Location: Houston, Texas

Ingrid Thoft will sign and discuss her debut book, Thoft (Putnam Adult; $25.95)

She was born in Boston and is a graduate of Wellesley College. Her interest in the PI life and her desire to create a believable PI character led her to the certificate program in private investigation at the University of Washington. She lives in Seattle with her husband. Loyalty is her first novel.

Location: Street: 2342 Bissonnet St Additional: City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77005 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

The Coffee Cake Book Club meets the third Wednesday of each month at 11:00 a.m.

If you can't come, email your comments to Valerie and we'll share them with the group.

Our next books: June 19- The Book of Jonas by Stephen Dau July 17- The grief of others by Leah Hager Cohen

Location: Street: 14532 Memorial Dr City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77079 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

This summer, Camp Blue Willow is collecting some of our favorite books that have been around for a while. Each week, we’ll read a book or a selection from a novel aloud and will do something fun that ties in with the book’s theme. Most of the time, this year, we’ll be inside! (We’re not sure why last year we picked to be outside nearly every week during the hottest and driest summer ever!) Come and hang with some friends and some time at Camp Blue Willow this summer! Each week, the book(s) featured in our program will be offered at 10% off if you want to take the book home with you!

This is best suited to rising 1st graders to rising 4th graders. They will be doing some independent crafting and game playing.

Location: Street: 14532 Memorial Dr City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77079 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Walter Walker will sign and discuss his book Crime of privilege (Ballantine Books; $26.00).

He is a San Francisco trial attorney, specializing in catastrophic personal injury matters, and the author of five previous novels, including the award-winning A Dime to Dance By.

Originally from Massachusetts, he has homes on Cape Cod and in Marin County, California. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Location: Street: 2342 Bissonnet St Additional: City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77005 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg will sign and discuss The Heist (Bantam; $28.00). Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author. Lee Goldberg is a screenwriter, TV producer, and the author of several books, including King City, The Walk, and the bestselling Monk series of mysteries. He has earned two Edgar Award nominations and was the 2012 recipient of the Poirot Award from Malice Domestic. Photo (C) Roland Scarpa This will be a ticketed event. This event will be held at the Renaissance Houston Greenway Plaza Hotel. Greenway Ballroom 6 Greenway Plaza East Houston, TX 77046 $35 includes a copy of The Heist (Bantam; $28.00) and self parking at the venue. $8 companion tickets will be available for people attending the event with someone who has purchased a $35 ticket. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. The book will be available to pick up at the event or at the store on June 18. (you must have your ticket in order to pick up your book) If you would like to order a signed copy of the book but aren't attending the event, you can do that below. Please note, for this event you will not be able to drop off or mail in any earlier titles. In order to get earlier titles signed, you must attend the event. Event attendees are welcome to bring additional books from home to be signed. Use the hotel self parking once you get to the venue. If you've purchased the $35 dollar ticket we will have another ticket to give you to validate your parking. Tickets will be available at MBTB starting May 9th, and the evening of the event at the door.

Location: Street: Greenway Ballroom Additional: 6 Greenway Plaza East City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77046 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Mary Kay Andrews will sign and discuss Ladies' Night (St. Martin's Press; $26.99).

Mary Kay Andrews is the author of the New York Times bestselling The Fixer Upper, Savannah Breeze and Blue Christmas, as well as Deep Dish, Hissy Fit, Little Bitty Lies and Savannah Blues.

She also wrote ten critically acclaimed mysteries, including the Callahan Garrity mystery series, under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. Her mysteries have been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity Awards.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida (and a diplomate of the Maas Bros. Department Store School of Charm), Trocheck earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Georgia in 1976 (Go Dawgs!). She started her professional journalism career in Savannah, Georgia, where she covered the real-life murder trials which were the basis of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. She left journalism after a ten-year stint as a reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

She is a frequent lecturer and writing teacher at workshops including Emory University, The University of Georgia’s Harriette Austin Writer’s Workshop, the Tennessee Mountain Writer’s Workshop, and the Antioch Writer’s Workshop.

