Greetings!

It's getting to that time of year where every day is bustling. We're also beginning to see what people want for the holidays. Unlike the last few years, our big three hardcover fiction selections are all from women writers--Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior, Louise Erdrich's The Round House, and Alice Munro's Dear Life. By winning the National Book Award, Erdrich has broken away from the pack. It's set on the Ojibwe reservation of several of her previous novels, but as I always note, there's nothing like a few good courtroom scenes to turn a literary novel into a page turner. Right now we've got plenty of stock, but I can't say that will be the case on December 20.

One book I know we will sell out of is Chris Ware's amazing collection, Building Stories. It reminds me a bit of McSweeney's newspaper issue. Inside the colorful keepsake box are 14 assorted books, magazines, pamphlets and newspapers. As the publisher notes:"Whether you're feeling alone by yourself or alone with someone else, this book is sure to sympathize with the crushing sense of life wasted, opportunities missed and creative dreams dashed which afflict the middle- and upper-class literary public (and which can return to them in somewhat damaged form during REM sleep)."

Our Boswell's Best has a lot of gift ideas, and it also features our favorite books of the year. Each Boswellian got to pick a couple of hardcovers to go on the list. A lot of my choices were picked by other people, but I knew I'd have Don Lee's The Collective to myself, a classic collegiate novel that focuses on a writer contemplating his friend's possible suicide. No two Don Lee novels are alike, but all look at the push-pull of cultural identity and stereotypes, always with humor and insight.

And if you want to know what book in paperback I've been recommending, it's definitely Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles. How can you miss with a vintage New York setting, themes that play off of Fitzgerald and Wharton, great characters, and a compelling plot? It's been so great to have folks come back and say, "I loved, loved, loved that book. What else can you suggest?" 

And to that question, Hannah, Pam, Mel, and Amie would tell me to offer Three Times Lucky. It may have been published as a novel for teens, but adults are loving this Southern-set mystery with particularly memorable characters. It's next on my list, I promise.

Paul Geenen at the Washington Park Library, Tuesday, Dec. 4., 6:30 PM. 

  We had a great turnout for Geenen's book Schuster's and Gimbels last month (and copies are still available of this homage to two of Milwaukee's great department stores), but we've got more Geenen for the holidays. Sherman Park: A Legacy of Diversity in Milwaukee is a look at a community that worked to welcome African Americans moving to Milwaukee during the Great Migration, mapping out a blueprint for progress and diversity which began in the 1960s and continues to this day.  If you're wondering, Sherman Park's boundaries are from 35th to 60th Streets, and from North Avenue to Keefe. 

Located at 2121 North Sherman Boulevard (Milwaukee 53208), the Washington Park Library is the largest of Milwaukee's branches. Opened in 2013, it replaced the Finney library, which was built in 2003. It is one of six branches with computer terminals for patron use, and has a computer trainer (bilingual!) to help you get started. Outside stands a statue of Baron Frederick von Steuben, German hero of the Revolutionary War. Join us on Tuesday, December 4, 6:30 pm.

Luis Alberto Urrea at Boswell, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 7 pm, at Boswell. 

Packer Great Willie Davis at Boswell on Monday, December 10, 7 pm.

Anthropologist Alice Kehoe at Boswell, Wednesday, December 12, 7 pm. 

Former professor of Anthopology at Marquette University Alice Beck Kehoe has authored numerous books about native cultures and anthropology processes. Her research also includes archaeological and ethnographic fieldwork on the Northwestern Plains, ethnographic fieldwork in an Aymara Indian village in Bolivia, and a continued collaboration with Amskapi Pikuni of Montana's Blackfeet Reservation.  

In her new book, Militant Christianity: An Anthropological History, Kehoe traces back modern trends four thousand years to the battle-ax culture of early Indo-Europeans. Roman Emperor Constantine, from a Germanic background, approved Christianity in AD 312, believing it promised he would be 'the Anointed' greatest emperor. His Indo-European militarism characterized northern European Christianity, through Martin Luther's and John Calvin's aggressive Protestantism, American colonization ruthlessly dispossessing Indian nations, rise of competitive capitalism, to contemporary White American Protestants fighting to make America an officially Christian nation. Taking a broad anthropological approach, Militant Christianity offers new insight into the culture of Christian warriors.

Lil' Rev Release Party on Thursday, December 27, 7pm, at Boswell.  

Enjoy a fun evening of ukulele music, poetry and story with Milwaukee's own Ukulele Troubadour: Lil Rev! On Thursday, December 27, 7 pm, Rev will be promoting the release of his new CD titled: The Fountain of Uke 10th Anniversary Album. Joining him will be a cast of special guest artists. This will likely be the last time to see Rev before he goes on tour. 

Milwaukee born and raised, Lil' Rev is a songwriter and music-historian who teaches and tours nationally. In addition to the ukulele, he plays guitar, harmonica, mandolin, and banjo. Lil' Rev was voted "Best Folk Singer" by WAMI in 2004 and inducted into the Old-Time Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003.  

For more information, visit Lil' Rev's Internet Junction. 

Meet Us at the Buy Local Gift Fair on Sunday, December 9, 12 Noon to 4 pm, at the Lakefront Brewery Palm Garden.

The number of holiday markets has increased dramatically in just the 1300 or so days that Boswell has been open, which is one of the reasons why we've pulled back on hosting our own market event. We do, however, participate in the Buy Local Gift Fair, sponsored by Local First Milwaukee, which this year is at the Lakefront Palm Garden on Sunday, December 9 from Noon to 4 pm.  

Participating vendors include Fair Trade for All, Ink Designs, Indulgence Chocolatiers, Brew City Botanicals, Sachsen Contemporary Imports, and Treat Bake Shop.  With 40 local vendors, free brewery tours at 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30, and free admission to boot, you're sure to find a special gift for someone on your list. More on the Local First website.

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre Presents Collected Stories, Now Through December 16. 

Renowned short story writer Ruth Steiner has become a recluse in the East Village. Enter Lisa Morrison, her bright-eyed protégée. Over the next six years, under Ruth's tutelage, Lisa advances from insecure student to faithful assistant to successful writer. As the relationship between these two strong-willed women evolves, their fascinating story comes to a dramatic conclusion.  You can read more about the production in the Shepherd Express.    

Collected Stories is authored by Donald (Brooklyn Boy) Margulies, directed by C. Michael Wright, and features Sarah Day and Laura Frye. And as a special offer to Boswell customers, the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre is offering $10 off tickets to Collected Stories when you mention "Collect10" when ordering at (414) 291-7800 or enter coupon code COLLECT10 when buying tickets on the milwaukeechambertheatre.com website. As always, certain restrictions reply and the offer is not valid on previously purchased tickets.