Click here for our events calendar and preview upcoming events through June.
Click here for more complete descriptions and to buy signed copies online.
Members always save 20% on event books. Click here to register!

ROUND HOUSE THEATRE GALA

On Tuesday, May 18th the Round House Theatre will hold its annual gala and awards ceremony. Carla and Barbara will be receiving the special Spotlight Award along with awards to Wolf Blitzer and Diane Rehm. Please join us for fine wines and dinner and the awards ceremony featuring Round House Theatre actors performing scenes from literary choices of the honorees. For more information and tickets, please click here.

BUSY WEEK AT P&P

Last Thursday, Politics & Prose must have set some kind of record with its literary four-ring circus!  In the parking lot behind the store, Rick Riordan presented his new fantasy, THE RED PYRAMID, to about 800 young readers and their parents. At Lisner Audorium, as Katie Couric interviewed Laura Bush about her new memoir, SPOKEN FROM THE HEART, we were selling the books. (Click here for signed copies of both of those titles!) As Greece jumped into the headlines for triggering panic in the stock market, our booksellers were at the Greek Embassy selling CAFÉ TEMPEST, Barbara Bonfigli's novel of culinary and romantic adventures on a small Greek Island.  Meanwhile, the store hosted an extremely well-attended and compelling evening event with Lisa Shannon, as she spoke about her book, A THOUSAND SISTERS, an account of her activism, which supports Congolese women who are victims of torture and rape.

We have another busy week ahead with crisis economist Nouriel Roubini tonight at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, Nathaniel Philbrick’s new book on General Custer and Sitting Bull, Jim Lehrer’s new mystery aboard the Super Chief passenger railway, Sebastian Junger – whose account of American soldiers in Afghanistan was featured in a fascinating NPR program Tuesday morning, and Jonathan Alter’s assessment of President Obama’s first year. Look at our calendar for details.

GIFTS FOR GRADUATES

In this season of new beginnings, we have put particular thought into items which students might need as they approach the next phase of their lives. Our four unique Graduation Gift Bags, tailored for the high school or college level, combine practical reference guides with essential, inspirational classics handpicked by the Politics & Prose staff. Each one comes carefully packaged in a sturdy P&P anniversary tote.

Click here to see the options and provide a reward to a deserving graduate for his or her hard work!

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PULITZER PRIZE WINNER FOR FICTION

Watch out for the quiet ones! Paul Harding's TINKERS ($14.95), published by tiny Bellevue Press at NYU, took everyone by surprise when it won the Pulitzer last month.  I was fortunate enough to borrow a copy from our book buyer, Mark LaFramboise, and spent the past few evenings lost in the world of George Washington Crosby, and his father, Howard Aaron Crosby. Tinkers is the compact, beautifully composed tale of George's childhood memories during his last hours, and Howard's life as a tinker in Maine at the turn of the 20th century. The novel progresses and the two stories conflate as Howard's epileptic seizures worsen and George dwells ever closer to death. Tinkers is a gently paced, meditative novel in which larger moments occur softly without the flashiness of many modern books. Harding's beautiful prose quietly builds the story's momentum to a powerful climax.  Many of you have waited anxiously to read Tinkers. It is well worth the wait. - Lacey Dunham

 

THE INVISIBLE BRIDGE, by Julie Orringer (Knopf, $26.95)
Do you want to experience student life in 1930s Paris, and linger in the classrooms and cafes of a bustling, vibrant, youthfully impoverished Latin Quarter?

Have you ever wondered about studying in an architectural atelier, designing sets for a Parisian theater, or teaching ballet in the wealthy Marais? (All of these were welcome distractions from the grim news emerging from Germany and Spain...)

You might be more interested in the precise conditions of work camps on the Eastern Front and the subversive diversions the prisoners created to cope with backbreaking labor.

Or perhaps you'd prefer one of the most moving, honest, and unconventional love stories in recent memory.

