LibraryThing Local

After Robert Jordan’s untimely death in 2007, Brandon Sanderson was chosen by Jordan’s editor, who is also his wife, to complete the final book of the Wheel of Time series which began with The Eye of the World. Sanderson used Jordan's extensive notes to complete the partially written ... (more)novel A Memory of Light that has now been made into three separate novels because of the scope and size of the material. The Gathering Storm is the first in this final series, which will complete the struggle against the Shadow, a journey begun almost 20 years ago.

In Stephen King's mesmerizing new novel, a Maine town is subject to the imposition of an impenetrable dome that isolates its citizens from the world. The jacket concept for Under the Dome originated as an ambitious idea from the mind of Stephen King. The artwork is a combination of photographs, ... (more)illustration, and 3-D rendering. This is a departure from the direction of King’s most recent, illustrated covers. In order to achieve the arresting image for this jacket, Scribner art director Rex Bonomelli had to seek out artists who could do a convincing job of creating a realistic portrayal of the town of Chester’s Mill, the setting of the novel. Bonomelli found the perfect team of digital artists, based in South America and New York, whose cutting edge work had previously been devoted to advertisement campaigns. This was their first book jacket and an exciting venture for them. “They are used to working with the demands of corporate clients,” says Bonomelli. “We gave them freedom and are thrilled with what they came up with.” This CGI (computer generated imagery) enhanced image looks more like something made for the big screen than for the page and is sure to make a lasting impact on King fans. The multiple elements of this jacket art lend themselves perfectly to a unique, four-part jacket reveal campaign. The first aspect will be unveiled on September 21, followed by the release of additional images on September 25 and September 28, and culminating with the full reveal on October 5, when the world will see that everything is Under the Dome. Few authors have tapped into our secret fears as adeptly as Stephen King, Master of the Macabre and one of the most widely read novelists writing today. With his trademark blend of fantasy, horror, and psychological suspense, this prolific and immensely popular contemporary writer continues to remind us that evil is still a potent force in the world. At midnight EST on Friday, November 6, we will be taking reservations for a limited number of participants for the Stephen King signing on Friday, November 13. Please email crm1907x@bn.com with the subject header: Stephen King.

Join writer and activist Jaclyn Friedman as she talks about her collection Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power & a World Without Rape. She has been an anti-rape, pro-sex activist for over 15 years, and is a popular speaker on college campuses nationwide. The book explores the many ways that ... (more)our culture's twisted attitudes toward female
sexuality contributes to the prevalence of rape, and how creating a culture that promotes healthy sex for everyone would significantly reduce sexual violence.

Diesel, A Bookstore in Brentwood is very excited to welcome Mark Weiss to the shop to discuss and sign the anthology of poetry he edited, The Whole Island: Six Decades of Cuban Poetry.
Cuba's cultural influence throughout the Western Hemisphere, and especially in the United States, has been disproportionally ... (more)large for so small a country. This landmark volume is the first comprehensive overview of poetry written over the past sixty years. Presented in a beautiful Spanish-English en face edition, The Whole Island makes available the astonishing achievement of a wide range of Cuban poets, including such well-known figures as Nicolás Guillén, José Lezama Lima, and Nancy Morejón, but also poets widely read in Spanish who remain almost unknown to the English-speaking world - among them Fina García Marruz, José Kozer, Raúl Hernández Novás, and Ángel Escobar-and poets born since the Revolution, like Rogelio Saunders, Omar Pérez, Alessandra Molina, and Javier Marimón. The translations, almost all of them new, convey the intensity and beauty of the accompanying Spanish originals. With their work deeply rooted in Cuban culture, many of these poets - both on and off the island - have been at the center of the political and social changes of this tempestuous period. The poems offered here constitute an essential source for understanding the literature and culture of Cuba, its diaspora, and the Caribbean at large, and provide an unparalleled perspective on what it means to be Cuban.

