My First Email Newsletter That is Also a Blog Post--Getting Ready for Anne Lamott at Alverno Next Tuesday, April 12, 7 pm. It's at Wehr Hall This Time.

I have friends at another bookstore that send out a separate email for each event.  I can see this if you do one event a month, but I get more than one a week.  I find it fascinating, but I'd fear that I'd get a lot of cancellations.

That said, I just send this dedicated email for our event for Anne Lamott at Alverno next Tuesday, April 12, 7 pm, at Wehr Hall.  Though I know Lamott has lots of big fans in Milwaukee, the event just needs a little extra help.  (On the other hand, our Patricia Wells event for Salad as a Meal on April 18 at Bacchus is sold out.)

And since it's a little more narrative-y than most emails, I decided to convert this into a blog post.  My apologies if you subscribe to both. I get the feeling that many people only read one or the other.  So here I go!

You can order Anne Lamott tickets on the Alverno website or by calling (414) 382-6044 between Noon and 6 pm, Monday through Friday. I'll give you more details about the tickets, plus the best place to park for Wehr Hall, and just about everything you need to know, but first I want to talk a little more about Anne Lamott and her new novel, Imperfect Birds.

Anne Lamott is one of our most beloved writers. Her writing guide Bird by Bird continues to be the bestselling book in its category, and perhaps the only writing book I've ever read. Her chronicle of her son's first year, Operating Instructions, is probably the only book I've ever read that I'd consider a parenting novel (and I just heard that the sequel has been signed up for publication!). Her faith trilogy (Plan B, Grace (Eventually), and Travelling Mercies*) is similarly beloved, and seem to transcend belief systems. Yes, I read Plan B too.

The truth is that Lamott takes anything she writes and brings it to another level of universal understanding. That's no small order. And through it all, she's been writing her novels, seven of them altogether. I have this distinct memory of chasing down an Anne Lamott book for my brother-in-law (dare I say it?) when I first started bookselling some 25 years ago. But that's not even my strongest Lamott memory. Who can't forget the day that Schwartz hosted Lamott and despite a terrible snowstorm, she triumphantly entered the bookstore an hour past the start of the reading? Her fans were so solid that pretty much none of them gave up and left. It was a pretty great night.

Imperfect Birds is the third novel Lamott has written about Rosie Ferguson and her mother Elizabeth, following Rosie and Crooked Little Heart. It's the story of a family in crisis, with a teenager who seemingly has it together, but is flirting dangerously with substance abuse. Her mom, Elizabeth, whose powerful trust in her child cause her to overlook dangerous signs, even though she's a recovering alcoholic herself. I'm going to admit here that I haven't finished the novel yet, but it's a fascinating read, filled with Lamott's wonderful writing and always entertaining insights into human nature.

So you are wondering, do you have to have read Lamott's previous "Rosie" novels to enjoy Imperfect Birds? Absolutely not! I did read Rosie but it was so long ago that I don't remember it anyway. I assure you that it's a self-contained story, not at all like starting Lord of the Rings with The Return of the King.

There's no question that this is a novel that contemplates substance abuse and addiction, a subject that Lamott has tackled several times before, as it comes from her own life. Lamott's journey from alcoholism to sobriety has been touched on in several of her memoirs, and was mother Elizabeth's battle in earlier "Rosie" novels. If this subject is of interest to you, I would like to recommend, as an aside, two absolutely wonderful novels that tackle the subject--Michelle Huneven's Blame and Heidi W. Durrow's The Girl who Fell from the Sky.

So yes, Anne Lamott is a wonderful writer and the new novel is a good read that will make an excellent book club suggestion. But the real reason to come to Anne Lamott is...Lamott is a spectacular speaker! You will be kicking yourself after this one if you are on the fence and don't come. You'll be chatting with one of your friends and they will tell you what an amazing time they had...and you probably won't get a chance to see Lamott for another five years. Even when the publisher and author are fond of Milwaukee as a tour city, it usually rotates onto the schedule about every two to three tours.

*I checked with Stacie, another big fan, and Travelling Mercies is her favorite.

