November 2018: Author Readings, New in Science Fiction, and More!

November 2018: Author Readings, New in Science Fiction, and More!
 
We're here to let you know about authors reading in November, Indie Next picks for the month, First Friday prizes, and what's new in Sci-Fi. But first...
 
New and Upcoming Releases
 
These three books are gonna be big! Click on a cover or title to order from our website.
by Jeff Kinney
Out Now!
 
When snow shuts down Greg Heffley’s middle school, his neighborhood transforms into a wintry battlefield. Rival groups fight over territory, build massive snow forts, and stage epic snowball fights. And in the crosshairs are Greg and his trusty best friend, Rowley Jefferson. It’s a fight for survival as Greg and Rowley navigate alliances, betrayals, and warring gangs in a neighborhood meltdown. When the snow clears, will Greg and Rowley emerge as heroes? Or will they even survive to see another day?
by The Staff of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Out: November 6th, 2018
 
This picture book is made entirely of quotations from President Donald Trump in the wake of Hurricane Florence. It is the first children’s book that demonstrates what not to say after a natural disaster. On September 19, 2018, Donald Trump paid a visit to New Bern, North Carolina, one of the towns ravaged by Hurricane Florence. It was there he showed deep concern for a boat that washed ashore. “At least you got a nice boat out of the deal,” said President Trump to hurricane victims. “Have a good time!” he told them. The only way his comments would be appropriate is in the context of a children’s book—and now you can experience them that way. Whose Boat Is This Boat? is an excellent teaching tool for readers of all ages who enjoy learning about empathy by process of elimination. Have a good time!
by Michelle Obama
Out: November 13th, 2018
 
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.
 
First Friday
 
On November 2, visit us during First Friday in Multnomah Village.
 
For your browsing enjoyment, we'll be serving wine. Plus, we'll be giving away great prizes for our monthly drawings. Drop by Annie Bloom's anytime after 6:00 on Friday night to sign up.
 
One lucky adult will win:
by Lou Berney
 
Set against the assassination of JFK, this poignant and evocative crime novel centers on a desperate cat-and-mouse chase across 1960s America—a story of unexpected connections, daring possibilities, and the hope of second chances. A loyal street lieutenant to a New Orleans mob boss, Frank Guidry knows too much about the crime of the century: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. With few good options, Guidry hits the road. When he sees a beautiful housewife on the side of the road with a broken-down car, two little daughters and a dog in the back seat, he sees the perfect disguise to cover his tracks from the hit men on his tail. It's an American story: two strangers meet to share the open road west, a dream, a hope—and find each other on the way. Everyone's expendable, or they should be, but now Guidry just can’t throw away the woman he's come to love. And it might get them both killed.
 
And our kids prize is:
by Mary Lyn Ray and Stephanie Graegin
 
The Thank You Book explores the many ways we can be thankful for the pleasures great and small that await us every day. Tender and poetic, it reflects on the role gratitude can play in our lives and celebrates the powerful impact it can have on us.
 
Thank you isn't just for learning manners.
It's also for when something wakes a 
little huma little happy huminside you
and you want to answer back.
 
Upcoming Author Readings
From Critique to Publication
Thursday, November 1, 7pm
TONIGHT!
 
Annie Bloom's welcomes these four Portland children's and YA writing group authors to present From Critique to Publication: The Secrets of One Critique Group's Success. Barbara Kerley will be discussing her middle grade book Following Baxter and children's picture book Tigers & Tea With Toppy. Elizabeth Rusch will present her nonfiction picture books Avalanche Dog Heroes and The Music of Life: Bartolomeo Cristofori & the Invention of the Piano. Emily Whitman will discuss her middle grade novel The Turning. Ellen Howard's early reader books include Murphy and Kate and The Gate in the Wall.
The Good Monarchs
Monday, November 5, 7pm
 
Annie Bloom's Books welcomes back local author Gregg Coodley to read from his latest book. The Good Monarchs: History's Best Kings, Queens, Emperors, Sultans and Caliphs tells the stories of 18 of the best royal rulers in the last 2600 years. The rulers profiled come from 4 continents and 18 different nation states. From Mali to Poland, Cambodia to Brazil, these monarchs set a standard for rule far above the average. The Good Monarchs tells who these men and women were and what made them special as people and as sovereigns.
Ever Wild: A Lifetime on Mount Adams
Monday, November 12, 7pm
[This is a new date for this event. The previously scheduled date fell on Election Day.]
 
The Hood River author and photographer presents his book, including a slideshow. What binds a man’s soul to a mountain? Through a personal journey spanning seven decades, Darryl Lloyd cemented his place in the sweeping story of Washington state’s Mount Adams. Growing up on a ranch at the mountain’s base, Lloyd devoted his life to learning the mountain, observing the ebb and flow of its glaciers, photographing the play of light, wandering lush meadows and old-growth forests, hiking boulder-strewn slopes and scaling icefalls…and showing the way for those who’ve followed.
Vegan Christmas
Tuesday, November 13, 7pm
 
The UK chef presents his alternatives to the traditional turkey and trimmings. Gaz is an expert in bold flavors and textures, so everyone can enjoy a spectacular centerpiece and amazing food throughout the festive season. Gaz talks you through the menus and the planning, from Christmas morning breakfast through to a show-stopping lunch. Packed with suggestions for the festivities and advice on how to keep cool in the kitchen if you're cooking on the big day, Vegan Christmas offers every solution you'll ever need for what to cook for vegans and vegetarians at Christmas.
Killalot
Wednesday, November 14, 7pm
 
Local author Cindy Brown will read from her sixth Ivy Meadows mystery. When Ivy is hired to investigate the killing of a Renaissance faire jouster, she goes undercover as a Cockney belly dancer at the faire and finagles her way into a playwright's Kennedy-inspired version of Camelot--as Marilyn Monroe, no less. Then, in the midst of her toughest case ever, Ivy has to solve another dilemma: Will she follow her lifelong dream of being an actor or settle down with the love of her life? The murder investigation, the play, and real life come together in a twist that begs the question: Is there a happily-ever-after for anyone?
 
