The Gift of Swag--What I Got at Book Expo and What Folks Can Get at Boswell This Friday (at 11 AM)

For the first time in many years, I didn't bring home a single cloth bag from Book Expo, the book convention that previews fall titles. Well, I didn't bring one home last year either because I didn't go. There are less advance readers editions (galleys) as well, but they were certainly available (with some exceptions--I think HarperCollins only provided ebook access).

I did get one piece of swag, however, thanks to the alert eyes of Jason. It's this purple Mr. Toppit umbrella. And since Mr. Toppit wins best swag of the show (admittedly by default, but honestly, I think Mr. Toppit would have swept the category in most years), here's a bit of preview about the book.

"When Arthur Hayman, an unsuccessful screenwriter turned children's book author, is accidentally hit by a cement truck in London, his dying moments are spent with a passing American tourist, Laurie Clow, who is fated to bring posthumous fame to his obscure series, The Hayseed Chronicles, and the enigmatic and sinister Mr. Toppit who is at the center of the books. Spanning several decades, from the heyday of the postwar British film industry to today's cutthroat world of show business in Los Angeles, Mr. Toppit is a riveting debut novel that captures an extraordinary family and their tragic brush with fame to wonderfully funny and painful effect."

Swag, did you say swag? Why we're hosting Penguin Mini Truck this Friday, from 11 AM-12:30 PM, and we have a bit of swag ourselves.

Driving the Mini to Minneapolis (could there be a more obvious destination? It's like a magnet city) is Penguin editor Alexis Washam, who acquires literary fiction, upmarket commercial fiction, and mystery and psychological suspense, as well as a variety of non-fiction in subjects including pop culture, music, travel and memoir.

We have very nice 18x24 posters with the history of the Penguin logo, suitable for framing. We'll also have a limited number of balloons, assorted postcards, and, with purchase of any Penguin book, one of their great cloth bags (well, assuming they show up). Note that second-hand and bargain do not qualify for this offer.

Come meet Alexis, get some swag, take a picture with the Penguin Mini. It's all this Friday, 11 AM till 12:30 PM.

Getting Rich on Others Going Broke--The New Book by Gary Rivlin

Pawn shops. Rent-to-own stores. Check cashing places. And payday loans. Holy smokes, where did all these places come from? You go to certain strip centers and it's just one after another.

A lot of it has to do with changes in laws regarding interest rates, certainly in Wisconsin. But the industry says it also has to do with high banking fees. When it costs $35 for a bounced check, a $20 interest charge on a weekly loan doesn't seem so bad.

In his new book, Broke, USA: From Pawnshops to Poverty, Inc.; How the Working Poor Became Big Business, journalist Gary Rivlin tells how the industry exploded, following the movers and shakes, as well as the critics and victims.

It wasn't a shock to my fellow booksellers that I was reading this. I'm both interested in business and economics from the market aspect, but also from the moral side. And boy, does Broke USA have a lot of both.

You just connect the dots to see how the subprime mortgage meltdown happened. A lot of the initial companies in the business, Beneficial and Household Finance, for example, were staid old companies. Household, though it practically printed money, hoped to burnish its image with diversification.

The change happened when the capital markets decided that it was ok to make as much money as you could off the working poor. So what if folks got caught up in neverending rolled-over loans. So what if your salespeople lied about interest rates and contract clauses to make a sale. You weren't breaking the law, they were.

It wasn't always the story I wanted told--for example, when the story started with a victim, I thought there would be these stories sprinkled throughout, but they vanish for long stretches.

And then there's the nonprofit Atlantia Legal Aid Society, which accidentally spearheaded subprime lending and probably never expected it to be so corrupted. They are sort of the heroes in the book, but their storyline is worthy but a bit dry. Still interesting, though.

Newly Releases in Paperback about Adoption from Mei-Ling Hopgood, and (go figure) Dan Chaon (with an Event Plug, Of Course)

I'm excited to say that Mei-Ling Hopgood's Lucky Girl arrived in paperback this week. I really enjoyed this book when it was published in hardcover, and it made our book spring-summer book club flyer for spring (we've gone back to press on it twice, to use old book publshing lingo).

We've already got a blog piece on this book, in conjunction with the book's hardcover publication and our Boswell event. Read it here.