Part 2: Daniel's Guide to a Great Anne Lamott Experience at Alverno College

1. Our event is at Wehr Hall (to be precise, Todd Wehr Auditorium in Christopher Hall, according to the sign outside). Though 39th street will pop up on search engines, this building is closest to 43rd and Morgan, the southwest corner of the campus. The address is 3400 South 43rd. Our website had the wrong number for a short time. Our apologies.

2. You can approach Alverno from the east, taking the Holt exit from 43 and traveling west.

3. I think it is faster and easier for most people (unless you live in Bay View, like I do) to take the Miller Park Way exit from 94. This street turns into 43rd Street. You will pass the redeveloped strip centers of West Allis, then beautiful Jackson Park on your left. The campus starts just after Oklahoma Avenue.

4. See that lot on 43rd and Morgan? Park there. Permits are not needed in the closer lot after 4 pm. Oh, and don't forget to allow for some extra time on the freeways. There are a lot of lane closures out there, particularly on I94.

5. If you do take Miller Park Way to 43rd, I do recommend eating at Pho 43, in the strip center in front of the Target. It's cheap, good, and I wish it were busier. The owners are very nice. I like the pho, the fried rice, and several of the noodle dishes.

6. Here's why you should buy your ticket now, instead of waiting until the last minute. Even if you buy your tickets that day, we'll have will-call at Wehr. But walk-up purchasers will have to go to the Pitman Box Office to buy tickets first, and then head over to Wehr. Ick!

7. There is a service charge of $5 per order. If you're going in a group, please buy your tickets together and save some dough!

8. You have two options--a paperback copy of Imperfect Birds (you get the picture--I'm going to stop obsessively linking), $10 off a different book on display, or a $10 gift card to use at Boswell on anything else you would like.

9. Caveat! Based on advance ticket purchase, we have brought in 200 copies of Imperfect Birds. If by some amazing marketing surge, we go well beyond an attendance that would cover book sales, the books are first come, first serve.

10. Want to read more about Anne Lamoot's Imperfect Birds? Here are reviews in The New York Times, the Seattle Times, and Time Magazine.

11. And here's an interview with Caroline Leavitt, a blogger, whose most recent novel, Pictures of You, was just released in paperback.

12. Hope to see you there! And if you have any questions, email me or call the store during our regular hours (see above) at (414) 332-1181.

So there you have it.  Now what else can I do?  And that's just one of six events we have coming up next week.  Seven, if you include the Jewish Day School reading on Tuesday at the store.

Partnering on Bookstore Events, Part 2--The Sister Spit Tour on Thursday, April 14, 8 pm, with Our Very Special Sponsor, Tool Shed Erotic Boutique.

When I said I was looking all over for partnerships, I wasn't kidding.  Radar Productions came to us looking for a venue for the Sister Spit tour, a multi-artist talk and reading and performance art extravaganza, which is the brainchild of writer/poet/graphic novelist Michelle Tea.  The last time they came through Milwaukee, they worked with Broad Vocabulary bookstore.  Though the physical bookstore is closed, they live on as the cooperative called A Broader Vocabulary.  Here is their Facebook page.

Once you host an author, you feel a bit proprietary, I'm sure.  That said, folks move around all the time.  For example, we hosted mystery-writer-with-a-comic-edge Lisa Lutz when she last came to town, but this time she's going to Mystery One with David Hayward for their new collaboration, Heads You Lose. Lutz is delightful!  The event is Thursday, April 22 at 7 pm.  Tour information here.  Another author who is switching it up is Elizabeth Berg, author of the new novel, Once Upon a Time There was You. Last year we did the launch event in Milwaukee, but this time it's Next Chapter's turn in Mequon.  This is a ticketed event on Monday, April 18, 7 pm.  Details here.

And that said, I am coming to our sexually frank portion of the blog.  If you are a delicate flower, you must close this blog post and come back tomorrow, where I will take a trip to Alverno College and show you the best place to park (and a good place to eat) for the Anne Lamott event on Tuesday, April 12.  Tickets available to Anne Lamott here!

