Help us celebrate the release of Mark Bailey and Edward Hemingway's  Of All the Gin Joints: Stumbling Through Hollywood History.  True tales of celebrity hijinks are served up with an equal measure of Hollywood history, movie-star mayhem, and a frothy mix of forty cocktail recipes. 

With free whiskey samples (let's say that again: FREE WHISKEY SAMPLES) provided by High West Distillery, it's going to be a night of Hollywood history and highballs.

Event moderated by Steven Johnson.  

Facebook RSVP suggested, but not required. 

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Please join us for this fantastic event, co-presented by Litquake. 

"Just one more story. . . please?" Enjoy this dynamic, interactive read-aloud which will demonstrate fun strategies proven to develop your child's interest in books and reading.  The beloved Bay Area program Raising a Reader will share favorite stories with kids and provide tips and tricks to help parents make book sharing at home a joyful learning experience.  Raising A Reader supports children from birth by providing access to high-quality children's books, training for parents, and support for early childhood educators. 

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October 18: Curbside Splendor Publishing Showcase

Please join us on Clement Street in welcoming Chicago publisher Curbside Splendor.  They've lined up four authors -- Erika T. Wurth, Brian Costello, Dmitry Samarov, and Susan Lanier -- so there's something for everyone.  Read more about the books here.   

Facebook RSVP requested but not required.

Details: Saturday, October 18, 7:00 pm at Green Apple Books (506 Clement Street at 6th Avenue), FREE

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October 22: Eimear McBride's A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing

On October 22, we present Eimear McBride in conversation with local writer Anisse Gross about her stunning, much-lauded debut novel, A Girl is a Half-formed Thing.

 

Check out some early praise:

 

"Eimear McBride is a writer of remarkable power and originality." -- The Times Literary Supplement

 

"An instant classic." -- The Guardian 

 

"A future classic." -- The NY Times Book Review  

 

Facebook RSVP requested but not required.  

 

Details:  Wednesday, October 22, 7:00 pm at Green Apple Books on the Park (1231 9th Avenue at Lincoln), FREE  

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Nell Zink will read from her debut novel The Wallcreeper at our 9th Ave. store.  The praise below should tempt you in for a literary evening. 

Facebook RSVP requested but not required.

"A brief yet masterful novel of epic breadth." -- Starred review in Kirkus Review 

"Zink's debut novel is a weird, funny, sad, and sharp story of growing up. . . . This is the introduction of an exciting new voice." -- Starred review in Publishers Weekly 

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Please help celebrate the release of the newest edition of Stairway Walks in San Francisco with co-author Mary Burk. 

Mary Burk will discuss the lovely and historical stairway walks in our neighborhood and beyond, followed by a book signing and Q&A.

Details: Saturday, October 25, 7:00 pm at Green Apple Books (506 Clement Street @ 6th Avenue), FREE

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October 30: Merritt Tierce's Love Me Back

 

We're proud to present author Merritt Tierce as she celebrates the release of her first novel, Love Me Back.  It was our September Book of the Month, and those of you wise enough to take our advice now have a chance to talk about it with the author!

 

Facebook RSVP requested but not required

 

From "5 Under 35" honoree and Rona Jaffe Award-winner comes an urgent, intensely visceral debut novel about a young waitress whose downward spiral is narrated in electric prose.

Details: Thursday, October 30, 7:00 pm at Green Apple Books (506 Clement Street @ 6th Avenue), FREE

What If? by Randall Munroe (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

The subtitle says it all: serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions, from the creator of the popular xkcd website and book.  A good gift for scientifically curious adults or teens, Munroe answers such important questions as "What would happen if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent of the speed of light?" and "How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live?"  With cute little drawings.

How To Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran (Harper)

A first work of fiction by Caitlin Moran, author of the hugely popular How To Be A Woman.  The story opens in 1990 in Wolverhampton, a city in the English West Midlands. Johanna Morrigan is 14 years old and knows there has to be more to life than her small existence now offers. A very public humiliation that results from her initial efforts to earn some money for her family spurs her to reinvent herself, to become the person she is sure she was meant to be.  This is a fast-paced tale of a working class girl whose brains, way with words, and sheer grit ensure success.  Can you say roman a clef?

Geek Sublime by Vikram Chandra (Graywolf)  

Geek Sublime is a literary history of coding and an attempt to find common ground between coding and writing. An insightful meditation on the intersection of tech and art, which anyone living in our beautiful tech-obsessed city would do well to read. 

Soviet Space Dogs by Olesya Turkina (Fuel)

This books is the most quirky and endearing book to arrive in the store for some time.  It is a lovely little clothbound book, filled with color plates and photographs, that offers tribute to the first astronauts: Laika, Belka and Strelka.  Laika's death was used as a symbol of patriotic sacrifice, but the other two became celebrities, featured in children's books and cartoons.  A great look at Soviet propaganda, as well as a loving tribute to a trio of hero dogs.

Women in Clothes by Heti, Julavits, and Shapton (Blue Rider Press)

A monumental anthology of writing by and about women on their relationship with clothes, fashion, and beauty. Democratic in its approach (with over 600 contributors!), Women in Clothes will give you plenty to think about the next time you open your closet.

San Francisco, Portrait of a City: 1940-1960 by Fred Lyon (Princeton Architectural Press) 

Last year, Modernbook Gallery here in San Francisco launched a retrospective of the work of Fred Lyon.  Never having heard of him, he immediately became one of my favorite photographers, and not just because his favorite topic is the people and sights of San Francisco.  His black and white photos are very painterly, using line and shadow to turn ordinary street scenes into works of art.  On top of that, his photos capture a long-gone time and place, a San Francisco of fedora-wearing gents and fisherman hauling in their catch.

Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)  

Anyone who's listened to the cult band The Mountain Goats knows that John Darnielle is an incredible lyricist, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that his National Book Award-longlisted debut novel packs a powerful emotional punch. The narrator is a singularly unique character, and the book will suck you in from the start. Signed copies available!

Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion) 

Not many books are more eagerly anticipated this fall than the final installment in Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series.  For those not familiar with the series, it concerns seven demi-gods in the modern world who are racing against time to prevent the earth goddess, Gaia, from awakening. Blood of Olympus arrives on our shelves next Tuesday (Oct. 7), expect hordes of young readers to mob the store.  My 8-year-old son is chomping at the bit!