THE INVISIBLE BRIDGE riveted me. I can't remember anything else I did the week I read it. Through the fates of three Hungarian Jewish brothers, Julie Orringer creates an entire universe, soaring in its scope and extraordinary in its intimacy. It will make you forget every other novel you've read about World War II. - Elizabeth Sher

 

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My iPad

When Steve Jobs held up his prototype iPad on January 27th, and essentially declared the book to be obsolete, I was curious.  His devotees were calling him part Prometheus, part Nostradamus, and part Gutenberg.  But what did all this mean for me?  For my reading habits?  And how would the new device affect Politics and Prose?  Or bookstores in general?

So I bought one. Let me now encapsulate a bit of what I've since learned about e-Books and the context of how this new technology will affect Politics and Prose.

E-books

I remember almost more than a decade ago, somebody joking that e-books would never be popular until you could read them in the bathtub.  Electronic books, in some form, have been around for years now.  Any number of internet-based companies have sold, or more appropriately, tried to sell them. Across the years, their selection has been terrible - a mishmash of the self-published, the public domain, and the out-of-print, with merely a smattering of bestsellers.  By consequence, sales were almost negligible.  Until about a year ago, the e-book had almost no impact on Politics and Prose.

Then three things happened. . . Click here for more.

- Lars Townsend

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SPOKEN FROM THE HEART
signed by Laura Bush
(Scribner, $30)
Hardcover - May 2010
First editions, first printings.

INNOCENT
signed by Scott Turow
(Grand Central, $27.99)
Hardcover - May 2010
First editions, first printings.

THE KANE CHRONICLES, Book One: The Red Pyramid
signed by Rick Riordan
Hardcover - May 2010
(Hyperion, $17.99)
First editions, first printings.

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P&P members always save 20% on our top twelve FICTION and NON-FICTION hardcover bestsellers. To purchase these books, click the titles.

FICTION

#1    THE IMPERFECTIONISTS  by Tom Rachman (Dial Press, $25)
# 2   Innocent by Scott Turow (Grand Central, $27.99) (signed copies still available!!)
# 3   Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende (HarperCollins, $26)
# 4   A Question of Belief by Donna Leon (Atlantic Monthly, $24)
# 5   The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon, $24.95)
# 6   The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn, $24.95)Top of Form
# 7   Every Last One by Anna Quindlen (Random House, $26)
# 8   The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer (Knopf, $26.95)
# 9   The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller (Knopf, $24.95)
#10  Solar by Ian McEwan (Nan A. Talese, $26.95)
#11  Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (Random House, $25)
#12  This Body of Death by Elizabeth George (HarperCollins, $28.99)

 

NONFICTION

#1   THE BIG SHORT by Michael Lewis (W.W. Norton, $27.95)
# 2  Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb (W.W. Norton, $28.95)
# 3  Crossing Mandelbaum Gate: Coming of Age Between the Arabs and Israelis, 1956-1978 by Kai Bird (Scribner, $30)
# 4  Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do About It by Richard A. Clarke and Robert Knake (Ecco, $25.99)
# 5  The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898 by Evan Thomas (Little, Brown, $29.99)
# 6   The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Crown, $26)
# 7  Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben Macintyre  (Harmony, $25.99)
# 8  Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy Frost and Gail Steketee  (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $27)
# 9  13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown by Simon Johnson and James Kwak (Pantheon, $26.95)
#10  The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick  (Viking , $30)
#11  When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins  (Little, Brown, $27.99)
#12  The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama by David Remnick (Knopf, $25.95)

 

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These two titles were both store favorites when they were in hardcover. Click FICTION or NON-FICTION  to browse a more complete selection of recent paperback releases.

THE CITY AND THE CITY
by China Mieville (Del Rey, $15)

RENEGADE
by Richard Wolffe (Three Rivers, $16)

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If you can't attend a talk, but would like to reserve a signed copy or a recorded author talk,
click the title links to purchase online. P&P members save 20% on these author event titles.

