil Gaiman quote up front, which includes this turn of phrase: "Both mind-expanding and cosmic while utterly rooted in our urban reality, written in language that coruscates, concatenates and glitters." I had to look up coruscate, but I think I know what concatenate means from using the function on Excel.

Hardcover Nonfiction:
1. The Book of Boundaries, by Melissa Urban
2. Bad Vibes Only, by Nora McInerny (we're just about at capacity, but as of now, there are a couple of spots left for October 20 event)
3. Slenderman, by Kathleen Hale
4. The Brain-Friendly Workplace, by Friederike Fabritius
5. Crossing the DMZ, by Dennis Darmek (signed copies available)
6. I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
7. Confidence Man, by Maggie Haberman
8. American Midnight, by Adam Hochschild
9. Sondheim and Me, by Paul Salini (Register for October 18 in person event here)
10. Painting Can Save Your Life, by Sara Woster (Register for November 2 in person event here)

It's a very event-driven list this week with three upcoming and three just-occurred events out of ten slots. For the rest, it's the second week of top 10 sales for Adam Hochschild's American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis, which looks at the violence and harassment perpetuated on immigrants, labor organizers, and people of color. . Five raves and a positive on Book Marks - this from Thomas Meaney in The New York Times: "At a time when professional doom-mongering about democracy has become one of the more inflationary sectors of the American economy, it is tonic to be reminded by Adam Hochschild’s masterly new book, American Midnight, that there are other contenders than the period beginning in 2016 for the distinction of Darkest Years of the Republic. By some measures - and certainly in many quarters of the American left - the years 1917-21 have a special place in infamy."

Paperback Fiction:
1. The Bronze Drum, by Phong Nguyen (signed copies available)
2. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
3. For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway
4. Once Upon a December, by Amy E Reichert (Register for November 30 in-person event here)
5. A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J Maas
6. Bunny, by Mona Awad
7. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
8. The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
9. Still Life, by Sarah Winman (Join a Boswell book club - we're discussing Still Life in December).
10. Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro (Tomorrow! - Books & Beer Book Club)

Being that our sales on Mona Awad's Bunny are so strong, and noting that it has a rec card, but is not specifically on someone's rec shelf, I took a look on Edelweiss inventory sharing site. We're doing well, but nine stores have sales in the triple digits for the past 12 months. With momentum like that, and being the kind of book it is (the critics have compared it to Carrie, Mean Girls, Heathers, The Secret History), how is this not in streamer development? But wait, it did score a deal, back in 2019 - more on Deadline. We'll see if it makes its way to a finished product.

Paperback Nonfiction:
1. There Is No Backstage, by Linda Stephens (signed copies available)
2. Memorable Milwaukee, by Darlene Wesenberg Rzezotarski
3. A History of Milwaukee Drag, by BJ Daniels and Michail Takach (Register for October 24 in-person event here)
4. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
5. Getting Lost, by Annie Ernaux
6. Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest, by Teresa Marrone
7. Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold
8. The Complete Mushroom Hunter Revised, by Gary Lincoff
9. 111 Places in Milwaukee That You Must Not Miss, by Michelle Madden
10. The Birdman of Koshkonong, by Martha Bergland

That mushroom table's time is nearing its end as holiday ornaments, boxed cards, and themed books call dibs on display tables. It's had a good run - two books in our top ten again this week - Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest and The Complete Mushroom Hunter. If you live in Milwaukee or Chicago areas and shop for mushrooms, you probably shop at the farmers market stands of River Valley Ranch. I am a regular at the one at South Shore Park. I hope to visit their store in Burlington on the off season. And if you missed the Wall Street Journal article about mushrooms that featured Boswell, here it is. I think you'll see the shout out before the pay wall kicks in.

Books for Kids:
1. Our World of Dumplings, by Francie Dekker/Sarah Jung
2. Moving to Mars, by Stef Wade/Erin Taylor
3. A Place for Pluto, by Stef Wade/Melanie Demmer
4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by JK Rowling/Jim Kay
5. The School for Good and Evil, by Soman Chainani
6. Two Roads, by Joseph Bruchac
7. My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Collier
8. Our Shadows Have Claws, by Yamile Saied Mendez
9. The Birthday of the World, by Rachel Naomi Remen/Rachell Sumpter
10. A Rover's Story, by Jasmine Warga

Soman Chainani visited area schools, Boswell, and an area library over more than one visit. Now his book series, The School for Good and Evil, has become a Netflix series. 106 reviews on Google rate it a 4.9 out of 5. I'd post a review but it actually hasn't opened yet (October 19 is the date), which calls those reviews into question, doesn't it? Here's a preview in Bloody Disgusting, which I'm sure you guessed is a horror fan site.

Up next - Boswell weekly event blog