After the success of the Normandy invasion, the Allied commanders are buoyantly confident that the war in Europe will be over in a matter of weeks, that Hitler and his battered army have no other option than surrender. But despite the advice of his best military minds, Hitler will hear no talk of defeat. ... (more)In mid-December 1944, the Germans launch a desperate and ruthless counteroffensive in the Ardennes forest, utterly surprising the unprepared Americans who stand in their way. Through the frigid snows of the mountainous terrain, German tanks and infantry struggle to realize Hitler’s goal: divide the Allied armies and capture the vital port at Antwerp. The attack succeeds in opening up a wide gap in the American lines, and for days chaos reigns in the Allied command. Thus begins the Battle of the Bulge, the last gasp by Hitler’s forces that becomes a horrific slugging match. Presenting his riveting account through the eyes of Eisenhower and Patton and the young GIs who struggle face-to-face with their enemy, and through the eyes of Germany’s old soldier, Gerd von Rundstedt, and Hitler’s golden boy, Albert Speer, Jeff Shaara carries the reader on a journey that defines the spirit of the soldier and the horror of a madman’s dreams. No Less Than Victory further solidifies Shaara’s reputation as this era’s most accomplished author of historical military fiction.

Two fine Georgia writers visit us to talk about their exciting new books. Ray Atkins, the Rome-based author of The Front Porch Prophet, has a novel about a murder investigation in a small Southern town that leads to secrets of the human soul. It's a page-turner called Sorrow Wood. Philip ... (more)DePoy's new historical thriller is The King James Conspipracy, centered on a series of gory slayings among the team of scholars preparing a new English translation of The Bible. DePoy's popular novels include Dead Easy and The Drifter's Wheel.

The delightful Atlanta writer and New York Times bestselling author (Hissy Fit, Savannah Breeze, Deep Dish) Kathy Trocheck returns as Mary Kay Andrews with a laugh-out-loud, wonderful new novel, The Fixer Upper. It's the drop-dead funny story of one woman's quest to re-do ... (more)an old home. It was written at the same time the author was fixing up an old home at Tybee Beach, and we'll have some before-and-after photos to help illustrate how art imitates life.

6pm doors open. 7pm lecture. Admission: $5 members. $10 nonmembers. Goddess of the Market follows novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand from her childhood in Russia through her meteoric rise from struggling Hollywood screenwriter to bestselling novelist, including the writing of her wildly successful The ... (more)Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Jennifer Burns is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Virginia. She has published extensively on the history of conservative thought, and her podcasted lectures on American history have won an appreciative worldwide audience.

7:00-8:30pm. This facilitated book group meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month at Charis to discuss books which feature queer characters/ storylines as well as a strong attention to literary craft and style. Join us in November to talk about Lilac Mines, by Cheryl Klein. Set in a small town in California's ... (more)Sierra Nevada foothills with a 100-year-old mystery, this is a quirky, quickly paced story of a young woman ending a relationship with a young woman then developing a relationship with another young woman: herself.

In The Chase, Clive Cussler introduced an electrifying new hero, the tall, lean, no-nonsense detective Isaac Bell, who, driven by his sense of justice, travels early-twentieth-century America pursuing thieves and killers . . . and sometimes criminals much worse. It is 1907, a year of financial ... (more)panic and labor unrest. Train wrecks, fires, and explosions sabotage the Southern Pacific Railroad's Cascades express line and, desperate, the railroad hires the fabled Van Dorn Detective Agency. Van Dorn sends in his best man, and Bell quickly discovers that a mysterious saboteur haunts the hobo jungles of the West, a man known as the Wrecker, who recruits accomplices from the down-and-out to attack the railroad, and then kills them afterward. The Wrecker traverses the vast spaces of the American West as if he had wings, striking wherever he pleases, causing untold damage and loss of human life. Who is he? What does he want? Is he a striker? An anarchist? A revolutionary determined to displace the "privileged few"? A criminal mastermind engineering some as yet unexplained scheme? Whoever he is, whatever his motives, the Wrecker knows how to create maximum havoc, and Bell senses that he is far from done—that, in fact, the Wrecker is building up to a grand act unlike anything he has committed before. If Bell doesn't stop him in time, more than a railroad could be at risk—it could be the future of the entire country. Filled with intricate plotting and dazzling set pieces, The Wrecker is one of the most entertaining thrillers in years. Author of the wildly popular seafaring adventure series starring man's men Dirk Pitt® and Kurt Austin®, former ace advertising exec Clive Cussler is also a sea searcher in real life and has discovered some of history's most famous shipwrecks.

