Greetings!

It's an understatement to say we have a lot going on in April.  But though I'm chomping at the bit to talk about upcoming events, I always clear the air with a bit about new books on the shelves.You've probably heard a bit about Colin Thubron's new book, To a Mountain in Tibet (Harper). It's the story of his pilgrimage to Kailas, a mountain that is considered holy to four different religions and one fifth of humankind. But Thubron, author of Shadow of the Silk Road, is doing more than documenting the journey; his secular pilgrimage is an attempt to come to terms with the death of his mother.Sara Wheeler calls this book "desperately engaging" in her Guardian review. And you can hear Thubron discuss his journey with Jean Feraca on the March 8 edition of "Here on Earth."

 James Carroll looks at another place that is holy for multiple religions in his new book Jerusalem, Jerusalem: How the Ancient City Ignited Our Modern World (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).Delving deep into the city's past, he looks in particular at how different religions' claims on Jerusalem have led to violent conflict. Booklist raves: "For those meeting Jerusalem for the first time, this volume makes a stunning introduction. For others, who have struggled with the city's conundrums, either its symbolic meaning in the history of civilization or its place in the modern world, Carrolls reflections will add clarity if not closure."The Boston Globe calls his work "masterful and paradoxical."  Read more here.

Events Outside the Store 

The big news is we're only a week away from a wonderful event, the annual Friends of the Milwaukee Public Library Literary Lunch at the Woman's Club.  It's your last chance to RSVP to this ticketed event on Tuesday, April 5, which features the incomparable Donna Leon, author of the Guido Brunetti series. Boswellian Anne says Drawing Conclusions is on par with the best of the series, while Jim Higgins in the Journal Sentinel finds charms in the Venetian color.  It's fascinating that Leon, a resident of the city for a quarter century, has never allowed the series to be translated into the tongue of her adopted home.  Find out why next Tuesday. Email Valerie call 414-286-8720 today.

Graduate programs make for interesting combinations of readers sometimes. And on Thursday, April 7 at 7:30 pm, we are co-sponsoring a reading with Adam Johnson and Neil Connelly at UWM's Hefter Center, at 3271 North Lake Drive.  Johnson is the author of an acclaimed novel, Parasites Like Us, and a short story collection, Emporium, with his next novel tentatively set for 2012. How often can I talk about a collection that has an ATF raid, a moonshot gone wrong, a teenage sniper, and a post-apocalyptic bulletproof vest salesman? Also appearing is Neil Connelly, author of several novels for young adults, most recently The Miracle Healer. It's the story of a young boy, who after being rescued from a mine collapse, becomes the symbol of hope in a small town, but causing fracturing in his own family.

April Events at Boswell, Plus One Last March Talk/Signing

If you've seen our front window, you know we're celebrating our spate of Italian-themed events coming up.  Thursday, March 31 at 7 pm is Lawrence Baldassaro, author of Beyond DiMaggio: Italian Americans in Baseball.  UWM professor emeritus Baldassaro offers the stories of more than fifty players, coaches, managers and executives who shared their experiences about the historical, cultural, and political factors that shaped Italian baseball players.  And yes, there are slides!

On Saturday, April 2 at 2 pm, the Wisconsin chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans co-sponsors a talk with Nicholas Hartlep, author of Going Public: Critical Race Theory and Issues of Social Justice.  Hartlep is a fellow in the Educational Policy and Commuity Studies department at UWM.His thesis?  That racism and social inequality in public schools hurts not only the students but the institution itself.

Part three of our own mini Festa is our first reading in Italian on Wednesday, April 6, 7 pm!Yes, Paolo Giordano, winner of the Premio Strega, Italy's most distinguished literary prize for The Solitude of Prime Numbers, is coming to Milwaukee for the paperback of this wonderful and haunting novel.Read more in my blog about this novel, which I compare to The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Though Giordano will take questions in English, the author will read in Italian, with our own Angela Damiani providing the English translation.This event is co-sponsored by the Milwaukee stop of the Italian Film Festival, coming to town April 29 through May 1.

MSN's resident parenting blogger visits Boswell on Saturday, April 9 at 2 pm for his charming new book that poses the apology, Sorry I Peed on You.  It's a smile-inducing collection of toddlers and their predicaments, explained in letters to mom.Greenberg is sure to amuse the exhausted and exasperated parent by answering the question: What in the world were they thinking?  Greenberg is in town for a standup gig at Giggles Comedy Pub in Brookfield.  For tickets, visit the Giggles website.

