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In This Issue - Events and News
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Joseph McElroy
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Joyce Farmer
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Millicent Borges Accardi
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David Vann
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Glen Hirshberg
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Black Clock 13: Aimee Bender, Janet Fitch, Jonathan Lethem, Susan Straight, and Lisa Teasley
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Stefan Bucher
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Gerald Locklin, Rick Smith, and RD Armstrong
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Jonathan Evison
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Slake 2: Elizabeth Banicki, Ben Ehrenreich, Yxta Maya Murray, Sam Slovick, and Joe Donnelly
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Skylight's Blog: Looking Back, and West of Here
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Book Groups: Broken Hearts
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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:
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m.
Writers Bloc presents David UIin in conversation with Peter Guber, discussing his new book The Lost Art of Reading at the MGM Building, 10250 Constellation Blvd., Century City. Click here for reservations/info.
Thursday, Feb. 3, 8:00 p.m.
Intelligentsia presents Autumn de Wilde discussing her photo book Death Cab for Cutie at Intelligentsia Coffeebar, 3922 W. Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake, (323) 663-6173.
Monday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Zocalo Public Square presents Robert Kurzban, discussing his book Why Everyone (Else) is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind at The Actors' Gang, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City. Click here for reservations/info.
Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Writers Bloc presents Peggy Orenstein with Lori Gottlieb, discussing their books Cinderella Ate My Daughter (by Orenstein) and Marry Him (by Gottlieb) at the MGM Building, 10250 Constellation Blvd., Century City. Click here for reservations/info.
Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Zocalo Public Square presents Jane McGonigal discussing her book Reality is Broken at the Peterson Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., mid-Wilshire. Click here for reservations/info.
Sunday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Rhapsodomancy presents Thaisa Frank, Richard Katrovas, Alexandra Teague, and Noriko Nakada reading from their recent work at The Good Luck Bar,1514 Hillhurst Ave. in Los Feliz. Click here for info.
Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Zocalo Public Square presents Evgeny Morozov, discussing his book The Net Delusion at The Actors' Gang, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City.
Click here for reservations/info.
Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Zocalo Public Square presents Susan Jacoby, discussing her book Never Say Die at MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave, in downtown L.A. Click here for reservations/info.
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Skylight Books
January 2011
Bestsellers | |
(as of Jan. 30)
Store Bestsellers
1. Just Kids by Patti Smith
2. Secret Stairs by Charles Fleming
3. Life by Keith Richards
4. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
5. How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer
6. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
7. Tinkers by Paul Harding
8. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
9. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
10. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Event Bestsellers (in-store and offsite)
1. Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle
2. Zombie Spaceship Wasteland by Patton Oswalt
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| Services |
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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| Upcoming Events at Skylight Books |
| Mary's View from the Skylight |
After several days in beautiful (but cold) Washington, DC, I'm delighted to say that three traveling Skylight staffers are back in L.A. and feeling reinvigorated! Steve, Emily, and I had the great pleasure of attending this year's Winter Institute, an educational conference run by the American Booksellers Association and attended by 500 indie booksellers annually. It's a great opportunity to hear about new developments in the industry, learn from other stores, brainstorm new marketing ideas, and, of course, catch up in person with bookselling friends we usually just hear from on Twitter. Highlights from this year include: - a trip to the Library of Congress;
- a seminar on Google Books;
- which indie bookstores (us included) are now selling from our websites;
- a discussion roundtable on author events;
- sessions on increasing efficiency;
- a panel discussion on marketing;
- and a presentation with results from a new survey on the remarkeable positive impact independently owned businesses have on their communities.
There's a lot of talk in the media about books being a dying format and bookstores being a dying business. If the people who said that saw the energy, inventiveness, and determination of the 500 booksellers from around the country at Winter Institute, they wouldn't be so quick to dismiss either books or the people who bring them into their communities. It's an exciting time in the book business and things are certainly in flux, but your independently owned bookstores, far from being relics of the past, are ready to meet the challenges of the future and continue to provide a service that is unique and valuable. We thank the hardworking people at the ABA for opportunities for education like Winter Institute, and we thank you, our customers, for your support.
Mary Williams, Events Manager |
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Fiction:
JOSEPH McELROY
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Sunday, January 30 at 5:00 p.m.