*****NOTE CHANGE OF DATE***** The bestselling author visits us with a new and unusual book: One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity. It's a book you won't soon forget with "a master storyteller's true stories showing how simple acts of generosity had lasting, life-changing impacts ... (more)on givers and recipients." It's a heart-sharing book that all Macomber fans will want to celebrate with her here. Her books, which have sold millions of copies, include The Manning Brides, Right Next Door, Moon Over Water and Back on Blossom Street. *****NOTE CHANGE OF DATE*****

Editor and publisher (Redbone Press) Lisa Moore is back with the new and expanded second edition of her groundbreaking work: Does Your Mama Know? An Anthology of Black Lesbian Coming Out Stories. By turns funny, passionate, angry and joyous,this edition contains 17 new stories. Join us in celebrating ... (more)this updated incarnation of a Charis favorite!

Diesel, A Bookstore in Oakland is pleased to present David Swanson as he discusses and signs his new book, Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union.

Diesel, A Bookstore in Oakland is pleased to present David Swanson as he discusses and signs his new book, Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union.
Swanson holds a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and ... (more)as a communications director, with jobs including press secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, media coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as communications coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

********Time TBD******** Bestselling author of popular Alex Rider series is back with another adventure. This series began with the death of Alex’s guardian, who died under suspicious circumstances, forcing Alex to become a reluctant spy. He is recruited into a program where he is trained to become ... (more)a superspy. In this latest installment he encounters a con artist who has realized there is big money in charity – and the bigger the disaster, the greater the money flow! He plans to produce the biggest disaster known to man - forcing Alex to go to great lengths to bring down this most dangerous adversary yet. Horowitz has written episodes for several popular crime series for UK television and has written a television series, Foyle’s War, which was recently aired in the US on PBS. Several of his books have been made into major motion pictures in the UK. ********Time TBD********

Carter Presidential Library Theater Free and Open to the Public Michael Rosen, a community organizer, is the author of Turning Words, Spinning Worlds. He is a former real estate developer and investor, former CEO of a Wall Street firm, former CEO of a publicly traded company destroyed in the events ... (more)of September 11, 2001, and a former assistant professor at New York University. He lives in New York, and with his wife, Leslie Gruss, helps raise "the Rosen family extended. What Else But Home: Seven Boys and an American Journey Between the Projects and the Penthouse is a compelling story of one family's journey across the divide of race, class, and economic opportunity in America through love and baseball.

New York Times bestselling author of Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire that Transformed the Nation has written a new dramatic tale full of intrigue, murder and lost love. Washed-up pro golfer, Matt Thurman, who hopes to return to the PGA circuit, finds himself framed for murder. Department ... (more)of Justice attorney, Espy Harper, while investigating the fixing of PGA tournaments, finds herself thrown together with Matt, through bizarre circumstances, where they uncover a conspiracy plot with world changing consequences. They discover a brotherhood of direct descendants of the Continental Army that leads them to a supernatural and paranormal realm. Forced to uncover the connections between these real places, secret societies, people and organizations, this unlikely pair must race to find answers before it is too late – for them and for the country. This fast-paced novel combines real and fictional characters and places across the USA.

New York Times bestselling author of French Women Don't Get Fat has now written every woman’s guide to navigating the work world, to living the good life, and how to enjoy every minute of it. Using her distinctive French woman’s philosophy and style, Mireille Guiliano took Veuve Clicquot to ... (more)the top of the luxury market. In her newest book she draws on those experiences and gives women practical advice on how to make the most of work without skimping on everything else. She encourages women to identify their own passions and talents, improve their communication skills, balance work and life while sharing her secrets for achieving happiness and success and maximizing pleasure. Not just another “business” book, Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire is a book about life: How to make the most of it, and how to find balance when working long days and trying to be happy and fulfilled at the same time. Guiliano shares her thoughts on everything from acing a job interview, to surviving the indignities of a long business trip, to hosting a business dinner in a restaurant, and segues easily from the small details to the big picture. In essence, she makes her readers feel like they are her trusted, longtime confidantes. Born and raised in France, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat and French Women for All Seasons, is the former CEO of Clicquot, Inc. and has appeared on countless national television programs, including Oprah, Dateline, and the Today Show, while being profiled in a myriad of publications, including the New York Times, Time, and Newsweek.