Thursday May 13

Daniel Okrent - Last Call
7 p.m. The Eighteenth Amendment, Prohibition, went into effect in 1920 and was repealed in 1933. Okrent, author of books on Rockefeller Center, baseball, and his role as first public editor of the New York Times, is well-positioned to look at a wide range of influences on and consequences of this social experiment, including the temperance and suffrage movements, anti-immigrant sentiment, the role of the Ku Klux Klan, and the rise of organized crime.

Nouriel Roubini - Crisis Economics @ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
7 p.m. Studying global history, statistics, mathematical models, and other evidence, Roubini, professor of economics at NYU's Stern School of Business and co-author Mihm, an associate professor of economic history at the University of Georgia, were the first economists to predict the current downturn. The authors argue that economic crises are part of capitalism but are both foreseeable and preventable.  Note: Stephen Mihm will not be joining Nouriel Roubini at this event.  Click here for two free author event admission tickets with book purchase ($27.95) from P&P or for $12 each without the book. 

Friday May 14

LaChanze - Little Diva
10:30 a.m. Nena's mother is a Broadway star and Nena wants to be just like her. She apprentices by following along as her mother prepares for a night on stage. Will Nena be able to practice her singing, acting, and dancing to make her dreams come true? Award-winning illustrator Brian Pinkney captures the spirit of this little diva with big dreams. (Ages 4-8)

Nathaniel Philbrick - The Last Stand
7 p.m. Philbrick follows his nautical bestsellers, In the Heart of the Sea and Sea of Glory, with this vivid account of General Custer's defeat. While Custer lost his battle against the Plains Indian tribes led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, the event also proved to be the Plains Indians' own last stand.

Saturday May 15

Nan Chase - Eat Your Yard
1p.m. Plants provide nuts, seeds, and fruits in addition to ambiance. Chase, an Asheville-based writer on landscaping and architecture, focuses on 35 types of trees, shrubs, vines, and herbs, parts of which can be eaten, cooked, or preserved. She includes recipes and tips for canning.

John Biewen and contributors - Reality Radio
6 p.m. Radio programs such as This American Life, Story Corps, and Radio Lab continually break new ground. Biewen, audio program director at Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies, has gathered 19 essays by the journalists, storytellers, and audio artists involved in this innovative audio documentary work.  With contributors Katie Davis and Joe Richman.

Sunday May 16

Jim Lehrer - Super
5 p.m. In his 20th novel, the prolific PBS NewsHour anchor focuses on the Santa Fe Railroad's luxurious Super Chief, which traveled between Chicago and Los Angeles in 39 hours. Set in 1956 and based on actual events, the book is a murder mystery as well as a look at the train's wealthy and glamorous passengers, including Clark Gable and former President Truman.

Monday May 17

Marie Rutkoski - The Celestial Globe: The Kronos Chronicles, Book Two
10:30 a.m. Following their adventures with the Terrestrial Globe and The Cabinet of Wonders, Petra Kronos is spirited off to John Dee's home in London, while Tomik and Neel are captured by sea gypsies. Everyone is racing to find the Celestial Globe that completes the magic pair and is infinitely powerful. (Ages 10-14). Rutkoski will be joined by Elise Broach for the paperback release of Masterpiece (Square Fish, $7.99).

Sharon Lerner - The War On Moms (in conversation w/ Hanna Rosin)
7 p.m. Parents today struggle with inadequate and/or prohibitively expensive childcare and health insurance; with employers indifferent to family needs, including maternity leave; and with myths that pit stay-at-home moms against working mothers. Including interviews with parents from a wide range of socio-economic strata, Lerner shows how the plight of parents negatively impacts the country as a whole. Lerner will be in conversation with Hanna Rosin, author of God's Harvard (Mariner, $14).