Madison is home to  a series of travel guides from Gingko Press that encourage you to eat smart (being the Eat Smart Guides).On Monday, April 11 at 7 pm, Ronnie Hess will be giving a talk on the latest, Eat Smart in France.  This event, co-sponsored by Alliance Francaise, promises to intertwine history, geography, language, and diet.Hess is an award-winning journalist with a passion for food and France, having studied at Postilion Restaurant and School  for Culinary Arts to sate the former, and lived in France as a reporter for CBS News to quench the latter.

Anchee Min!  Need I say more?On Wednesday, April 13 at 7 pm, Min appears for the paperback release of her novel Pearl of China.Told through the eyes of the child of Western missionaries, Min redeems Buck as a friend of China in this well-researched and touchingly told story. The Oregonian called Pearl of China "a loving tribute to Buck and a unique peek into the hearts and lives of the Chinese people who knew her." Read more here. At one time a member of Madame Mao's opera troupe, Anchee Min left China as a young adult, documented so well in her book Red Azalea, and has gone on to write numerous acclaimed novels that touch on Chinese history. She is a wonderful speaker who is not to be missed!

The Sister Spit tour is returning to Milwaukee on Thursday, April 14 at a special more-adulty* time of 8 pm.  This ensemble, which pushes the boundaries of gender and sexuality, is headlined by Michelle Tea, author of four memoirs, a collection of poetry and the novel, Rose of No Man's Land.  Joining her is author Myriam Gurbak, Lambda-award-winner Ali Liebegott, photographer and publisher of Original Plumbing Amos Mac, graphic memoirist MariNaomi, Blake Nelson (the author of the novel that became Gus Van Sant's film "Girl") and essayist Kirk Read. This event is sponsored by our friends at Tool Shed.*Adult language and situations at this performance.  When I said something for everyone, I meant it. 

Just arrived is the first collection of stories by Valerie Laken of UWM's creative writing department.  We're honored to be the launch event for Separate Kingdoms on Friday, April 15 at 7 pm. Drawn from such esteemed publications as Ploughshares and the Missouri Review, this collection leaps between the United States and the last days of the Soviet Union. I loved this collection with its vivid imagery, compelling characters, and insightful plotting.  I particularly enjoyed the experience of the last story, a split screen affair that took a dual narrative to the next level.  Come celebrate with us and Laken.

On Saturday, April 16 at 2 pm, we're hosting Lee Sandlin, author of Wicked River: The Mississippi when it Last Ran Wild.  This slideshow presentation takes us back to a time before the Mississippi was dredged into a shipping channel, and before Mark Twain romanticized it as myth. Wicked River received high praise from a review in the Wall Street Journal: "I was surprised, on finishing Wicked River, to read that this confident and swift-moving book was the author's first. It makes one eager for the next." Read the review here.

Art history fans will be eager for our event with R. Tripp Evans on Thursday, April 21 at 7 pm, for his discussion of his acclaimed biography, Grant Wood: A Life.  Born in 1891, the overall-clad artist from America's heartland created American Gothic, one of the world's best-known paintings. But behind the folksy persona of Wood was a secret life and a struggle to conceal his homosexuality. It's interesting to note that after his death in 1942, Wood was written off as a propagandist for conservative values.  Read more in Deborah Solomon's review in The New York Times. This event is co-sponsored by the Cream City Foundation and made possible in part by the Joseph Pabst infrastructure fund.  And we also thank Will Fellows for his help.

20% Off Cookbook Sale This Weekend

Remember that Wisconsin Restaurant Show I was talking about in our blog? Well, we had a great time, but alas, we came back with a little more stock than I hoped. So we're having a cookbook sales, this Thursday, March 31 through Sunday, April 3. All cookbooks are 20% off.  Don't worry, we're going to try to catch those cookbooks that are in other places, like gardening, Wisconsin, and the green sections. The best deal, however, will be the professional books. We'll have some prices that will be very competitive with certain price-oriented websites. Check out our selection, and stock your larder. 

Getting Gifty

Haven't been at Boswell for a while?  Well, you've got some catching up to do.  We've been told numerous times that we have a great card selection, but to stay on top of things, you have to find new lines--we've most recently brought in Fresh Frances and Potluck Press.  That said, we restock cards more like a bookstore--if we've got a card that sells well, we keep restocking it.

We've got a new spinner filled with beautiful blank books from Paperblanks, plus wooden journals from Spitfire Girl, the folks that brought you our wooden bookmarks and postcards.  There are new tee shirt designs from Out of Print, most notably The Great Gatsby and The Old Man and the Sea, and yes, we stock women's sizes.

Our tables are filled with birds and butterflies and bugs to brighten up your early spring, particularly as temperatures have been below average round these parts. So what's taken your fancy?  Judging from sales, the ladybug music box, the enamel birds, and Easter bunnies and chicks have been the hottest sellers.