As a lifelong “junker” the author claims to know the location of every promising thrift store, flea market and junkpile in the southeastern United States, plus many parts of Ohio.

Married to her high school sweetheart, she is the mother of two grown children and a proud grandmother. After a brief hiatus in Raleigh, NC, she and her husband moved back to their old neighborhood in Atlanta, where they live in a restored 1926 Craftsman bungalow. She divides her time between Atlanta and her restored beach cottage on Tybee Island, GA.

Location: Street: 2342 Bissonnet St Additional: City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77005 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

David Berg has tried virtually every kind of civil and criminal case to a verdict, from murder to patent infringement, and he has won hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements. He has been recognized as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in nine practice areas. His 2003 book, The Trial Lawyer: What It Takes to Win, is one of the American Bar Association’s bestselling books. In addition, David has published articles and essays in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Litigation Magazine and The Houston Chronicle. He lives in Houston and New York with his wife. (added from Simon & Schuster)… (more)

Join us as we celebrate the release of the awesome Gothic novel Ashes on the Waves from our friend Mary Lindsey. About the Author: Mary Lindsey lives in Houston with her husband, three kids, two dogs, her daughter's pet rats, and australian Bearded Dragon and dozens of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (The roaches are a long story--don't ask). Mary is the author of SHATTERED SOULS, Ashes on the Waves, and the forthcoming FRAGILE SPIRITS, all from Penguin USA. Book: Ashes on the Waves is a gothic young adult novel based on Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee" Liam MacGregor is cursed. Haunted by the wails of fantastical Bean Sidhes and labeled a demon by the villagers of Dòchas, Liam has accepted that things will never get better for him--until a wealthy heiress named Annabel Leighton arrives on the island and Liam's fate is changed forever. With Anna, Liam finally finds the happiness he has always been denied, but the violent, mythical Otherworlders, who inhabit the island and the sea around it, have other plans. They make a wager on the couple's love, testing its strength through a series of cruel obstacles. But the tragedies draw Liam and Anna even closer. Frustrated, the creatures put the couple through one last trial--and this time it's not only their love that's in danger of being destroyed. Based on Edgar Allan Poe's chilling poem Annabel Lee, with references to many of his other works including The Raven, Mary Lindsey creates a frighteningly beautiful gothic novel that glorifies the power of true love. What: Mary Lindsey will discuss and sign her new novel, Ashes on the Waves. When: Saturday, June 22, 1:00 p.m. Where: Blue Willow Bookshop, 14532 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77079 Admission: In order to go through the signing line and meet Mary Lindsey for book personalization, please purchase Ashes on the Waves from Blue Willow Bookshop. At the time of your purchase, you will receive a signing line ticket that indicates your place in line. A limited number of autographed copies of Mary’s books will be available for purchase after the event. If you cannot attend the event, but would like a personalized copy of her book, please call us before the event at (281) 497-8675.

Location: Street: 14532 Memorial Dr City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77079 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

We are pleased to welcome local author Hayley Gompertz to Blue Willow Salon, an opportunity to meet and greet Blue Willow customers.

Hayley will sign her book Pluto’s Planet Problem.

When: Saturday, June 22, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Where: Blue Willow Bookshop, 14532 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77079

Location: Street: 14532 Memorial Dr City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77079 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Diane Fanning will sign and discuss her latest true crime book Sleep My Darlings: The true story of a mother who killed her children in cold blood (St. Martin's True Crime; $7.99).

She is the author of the Edgar Award finalist "Written in Blood: A True Story of Murder and a Deadly 16-Year-Old Secret That Tore a Family Apart," as well as ten other true-crime books (available from St. Martin's) and" "the Lieutenant Lucinda Pierce mystery series. She lives in New Braunfels, Texas. Visit her Web site at
Location">www.dianefanning.com.