Tuesday May 18

R.L. LaFevers - Theodosia & The Eyes of Horus
10:30 a.m. This mystery set in 1900s London begins when The Great Awi Bubu appears. Certain that he's a fake, Theodosia Throckmorton and Sticky Will try to determine Awi Bubu's motives and find he holds the key to deep secrets. (Ages 10-14)

Sebastian Junger - War
7 p.m. Between 2007 and 2008 Junger, author of The Perfect Storm, spent 15 months with a platoon of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Aghanistan's Korengal Valley. His account chronicles the realities of combat, from the terror of roadside bombs to the tedium of extended time in camp, from the trauma of battle to the deep trust soldiers develop in each other.

Wednesday May 19

Ann Ingalls and Maryann MacDonald - The Little Piano Girl
10:30 a.m. Mary Lou Williams learned to play the piano at age four. When her family moved to Pittsburgh, they left the piano behind, but Mary Lou found a way to play, and went on to write and arrange music for Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie. (Ages 4-8)

Wes Moore - The Other Wes Moore
7 p.m. Two boys named Wes Moore grew up fatherless in black neighborhoods of Baltimore. One became a successful investment banker and wrote this book; the other was wanted for killing a policeman. The author attributes these two very different paths less to character than to the influence of relatives

Thursday May 20

Jonathan Alter - The Promise
7 p.m. A Newsweek senior editor and columnist, Alter follows his acclaimed book on FDR's first 100 days in office, The Defining Moment, with this analysis of President Obama's first year in office. Alter offers his assessment of the degree to which Obama has fulfilled his campaign promise of "Change We Can Believe In."

Friday May 21

Michael Buckley - Sisters Grimm, Book 8: The Inside Story
4:30 p.m. Sabrina, Daphne, and Puck are stuck in the Book of Everafter, where all fairy tales are stored. They try to change the stories to protect their baby brother but are confronted by the evil Editor and the army of Revisers, who threaten the children if they don't stick to the approved stories. Will they be able to act in time to save their brother? (Ages 9-12)

David Helvarg - Saved By The Sea
7 p.m. In this deeply felt memoir and paean to the ocean, Helvarg, founder and president of the marine-conservation lobbying organization Blue Frontier Campaign, recounts his development from journalist to activist. He counterpoints his personal story with examples of the sea's sustaining wonders and beauties.

Saturday May 22

Justine Kenin with Annie and Veda Hedgepeth - We Grew It-Let's Eat It!
10:30 a.m. D.C. twins Annie and Veda learn about the White House vegetable garden and want to grow their own fruits and vegetables. They live in an apartment but are able to invest in a neighborhood community garden. The book has great photographs of the girls planting, tending, and harvesting their plants, plus recipes for preparing and eating the delicious harvest. (Ages 4-8)

Carol Eron Rizzoli - The House At Royal Oak
1 p.m. Carol Rizzoli, the wife of Hugo Rizzoli, Barbara's bookstore partner in the 1970s, recounts the story of her and her husband's transformation of a dilapidated Victorian house on the Eastern Shore into an elegant B&B. Linda Pastan will read the poem she wrote about the Rizzoli-Meade venture, The Bookstall.

Katy Kelly - Melonhead (signing only)
3 p.m. Adam "Melonhead" Melon constantly attracts trouble, especially when he and Sam find a snake on Capitol Hill. As they contemplate a science-fair project, custody battles over the snake spark some very funny scenes. (Ages 7-10)

Scott Higham & Sari Horwitz - Finding Chandra
3:30 p.m. In the summer of 2001, the sudden disappearance of Chandra Levy, a young, promising intern, and the possible involvement of Congressman Gary Condit gripped the nation. Six years after Levy's disappearance, Higham and Horwitz, two Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalists, revisited the case and the result was a thirteen-part series in the Washington Post, which provides the basis of this book.

