With th
e publication of his debut novel,
Alive in Necropolis, Doug Dorst was celebrated as one of the most original literary voices of his generation -- likened to T.C. Boyle and Denis Johnson, and called a Northern California Haruki Murakami. Now, in his collection of short stories,
The Surf Guru, his full talent is on display.
In these stories, an old surfing-champion-turned-surfwear- entrepreneur sits on his ocean-front balcony watching a new generation of surfers come of age on the waves, all but one of whom wear wet suits emblazoned with the Surf Guru's name. An acid-tongued, pioneering botanist who has been exiled from the academy composes a series of scurrilous (and hilarious) biographical sketches of his colleagues and rivals, inadvertently telling his own story. A pair of twenty-first century drifters course through a series of unusual adventures in their dilapidated car, chased west out of one town and into the next, dreaming of hitting the Pacific.
Doug Dorst will be in the store on October 2nd to perform an unusual kind of reading. . . .over the our store intercom. So, come by to browse and listen, and to meet him afterwards (he will be physically present, really) and pick up a signed copy of The Surf Guru.
DETAILS: 2:00pm, Saturday, October 2 FREE
at Green Apple Books
506 Clement @ 6th Ave.
--------------------October 4: Words and Waves: Liquake's Surf Night at the Park Chalet
With too many good authors to list here, this evening is sure to please any surfer, surf-watcher, kook or grom. Join us at the Park Chalet. More info (including books and authors)
here on Litquake's site.
Details: 6:30 pm, Monday, October 4Admission: $5-10 donation entitles you to order off the Happy Hour menu all night!Park Chalet1000 Great Hwy
San Francisco, CA 94121
October 5: ADAM LEVIN's The Instructions and McSweeney's 35 (at the JCC)We're excited to be teaming up with McSweeney's, Litquake, and the Jewish Community Center in honor of Adam Levin's debut novel, The Instructions, and the release of McSweeney's 35.
The Instructions, one of New York magazine's 20 most anticipated books of the fall, is an absolutely singular work of fiction by an important new talent. Combining the crackling voice of Philip Roth with the encyclopedic mind of David Foster Wallace, Adam Levin has shaped a world driven equally by moral fervor and slapstick comedy - a novel that is muscular and verbose, troubling and empathetic, monumental, breakneck, romantic, and unforgettable. An already well-worn copy of this big novel has been making the rounds with the Green Apple staff, and is certainly earning our highest reccomendation.
McSweeney's 35 features tremendous new stories from Steven Millhauser and Roddy Doyle, a genre-shattering novella from Hilton Als, and a really excellent special section on Norway's finest writers (featuring Per Petterson and the lesser-known Kid Icarus and Blind Margjit.)
This event will include readings, signings, meetings, greetings, and a general good time. We'll see you there.
DETAILS: 7:00 pm, Tuesday, October 5FREE
at SF's Jewish Community Center
3200 California St
San Francisco, California 94118-2324
--------------------
October 6: The Funny Side of Sex: Kristen Schaal (of the Daily Show) and friends at Cobb's Comedy ClubKristen Schaal, best known for her roles on
The Daily Show and
Flight of the 
Conchords, has teamed up with her husband and fellow
Daily Show writer Richard Blomquist on a new book called
The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex. You're already intrigued by this, right?
A humorous guide to getting it on, John Hodgeman of the Daily Show best describes this book as "a rare, essential glimpse into the Schaal/Blomquist method of ADVANCED DOING-IT." Amusing (and educational!) in print and sure to be absolutely hysterical in person, don't miss this opportunity to see Kristin Schaal address the complex, taboo, and nuanced topic of sexy sex live and in person with us at this Litquake event at Cobb's. Here's the full line-up for the evening. Everyone's doing it.
DETAILS: 8:00 pm, Wednesday, October 6$15
Cobb's Comedy Club
915 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, California 94118-2324
--------------------
October 8: DAVID HERLIHY, author of The Lost Cyclist at Public Bikes We are pleased to be teaming up with PUBLIC Bikes to host author David V. Herlihy's presentation on his new book, The Lost Cyclist: The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance.
The Lost Cyclist is Herlihy's gripping non-fiction narrative of Frank Lenz who, in the 1880s, endeavored to ride his bicycle twenty thousand miles over three continents as a correspondent for Outing magazine. Two years later, after having survived countless near disasters and hardships, he approached Europe for the final leg. He never made it. His mysterious disappearance in eastern Turkey sparked an international outcry and compelled the magazine to send William Sachtleben, another larger-than-life cyclist, on Lenz's trail.
This incredible story and Herlihy's presentation are sure to interest bike enthusiasts, casual cyclists, and even the handful of SF residents who don't own a bicycle. This free event at PUBLIC Bikes is part of the Litquake festival and should not be missed.
Details: 7:00 pm, Frday, October 8
FREE
at PUBLIC Bikes
123 South Park
San Francisco, California 94107-2324
--------------------
October 8: Litquake's It's All Over But the Crying: a night of authors on sports
Writers hold court on the world of sports, from the infinite variations of major-league baseball to the international phenomenon of the World Cup. Special multimedia presentation by Bay Area sports photographer Michael "Z Man" Zagaris. Book sales and signing to follow. Emceed by Litquake co-director Jack Boulware. Authors include Alan Black, Howard Bryant, Dan Epstein, Dan Fost, David Henry Sterry, Jason Turbow, and Michael Zagaris
Details: 7:00 pm, Friday, October 8
at the Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Admission: $10 in advance at brownpapertickets.com
--------------------
October 12: JESSICA FRANCIS KANE, Author of The Report
Jessica Francis Kane will be appearing in our side room for what is sure to be a fantastic reading from her new novel, The Report.
The Report is a stunning first novel that is an evocative re-imagining of a World War II civilian disaster. On a March night in 1943, on the steps of a London Tube station, 173 people died in a crowd seeking shelter from what seemed to be another air raid. In re-imagining this story from the perspective of the investigator who is attempting to get to the bottom of what really went on that night, Jessica Francis Kane paints a vivid portrait of London at war. As the novel unfolds, the truth reveals itself to be precarious, even damaging. Both rich in its historical detail and eerie in its timelessness, The Report is a provocative commentary on the way all tragedies are remembered and endured.
Join us for this reading from a new author being hailed as an important new voice in fiction.
Details: 7 pm, Tuesday, Ocotber 12FREE
at Green Apple Books
506 Clement @ 6th Ave.
---------------------October 14: TOBY BALL, author of The Vaults Join us in the side room as author
Toby Ball reads from and signs copies of his new dystopian mystery novel,
The Vaults.
Publisher's Weekly calls this debut novel "(An) impressive thriller debut....The plot steamrolls to a dramatic conclusion...in which despair and graft are almost palpable, is an imaginative achievement on par with Loren Estleman's Gas City." And author Michael Harvey says that "If George Orwell and Dashiell Hammett had ever decided to collaborate on a book, they might have come up with something like The Vaults. . .superbly plotted, stylishly written and entirely unique."
If those rave reviews aren't convincing enough, come check out Toby Ball for yourself and pick up your copy of The Vaults.
Details: 7:00 pm, Thursday, October 14
FREE
at Green Apple Books
506 Clement @ 6th Ave.
--------------------
If you want to bookmark our events page, it's
here. That way you can always check out the goings on when you're looking for something fun (and usually free) to do.
o get our cash out of them and put it into other things, like fall new releases, newer bargain books, or the pockets of the insurance company who keeps us Green Applers healthy. Care to help out?