Another book I wrote about in hardcover is Dan Chaon's Await Your Reply. Here's one of the pieces I wrote about the book, looking at it as a literary play on the horror genre. Could I really write a bit more about this book, which is part of our double-header event at the Sugar Maple this Thursday, June 10th, at 7 PM (no cover, at KK and Lincoln)?

Yes, I could. Because I was having a conversation with my friend Charlotte (here's her blog Follow the Reader) at Book Expo, and she said to me that she thinks that Dan Chaon is one of the few writers she's read that captures the identity displacement that comes along with adoption. It turns out that Lucinda Rosenfeldtalked about this in her New York Times Book Review piece last year, but I had glossed over that.

Now it turns out this is a problem when you come into an author's work later. It turns out Chaon has been talking about this as the source of his work for a long time.

Here's an excerpt from his 2004 interview in Poets and Writers. I like to the full review afterwards.

"Dan Chaon: I am adopted, so that issue has been part of my own mental landscape for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, I thought about it a lot. Why did I end up in this particular family? What is my birth family like? Are they more like me than my adopted family? I was a weird kid: bookish, imaginative, and not athletic. My dad was a construction worker and nobody in my family went to college. At 10, I wanted to read the New Yorker. So I wondered if some mistake had been made.

"I met my birth father eight years ago and, as it turns out, he, too, is a construction worker just like my adopted father. They're both electricians. The experience of meeting my birth father and learning some of the answers to my questions was definitely the impetus behind the novel, as well as having kids. Your kids' personalities emerge early on, and as a parent you don't do much to make it happen. Both those events fed into my desire to write a novel about this particular material."

So I turned to one of my fellow booksellers and asked if they realized that Chaon was writing about adoption. His answer: "Really? Now I have to read that book again."

Read the whole interview here.

Add Another Leaf to the Intergalactic Table--More Chicks at This Sundays Dr. Who Talk

This Sunday at 2 PM, we're hosting our talk for the book Chicks Dig Time Lords.

The idea came from Kathy, one of our customers who is definitely a timelord-digging chick. I've known Kathy since I was a wee bookseller working at the Iron Block Schwartz in the mid eighties when, honestly, I didn't really know the names of many of our customers. I've gotten better at this. Kathy, thanks for the suggestion!

My first thought was to head to contributor Carole E. Barrowman, one of the contributors, a reviewer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and already an alumna of the Boswell Author Event U., for the memoir I Am What I Am (the paperback isn't quite out yet, but will be shortly). Her essay is on growing up with Dr. Who, and how her viewpoint was changed by having a brother linked to the series.

Barrowman did a lot of emailing back and forth with the editors, Lynne Thomas and Tara O'Shea, and came up with a date of Sunday, June 6th at 2. Hey, that's tomorrow! Thomas contributed a piece on marrying into the Tardis tribe, while Tara O'Shea looks back at her first Dr. Who convention twenty years ago.

Then last week (or slightly before--my days are running together like when you only have leftovers and you mix together two kinds of Chinese takeout, hoping that the flavors will blend together and not be icky) Barrowman asked if we could add a couple of more chicks to the panel.

Absolutely!

Jody Lynn Nye contemplates why the fanbase has such a large contingent of women (percentage-wise) compared to other sf phenoms like Star Trek.

And Kathryn Sullivan looks at how fanzines contributed to the series' continued popularity.

That's right, we've got five contributors to Chicks Dig Time Lords coming. Read more in this interview with Tara O'Shea on the blog Scyfilove. And here's the Journal Sentinel piece shout out.

Keeping Watch on Alan Furst's Whereabouts--Two Events on June 17th

It's something you always dream about saying, and then you can...

I just read my first Furst.

It's his new novel, Spies of the Balkans, and though I don't like to talk about books too much before they are out, sometimes you have to, like when your event is just after the book releases. Furst doesn't write in series, but most of his novels are World-War II era, so the continuity is in the world he creates.

Costa Zannis is a policeman from Salonika who (in the story’s prelude) spots a German spy with some incriminating photographs. It turns out that Zannis’ life is more filled with intrigue than he realizes. Someone very close is keeping an eye on him, to see if he can help out in the war effort. And then a wealthy and powerful Jew seeks his help to facilitate the evacuation of other Jews to Turkey. His only roadblock to a higher calling is a dangerous obsession with the wife of a wealthy local businessman. Oh, and the impending bombing.

