LibraryThing Local

Author, graphic novelist, screenwriter and children’s book writer Neil Gaiman will speak at 6 p.m., Monday, Dec. 14, at Presser Hall, Gaines Chapel, with book signing to follow. Free, but ticket required. Tickets for the general public are available only through Agnes Scott College's co-sponsor, The ... (more)Little Shop of Stories [133A East Court Square, Decatur, GA 30030]. For more information, please phone (404) 373-6300 or see their blog: http://bit.ly/8jTZda Gaiman’s work includes the recent film adaptation of his 2003 book, Coraline, which won that year’s Hugo award for best novella. The comic book series, The Sandman is his work as well. His visit to Decatur is part of a contest connected to his recent book, The Graveyard Book, winner of the 2009 Newbury Award for Children’s Literature.

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.

Bring your knitting project and join hostess Patty Poisson for an informal evening of chatting, knitting and tea. Exquisite tea is generously provided by Danielle Beaudette of The Cozy Tea Cart in Brookline. (www.thecozyteacart.com). Please note that the group is open to all experienced knitters. They ... (more)meet on the 2nd Monday each month.

Please welcome Peter Kujawinski, half the writing team of the wonderful new quest novel "Dormia". What happens when a young boy sleepwalks his way into destiny to save a foreign land will keep your juvenile reader turning the pages to discover the secrets. Pick up a signed copy just in time for the holidays!

Russell S. Bonds author of Stealing the General re-tells the epic story of what one observer call 'The greatest event of the Civil War' - the struggle for the city of Atlanta. It was the conflict that secured the re-election of Abraham Lincoln, sealed the fate of the Confederacy, and set a precedent ... (more)for military campaigns across the world. War Like the Thunderbolt is based on new research into diaries, previously unpublished letters, newspapers, and other archival sources, this superb volume takes readers across the smoky battlefield and into the lives of fascinating characters, both the famous and the forgotten. Bonds is an in-house lawyer at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta and a lifelong resident of north Georgia.

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.

The National Parks, the companion volume to the new Ken Burns film, is a sweeping, magnificently illustrated history of the American national park system from the first sighting by white men in 1851 of the valley that would become Yosemite, to the most recent additions to the 84 million acres that comprise ... (more)this grand national treasure.
Ken and Dayton will be here at 2:00 p.m., Sat., Dec. 19, to sign and talk about their book.

We are having a party for kids to celebrate the collaboration between Sandra Boynton and blues legend B.B. King! Their new book and DVD is called "One Shoe Blues" and was written and directed (that's right!) by Sandra. To find out more and have a blast on your holiday vacation, give us a call and ask ... (more)for your host, SUE!

The Socrates Cafe, hosted by Rick Branch, meets for thoughtful reflection on the first Wednesday each month. Drop-ins always welcome. Call or stop by for details.

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.

New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray Love, who swore she would never marry again, fell in love with a Brazilian-born man with Australian citizenship and because of an American ruling on immigrants had to decided whether to get married or never live in the U.S. together. Gilbert ... (more)tackled her fears of marriage by delving into the topic through historical research, interviews and personal reflection. Committed to learning all she could about matrimony, compatibility, infatuation, fidelity, family tradition, social expectations and divorce risks, she has written a memoir, which is a celebration of love with all of its complexities and consequences. Talk and signing at Agnes Scott College, Gaines Auditorium.

Poetry Night. We host some of Atlanta's finest poets for a reading from their work as we continue with another program in our popular series co-sponsored with Poetry Atlanta.

An astonishing, hotly anticipated new novel from the great literary fantasist and creator of Thursday Next, Jasper Fforde. As long as anyone can remember, society has been ruled by a Colortocracy. From the underground feedpipes that keep the municipal park green to the healing hues viewed to cure illness ... (more)to a social hierarchy based upon one's limited color perception, society is dominated by color. In this world, you are what you can see. Young Eddie Russett has no ambition to be anything other than a loyal drone of the Collective. With his better-than-average red perception, he could well marry Constance Oxblood and inherit the string works; he may even have enough red perception to make prefect. For Eddie, life looks colorful. Life looks good. But everything changes when he moves with his father, a respected swatchman, to East Carmine. There, he falls in love with a Grey named Jane who opens his eyes to the painful truth behind his seemingly perfect, rigidly controlled society. Curiosity--a dangerous trait to display in a society that demands total conformity--gets the better of Eddie, who beings to wonder: Why are there not enough spoons to go around? Why is everything--and everyone--barcoded? What happened to all the people who never returned from High Saffron? And why, when you begin to question the world around you, do black-and-white certainties reduce themselves to shades of grey? Part satire, part romance, part revolutionary thriller, this is the new world from the creative and comic genius of Jasper Fforde.

Michael Gates Gill, son of legendary New Yorker writer Brendan Gill, and author of How Starbucks Saved My Life presents his follow-up, How to Save Your Own Life: 15 Lessons on Finding Hope in Unexpected Places. If you cannot attend the reading and would like to purchase signed copies ... (more)of How to Save Your Own Life, you may reserve them through our website at http://www.acappellabooks.com/ev_gate...