Location: Street: 2342 Bissonnet St Additional: City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77005 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Tao Lin (Taipei)

Tao Lin is the author of the novels Richard Yates and Eeeee Eee Eeee, the novella Shoplifting from American Apparel, the story collection Bed, and the poetry collections cognitive-behavioral therapy and you are a little bit happier than i am. He is the founder and editor of the literary press Muumuu House. His work has been translated to twelve languages and he lives in Manhattan. (added from Random House)… (more)

Looking for a laugh on a summer afternoon? Join us as we host “Weird Al” Yankovic to share his newest picture book! About the Author: With a career spanning three decades, “Weird Al” Yankovic is a fixture in popular culture. As America’s premier satirist of popular music and culture and a New York Times bestselling children’s author, this multi-Grammy winner has sold more comedy albums than anyone else in history. His latest album, ALPOCALYPSE, was his highest ranking album ever—#9 on the Billboard charts. “White & Nerdy,” the lead video from his previous album has been viewed on the internet over 110 million times. Al is instantly recognizable and makes frequent guest appearances in movies and television shows, usually playing himself. Al’s first movie was the cult-classic UHF (which he co-wrote and starred in in 1989). A director as well as a writer, Al also regularly creates his own specials for Comedy Central, MTV, Showtime, the Disney Channel, and more. “The Weird Al Show” ran in CBS’s children’s line up in 1997. Al maintains a busy touring and recording schedule and is on the cutting edge of connecting with fans and using the internet to make his music and projects accessible. He keeps a blog at his website and has 3 million followers on Twitter. Al lives with his wife and young daughter in Los Angeles. His first children’s book, When I Grow Up, was an instant New York Times bestseller. Book: I'll bet every great thinker and leader we've got could see all kinds of things other people could not! Billy is a small boy with a big imagination. Mr. Booth is a serious teacher with a strict lesson plan. When the irresistible force of Billy's unrestrained creativity meets the immovable object of Mr. Booth's fixed worldview, one thing is obvious: someone is going to learn a lot this school year! The irrepressible Billy, star of the New York Times bestselling When I Grow Up, returns in an uproarious back-to-school tale from the uniquely inspired "Weird Al" Yankovic. Dazzling wordplay and sparkling rhyme combine in this appreciation of the rewards of unabashed originality and the special joy of viewing the world gently askew. What: “Weird Al” Yankovic will discuss and sign his book MY NEW TEACHER AND ME. When: Monday, June 24, 5:00 p.m. Where: West Houston Community Center, 725 Bateswood, Houston Texas 77079 Admission: In order to go through the signing line and meet “Weird Al” Yankovic for book personalization, please purchase MY NEW TEACHER AND ME from Blue Willow Bookshop. A limited number of autographed copies of Al’s book will be available for purchase after the event. If you cannot attend the event, but would like a personalized copy of this book, please call us at (281) 497-8675.

Location: Street: 14532 Memorial Dr City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77079 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Please join us for a special reception with native Houstonian, Rice, and Baylor University Alumn Dr. Alessandra Gonzalez.

Islamic Feminism in Kuwait is a special academic title. Books to-be-signed MUST be pre-ordered no later than June 7 for delivery to this event.

Location: Street: 2421 Bissonnet St City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77005-1451 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

The Tough Broads book club meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.

If you can't come to one of our meetings, email your comments to Valerie and we'll share them with the group.

Our next books: June 25 - All Woman & Springtime by Brandon W. Jones

July 23 - Blueprints for Building Better Girls by Elissa Schappell

Location: Street: 14532 Memorial Dr City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77079 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

This summer, Camp Blue Willow is collecting some of our favorite books that have been around for a while. Each week, we’ll read a book or a selection from a novel aloud and will do something fun that ties in with the book’s theme. Most of the time, this year, we’ll be inside! (We’re not sure why last year we picked to be outside nearly every week during the hottest and driest summer ever!) Come and hang with some friends and some time at Camp Blue Willow this summer! Each week, the book(s) featured in our program will be offered at 10% off if you want to take the book home with you!

This is best suited to rising 1st graders to rising 4th graders. They will be doing some independent crafting and game playing.

Location: Street: 14532 Memorial Dr City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77079 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)