Peter van Agtmael - 2nd Tour, Hope I Don't Die
6 p.m. An award-winning photographer, van Agtmael has documented the effects of the Three Gorges Dam, the scourge of AIDS in South Africa, and the devastation of the 2005 tsunami. More recently he has focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and this book presents images from his five trips to these war zones since 2006.

Sunday May 23

Ann McLaughlin - Leaving Bayberry House
1 p.m. The sixth novel from this noted local author (The House on Q Street) is set during a week in August, 1973. Clearing out the family house prior to selling it, the Carlson sisters recall old times, including the suicide of their father. When other relatives and the hippie friends of one sister's daughter arrive, musings on the past turn to the more urgent considerations of the present.

Robin Oliveira - My Name Is Mary Sutter
5 p.m. Oliveira's debut novel is steeped in the raw realism of the Civil War era. Mary Sutter is an Albany midwife determined to become a surgeon. Ignoring sexism and steeling herself against the horrors of battle wounds, she comes to Washington D.C. and makes herself invaluable to Chief Surgeon William Stipp at the overwhelmed Union Hotel Hospital.

 

To see the complete schedule and to purchase any of the above books, click here.

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Politics & Prose supplies books to the following book signing events.
Reservations and tickets should be acquired from the hosting organization.
If you can't attend a talk, but would like to purchase a signed book, call
202-364-1919 or 1-800-722-0790 or click the title links below.

Thursday, May 13, 7:30 p.m

Friendship Heights Village Center
4433 S. Park Ave.
Chevy Chase, MD
CHRIS FARRELL
THE NEW FRUGALITY: How to Consume Less, Save More, and Live Better (Bloomsbury, $24) Farrell shows how the economic downturn can be an opportunity to reconsider what, why, and how much we consume. With an emphasis on changing the way we live to make the most of what we have, Mr. Farrell provides a new plan for a new economic reality - the philosophy and practice of living frugally.

In addition to being a correspondent and an editor for Marketplace Money, he is economics correspondent for the business program Marketplace and American Radio Works, and a contributing economics editor at Business Week magazine.

Please RSVP for this FREE event by calling the Village Center at 301-656-2797.

Thursday, May 13, 7:30 p.m.

National Geographic Society
1600 M Street, NW
MARK W. MOFFETT
ADVENTURES AMONG ANTS: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions (Univ. of California, $29.95) Called “the Indiana Jones of entomology,” photographer and naturalist Mark Moffett has made it his mission to open our eyes to the small wonders of nature. His new book takes us into the world of ants, showing how they dominate their ecosystems through strikingly “human” behaviors. Join this explorer for an ant’s-eye view of the natural world. Moffett will also share the story of ants in a children’s program on May 15. Click here for $18 tickets ($15, NG Members).

Friday, May 14, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.

Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center
Atrium Ballroom
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Metro :  Metro Center and Federal Triangle

MUHAMMAD YUNUS
BUILDING SOCIAL BUSINESS: The New Kind of Capitalism That Serves Humanity's Most Pressing Needs (PublicAffairs, $25.95)
Yunus, the practical visionary who pioneered microcredit and won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize with his Grameen Bank, has developed a visionary new dimension for capitalism which he calls "social business." By harnessing the energy of profit-making to the objective of fulfilling human needs, social business creates self-supporting, viable commercial enterprises that generate economic growth even as they produce goods and services that make the world a better place. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit hooksbookevents.com. A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to FONKOZE (www.fonkoze.org), Haiti's Alternative Bank for the Organized Poor.

Saturday, May 15, 1 p.m.

National Geographic Society
1600 M Street, NW
MARK W. MOFFETT - "Dr. Bugs" - Children's Event
ADVENTURES AMONG ANTS: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions (Univ. of California, $29.95)
Known for his wacky sense of humor, and genuine love for the small wonders of nature, photographer and naturalist Mark Moffett, nicknamed “Dr. Bugs,” is a popular presenter for kids and adults alike. In addition to two dozen articles for National Geographic, Moffett is the author of a children’s book, FACE TO FACE WITH FROGS (National Geographic, $16.95), and articles for young people. Bring the whole family for an informative, lavishly illustrated afternoon with this entertaining scientist and explorer!