The organized criminal gangs of the former Soviet Union are bound by what they call the thieves’ code. The first rule is this: A thief must forsake his mother, father, brothers, and sisters. He must have no family—no wife, no children—because only other criminals are his family. If any of the rules ... (more)are broken, it is punishable by death. Frank Meyer had the American dream—a wife and family he adored, a successful business—until the day a professional crew invaded his home and murdered everyone inside. The only thing out of the ordinary about Meyer was that—before the family and the business and the normal life—a younger Frank Meyer worked as a professional military contractor, a mercenary, with a man named Joe Pike. Frank was one of Pike’s guys, and they faced death together in every rotten hellhole around the world. The police think Meyer was hiding something very bad, because previous home invasions by the crew had targeted only criminals with large stashes of cash or drugs. Pike cannot believe it, and with the help of Cole, he sets out on a hunt of his own: to clear his friend, to punish the people who murdered him. A trail that at first seems relatively simple, however, very quickly becomes complicated, as the two of them find themselves entangled in a web of ancient grudges, blood ties, blackmail, vengeance, double crosses, and cutthroat criminality, and at the heart of it all, an act so terrible even Pike and Cole have no way to measure it.

Amy Greene. We invite you to join us for the debut of a brilliant young writer's novel. Amy Greene comes from the East Tennessee Smoky Mountains, and her first novel Bloodroot is already being hailed by critics as "the work of a born storyteller ... with a deftly conjured atmosphere ... and a ... (more)literary page-turner." The story follows one remarkable East Tennessee family from the Depression to the present with characters that will cling to your mind and prose so graceful it seems to soar. Don't miss meeting this wonderful new writer!

Louisiana state veterinarian Lorna Polk stumbles upon a fishing trawler shipwrecked on a barrier island. The crew is missing or dead, but the boat holds a frightening cargo: a caged group of exotic animals, clearly part of a black market smuggling ring. Yet, something is wrong with these beasts, disturbing ... (more)deformities that make no sense: a parrot with no feathers, a pair of Capuchin monkeys conjoined at the hip, a jaguar cub with the dentition of a saber-tooth tiger. They also all share one uncanny trait--a disturbingly heightened intelligence. To uncover the truth about the origin of this strange cargo and the terrorist threat it poses, Lorna must team up with a man who shares a dark and bloody past with her, now an agent of the U.S. Border Patrol, Jack Menard. Together, the two must hunt for a beast that escaped the shipwreck while uncovering a mystery tied to fractal science and genetic engineering, all to expose a horrifying secret that traces back to mankinds earliest roots. But can Lorna stop what is about to be born upon the altar of Eden before it threatens not only the world, but also the very foundation of what it means to be human? In addition to the talk & book signing, we are asking our friends & neighbors to donate dog & cat food, for PAWS Atlanta

Steel Magnolias meets The Help in this Southern debut novel full of humor, heart, and feminine wisdom. Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt has been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, who was once their town’s Vidalia Onion Queen but is now a laughingstock in the community. When her mom ... (more)is hit by a truck and killed, CeeCee is left to fend for herself. Her unknown great-aunt, Tootie Caldwell, takes her under her wing by whisking her away to Savannah – a new world of prosperity and Southern eccentricity; that seems to be run entirely by women. CeeCee meets an eclectic group of women who entertain and enthrall her for an entire summer helping her to move beyond her past. Hoffman’s novel explores the indomitable strengths of female friendship, giving us the story of a young girl who loses one mother and finds many others.

How can we give animals the best life— for them? What does an animal need to be happy? In her groundbreaking, best-selling book Animals in Translation, Temple Grandin drew on her own experience with autism as well as her experience as an animal scientist to deliver extraordinary insights into ... (more)how animals think, act, and feel. Now she builds on those insights to show us how to give our animals the best and happiest life— on their terms, not ours. Knowing what causes animals physical pain is usually easy, but pinpointing emotional distress is much harder. Drawing on the latest research and her own work, Grandin identifies the core emotional needs of animals and then explains how to fulfill the specific needs of dogs and cats, horses, farm animals, zoo animals, and even wildlife. Whether it’s how to make the healthiest environment for the dog you must leave alone most of the day, how to keep pigs from being bored, or how to know if the lion pacing in the zoo is miserable or just exercising, Grandin teaches us to challenge our assumptions about animal contentment and honor our bond with our fellow creatures. Animals Make Us Human is the culmination of almost thirty years of research, experimentation, and experience. This is essential reading for anyone who’s ever owned, cared for, or simply cared about an animal.

Michael Shelden, author of acclaimed biographies of Graham Greene and George Orwell, turns his attention to Mark Twain with an eagerly anticipated new book, Mark Twain: Man in white: The Grand Adventure of His Final Years. It's a deeply researched book utilizing some unpublished sources that brings ... (more)to vivid life Twain's last years, a period that found the humorist full of charm, vigor and charisma. Critics call it "a breakthrough in Twain biography" and praise the scholarship and writing ("eloquent and moving").