Where was I?  Oh, yes, The Sister Spit tour.  The event is at Boswell on Thursday, April 14, at the slightly more adulty time of 8 pm.  The performance is not adults only, but there will be adult themes and language, and I want to make sure everyone who is in the store knows why they are there.  Here's the rundown of the artists for the show, which is a bit paraphrased, with a little extra info on the books, being that we are a bookstore:

Founder Michelle Tea is the author of four memoirs, two of which, Valencia and Rent Girl, we should have at the event. Rent Girl is currently Tea's most popular book--it's a graphic novel of her years as a prostitute. We'll also have her poetry collection, Beautiful, and the novel Rose of No Man’s Land. She has also edited numerous anthologies.

MariNaomi is the author and illustrator of the graphic memoir Kiss and Tell: A Romantic Resume, 0 to 22, which was just released by HarperPerennial. She's also a visual artist.  Hurray for new releases!  Booklist noted that "this graphic memoir is a fun romp through one woman's personal sexual revolution."

Kirk Read is the author of How I Learned to Snap, a memoir of growing up gay in Virginia, and the upcoming essay collection This is the Thing. Doesn't seem out yet.  The new work is based on a multimedia performance about sex workers.  Here's more information. 

Myriam Gurba is the author of Dahlia Season, a short story and novella collection which won the Edmund White Award in 2008.  Alas, it's currently out of stock with the publisher. Gurba, whose stories explore gender bending boundaries, and often incorporate her Mexican-American heritage, is profiled here in La Bloga. 

Ali Liebegott’s books include The Beautifully Worthless, which won a Lambda Literary Award, and The IHOP Papers, which also won a Lambda Literary Award in addition to a Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBT Fiction. The latter is out of stock (it was published by Caroll and Graf, before they ceased publishing) and I'm checking on the former. 

Blake Nelson writes for young adults (you've heard me go on about how sometimes these classifications are a function of which editor acquires the books), two of which we'll have at the event, Recovery Road and Destroy All Cars, which are brand new in hardcover and paperback respectively. The new novel (the first of the two mentioned) is about two teenagers who fall in love in a substance abuse treatment facility.

Amos Mac is a photographer, writer and independent publisher.  He is also the editor in chief of Original Plumbing, a magazine dedicated to the culture of FTM transexuals. We don't stock it, but our partner in this event, Tool Shed, does.

So, Tool Shed!  Formerly in Riverwest, this erotic boutique has been nearby on Murray Avenue for the past few years, guided by Laura Stuart, who also teaches at Northwestern.  Here are some rave reviews.  Stuart also writes the sex column "Ask Laura" and I figured she might be an enthusiastic partner for the event. 

And they were! And now they are our official co-sponsors.  And so I paid a visit to the folks on Murray to drop off some fliers and take a look around. And yes, I had another mission--to get tacos at Mr. Señor's takeout.  It was delicious.  Here's their Facebook page.

It's got a lot of what you'd expect in an erotic boutique, but the space is very comforting. One of my booksellers called it cute, and I think that's a good description. I looked around, trying to find an ok image for the blog, and we decided these corsets were particularly nice and pretty much something you might see in any number of stores or catalogs. Laura is a firm advocate of sex education, so yes, there is a substantial book section including how-to, erotica, queer literature, and social issues.

The Tool Shed is on 2427 N. Murray Avenue, and open Noon to 8 pm, Tuesday to Saturday, and Noon to 5 pm on Sunday.  Their phone is (414) 906-5304.

Our event with Sister Spit is Thursday, April 14, at 8 pm.  It's at Boswell, which as you know is located at 2559 North Downer Ave, just north of Columbia St. Mary's and south of UWM, on the same block at the Downer Theatre...not at the Tool Shed.

We're Up for Anything, Part One--Working with Reclaiming Our Heritage on Nathaniel Philbrick's talk for The Last Stand on Friday, May 6, 7 pm.

Yes, we're all over the map on our events, and that's particularly the case over the next few months, when we have some great history events.  That's what a general bookstore is about, right?  This is the first of a two-part blog post.  It's my feeling if I split them up, they will be more effectively forwarded to interested parties.

As you've noticed, we like to partner with different organizations, stores, schools, individuals...pretty much anything or anyone who can help get the word out. Just this week we put together Dalya Massachi and her book, Writing to Make a Difference, with Judy "Redbird Studio" Bridges, whose own book, Shut Up and Write, has been such a hit in the category.  Massachi is in town and talking about writing for community building on Sunday, May 8, at a special time of 3 pm.