Night Soul and Other Stories (Dalkey)  Acclaimed novelist and short story writer Joseph McElroy will read and sign his latest collection, Night Soul and Other Stories.
This book just got a fabulous review in The New York Times Book Review. Read it here! "McElroy is ever nimble and probing, and these stories read like intricate puzzles to be patiently pieced through." --Publishers Weekly
Photo of the author by Peter Chin.
more info...
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Graphic Novel:
JOYCE FARMER | |
Saturday, February 5 at 5:00 p.m.
Special Exits (Fantagraphics)  Joyce Farmer discusses and signs her graphic novel Special Exits, a memoir in the vein of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home or Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner, and Frank Stack's Our Cancer Year, about caring for her dying father and stepmother.
"One of the best long-narrative comics I've ever read, right up there with Maus... I actually found myself moved to tears." -R. Crumb One of Entertainment Weekly's 10 Best Graphic Novels and Comics of 2010 Named one of "The Most Memorable Comics & Graphic Novels of 2010" by NPR's Glen Weldon more info... |
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Poetry:
MILLICENT BORGES ACCARDI | |
Thursday, February 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Injuring Eternity (World Nouveau)  Millicent Borges Accardi will read and sign her most recent poetry collection, Injuring Eternity.
Millicent Borges Accardi, a Portuguese-American poet, is the author of two books: Woman on a Shaky Bridge (Finishing Line Press chapbook) and Injuring Eternity (World Nouveau). She has received literary fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the California Arts Council, Barbara Deming Foundation, and was a Formby Fellow at Texas Tech, researching the work of writer-activist Kay Boyle. Residencies include Yaddo, Jentel, Vermont Studio, Fundación Valparaíso in Mojacar, and Milkwood in Cesky Krumlov. more info... |
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Fiction:
DAVID VANN
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Friday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Caribou Island (Harper)  David Vann, whose short story collection Legend of a Suicide is a staff favorite, returns to Skylight to read from and sign his debut novel, Caribou Island. " Caribou Island gets to places other novels can't touch. . . . Though it wears the clothes of realism--the beautiful exactness of the language, the unerring eye for detail--it takes us someplace darker, older, more powerful than the daylit world." -- The New York Times Book Review (read the full review here) Photo of the author by Diana Matar. more info... |
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Fiction:
GLEN HIRSHBERG | |
Saturday, February 12 at 5:00 p.m.
The Book of Bunk (Earthling)  Glen Hirshberg (The Snowman's Children) will read and sign his new novel, The Book of Bunk.
"[A] lyrical meditation on the sustaining power of the imagination. . . . This vivid re-creation of smalltown Depression-era America enchants with its well-drawn characters, eloquent repartee, and poignant fantasia on a social experiment, which, if it didn't play out this way, should have." --Publishers Weekly "This brilliant and moving novel about family, betrayal, imagination, love and identity establishes Glen Hirshberg among our most profound and necessary writers - a novelist of the old school, a master." --Peter Straub more info... |
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Literary Journal:
BLACK CLOCK 13:
AIMEE BENDER, JANET FITCH,
JONATHAN LETHEM,
SUSAN STRAIGHT,
and LISA TEASLEY with
moderator STEVE ERICKSON
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Sunday, February 13 at 5:00 p.m.
Black Clock 13  An amazing lineup of writers -- Aimee Bender ( The Girl in the Flammable Skirt, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake), Janet Fitch ( White Oleander, Paint It Black), Jonathan Lethem ( Motherless Brooklyn, Chronic City), Susan Straight ( Million Nightingales, Take One Candle Light a Room), and Lisa Teasley ( Dive, Heat Signature) -- will read from their pieces in Black Clock 13, the latest issue of this great literary journal. Author Steve Erickson, Black Clock's editor (and the author of Zeroville and Our Ecstatic Days), will moderate. more info...
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Humor:
STEFAN BUCHER
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Tuesday, February 15 at 7:30 p.m.
You Deserve a Medal: Honors on the Path to True Love (Knock Knock)  Graphic designer and Daily Monster creator Stefan G. Bucher returns to Skylight in a post-Valentine's Day event to discuss and sign his book You Deserve a Medal: Honors on the Path to True Love, an illustrated collection of medals awarded for achievements, endurance, and honorable conduct in the fields of dating and relationships. It's a launch party, so come hang out, commiserate, celebrate, get your picture taken in the photo booth, and pick up a copy of this book! Photo of the author by Jill Greenberg. more info...