Calling Furst’s novels “spy thriller” can be a bit misleading; the story is very character driven, and the plotting is very subtle. Unlike many thrillers, it’s closer to real life than cartoon, and that makes it all the more powerful. That said, it's nice that we created an espionage subsection so that we can do a little cross-merchandising.

Though Alan Furst has visited Milwaukee several times, he's never been to the Safe House, Milwaukee's legendary spy bar. And since Furst is considered one of the finest espionage writers out there, it seemed like a natural.

Here's the setup for Thursday, June 17th:

At 7 PM, we will have a traditional author talk and signing at Boswell Book Company on Downer Avenue.

At 9 PM, the party moves to the Safe House, where toast the success of Furst's latest novel. It will not be a full talk-signing, just a short welcome and a few words from the author.

Think of it like when everyone gather together after the event while the author is signing and the Boswellians say, "It's 9 PM, we're closing. Why don't you continue the conversation at at one of the coffee shops or bars on the block?"

And yes, if you want a book signed, we will be selling books at the Safe House too. You can skip the event at Boswell (am I really saying this?) and head straight over to Front Street.

Some things you need to know abou the Safe House:

a) There's a password. I'm not telling.

b) There's a cover charge, but if you print out this blog post, you can avoid it.

c) You haven't ever been to anyplace like it.

Just be careful of being double-crossed.

Alan Furst's official web site here.

Not convinced? Read Janet Maslin's spectacular review in the New York Times for Furst's previous novel, The Spies of Warsaw.

Addict Lit--Crack From Clegg and Good Old Alcohol for Huneven

L., one of our good second-hand customers came in over the weekend. She mostly shops another place (unnamed), but she likes to trade in with us for credit. (Yes, we buy second-hand books for credit. Call us at 414-332-1181 to let us know when you'd like to come in) The thing was, she knew exactly what she wanted to use the credit for, Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man, and our copies hadn't come in yet.

It's the story of a literary agent who hits bottom on a crack addiction, and her enthusiasm led me to read an advance copy of the book myself. I had been toying with it, particularly as my editor friend David highly recommended it. The publisher's packaging reminded me of Nick Flynn's Another Bullsh*t Night in Suck City, which I read several years ago. I seem to remember that fragmentary style has some similarity, the parental issues, the drugs. And look at how similar the jackets are!

Clegg jumps around, circling his final meltdown with stories from his childhood (and a psychological problem that went ignored by his family), his teenage welcomes to alcohol and drugs, his rise as an agent, the secrets the permeate his life. I had a lot of sympathy for his boyfriend Noah, but as the story continues, I realized how complicit he was in the addiction and the secrets, starting with how they made up a story about how they met. I guess phone sex line didn't go well with friends. Maybe not a bad idea, but those secrets led to Noah agreeing to serially forget about Bill's drug relapses.

It's one of those punch-in-the-face books that offer a special kind of reading experience. I didn't know why I was reading it, I felt a little dirty, and I couldn't stop. And yet not trashy--that's quite the balancing act.

Here's Clegg's profile in the New York Times that compelled our customer to rush right over and get a copy.

Speaking of addiction, how can I not mention that Michelle Huneven's breathtaking Blame is out in paperback. I'd say finally, but it's been less than a year and I only say finally when it's more than a year. As in, Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers is finally coming out in paperback this fall. And it is.

Huneven's novel is one of the best renderings of recovery that I've read, fictional or true. Patsy McLemoore is first shown through the eyes of her boyfriend's young cousin (family friend? who can remember?), a falling-down mess. Oh, that ear-piercing scene!

Her path to sobirety is laced with darkness and humor and filled with side characters so rich they threaten to take over the novel. We had a very nice first week of sale on the book. Thank you reviewers and NBCC and all the authors (like Sue Miller) and readers who've been singing the book's praises.

I convinced L. to read this until she came back for the Clegg. Hope my suggestion clicked!

Glenn Taylor’s Triple Threat Appearances in Milwaukee Metro

One of the best things about having a lot of colleges within driving distance is that when professors have a book come out, you get to host them. Now it’s true that novelists can be teaching in just about any department. Look at all the great novels that come from doctors. That said, the English and Creative Writing departments seem to be a prime source for Boswell’s event schedule.