It all started when 14-year old Hannah Salwen, idealistic but troubled by a growing sense of injustice in the world, had a eureka moment when a homeless man in her neighborhood was juxtaposed against a glistening Mercedes coupe. "You know, Dad,” she said, pointing, “If that man had a less nice car, ... (more)that man there could have a meal.” This glaring disparity led the Salwen family of four, caught up like so many other Americans in this age of consumption and waste, to follow Hannah's urge to do something, to finally just do something. And so they embarked on an incredible journey together from which there would be no turning back. They decided to sell their Atlanta mansion, downsize to a house half its size, and give half of their profits to a worthy charity. At first it was an outlandish scheme. “What, are you crazy? No way!" Then it was a challenge. “We are TOTALLY doing this.” Each week they met over dinner to discuss their plan. It would transport them across the globe and well out of their comfort zone. Along the way they would inspire so many others wrestling with the same questions: Do I give enough? How much is enough? How can I make an impact in the world? In the end the Salwens' journey would bring them closer as a family, as they discovered, together, that half could be so much more. Warm, funny, deeply moving and wholly uplifting, The Power of Half is the story of how one family slammed the door on the status quo and threw away the key.

Mullen, the author of the acclaimed novel The Last Town on Earth, and a resident of Decatur, joins us to help launch his eagerly anticipated new novel, The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers. It's a rollicking, imaginative Depression-era tale complete with kidnappings, gangsters, heiresses ... (more)and speakeasies, focused on bank-robbing duo Jason and Whit, known as the Firefly Brothers. The novel is all about what happens when you get gunned down in a police shoot-out and go on to find out the truth about your mythical lives. We think it's headed for the top of best-seller lists! Join us for a reception to honor the author.

Are you satisfied with your weight? Do you have enough energy to make it through the day? Do you consider yourself a happy person? All of these things are related, and your energy, mental clarity, mood and, of course, waistline are all directly connected to what you eat. In Eat Your Way to Happiness, ... (more)you'll learn that healthy eating is a lot easier than you may think, and that making a few simple changes to your diet can have amazing results. Discover: The 1,2,3 combination of breakfast foods that will keep you energized all day. Which carbs and fats to eat—and why the right ones will help elevate your mood and decrease your weight. The 12 super foods that pack an added punch for boosting mood and slimming your waistline. Nutritious foods that have been scientifically shown to tweak brain chemistry so you feel calmer, happier and more energetic—and more likely to stick to your diet. The amazing studies showing that chocolate and wine can help you live longer—and more happily. And much more!

The new book by the Salwens is a triumph of generosity and justice that will have a special meaning for Atlantans especially. Kevin is a former reporter for the Wall Street Journal now on the board of Habitat for Humanity in Atlanta. Inspipred by his daughter Hannah, his family decided to downsize ... (more)their large home in the city and donate half of the profits to a worthy charity, their effort to do something positive about the widening gap between haves and have-nots. Their decision galvanized thousands of people, and you'll read about the amazing results in their new book, The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back.

Thomas Ricks, the prize-winning journalist for The Washington Post and author of the bestselling account of the Iraq war through 2005, Fiasco, discusses his timely new book, The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-1008. General Petraeus ... (more)led what became known as "the surge," a dramatic change of strategy, in spite of opposition within and without the military establishment and the Bush administration. Ricks' conclusion is that the military still has an important role to play in Iraq for some years to come. Join us for this provocative new book discussion.

We welcome the GAH holding their 2010 annual meeting in Decatur. As part of their sessions, we are happy to host a free public program on the new book, Georgia Women: Their Lives and Their Times, published by UGA Press and featuring the editor, Dr. Ann Short Chirhart, and several other historians. ... (more)We'll have more details shortly.

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.

Carol Goodman, the best-selling author of The Ninth Villa, The Ghost Orchid and The Sonnet Lover, visits us with a thrilling new novel, Arcadia Falls. Her mystery/suspense novels have made her among the most popular writers in America, and we welcome her for her first visit ... (more)to the Georgia Center for the Book. We'll have more details soon.

Kevin Young, one of America's most acclaimed young poets and in residence at Emory University, will discuss his eagerly anticipated new volume of poetry, The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing. Young, a popular reader, is the author of several notable books of poetry including For the ... (more)Confederate Dead, Jelly Roll, To Repel Ghosts, Dear Darkness and Black Maria. He'll be signing copies of his new book as well as his earlier releases.

Sarah Addison Allen, the prize-winning author of Garden Spells and The The Sugar Queen, returns with a wonderful, enchanting new novel, The Girl Who Chased the Moon. The bestselling author, who makes her home in Asheville, NC, has created an embracing story "set in a quirky small ... (more)Southern town with more magic than a full Carolina moon." It's a charming tale all about the unexpected in a town peopled by some of most appealing misfits you'll ever meet. We think it just may be this delightful author's best book yet!

We welcome one of the world's most popular and prolific writers of mystery and suspense, Anne Perry, for a delightful evening discussing her forthcoming mystery, The Sheen on the Silk. She is the author of dozens of books, bestsellers everywhere, including Death by Horoscope, Sherman's ... (more)Creek, A Breach of Promise, Paragon Walk and Brunswick Square.

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.