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Skylight Books Newsletter

Los Angeles / May 2010                     www.skylightbooks.com
In This Issue - Events and News
Contributors from Make/Shift Magazine
Brad Watson
Contributors from Los Angeles Review Issue 7
Greil Marcus
Geoff Johns
Finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards
Esther Watson
Pete Nelson
Daniel Clowes
David McConnell
UC Irvine MFA Students
Deanne Stillman, Rebecca K. O'Connor, and Ruth Nolan
Emily Gould
Cassandra Love
Joseph Mattson
Steven Reigns
Glen David Gold
Ben Schwartz, Sammy Harkham, and Robert Fiore
Skylight Reads!
Charles Fleming
Skylight's Blog: Geeking Out
Book Groups: Staff Picks!
Join Our List
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Skylight Around Town:
Join us for these offsite events!

These are just a few of the events where we'll be selling books this month:

Friday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Meghan Daum
Z�calo Public Square presents Meghan Daum, author of Life Would Be Perfect if I Lived in That House (Knopf),
in conversation with Dinah Lenney, a lecturer in the USC Master of Professional Writing program, at MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave. Free! Click here for reservations/Info:
 
Tuesday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Z�calo Public Square presents education expert Ben Wildavsky, author of The Great Brain Race: How Global Universities Are Reshaping the World (Princeton Univ. Press), at NPR West, 9909 Jefferson Blvd, Culver City. Free! Click here for reservations/info
 

Thursday, May 13 at 6:45 p.m.
Los Feliz Branch Library Architecture & Beyond Series presents Jon and Nancy Wilkman, who will present their book Picturing Los Angeles (Gibbs Smith). Free!  1874 Hillhurst Ave; (323) 913-4710.

Thursday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Z�calo Public Square presents Isobel Coleman, author of Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women Are Transforming the Middle East (Random House), at MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave. Free! Click here for reservations/Info
 
Friday, May 21 at 6:00 p.m.
The Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum presents a screening of Midnight following by a discussion and book signing with Ira Resnick, author of Starstruck: Vintage Movie Posters from Classic Hollywood (Abbeville Press). $10. Click here for tickets/info.

Sunday, May 23 at 1:00 p.m.
The Chinese Historical Society of Southern California presents Grace Young, author of Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge for a talk and book signing, Plum Tree Inn, 913 N. Broadway. Click here for info.

Monday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m.
angels game
Z�calo Public Square presents Carlos Ruiz Zaf�n, author of The Shadow of the Wind and, most recently, The Angel's Game, who will discuss his work.
Free! Click here for reservations/Info

Skylight Books April 2010 Bestsellers

Store Bestsellers

1. Secret Stairs by Charles Fleming
2. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
3. Just Kids by Patti Smith
4. Los Angeles Noir 2, ed. Denise Hamilton
5. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurson
6. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
7. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
8. The Big Short by Michael Lewis
9. Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself by David Lipsky
10. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Event Bestsellers

1. Alone with You by Marisa Silver
2. Wild Child by T.C. Boyle
3. Pain Killers by Jerry Stahl
4. Robin and Ruby by K.M. Soehnlein

Services
Shop Indie! Go to
IndieBound.org for some other indie bookstores and businesses
 
We Accept AmEx, MasterCard, Visa and Discover
 
Special Orders Welcome!
 
10% off all book purchases on your birthday
 
Senior Discount Tues before 4pm 
 
Frequent Buyer Program--ask us for details
 
Free Gift Wrapping
 
Gift Cards
 ____________________

May Events at Skylight Books  
 Kerry's View from the Skylight
  
Events this month -- literary names, graphic novelists, regional history
This is amazing month of events for us -- so be sure you scan the whole event list below.  We're hosting some legendary literary figures, as well as an unheard-of number of hot graphic novelists (Clowes, Johns, Watson, Harkham), and a number of regional culture must-sees.
 
Our own gift cards!
 

 

gift card fireUp to now, our store's gift cards could be redeemed at indie bookstores around the country, and vice versa.  That program has changed, so the cards must be redeemed at the store (or store website) where they were purchased. 

 

So we have created our own new cards -- designed by our staff member, artist Frieda Gossett-Clayton.  The one that's getting the most attention so far is the dramatic silhouette of palm trees against the red sky of fires in the mountains, with a quote from John Fante.  We'll soon be adding a design with a more child-friendly theme.   Of course, all gift cards purchased from our store (including ones purchased in the previous program) never expire and there are no extra fees.

 

In the news:  Skylight Loves its Locals

 

fresh pressed windowWe were just featured in Bookselling This Week ("Skylight Loves its Locals"), in an article about how we often offer our front window space to other neighborhood businesses.

 

(photo at left is a window by do-it-yourself screen printing store, Fresh Pressed, located just south of us on Hollywood Blvd)

 For the article:

http://news.bookweb.org/7481.html 

 
 
Too many Frannys
franny with cutout 1 
Please forgive us if we're a little Franny-obsessed at times, but our store cat does keep us entertained.  Staffmember Frieda just created a number of lifesize cutouts of Franny in different poses around the store.  Franny couldn't resist checking them out.
 
In Our Neighborhood 
 
The acclaimed theatre production, Influence, continues through May 9 next door at the Skylight Theatre.   It will be followed shortly by a new play by Peter Lefcourt, The Jesus Hickey.  For more info:  http://www.katselastheatre.com/ 
 
 We have a gem in our neighborhood, and if you've never been to the Barnsdall Art Park down the street from us, you owe it to yourself to stop by. There's a gallery, a theatre, a fabulous Frank Lloyd Wright House you can vist, art classes for adults and children... or just a great place to bring your lunch and have a picnic!  With city arts funding in great jeopardy, be part of the solution in keeping this amazing landmark alive.  For more info:  http://barnsdall.org/
  
lfvbid holiday festival
 As always, I appreciate hearing from you -- and your thoughts about how to serve you better.
 
Kerry Slattery, General Manager and Co-Owner

CONTRIBUTORS FROM MAKE/SHIFT MAGAZINE

Sunday, May 2 at 5:00 p.m.

Make/ShiftTwo editors and five contributors will be here to present the new issue of this great feminist culture magazine!  Editor/publishers Jessica Hoffmann and Daria Yudacufski (pictured above), along with contributors Ruth Blandon, Emily Hobson, Erin Aubry Kaplan, James McKeever, and Christine Petit, will read.

Make/shift
magazine creates and documents contemporary feminist culture and action by publishing journalism, critical analysis, fiction, poetry and visual art.

BRAD WATSON
Monday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Aliens in the Prime of Their Lives (W.W. Norton)


Brad WatsonNational Book Award finalist Brad Watson (for his first novel, The Heaven of Mercury) will be here to read from and sign his new short story collection, Aliens in the Prime of their Lives.

"Brad Watson's stories worm their way through you. Watson's talent is singular, truly awesome; he reminds me of Raymond Carver, Flannery O'Conner, Chris Offutt in his bravery, his unflinching willingness to look at what might set others running. And yet these are not exactly dark stories-that is part of their magic, they are infused with an uncanny beauty in which even at the most god awful moments, something is salvaged."  --A. M. Homes, author of This Book Will Save Your Life

more info...

CONTRIBUTORS FROM LOS ANGELES REVIEW ISSUE 7

Wednesday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Los Angeles Review Issue 7 (Red Hen Press)


Los Angeles Review #7Join The Los Angeles Review, the literary journal of Red Hen Press, as they release their seventh issue. Dedicated to Judy Grahn, Issue 7 features some of the finest poetry and prose from the West Coast, the nation, and the world.

Tonights readers are Ching-In Chen, Donna Emerson, Stephanie Barbe Hammer, Tyke Johnson, Howard Rappaport, Ryan Ridge, Harry Thomas, Kim Young, and Bonnie ZoBell.

more info...
GREIL MARCUS
Friday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m.

When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison (PublicAffairs)

Greil MarcusGreil Marcus, music and culture critic, Believer columnist, and author or editor of many Skylight staff and customer favorites (Lipstick Traces, A New Literary History of America, and others) will be here to discuss and sign his new book of criticism on another Skylight favorite person: Van Morrison.

"No critical testimonial is more welcome than this assessment of Morrison's work by one of Americas most astute cultural critics."--Booklist
more info...
GEOFF JOHNS
Saturday, May 8 at 5:00 p.m.

Absolute Green Lantern: Rebirth (DC Comics)

Geoff JohnsThe popular and prolific comic book writer Geoff Johns will be here to discuss and sign Absolute Green Lantern: Rebirth, the deluxe edition of the series that relaunched one of DC Comics' greatest heroes.

DC Comics sent us lots of Green Lantern swag for this one, so buy a Green Lantern book at the event and get a treat!

Geoff Johns has written highly acclaimed stories starring Superman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Teen Titans, and Justice Society of America. He is currently working on the story for The Flash feature film, which he will also co-produce.

more info...
FINALISTS FOR THE LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS
Monday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Lambda Award logoSelected finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards will read from their nominated work. Tonight's readers are James Morrison, Stacie Cassarino, Kathleen Bradean, Dexter Flowers, Ariel Schrag, and Dayle A. Dermatis.

The "Lammy" is the most prestigious, competitive, and comprehensive literary award offered specifically to LGBT authors. For more than two decades the Lambda Literary Awards has brought attention to and honored exceptional writing about queer lives across multiple genres published by large and small presses.

more info...
ESTHER WATSON
Wednesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Unlovable, Vol. 2 (Fantagraphics)

Esther WatsonEsther Watson, co-author of Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine? and author of Unlovable will discuss and sign the second volume in her hilarious and heartbreaking series that's loosely based on the 1980s-era diary of a high school girl that she found in a gas station bathroom.

"Watson's graphic style and messily scrawled confessions read like a genuine diary, filled with humor and despair. Unlovable makes me grateful to be past that painful stage." --The Seattle Weekly

more info...
PETE NELSON
Thursday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m.

I Thought You Were Dead (Algonquin)

Pete NelsonNovelist Pete Nelson will read from and sign his latest book, about the heart-wrenching and hilarious relationship between a down-on-his-luck man and his talking dog.

Pete Nelson is the author of several books, including Left for Dead. He is also a singer-songwriter with a select but devoted following. He is not, however, the Pete Nelson who writes books about tree houses, although he has nothing against them. He lives in Westchester County, New York.

more info...
DANIEL CLOWES
with DANA GOULD
Friday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Wilson (Drawn and Quarterly)

Daniel ClowesDaniel Clowes, the acclaimed cartoonist behind Ghost World (the graphic novel and the Oscar-nominated screenplay), the minicomic (turned movie) Art School Confidential, and the Eightball comic series will be here to discuss and sign Wilson, his first all-new graphic novel!  After a slideshow, he'll be joined by comedian and tonight's special guest moderator Dana Gould for a discussion and Q&A session.

And, Drawn and Quarterly sent us really nice double-sided posters -- one side is the book cover and the other side is an enlarged page from the book -- which are available with the purchase of a copy of Wilson here at Skylight (while supplies last)!

more info...
DAVID McCONNELL
Saturday, May 15 at 5:00 p.m.

The Silver Hearted (Alyson Books)

David McConnellDavid McConnell will read and sign his novel The Silver Hearted.

"The Silver Hearted is our Heart of Darkness. It is just as ominous, as violent, as exotic, as darkly colonial. But it is a lot better written than Conrad's book. Whereas Conrad is always resorting to 'the unspeakable,' McConnell tells us everything in glowing detail and in fresh, eloquent language. Sexy, demonic, elusive, The Silver Hearted is a perfect work of art. " --Edmund White

more info...
UC IRVINE MFA STUDENTS
Sunday, May 16 at 5:00 p.m.

Students from the University of California, Irvine MFA program will read from their work.

Reading this evening will be Greg McClure (poetry), Zana Previti (fiction), Rachel Hinton (poetry), and Ryan Hume (fiction).

more info...
DEANNE STILLMAN,
REBECCA K. O'CONNOR, and RUTH NOLAN
Tuesday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m.

No Place for a Puritan: The Literature of California's Deserts (Heyday Books)

No Place for a PuritanDeanne Stillman (Twentynine Palms), Rebecca K. O'Connor (Lift), and Ruth Nolan will read from their included pieces in No Place for a Puritan, a new anthology of California desert literature, edited by Nolan.

"You could argue that the great California desert is such an idiosyncratic landscape that stories of lives spent there are too regional to have universal meaning. But, as this thrilling and necessary collection attests, you'd be wrong. A landscape that captivates writers as diverse as Joan Didion and John Steinbeck, that provokes unexpected works of literary beauty from obscure Spanish missionaries and Chemehuevi Indians must be a place that reflects something deep and true about us all."  --Marisa Silver, author of God of War

more info...
EMILY GOULD
Thursday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m.

And the Heart Says... Whatever (Free Press)

Emily GouldEmily Gould will discuss and sign her new humorous essay collection And the Heart Says... Whatever

 "This is not a 'nice' book, but it comes by its anger and melancholy honestly, and it makes sense of much that is puzzling about our cultural moment."   -Jonathan Franzen

Emily Gould has written for The New York Times, the New York Observer, and Jezebel.com, among other publications.  Before becoming editor of Gawker.com, a job she quit and then described in a cover story for The New York Times Magazine in 2008, she was an associate editor at Hyperion.

more info...
CASSANDRA LOVE
Friday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Swagger Is a Woman (Mouthfeel Press)

Cassandra LoveLos Angeles poet Cassandra Love will read from and sign her new poetry collection, Swagger Is a Woman.

Cassandra Love was born in Beverly Hills, California but considers the Pacific her native home. As a Yale student, she played basketball and studied literature. She has published her work in Falling Star Magazine, Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, and FORTH Magazine. Her work has been featured in the anthologies Mezcla: Art & Writing from the Tumblewords Project, Silhouette: Bold Lines & Voices from WriteGirl and Listen to Me. She is currently at work on a book of poems about mothers and motherhood. She also hosts the radio show "For the Love of Poetry" on BlogTalkRadio.

more info...
JOSEPH MATTSON
Saturday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Empty the Sun (A Barnacle Book)

Joseph MattsonSkylight Books and A Barnacle Book present Joseph Mattson reading from and signing Empty the Sun!

Please note that, unlike most of our weekend events, the reading will begin at 7:30 p.m.

This will be a multimedia extravaganza featuring a reading from author Joseph Mattson, the book's soundtrack by Six Organs of Admittance (included with the purchase of the book), and archival 8 mm footage (available on DVD) compiled as a companion to the novel.

more info...
STEVEN REIGNS
Sunday, May 23 at 5:00 p.m.

Inheritance (Lethe Press)

Steven Reigns
A launch party for the latest poetry collection by this acclaimed local poet!

"This is such a naked book. It falls neatly into no school of poetry, nor does 'gay poetry' sum it up. I turned the pages of Inheritance pretty hungrily, glad to encounter such honesty about a gay life lived with pleasure and bitterness and companionability." --Eileen Myles, author of Sorry, Tree and Skies

more info...
GLEN DAVID GOLD
Wednesday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunnyside (Vintage)

Glen David GoldGlen David Gold returns to Skylight to read from and sign his novel Sunnyside, now out in paperback!

"A breathless stupendous novel that recreates both a young brash America on the verge of becoming itself, and Chaplin, one of its most bewitching quixotic citizens. From lighthouse to Hollywood to starlets to war to stardom to madness to genius sunnysideGold's startling narrative carries us across the world and back. Gold proves himself yet again to be the hungriest craftiest funniest and most humane novelist we have."
--Junot Diaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

more info...
BEN SCHWARTZ,
SAMMY HARKHAM,
and ROBERT FIORE
Thursday, May 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Best American Comics Criticism (Fantagraphics)

Best American Comics CriticismBen Schwartz, editor of the new anthology Best American Comics Criticism, will discuss comics and comics criticism with Kramers Ergot editor Sammy Harkham and comics critic Robert Fiore. More information is on the way, so check our website in the coming weeks to hear more!

more info...
SKYLIGHT READS!
Saturday, May 29 at 4:00 p.m.