On April 26 at 7 pm, we're partnering with the Business Journal Milwaukee and the American Marketing Association, Milwaukee Chapter, for Gary Vaynerchuk's The Thank You Economy.  He's the man behind the publishing phenomenon, Crush It, where he documents dramatically growing his family wine business via social networking.  For this one, we're requesting advance registration.  Here's the link.

 
But I was a bit stumped at first for a good partner for Nathaniel Philbrick and his paperback release of The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Buoll, and the Battle of Little Big Horn.  We've been all over the place with our history events, from disappointments to very large turnouts substantially over projection.  Philbrick is a noted historian and bestselling writer who probably doesn't need the extra marketing support.  That said, we want to make sure that we do whatever it takes to make a high-profile book event like this a success. 

Philbrick's latest is a dual narrative of Sitting Bull and George Armstrong Custer.  When we set up the event and talked to Louise at Penguin about possible partners, she suggested a Civil War re-enactment group.  At first I didn't see the connection, until it was pointed out to me that Custer first came to national prominence as a Union commander in the Civil War.  And my second thought was, "How am I going to find one of them?"

Well, leave it to Stacie to connect with Reclaiming Our Heritage, a local Civil War re-enactment group.  They put on an annual veteran tribute event on June 4 and 5 at Zablocki VA Medical Center (5000 West National Avenue) which includes grounds tours (including a night-time cemetary one), music, history exhibits, and food for sale.

This is the tenth and final year for this re-enactment, so you can't say there's always next year.  Because there isn't.  Here's a photo of Stacie posed Patricia, one of the organizers.  She's also hot on our Anne Lamott event for the paperback of Imperfect Birds, next Tuesday at Alverno College on April 12.  Get your tickets here! Sadly, she can't attend as she's attending a Civil War dance class.

So to sum up, Nathaniel Philbrick is appearing at Boswell Book Company on Friday, May 6, 7 pm, for the paperback publication of The Last Stand.  See you then.

On David Foster Wallace Arriving, on a Sign Becoming a Blog Post

David Foster Wallace's The Pale King arrived today.  I'm not going to get into the whole thing about whether the book was a laydown, as I wasn't involved in the buying.  Obviously there was some miscommunication (but to make it clear, Jason didn't think there was a laydown on the book).

One thing that was weird to us was that we got the audio book a week before the print copy!

I think it's important to send all interested parties over to our latest blog on The Boswellians, a footnote-filled suggestion to read the earlier books of David Foster Wallace.  It started as a store display.

What's Going on This Week--Around the World with Leon, Black, Almino

I don't really know about too many book events going on today, Monday April 4, but we're discussing Heidi Durrow's The Girl who Fell from the Sky at our in-store lit group at 7, anyway.  You'll probably see a separate post about the discussion afterward.

Tuesday, April 5, on the other hand, is just packed with authors.  I came up with four without even trying hard!

 

Of course we're focusing on the Friends of the Milwaukee Public Library Lunch at the Woman's Club of Wisconsin*, starting at 11.  Alas, it's too late to get tickets to see Donna Leon so I won't say much.  We will have signed copies at the store (and online) of Drawing Conclusions and several of her other Brunetti mysteries.  Well, whatever is left.

 

Coincidentally at the same time, Cara Black and Libby Fischer Hellman are signing books at Mystery One at Noon and at Oconomowoc's Books and Company at 3 pm.  Cara Black is author of the Aimee Leduc Paris-set mysteries, the most recent is Murder in Passy, while Libby Fischer Hellman has written a number of different series.  Her newest is Set the Night on Fire. We've got a copy of Doubleback in stock.

After the lunch, you could probably get to the Brazil Day festivities at UWM.  At 2 pm at Zelazo Center, 2419 E. Kenwood, there is a panel discussion on Brazilian literature moderated by Ricardo Vasconcelos. On the panel is João Almino, who will also be reading from his novel, The Five Seasons of Love.  It's about a woman who fulfills a promise to meet up with friends at the millennium, only to encounter a series of reversals, starting when her old boyfriend Norberto shows up as Berta.  The novel is set in Brasilia (when's the last time you read a novel set there?) and won the 2003 Casa de Las Americas award.  The novel is translated by Elizabeth Jackson.