Click here for $10 tickets; Children 12 and under - $6.

 

Monday, May 17, 7:30 PM.

National Geographic Society
1600 M Street, NW
JONATHAN WATERMAN
RUNNING DRY: A Journey From Source to Sea Down the Colorado (National Geographic, $26)
In 2008, author Jonathan Waterman traveled the length of the Colorado River to survey the health of the legendary waterway. In his National Geographic book, he details the story of an overtaxed river that fails to reach the ocean most years due to human demands. Join him for a look at images and stories of the river, the people who use its waters, and a discussion on how the river’s demise might be averted.

Click here for more information and to purchase $18 tickets ($15, NG Members).
Click here to purchase RUNNING DRY ($26).

 

Tuesday, May 18, 6:45 p.m.

Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
600 I Street, NW
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown

The Ten: An Alternative Shavuot Experience
GOOD BOOK - David Plotz (Harper Perennial, $14.99)
GOD'S HARVARD - Hanna Rosin (Mariner Books, $14)
THE GREAT BOOK OF WASHINGTON, D.C. SPORTS LISTS - Andy Pollin (Running Press, $14.95)
Join us for THE TEN, an innovative take on the holiday traditionally celebrated by studying Torah and enjoying the fruits of the first harvest. Founding editor of DoubleX Hanna Rosin and Slate editor David Plotz will let loose on the Bible while a special chef cooks up a healthy dairy dish for all to taste. You’ll also have the chance to try out some yoga poses, bake fruit-studded challah with the founder of Challah for Hunger, and score an ethical debate with ESPN 980 Sports Director Andy Pollin. Stay late for THE TEN After 10 afterparty - unleashing provocative discussion questions every hour until dawn. FREE with advance RSVP at www.sixthandi.org. $6 on the day of the event. Questions? Please call 202.408.3100.

Thursday, May 20, 12 noon           

The National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
JUDITH MARTIN and JACOBINA MARTIN
MISS MANNERS' GUIDE TO A SUPRISINGLY DIGNIFIED WEDDING (W.W. Norton, $24.95)
Miss Manners, aka Judith Martin, and her newlywed daughter and co-author, Jacobina Martin, tell brides and their cortèges what advice to ignore, what "traditions" to skip, and how to achieve the rare, tasteful wedding. They help their "gentle readers" navigate the world of wedding planners, couples' websites, and pre-printed thank-you notes with respectful hilarity to reveal ostentation which only masquerades as proper etiquette. Judith Martin, aka Miss Manners, has been married to Robert Martin for fifty years. Jacobina Martin, their perfect daughter, teaches improvisational comedy at Chicago's Second City and just married Ronald Kroll. Both had impeccable weddings.

Admission is FREE.  Seating is limited. Tickets are required, and are distributed one half-hour prior to the program, on a first-come-first-served policy. One ticket only to each person in line.  For more information, please call 202-783-3372.

Friday, May 21, 7 p.m.

The D.C. Association of Chartered Public Schools & GWU present
AN EVENING WITH LOUIS GOSSETT, JR. AND D.C.'S MOST OUTSTANDING CHARTER SCHOOL GRADUATES
George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium
21st & H St., NW

LOUIS GOSSETT, Jr.
AN ACTOR AND A GENTLEMAN (Wiley, $26.95)

Join Mr. Louis Gossett, Jr. for a wonderful evening of celebration.  The author and award-winning actor for roles in An Officer and a Gentleman and the television mini-series Roots, hosts the first DC's Most Outstanding Charter School Graduates Award Ceremony and presents his new autobiography. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the first 100 adults to arrive will receive a complimentary autographed copy of Mr. Gossett's new autobiography, An Actor and a Gentleman.