Next week we’re hosting the author of The Marrowbone Marble Company, Glenn Taylor, who teaches at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. This of course led me to peruse the Harper College site. I like looking at them with the same earnestness that I collect tchotchke from college bookstores-- notebooks and postcards and the like. It was founded in 1965…by referendum! I use an exclamation point because I don’t know what that means.

So anyway, Glenn Taylor (who was formerly M. Glenn Taylor, by the way) is coming up to the Milwaukee area to do not one, but three events in the metro. We’re hosting him at Boswell on Tuesday, June 8th, at 7 PM. Mequon’s Next Chapter has a talk/signing with him on Wednesday, June 9th (same time) and then he heads to Books & Company in Oconomowoc on Thursday (I assume it’s also 7 PM).

I go back and forth on these double events. Sometimes I worry that we're chasing the same folks (who will travel further for many events than they will just to shop). For Robin Hobb last week, we got the feeling that we could have held the event on an island twenty miles off Lake Michigan and the same incredibly supportive fan base would have followed the author there, perhaps renting a catamaran. She's so nice she could get me to read (and understand) fantasy. I'm very sad the event was scheduled during my trip to Book Expo. Here's what Hobb had to say about the trip.

On the other hand, a full court press of events means its more likely for the event to get a write up in the media. Here's the Book Preview from the Shepherd Express. And don't forget the author event roundup that Jim Higgins has been doing every Sunday in the Journal Sentinel.

I think you'll continue to see twin and triplet events, as well as some cases where we do them in succession, and visiting authors where we have exclusives. We certainly don't want you to be able to second guess us!

So what did I think of The Marrowbone Marble Company? It's a fine read, worthy of multiple events! His previous book, The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart, was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Here’s my rec that I’ve been using around the store:

“When a West Virginia man has a vision to build a marble factory, there's more that changes than his profession. Loyal Ledford has seen the future and it's integrated, and who better to help first than the beaten-up janitor, Mack Wells, particularly as he was trained as an engineer. Alas, the area around the Marrowbone Cut is filled with unsavory characters like the hot-headed Maynards and the unsavory Ball cousins, folks who are not apt to help the poor of any color when they could fill their own pockets. Ledford's also got his hands full with his wife and three kids, particularly his youngest Orb, a hemophiliac who also has a different way of looking at the world. The Marrowbone Marble Company sees the second half of the 20th century through the prism of one small town, one particularly changed by civil rights and the war on poverty.”

It’s the kind of book that I’d think Barbara Kingsolver would like—family drama wrapped up in socio-political issues.

Next Chapter also has the rec on the Indie Next list for June:

"Gripping and raw, set between the moral compass of the '40s and the social revolution of the '60s, this novel follows a West Virginia family though their turbulent relationships with war, poverty, social injustice and racial segregation. It would be hard not to call this a piece of fine art, with its classic storytelling and brilliant writing."

(All the best to Scott on the next step of his journey, as a fan of Paulo Coelho would say.)

So, pick a store and visit for an interesting (and free) reading from an author with an interesting story to tell.

A Day at the Gardens--Transitioning to Our Thursday Event with Peter Buffett

I feel like I haven't even had time to sit since returning from Book Expo. Alas, my return from New York turned into a two-day affair. That might someday turn into another post, if I can find the right book tie-in.

Sunday I spent selling art, nature, and gardening books at the grand opening of the Lynden Sculpture Garden. It's just beautiful! Bradley had the park designed to remind him of the Kansas City Park of his youth. I've recommended the Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids to many of traveler. Now I have something to tout close to home.

The Lynden Sculpture Garden (formerly Bradley) is open Wednesdays from 10 to dusk and Sundays from Noon to 5 PM. Admission is $9, $7 for seniors and students, with children under 6 admitted free with a parent.

In September, Wild Space Dance Company is performing on the grounds. You learn these things when you are staffing tables at these sorts of things. Should be beautiful.

This week is Milwaukee's celebration of Peter Buffett's Life is What You Make it. Tomorrow (Wednesday, June 3rd) is Buffett's concert and conversation at the Pabst Theater. Friday is a private event for the Friends of 88Nine Radio at...the Lynden Sculpture Garden. Tickets for the Wednesday concert are still available.

Thursday (June 4th) is a talk and signing at Boswell Book Company at 7 PM.

Read more on Onmilwaukee.com.

And the Shepherd Express.

And the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.