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Poetry:
GERALD LOCKLIN,
RICK SMITH,
and RD ARMSTRONG | |
Saturday, February 19 at 5:00 p.m.
Modest Aspirations - Poems and Stories (by Locklin); Hard Landing (by Smith); E/OR: Living Amongst the Mangled (by Armstrong; all books published by Lummox Press)   
Three poets published by local poetry publisher Lummox Press will read from their recently published collections! Come and hear the latest from Gerald Locklin, Rick Smith, and Lummox founder RD Armstrong. more info... |
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Fiction:
JONATHAN EVISON
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Thursday, February 24 at 7:30 p.m.
West of Here (Algonquin)  We're thrilled to have Jonathan Evison (All About Lulu) back to Skylight to read from and sign his highly anticipated new novel West of Here! We're big fans of this book, which has been getting great early buzz. First printings are already selling out at some stores, but we're still stocked up on them for the event, so be sure to get your copy here!
"A big novel about the discovery and rediscovery of nature, starting over, and the sometimes piercing reverberations of history, this is a damn fine book." --Publishers Weekly more info...
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Literary Journal:
SLAKE ISSUE 2:
ELIZABETH BANICKI,
BEN EHRENREICH,
YXTA MAYA MURRAY,
SAM SLOVICK,
and JOE DONNELLY
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Saturday, February 26 at 5:00 p.m.
Slake Issue 2  This is an event to celebrate the release of the much-anticipated second issue of this Los Angeles-based literary journal. Slake's first issue was a huge hit here, making our store's bestseller list for months in a row. Whether you're a devotee of the journal already or this is your first exposure to Slake, stop by and see for yourself what people are getting so excited about! Elizabeth Banicki, Ben Ehrenreich, Yxta Maya Murray, Sam Slovick, and Slake publisher Joe Donnelly will be reading from their selected pieces. more info...
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Skylight's Blog:
LOOKING BACK,
and WEST OF HERE
| | Find us at www.skylightbooks.blogspot.com
 Kerry gave us all a treat this month by posting old photos from the Skylight archives! There's just room for one in this space, but be sure to go to our blog to see more! All the staffers in the photos still work here, with 64 years between them spent at Skylight Books!
In other blog news, check out Steve's musings on the joys of ceramics class and Mary's review (excerpted below) of the buzzed-about novel West of Here (see our event listing for author Jonathan Evison above).
Friday, January 28West of Here (and north, too)[...] It's a Western story through and through; Evison captures the formidableness of both the landscape and the pioneers who were dedicated to taming it, and the sprawl and industry that have replaced woods and rivers in so many stretches of western coastline. It's beautifully written, funny, thrilling, sad, and strange. And here's some more good news: This novel is as much for fans of David Mitchell's cast-of-thousands epics and Tom Perrotta and Arthur Phillips's brainy tales of modern ennui as it is for fans of Western writers like Larry McMurtry. Which is to say, it's an excellent literary novel that also has specific appeal to people in our section of the country. It's going to be a hit. [...] |
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Book Groups:
BROKEN HEARTS
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February is the month of pink and red decorations, boxes of chocolate, and public displays of affection. Yes, it's Valentine's Day. If you're in love, this is all well and good, but if you're not, or (in a case of bad timing) you're very recently out of love or nursing a newly broken heart, the streamers and greeting cards and love songs can become a little grating on the nerves. Let your book group wallow in your misery this month with one of these out-of-love books:  Bluets by Maggie NelsonAn exploration of personal suffering and the limits of love, as refracted through the color blue: "And so I fell in love with a color . . . as if falling under a spell, a spell I fought to stay under and get out from under, in turns."
 What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond CarverThere's plenty to discuss in this hard-edged short story collection from the acclaimed master of the form. "Carver not only enchants, he convinces." --J.D. Reed, Time  Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry by Leanne ShaptonA novel about the dissolution of a relationship, written in the form of an auction catalog, listing the couple's belongings.
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 are in front of the store. |
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