********Time/Location TBA********Sue Grafton, the "master of mystery" and one of America's most popular authors, makes her first visit to the Center for the Book with an exciting new Kinsey Millhone mystery: U Is for Undertow. It's the 21st in her amazing alphabet mystery series, all featuring ... (more)the heroine "with foibles you can laugh at and whose faults you can forgive." It's the follow-up novel to her bestseller T Is for Trespess. We know you won't want to miss this special pre-Christmas appearance!********Time/Location TBA********

Award-winning author of 11 previous books, including the first in this series, The House on Tradd Street, returns with the sequel to this national bestseller. Melanie, who renovates old houses, never imagined she’d have to renovate her own life to include her estranged mother. Ginnette Middleton, ... (more)who left Charleston 35 years ago after receiving an ominous warning through her psychic abilities, returns, after all these years, to protect the daughter she’s never really known. Melanie, who never wanted to see her mother again, agrees to see her and to try to rebuild their relationship. Together they buy back their old home. With their combined psychic powers, they expect to unearth some ghosts, but what they find is a vengeful dark spirit whose strength has been growing through the years and who is ready for revenge. Melanie and Ginnette must unearth long buried secrets to beat this demon and save what’s left of their family.

7:00-8:30pm. This facilitated book group meets on the second Wednesday of each month to discuss books that explore gender identity and representation. Join us in December to talk about The John Varley Reader, a collection of John Varley’s best stories from the last 30 years and a must-have for any ... (more)science fiction reader. From the moment John Varley burst onto the scene in 1974, his writing changed what fans would come to expect from science fiction. His stories have won every award the science fiction field had to offer, many times over.

In 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt dispatched Secretary of War William Taft, his gun-toting daughter Alice and a gaggle of congressmen on a mission to Japan, the Philippines, China, and Korea. There they would quietly forge a series of agreements that divided up Asia. At the time, Roosevelt was bully-confident ... (more)about America’s future on the continent. But these secret pacts lit the fuse that would decades later result in a number of devastating wars: WWII, the Korean War, and the communist revolution in China. One hundred years later, James Bradley retraces that epic voyage and discovers the remarkable truth about America’s vast imperial past and its world-shaking consequences. Full of fascinating characters and brilliantly told The Imperial Cruise will reshape the way we understand U.S. history. James Bradley is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Flyboys and Flags of Our Fathers, and the son of one of the men who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima.

6:00 PM Reception, 7:00 PM Program Join the Atlanta History Center for a special evening with Nigella Lawson as she shares recipes and tips from her latest book Nigella Christmas. Christmas is a time of family and friends, tradition and treats. But let’s face it: the pressure to feed and entertain ... (more)can dim the sparkle of the season. That’s where Nigella steps in. Embracing the practical realities of the season, her new cookbook offers delicious, easy-to-follow recipes and reassuring advice for planning and entertaining. Nigella Christmas is guaranteed to bring you comfort and joy. Nigella Lawson is the bestselling author of Nigella Express, Feast, Forever Summer, Nigella Bites, How to Be a Domestic Goddess, and How to Eat, which have sold more than six million copies worldwide. She has hosted television shows including Food Network’s Nigella Feasts and Nigella Express, Style Network’s Forever Summer with Nigella, and E! Entertainment Television’s Nigella Bites. Nigella lives in London with her husband and children. Sample appetizers and signature cocktails featured in Nigella Christmas will be part of this fun evening. Admission is $40 for members and $45 for nonmembers. Reservations are required; seating is limited. Ticket includes an autographed copy of Nigella Christmas. To purchase tickets, please call (404) 814-4150.

Part of a five-week tour all across the country, Jeff VanderMeer’s in-store appearance coincides with the release of his new noir fantasy novel Finch. The novel has gotten rave reviews from the likes of NYT Bestsellers Stephen R. Donaldson, Tad Williams, and Richard K. Morgan, and even inspired a soundtrack ... (more)by rock band Murder by Death. Mystery icon Ken Bruen says of the novel, “Rarely has a novel got it all. Think Cormac McCarthy, via David Goodis, with an amazing nod to Lovecraft.” Publishers Weekly writes, “his deft mix of genre-blurring style with a layered plot make this a joy to read.” Others have compared Finch to the work of Martin Smith Cruz, William Burroughs, and John LeCarre. From the award-winning, bestselling author of the cult classic City of Saints & Madmen. Also available: Jeff’s Booklife: Strategies & Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer, the first book to blend traditional career and creativity advice with the best ways to thrive in our new internet-based world. note: First 25 people to buy a copy of Finch will receive a free Murder By Death CD.

Award-winning author of 11 previous books, including the first in this series, The House on Tradd Street, returns with the sequel to this national bestseller. Melanie, who renovates old houses, never imagined she’d have to renovate her own life to include her estranged mother. Ginnette Middleton, ... (more)who left Charleston 35 years ago after receiving an ominous warning through her psychic abilities, returns, after all these years, to protect the daughter she’s never really known. Melanie, who never wanted to see her mother again, agrees to see her and to try to rebuild their relationship. Together they buy back their old home. With their combined psychic powers, they expect to unearth some ghosts, but what they find is a vengeful dark spirit whose strength has been growing through the years and who is ready for revenge. Melanie and Ginnette must unearth long buried secrets to beat this demon and save what’s left of their family.

Award-winning author of 11 previous books, including the first in this series, The House on Tradd Street, returns with the sequel to this national bestseller. Melanie, who renovates old houses, never imagined she’d have to renovate her own life to include her estranged mother. Ginnette Middleton, ... (more)who left Charleston 35 years ago after receiving an ominous warning through her psychic abilities, returns, after all these years, to protect the daughter she’s never really known. Melanie, who never wanted to see her mother again, agrees to see her and to try to rebuild their relationship. Together they buy back their old home. With their combined psychic powers, they expect to unearth some ghosts, but what they find is a vengeful dark spirit whose strength has been growing through the years and who is ready for revenge. Melanie and Ginnette must unearth long buried secrets to beat this demon and save what’s left of their family.

7:00-8:30pm. This facilitated book group meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month at Charis to discuss books which feature queer characters/ storylines as well as a strong attention to literary craft and style. Join us in December to talk about Giovanni's Room, by James Baldwin, a highly controversial ... (more)story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the human heart. Set in 1950s Paris, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality.

10:30am-Noon. The Akoma Book Club (of Women Healing Women) meets at Charis Books & More on the third Saturday of each month. This book club is open to any woman seeking camaraderie with like-minded women for fun, self-empowerment and growth. Even if you haven't read the book, but are willing to talk ... (more)about the principles in the book, you can join us for a lively discussion. The book selection for December is Kindred by Octavia Butler.

This tale of two love affairs in mid-century Hong Kong explores colonial pretensions during World War II. An Englishman, Will Truesdale, arrives in Hong Kong in 1941 and falls into a passionate relationship with a beautiful Eurasian socialite, Trudy Liang. When the Japanese invade, Will is interned and ... (more)Trudy has to expend her energy on her own survival. After the war, Claire Pendleton, comes to Hong Kong with her British civil servant husband. She begins giving piano lessons to the daughter of a rich Chinese couple and falls in love with their driver, Will. As both stories unfold, we learn about the complex web of lies, love, politics and war in Hong Kong in the 1950’s.

The Year of the Flood, released in Sept. 2009, is a dystopic testament to the visionary power of Margaret Atwood, Canada's most eminent novelist and poet. The book depicts a world altered by a natural disaster. Most human life has been obliterated, and the few survivors make their way among mutant species ... (more)and a deteriorating environmental and social compact. Born in Ontario in1939, Atwood began writing poetry, short fiction, essays and novels in 1973. She is best known for her novels The Edible Woman and The Handmaid's Tale, which dissect contemporary or futuristic urban life and sexual politics. Atwood's books have been adapted for stage and screen and have received numerous awards. The lecture is free and open to the public. A book signing follows the lecture. Book sales are available by personal check and cash sales only. For more information, e-mail Georgia Lee or call 404.253.3206.

Joel Cohen, Emmy-winning writer for "The Simpsons," addresses the dichotomy of his role as both a "creative" and a "suit" in his speech: "The Business Tao of Homer: Lessons in Creativity and Innovation From The Simpsons." Armed with an M.B.A., Cohen gained success in the corporate world before his illogical ... (more)career move into comedy writing with "Saturday Night Live" and "Suddenly Susan." He eventually began writing for "The Simpsons," noted by Time magazine as "the greatest TV show of the 20th century." Cohen brings a unique and hilarious perspective to the roles that innovation and creativity play in both writing and business, as he draws links between maintaining a hit show and running a successful company. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, e-mail Georgia Lee or call 404.253.3206.