$20 Tickets ($10 Students) can be purchased in advance at www.ticketmaster.com or on event day at the box office.

Monday, May 23, 7:30 p.m.

Friendship Heights Village Center
4433 S. Park Ave.
Chevy Chase, MD
JUDITH MARTIN and JACOBINA MARTIN
MISS MANNERS' GUIDE TO A SUPRISINGLY DIGNIFIED WEDDING (W.W. Norton, $24.95)

You don't have to be planning a wedding to enjoy an evening with Judith Martin (Miss Manners) and her daughter, Jacobina Martin. Judith Martin has been writing her "Miss Manners" etiquette column, which chronicles America's manners and morals with humor, since 1978. Jacobina Martin is a newlywed and teaches improvisational comedy at Chicago's Second City. Together, this bride and mother-of-the-bride explain how weddings can be charming, affordable--and excruciatingly correct.

Please sign up for this FREE event by calling the Village Center at 301-656-2797.

Tuesday, May 25, 7 p.m.

Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
600 I Street, NW
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown

EMILY GOULD
AND THE HEART SAYS WHATEVER (Free Press, $16)

Outspoken, fiercely intelligent, unapologetically sexual, and a lightning rod for controversy, 28-year-old Emily Gould has been called by some, "the voice of her generation." From the downtown offices of Gawker.com to the cover of The New York Times Magazine, Gould has taken on some of the most vexed issues "her generation" has to face as well as the age-old intricacies of the human heart.

In And the Heart Says Whatever, Gould details the mistakes she's made, in public and in private. For everyone who has ever had a job they wish they didn't, wanted to pack up and move to the city without a plan, ended a relationship, regretted a decision, or told a secret to the wrong person, these stories are familiar and they may remind you of the best stories of your own life.

Click here for $8 advance tickets, or receive two (2) FREE tickets with the purchase of the book ($16) through Sixth & I.  Tickets are $10 at the event. If you have questions, please call 202.408.3100.

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CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK
(20% off through 05/19/2010)

To get ready for middle school, Julie and Lydia set out on a mission: to find out what makes girls popular and use that information to make themselves cool. Using a top-secret notebook known as THE POPULARITY PAPERS (Amulet Books, $15.95), the girls devote their fifth grade year to their social improvement.  After a year filled with adventures from joining the field hockey team to a failed attempt at hair-dyeing, Julie and Lydia learn that the social world is more complicated than they thought and that ultimately it's most important to do the things they love. Amy Ignatow has written a hilarious graphic novel, in which sweet illustrations, journal-style writing and a whole lot of attitude converge. Ages 8-11 - Amy Kane

 

Read about - and buy - more of our favorite books for children by clicking here.

Lisa Chaplin-Hobbs hosts story time for young children every Monday morning at 10:30 a.m.

For upcoming events and more from the Children and Teens' Department, click here.

 

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MARK ROTHKO & MORTON FELDMAN

Rothko is hot: on Broadway, John Logan’s play, Red, with Alfred Molina as Rothko, has been getting raves and Tony nominations galore. Here in DC, the light-filled Tower at the National Gallery’s East Wing is full of Rothko’s late-period “black” paintings done in 1964. That same year, Dominique and John de Menil commissioned him to do a suite of paintings for a dedicated space to be built in Houston, and Rothko would continue working variations on these dark tones through 1969. The Rothko Chapel opened in 1971 (a year after Rothko’s suicide). At the dedication, the Menils commissioned Rothko’s good friend, Morton Feldman, to write a piece for the new space, and Feldman wrote a beautiful work for chamber choir, viola, celeste, and percussion. You can hear it on the recording ROTHKO CHAPEL & WHY PATTERNS (New Albion, $15.98), and softly playing in the Tower at the National Gallery. The exhibit is there until January 2, 2011.

Click here for more reviews and news. Please call us at 202-364-1919 to order these CDs.

• András Goldinger