November Indie Next Reviews
 
Every month, the coalition of independent bookstores puts together a list of titles recommended by booksellers across the country. Come in to browse the titles below, along with other great new bookseller picks for November 2018.
by Jonathan Lethem
 
"Lethem’s latest is a treat for fans and new readers alike. His personal brand of detective fiction (shrewd character descriptions, razor-sharp dialogue, and scene-setting that engages all five senses) has always been indebted to the (wild) West Coast — Hollywood specifically — so it's unsurprising that The Feral Detective is as satisfying as his New York novels. A compelling and timely tale of why even going off the grid won’t save you from going off your rocker." —John Francisconi, Bank Square Books, Mystic, CT
by B.A. Shapiro
 
"What enormous fun Barbara Shapiro had in constructing this mini-universe of arts, artists, collectors, and grifters. Loosely based on Barnes Foundation founder Albert C. Barnes and his assistant, Shapiro's fictional pair — Edwin Bradley, the collector, and the lovely but unlucky Paulien Mertens — flit from Europe to Pennsylvania and back in the 1920s. The joy of The Collector's Apprentice is infectious as the reader is introduced to the salon of Gertrude Stein and becomes a voyeur of a passionate affair involving the great philanderer Henri Matisse. The Roaring Twenties, a whiff of The Talented Mr. Ripley, and a pinch of sex, murder, and mystery are the ingredients of this art thriller. With her bold brush strokes and vivid colors, Shapiro has created a Gauguin of a novel." —Darwin Ellis, Books on the Common, Ridgefield, CT
by Joseph Fink
 
"Joseph Fink is my hero for making extreme anxiety a superpower and something from which a person can draw strength. Like the Welcome to Night Vale novels, Alice Isn't Dead evinces a gentleness throughout the story, but as with Keisha, the protagonist, don’t mistake that for weakness. This novel is a road trip into the depths of human love even in the midst of experiencing inexplicable and weird horrors. It will linger with you long after you finish reading it." —Christine Havens, BookPeople, Austin, TX
 
These previous Indie Next picks are now available in paperback!
by Juli Berwald
 
"Reading Spineless made me think of Nabokov's butterflies: The subject is distant to the extent that it feels almost extraterrestrial, but the author's passion is contagious. The complexity, the evolution, and the mystery of the organism grows on you, and, suddenly, you're excited about? well, jellyfish! Spineless gives climate change a story, and with it some much needed empathy." — Sarah Reif, Kramerbooks, Washington, DC
by Amy Bloom
 
“Lorena Hickok, the most prominent female reporter in America, meets Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932 while reporting on Franklin Roosevelt's first presidential campaign. Almost immediately, Hick and Eleanor connect passionately and deeply, and Hick moves into the White House as 'First Friend.' The story of their bond is told with art and grace and a bit of intrigue by the wise and gifted Amy Bloom. A love story and historical novel, based on a true romance and unabashedly sensual, White Houses is extraordinary." — Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, CO
 
New in Science Fiction
by Ursula K. Le Guin
 
The Earthsea novels are some of the most acclaimed and awarded works in literature—they have received prestigious accolades such as the National Book Award, a Newbery Honor, the Nebula Award, and many more honors, commemorating their enduring place in the hearts and minds of readers and the literary world alike. Now for the first time ever, they’re all together in one volume—including the early short stories, Le Guin’s "Earthsea Revisioned" Oxford lecture, and a new Earthsea story, never before printed. With a new introduction by Le Guin herself, this essential edition will also include fifty illustrations by renowned artist Charles Vess, specially commissioned and selected by Le Guin, to bring her refined vision of Earthsea and its people to life in a totally new way.
by John Scalzi
 
The Interdependency—humanity's interstellar empire—is on the verge of collapse. The extra-dimensional conduit that makes travel between the stars possible is disappearing, leaving entire systems and human civilizations stranded. Emperox Grayland II of the Interdependency is ready to take desperate measures to help ensure the survival of billions. But arrayed before her are those who believe the collapse of the Flow is a myth—or at the very least an opportunity to an ascension to power. The Emperox and her allies are smart and resourceful, as are her enemies. Nothing about this will be easy... and all of humanity will be caught in its consuming fire.
edited by N. K. Jemison
 
Today's readers of science fiction and fantasy have an appetite for stories that address a wide variety of voices, perspectives, and styles. There is an openness to experiment and pushing boundaries, combined with the classic desire to read about space ships and dragons, future technology and ancient magic, and the places where they intersect. Contemporary science fiction and fantasy looks to accomplish the same goal as ever—to illuminate what it means to be human. With a diverse selection of stories chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor N. K. Jemisin, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018 explores the ever-expanding and changing world of SFF today, with Jemisin bringing her lyrical, endlessly curious point of view to the series' latest edition.
by Robert Jackson Bennett
 
Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne’s docks, is nothing her unique abilities can’t handle. But unbeknownst to her, Sancia's been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic--the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience--have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact's secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims. To have a chance at surviving—and at stopping the deadly transformation that's under way—Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact's power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined.