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Join us for these offsite events! |
These are just a few of the events where we'll be selling books this month:
Monday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Zocalo Public Square presents presents Alan Riding, discussing his book And the Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-Occupied Paris at The Peterson Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd. Click here for reservations/info.
Thursday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Writers Bloc presents presents Nora Ephron, discussing her book I Remeber Nothing at the Writers Guild Theater, 135 S. Doheny, Beverly Hills. Click here for reservations/info.
Tuesday, November 16, 7:30 p.m.
Zocalo Public Square presents presents Tim Wu, discussing his book The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires at The Peterson Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd. Click here for reservations/info.
Wednesday, November 17, 7 p.m.
The Alhambra Civic Center Library presents Father Greg Boyle, discussing his book Tattoos on the Heart at 101 S. First St., Alhambra. Click here for info.
Thursday, November 18, 6:30 p.m.
Los Feliz Library presents Alan Hess discussing Casa Modernista: The History of the Brazilian Modern House, 1874 Hillhurst Blvd., (323) 913-4710.
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| Skylight Books October 2010 Bestsellers |
Store Bestsellers
1. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
2. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
4. Life by Keith Richards
5. X'ed Out by Charles Burns
6. Room by Emma Donoghue
7. Slake, ed. Joe Donnelly and Laurie Ochoa
8. Earth the Book by Jon Stewart
9. Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
10. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
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| Services |
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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
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| November Events at Skylight Books |
| Steve's View from the Skylight |
Thus begins the wind-down of 2010 - bring on the second year of the second decade of the millennium! Skylight Books does not book any readings or events in December, but this November we have some incredible literary events to cap off the year, including: hard-boiled fiction from Miles Corwin; more tales from Armistead Maupin; iconic reggae photographs from Kim Gottlieb-Walker; classic Los Angeles punk pictures and stories from Ann Summa and Kristine McKenna; comedy from Bob Odenkirk; a dose of reality from Robert Scheer; and much more. Plus we are excited and honored to have Skylight Books alumnus Edan Lepucki here to read from her debut novella, If You're Not Yet Like Me.
Speaking of being honored, it was great to see so many bookstores in the L.A. Weekly "Best of" issue, and it was truly heartwarming to be named the "Indie-est Indie Bookstore 2010". Our staff works hard and takes pride in trying to create a place that is at once unique and comfortable. In uncertain and challenging times we have a strong belief in the potency of the word, the power of story-telling, and the strength of community. After fourteen gratifying years, Skylight Books will continue to do its best to create a space where these things can come together. Thanks for sticking around.
Steven Salardino, Manager  steve@skylightbooks.com (Connect with us through Facebook or Twitter so we can bend your ear more than once a month!)
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Fiction:
ROB MAGNUSON SMITH
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Monday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m.
The Gravedigger (Uno Press)
 Rob Magnuson Smith will read from and sign his award-winning debut novel!
"Smith's well-wrought prose beautifully captures the tone of an English village and the awakening of a man whose livelihood depends on death but whose fear keeps him from living.... [An] impressive debut." --Publishers Weekly more info...
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Fiction:
MILES CORWIN
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Thursday, November 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Kind of Blue (Oceanview Publishing)
 Miles Corwin returns to Skylight to read from and sign his fourth book (and his first novel) Kind of Blue. Special guest Marcella Winn, the LAPD detective Corwin wrote about in The Killing Season, will give the introduction!
"Kind of Blue...has character and texture, action and reflection. It's got it all..." -Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author
more info...
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Crime Fiction:
GARY PHILLIPS and
MICHAEL HARRIS
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Friday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m.
The Underbelly by Phillips; The Chieu Hoi Saloon by Harris (both published by PM Press)
  Two writers on PM Press's hardboiled fiction imprint Switchblade will read from and sign their new novels. Gary Phillips (The Jook) returns with The Underbelly, and Michael Harris presents his debut novel, The Chieu Hoi Saloon. A noirish good time!
more info...
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Anthology:
VAN GOGH'S EAR
featuring FELICE PICANO,
JOHN GILMORE, TREBOR HEALEY,
STEVEN REIGNS, & DANIEL JAFFE
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Saturday, November 6 at 5:00 p.m.
Van Gogh's Ear, Volume 7
 To celebrate the seventh and final volume of international prose and poetry anthology Van Gogh's Ear, five past and present LA-based contributors to Van Gogh's Ear will be reading: Felice Picano, the editor of this volume, as well as a best-selling novelist, poet, and publisher; John Gilmore, former child actor, filmmaker, poet, and novelist; Trebor Healey, award-winning novelist and poet; Steven Reigns, educator , artist, editor, and poet; and Daniel Jaffe, prize-winning author, translator, and educator.
more info...
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Photography:
KIM GOTTLIEB-WALKER | | |
Sunday, November 7 at 5:00 p.m.
Bob Marley and the Golden Age of Reggae (Titan Books)
 A launch party with slideshow for the new photo book by Kim Gottlieb-Walker! The photographer will discuss and sign her book of rare and never-before-seen photos of Bob Marley and other reggae musicians and producers.
more info...
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Essays:
KIM DANA KUPPERMAN
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Monday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m. I Just Lately Started Buying Wings (Graywolf Press)
 Kim Dana Kupperman will discuss and sign her debut autobiographical essay collection, I Just Lately Started Buying Wings, winner of the Bakeless Prize for Nonfiction (selected by Sue Halpern).
"This essay collection is preoccupied with the dead, but it also sheds light on the living. . . . Glimpses of Kupperman's mourning can be as darkly comic as they are deeply intimate. . . . The resulting meditations can be unexpectedly lovely." --The New York Times Book Review Photo of the author by Bill Dowling.
more info...
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Book Bash:
LIT THING BOOK BASH featuring JANELLE BROWN, NEAL POLLACK, SHERRI L. SMITH
and host CECIL CASTELLUCCI
| Tuesday, November 9 at 7:30 p.m.
 Four great local writers will rant and rave about the books they love and the books they love to hate. Come see Janelle Brown (This Is Where We Live, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything), Neal Pollack (Stretch, Never Mind the Pollacks), Sherri L. Smith (Flygirl; Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet), and host Cecil Castellucci (Rose Sees Red, Grandma's Gloves) as you've never seen them before!
more info... |
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Fiction:
ARMISTEAD MAUPIN
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Thursday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Mary Ann in Autumn: A Tales of the City Novel (Harper)
 Armistead Maupin, author of the Tales of the City novels, returns to Skylight to read from and sign his latest, Mary Ann in Autumn!
"Perhaps the most sublime piece of popular literature America has ever produced ... As with the Beatles, everyone seems to like Maupin's Tales - and, really, why would you want to find someone who didn't?"
--Laura Miller, The Salon.com Reader's Guide to Contemporary Authors
Photo of the author by Christopher Turner.
more info...
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Fiction:
ANNE GERMANACOS
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Friday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m.
In the Time of the Girls (BOA Editions)
 Anne Germanacos will read and sign her debut short story collection In the Time of the Girls.
"The beauty of this unconventional collection is in its details: each moment offers a glimpse at a larger story while giving the reader intimate, wry, and acute details about the narrator or her surrounding characters. This makes for a light and lively reading experience." --Publishers Weekly
Photo of the author by Kristin Hoebermann.
more info...
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Play:
VICTOR BUMBALO
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Saturday, November 13 at 5:00 p.m.
What Are Tuesdays Like? (Broadway Play Publishing)
 On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, playwright Victor Bumbalo will present a brief performance from his acclaimed play What Are Tuesdays Like?
"What Are Tuesdays Like? is a small epic set entirely in the waiting room of a New York AIDS clinic. Bumbalo's drama is tough yet tender, lean yet spacious, as clear as water yet heartbreakingly powerful. It is a miraculous play." --Christopher Bram, author of Gods And Monsters and Exiles In America
more info...
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Photography:
ANN SUMMA and
KRISTINE McKENNA
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Sunday, November 14 at 5:00 p.m.
The Beautiful and the Damned (Foggy Notion Books/Smart Art Press)
 Photographer Ann Summa and writer Kristine McKenna will present a slideshow and discuss and sign their new book of L.A. punk photographs The Beautiful and the Damned.
Ann Summa studied photography in Japan. Her work has been regularly published for the past 30 years in publications including Artnews, Rolling Stone and The Los Angeles Times.
more info...
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Fiction:
JANICE SHAPIRO
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Tuesday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Bummer and Other Stories (Soft Skull Press)
 Janice Shapiro will read and sign her acclaimed new short story collection, Bummer and Other Stories.
"Bummer is an exciting collection by a writer with an engaging and distinctive voice. Janice Shapiro's stories are darkly funny, sexy and very smart." --Tom Perrotta, author of The Abstinence Teacher and Little Children
more info...
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Comedy:
COMEDY BY THE NUMBERS
with ERIC HOFFMAN, BOB ODENKIRK, ANDY KINDLER, and BILL CHOTT
| | Wednesday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Comedy by the Numbers (McSweeney's)
 On the ocassion of the new edition of this instructive (and hilarious) book on comedy, we present "What if a book could make COMEDY as easy as MATH?!" featuring Professor Eric Hoffman, Lecturer Bob Odenkirk, Expert Andy Kindler, and Q&A Man Bill Chott! Followed by a Grand re-signing!
This new printing comes with a spiffy new cover, so be sure to buy a copy (even if you already have one) and get it signed!
more info...
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Fiction:
ERIKA LOPEZ
| | Thursday, November 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Girl Must Die: A Monster Girl Memoir (Monster Girl Memoir)
 A launch party for this new book -- "a love letter to those who've hit the skids but clawed back to kick the world in the crotch . . . tenderly" -- from self-proclaimed monster girl Erika Lopez. Refreshments will be served!
more info... |
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Readers from USC's Master of Professional Writing Program
| | Friday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Students in USC's Master of Professional Writing Program will read from their work.
more info...
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Fiction:
EDAN LEPUCKI
| | Saturday, November 20 at 5:00 p.m.
If You're Not Yet Like Me (Flatmancrooked)
 Edan Lepucki, a writer for book blog The Millions (and a former Skylight staffer!) presents her acclaimed debut novella.
"Edan Lepucki's sly, smart novella is never quite a love story--in fact, rarely has the edict 'only connect' seemed more difficult to enact than among her small tribe of underachievers. Sex, however, retains its reliable consequences. And therein lies the beauty and the gut punch of this sneaky, deft book. " --Michelle Huneven, author of Blame
more info...
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Food:
KIM FAY
and JULIE FAY ASHBORN
| | Sunday, November 21 at 5:00 p.m.
Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam (Global Directions)
  Kim Fay and Julie Fay Ashborn will present their book Communion in an event complete with slide show and sample foods!
Examining how what we eat reflects who we are as individuals and as communities, Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam offers a feast for armchair gourmets, as well as a colorful guide for travelers hungering for their next adventure.
more info...
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Politics:
ROBERT SCHEER
| | Monday, November 22 at 7:30 p.m.
The Great American Stick-Up (Nation Books)
 Robert Scheer, editor-in-chief of Truthdig.com and co-host of "Left, Right, and Center" on KCRW, will discuss and sign his new book, The Great American Stick-Up.
"One of the best reporters of our time." --Joan Didion
more info...
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Skylight's Blog:
E-BOOKS
| | Find us at www.skylightbooks.blogspot.com
Check out our blog to see great posts on Halloween at Skylight Books, a new book from n+1 on hipsters, and our first Fine Prints drawing for 10 Adrian Tomine prints. This month's excerpt: a thoughtful post from Emily on enchanced e-books:
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Enhanced eBooks: Do We Want Them? Do We Care?
 [...] What is an enhanced ebook? The idea is that customers will appreciate (and be willing to pay more for) extra content surrounding the book -- embedded video and audio, interviews with the author, reading guides, interactive games, etc. Kassia Krozser from Booksquare has a pretty good write-up with lots of good comments if you want more info. But what really got me thinking this morning came from Richard Nash, formerly the head of Soft Skull and Counterpoint, and now working on the new project Cursr. He is someone who many of us in the book biz deeply admire, and who is always willing to challenge the status quo. He wrote that "The reality is that the lack of audio and video in book is a feature, not a bug," and that there are many people who would rather NOT have all that stuff, even if they do choose to read digitally. [...]
Read the rest of this post to hear more, check on our blog regularly here, and join the discussion on Twitter by following skylightbooks! We're on Facebook as skylightbooks, too. |
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BOOK GROUPS:
FOODIE EDITION
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November means Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving means food (and, yes, thankfulness.) Let's be thankful for the crop of new cookbooks that are arriving in time for the holiday shopping season, and try something different this month: have your book club pick a cookbook and have each member try a different recipe (or three) and compare results. Or cook at your meeting, or bring samples to share! And since cookbooks can get expensive and most book clubs are on a budget, we've chosen three under $30. Register your book club with the store for an extra 15% off! Bon appetit!
 The Geometry of Pasta by Caz Hildebrand and Jacob KenedyA really snazzily designed cookbook based on the more than 300 kinds of pasta. With descriptions of each type and recipes throughout, and a dust jacket that unfolds into a poster, this will serve as a cooking reference long after the book club is over.
 Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt in Your Mouth Cookies by Alice MedrichC'mon, if you're not salivating after reading that title, then you might not be human. This is a great one to pick if you want your book club members to bring samples to share. Recipes are organized by texture -- try one from each section!  The Family Dinner by Laurie DavidA cookbook for busy parents who still want to have dinner with their kids. The recipes are easy to make and kid friendly. Pick it for your book club, try out the recipes with your family, and discuss the results.
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 emily@skylightbooks.com now to find out how to register your book group! You can check out our registered book groups here.
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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)
 We 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. |
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