We're selling copies of Almino's novel, plus a modest selection of Brazilian and Portuguese authors and other cultural books.  I found an anthology of Brazilian poetry that Almino edited, as well as a very nice Brazilian cookbook, The Brazilian Kitchen.  And Professor Vasconcelos and I had a discussion that most people don't realize that Paulo Coelho is Brazilian and writes in Portuguese, not Spanish. Here's the complete schedule of the festivities--the day is capped with two free films at the UWM Union.

Wedesday April 6 we're back in Italy with our event with Paolo** Giordano and The Solitude of Prime Numbers.  I certainly hope we got the word out to Italo-philes. It's at 7 pm with Angela Damiani reading the English, and it's co-sponsored by the Milwaukee leg of the Italian Film Festival.  And since I didn't say it before--The Solitude of Prime Numbers is ably translated by Shaun Whiteside.

I thought we had a little break, but we picked up a last-minute event at UWM's Hefter Center at 3271 N Lake Drive on Thursday, April 7, 7:30 pm. It's two authors who are in town to do UWM-ish work, but as they are both wonderful writers, why not show off their talents.   Adam Johnson is the author of the acclaimed short story collection Emporium and the novel Parasites Like Us.  His next novel is under contract, and is scheduled for release, but since I was discussing this with George Clark (the head of the Creative Writing Program) in passing, I forgot the year. Let's say 2012.  I get the feeling that Johnson is George Saunders-y, but I haven't read him so don't quote me.

 

Also at the Hefter Center on Thursday April 7, reading with Johnson, is Neil Connelly, who has written books for both adults and kids.  His most recent is The Miracle Stealer, which is about this boy who survives a terrible accident, only to be the subject of divine adoration by the townspeople and beyond, who come to him for blessings and healings.  His sister is not happy and tries to do something about it.  Oh, and there's also a stalker.  I sent my order to Teribeth and she wrote back and told me she really liked the book. 

On Saturday April 9 at 2 pm, back at Boswell, we're hosting Jeremy Greenberg, MSN parenting blogger and author of Sorry I Peed on You.  And I am sorry about that.  I promise to grow out of these things by the age of 2.

*We saved the day yesterday by reminding one of our pals that the lunch is not at the Wisconsin Club this year.  It's at the Woman's Club, 813 E. Kilbourn Ave.  So now I'm reminding you!

**Yes, I did originally get Paolo and Paulo confused, but I think it's all sorted out now.

Bestsellers Have Tiger Fever, plus Bezmozgis, Bismarck, and Rothfuss in the Journal Sentinel and New York Times

Some bestseller fun, starting with hardcover fiction
1. The Tiger's Wife, by Téa Obreht. I'm not going to link every book but you get the idea.  This will lead you over to our website for purchase.

2. The Land of Painted Caves, by Jean Auel

3. The Troubled Man, by Henning Mankell (the last Walldender?)

4. Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss (see below for more Rothfuss)

5. We The Drowned, by Casten Jensen (author event on May 5, 7 pm)

That's three weeks in a row for The Tiger's Wife, which probably doesn't have quite as good placement in mass merchandisers as Jean Auel.

Hardcover nonfiction:

1. Beyond DiMaggio, by Lawrence Baldassaro

2. The Bedwetter, by Sarah Silverman

3. The Pope's War, by Matthew Fox

4. The Social Animal, by David Brooks

5. The Corporate Lattice, by Catherine Benko and Molly Anderson

A very event-driven top five (and no, we didn't have an event with David Brooks). It was interesting how different the crowds were at our women's leadership and spirituality and aging conference.  One was way more into books and bookstores than the other.  Can you guess which?

Paperback fiction:

1. Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese

2. The Imperfectionists, by Tom Rachman

3. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford

4. Separate Kingdoms, by Valerie Laken

5. Jane Austen, by Charlotte Brontë (Couture Classics Edition)

The film opened at the Downer, and we have several different editions available, including the tie-in.  Folks, however, seem most drawn to the Couture Classics edition with cover art by Ruben Toledo. Here's a recent event/discussion wrap up.