Did you know that many Skylight staffers have been published in journals like McSweeney's (Kerrie Kvashay-Boyle), Black Clock (Monica Carter), Penny Ante (Steven Salardino), and more?  And that frequent event host Noel Alumit has published two novels?  Come see the other side of your favorite bookstore clerks at a very special Skylight Reads event.  More details are forthcoming, so check back, and we hope to see you there!

more info...
CHARLES FLEMING
Sunday, May 30 at 5:00 p.m.

Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles (Santa Monica Press)

Charles FlemingJoin us for a fascinating look at our very own corner of L.A.!  Author Charles Fleming will present and sign his walking guide--chock full of local history--about the historic staircases of Los Angeles, many of which are in our surrounding neighborhoods.

Charles Fleming is the author of the novels The Ivory Coast and After Havana and the respected Hollywood "how-not-to" book High secret stairsConcept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood Culture of Excess, and co-author of the recent non-fiction bestseller My Lobotomy. A veteran reporter for Variety, Newsweek, the LA Weekly and the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, Fleming teaches entertainment reporting at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism.

more info...
Skylight's Blog:
GEEKING OUT
Find us at www.skylightbooks.blogspot.com

We're geeks here -- this is no secret.  Whether it's about books, music, movies, or comics, you can usually overhear a contrarian opinion or a statement of pure hyperbole when you're here.  And that brings us to this picture:

Green Lantern window

With our event with Geoff Johns coming up on May 8, we created a pretty cool Green Lantern display window (if we do say so ourselves), and when DC Comics sent us some goodies, it felt like the thing to do was put on some GL buttons and rings and take a picture.  This photo accompanies an entertaining blog post by Darren, who will be moderating an in-depth discussion with Johns at the May 8 event:

lfvbid holiday festivalThursday, April 29, 2010
In Brightest Day: Geoff Johns & You

Hi. I'm Darren Clavadetscher and I've been reading comics my entire life. In that time, I've watched comics evolve from a cult pursuit of hardcore fans to widespread acceptance in popular media. Any legitimate artform deserves to be judged on its own terms. The comic book, in particular, the superhero comic, is no different.

Which brings us to Geoff Johns,whose impact on the development of the modern American Super-hero mythos is incalculable. As a writer he shifted the focus of DC Comics' classic characters, such as the Flash and Green Lantern, firmly into the modern day, without sacrificing the core concepts that made them great.


Read the rest of this post (with more pictures!) here, check on our blog regularly here, and join the discussion on Twitter by following skylightbooks!  We're on Facebook as skylightbooks, too.
BOOK GROUPS:
STAFF PICKS!
 
If you see a staff pick hanging off a shelf, it's because we're really excited about a book.  Every once in a while, however, we get so excited about a particular book that we declare it to be the "best ever," "best of the year," or some such.  This month's book club recommendations are all novels that merited that kind of declaration.

Cloud AtlasCloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Emily says: "Everyone has told you to read this book, right? I'm telling you as well -- it's one of my favorite books of the last decade.  AND, if you read it now, you can meet David Mitchell when he reads at Skylight on July 23rd!"


The End of Vandalism by Tom Drury
End of Vandalism
Steve says: "This is the best book I have read in years. Tight, perfect sentences take the reader on a somewhat plotless journey at turns hilarious and moving. Proof that everyone is the main character in their own novel."

The Song Is YouThe Song Is You by Arthur Phillips

Mary says: "This was one of my favorite novels of 2009. Phillips sets up a cast of characters, all unpredictable, all with different agendas, and lets them go. It's impossible to predict what happens 20 pages ahead of wherever you are in the book, and yet after you read the ending you realize it ends in the perfect and only possible way."

If you have a book group but you're not registered with the store, remember that book groups that do register get 15% off their pick each month. E-mail Emily at [email protected] now to find out how to register your book group! You can check out our registered book groups here.
Skylight Books
1818 N Vermont Ave (between Hollywood Blvd and Franklin)
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323 660-1175
 
Next door to the Los Feliz Cinema and across the street from the Post Office (where you can park after 6pm)
 
metroWe are about 4 blocks north of the Vermont/Sunset subway stop and directly on many bus routes, including the Hollywood DASH.  Bicycle racks in front of the store.