Ethan Long

Two Events with

ETHAN LONG

Monday, November 16, 6:30 pm

Arlington Heights Memorial Library, 500 N. Dunton Ave

Friday, November 20, 7 pm

Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St., Skokie

 

Award-winning illustrator and children's book author Ethan Long will kick off a week visiting local students and schools with a public program at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library on Monday, November 16 at 6:30 pm.Then he'll wrap up the week at the Skokie Public Library on Friday, November 20 at 7 pm. There, kids will dance the "Croakey" Pokey in honor of Mr. Long's hit book, The Croakey Pokey! Both events will feature Mr. Long's newest picture book adventure, In! Over! And On! (the Farm).

Click here for the Arlington Heights Memorial Library calendar and here for the Skokie Public Library author page and more information on either event. Both are free and open to the public. No registration required. 

Amy Sue Nathan

Thursday, November 5

7 pm at The Book Stall

 

Local author Amy Sue Nathan talks about her new novel, The Good Neighbor, the story of a newly single mom who moves back to the Philadelphia home where she grew up, her 5-year-old son in tow. With the help of friends and an elderly neighbor, she begins to feel she's stepping up to a new normal...until a small fib on her blog causes her life to spin out of control. 

Ms. Nathan herself writes an award-winning blog called Women's Fiction Writers. Have a look at it by clicking here.  

Bonnie Jo Campbell

Monday, November 2

7 pm at The Book Stall

We welcome Michigan author Bonnie Jo Campbell, who has been getting rave reviews for her new book of short stories, Mothers, Tell Your Daughters.  Her stories describe strong but flawed women, who are vulnerable, wise, cruel, and funny as they  love, honor, and betray one another against the backdrop of the men in their lives. 

Click here for the review in the New York Times, who described Ms. Campbell's prose as "watchful and viscerally alive," and here for an interview with her in the Chicago Tribune. Find Ms. Campbell's website here.

A bonus for those attending: Ms. Campbell will be interviewed by a good friend of The Book Stall, author Rebecca Makkai, who was recently at the store with her new book of short stories, Music for Wartime, currently one of our bestsellers.

Natalie Tilghman & Bill Sommer

Saturday, October 24

3 pm at The Book Stall

Glenview writer Natalie Tilghman and co-author Bill Sommer will be here to discuss and sign their new young adult novel,  A 52-Hertz Whale. It's the story -- told through the exchange of conversational e-mails -- about a high school freshman who is worried that the young humpback whale he tracks online has separated from its pod. 

Click here for Ms. Tilghman's website. 

Jeff Alworth

    Tuesday, October 20

6:30 pm, Goose Island Taproom

1800 W. Fullerton, Chicago

 

Beer expert Jeff Alworth, a resident of Portland, Oregon, raises a toast to the fine art of brewing in The Beer Bible, described as the ultimate reader- and drinker-friendly guide to all the world's beers. The book's publisher, Workman, praises it this way: The book is written for passionate beginners, who will love its "if you like 'X', try 'Y'" feature; for intermediate beer lovers eager to go deeper; and for true geeks, who will find new information on every page.  

This event is free and open to the public. 

Let's Write: See dates below...

The "Write" Stuff 

We were delighted with the turnout last week for the free preview session of our upcoming Let's Write workshop for writers. Enrollment was brisk, and one of the 12-week classes has already filled up.

Let's Write will be led by writing instructor and friend of the store Alice Moody, beginning in September. The workshop will consist of separate 12-week sessions, offered on three different days of the week:

• Wednesdays, September 16 - December 9, from 6-8 pm, and
• Thursdays September 17-December 10, from 10 am-noon
• Please note that the Tuesday morning class has reached capacity.

Click here for more information.

Alice taught high school English in Redding, Connecticut, and San Francisco and has always had a special passion for teaching writing. For the past three years, she has been a writing instructor for New Trier Extension.

 

A native of St. Louis, Alice holds a BA in English from Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the University of Chicago. She has also led book group discussions at The Book Stall.

Fall Event Preview

A Preview of Our Fall Events

Our Fall event calendar is taking shape, and we have some amazing authors lined up.
Click here for a preview.

Ali Wentworth

Two Events with

ALI WENTWORTH

 Tuesday, June 16

 11:30 am, Luncheon, The Union League Club

 

6:30 pm, American Cancer Society Benefit

Westmoreland Country Club

2601 Old Glenview Road, Wilmette

Comedian, actress, and bestselling author Ali Wentworth  appears at two events celebrating her new book Happily Ali After--And Other Fairly True Tales, a series of laugh-out-loud comic vignettes describing her mission of self-improvement. She'll appear at a 11:30 am luncheon at The Union League Club and at an evening benefit at Westmoreland Country Club hosted by the North Shore Women's Board of the American Cancer Society, with cocktails at 6:30 pm and dinner at 7:15 pm.  

Judith Fertig

 Thursday, June 11

 6:30 pm, Women's Exchange, 630 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka

 

Meet Judith Fertig, award-winning cookbook author, foodista, food and lifestyle writer -- and  now author of her first novel, The Cake Therapist. It's the story of a pastry chef who can "taste" feelings and customize her creations to help a person celebrate love, overcome fear, and even mourn a loss.

A resident of Kansas City, Ms. Fertig is not surprisingly also a barbecue expert. She's proud of her Ph.B. (Doctor of Barbecue Philosophy) and has written several cookbooks on the subject.  Click here for her website.

A special treat: Ms. Fertig will be joined by Peggy Wolff, author of Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie: Midwestern Writers on Food, a great collection of essays by well-known writers from throughout the Midwest.

For reservations ($10 in advance, or $15 within five days of the event), click here or call 847 441-3406.

Join us on Independent Bookstore Day

Independence Day in May

When we celebrate Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, May 2, we'll also be honoring our dependence--on you, our friends and customers who make selling and sharing books the wonderful experience it is for us here at The Book Stall. 

We'll raffle off new hardcovers, give away advanced readers copies (ARCs), offer extra discounts throughout the day, and have lots of give-aways (right). At 10 am, we'll welcome distinguished Canadian journalist Andrew Cohen for a talk about his new book, Two Days in June; John F. Kennedy and the 48 Hours That Made History (see more below). Mr. Cohen's visit is a perfect example of the kind of community attraction we pride ourselves on being.

   

 

In the afternoon, we'll be joined by bestselling local authors Barb
Mahany (left), author of Slowing Time; Rebecca Makkai (center), author of The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House; and Renee Rosen (right), author of Dollface and What the Lady Wants). For
sports fans, what could be better than having Mitch Rogatz (right), publisher of the country's leading sports publishing house, Triumph Books, on hand to recommend interesting titles on just about any athletic endeavor or legend you can imagine?

The children's department will also have guest star booksellers, including Carol Brendler, Joelle Charbonneau, Carolyn Crimi, Lindsey Currie, Rebecca Dudley, T.M. Goeglein, Todd Hasak-Lowy, Jenny Meyerhoff, Erica O'Rouke, Ami Polonsky, Barb Rosenstock, and Josh Schneider. 

Please join us! We'll have refreshments, too.