Children's Books (events included, bulk sale excluded)

1. I Am a Bunny, by Ole Risom, with illustrations by Richard Scarry

2. Ollie's Easter Eggs, by Oliver Dunrea

3. When I Grow Up, by Al Yankovic

4. Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad, by Jacky Davis

5. Cuddle Up, Goodnight, by Kate Cleminson

Happy Easter!  And happy ladybug table, which gives Jacky Davis three nice places in the store to sell books (we also have a floor display and a Boswell's best slot.)

Today's Journal Sentinel has a review from Mike Fischer for The Free World, by David Bezmozgis.  It's one of those novels I was supposed to read ahead of time!  Fischer sort of liked it. There is also a commissioned piece on Patrick Rothfuss on the development of The Kingfisher Chronicles. New writers can take solace that he had trouble finding an agent.

Front page of the New York Times Book Review is Jonathan Steinberg's Bismarck: A Life.  Now that you are only allowed to jump to a certain amount of New York Times articles without paying, you should be more cautious about your browsing!  I have a home subscription, but I've been too lazy to find my account information from the last paywall.  But that said, there is also a review of The Free World by one of the New York Times's favorite regular reviewers, Liesl Schillinger.

Saturday Gift Post--Marbles, Jacks, Froggy Ring Toss, Alligator Dust Pans and Brushes

Today's event with Nicholas Hartlep was very nice.  OCA-WI co-sponsored the event, and after the official talk, there was a group discussion.  I spent my time talking to Celine, who catered the event, talking about restaurants.  I got very hungry by the end of the conversation, and really wanted to have dim sum at Peony on Bluemound Road.

The rest of the day was spent putting together our outdoor fun table. It's a mix of things from various vendors, though you'll recognize a lot of Melissa and Doug.  I'm quite fond of the marble-shaped tin of marbles from House of Marble. 

My favorite though, has got to be the alligator dust bin.  We were all oohing and ahhing.  His handle is a branch, his teeth are the brushes, and the dust pan is a pond, complete with turtles.  There's also a butterfly dust bin and brush.  In that case, the pan is the wings.  We decided a three-year-old girl would prefer this option, but what does she know?

Tomorrow I promised cake in one of our handouts for our two-year anniversary, but I thought I crossed this off our schedule.  To clarify, I did not.  Let's see what I can put together at the last minute!

Cookbook Sale Continues...Our Top 20 Cookbooks

In trying to do a blog post for our 20% off cookbook sale (going on now through Sunday 4/3), I thought I would do a bestseller list of our top 20 cookbooks (and foodie books) of the last six months. What I learned was that we have a lot of culinary events.

1. The Cake Boss, by Buddy Valastro

2. Life, on the Line, by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas

3. Memoir of a Sunday Brunch, by Julia Pandl

4. The Bizarre Truth, by Andrew Zimmern

5. The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook, by Mirielle Giuliano

6. Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?, by Ina Garten

7. Heart of the Artichoke, by David Tanis

8. The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur, by Kelly Peloza

9. The Ace of Cakes, by Duff Goldman

10. Lucid Food, by Luisa Shafia

Guess what? Of our top ten, only Garten was not an event.

11. The Gourmet Cookie Book, from Gourmet Magazine

12. The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten Free, by Anne Byrn

13. The Essential New York Times Cookbook, edited by Amanda Hesser

14. Wine Bar Food, by Cathy and Tony Mantuano

15. As Always, Julia, edited by Joan Reardon

16. Around my French Table, by Dorie Greenspan

17. Who You Callin' Cupcake?, by Michelle and Vinny Garcia

18. A Platter of Figs, by David Tanis

19. Primal Cuts, by Marissa Guggiana

20. Medium Raw, by Anthony Bourdain

No, there are no professional books on this list. But we have some, and they are included in this special sale. These are books you rarely find in bookstores at all, let alone at this great price of 20% off.

And don't forget about three upcoming events that could propel their books onto our bestseller the next time I put something like this together:

April 11, 7 pm, Ronnie Hess, for Eat Smart in France, at Boswell.  This event is free and co-sponsored by Alliance Francaise.

April 18, 12 Noon, Patricia Wells, for Salad as a Meal, at Bacchus.  Tickets are $95 and are available by calling 414-765-1166.

April 22, 7 pm, Kurt Michael Friese, for Chasing Chiles.  This event is free and co-sponsored by Slow Food Wisconsin Southeast.