This is the Week That Will Be

I can't believe it's February already. I'm not sure how that happened. I did manage to read ten books in January, but given how quickly they pile up around here, I don't think that even kept me at shelf stasis. Now we head into that worst of months, the one that is too short, too brutal. At least a lot of great authors will be making the rounds to provide something to do as the cold grey days and nights make it ever more imperative that I get out of the house.

Where is all the snow coming from this winter? All I can say is it gives me even more reading time than usual.

Monday, February 3

Armistead Maupin | The Days of Anna Madrigal
Location: Free Library, Central Library
Cost: $15 General Admission, $7 Students
7:30 pm

As of this posting this event is going on as planned, but please check the Free Library website before you venture out this evening.

Tuesday, February 4

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Debut Author Extravaganza | Towne Book Center & Cafe
Location: Towne Book Center, 220 Plaza Drive, Suite B-3, Collegeville, PA
7:00 pm
Cost: Free, but please RSVP to 610-454-0640

A panel of east coast debut authors in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre! These all look great and are on my "To Read" pile so I'm planning on finding my way to Collegeville to catch this trio. Here are the links to the Goodreads listings for each of the books:

James Cambias | A Darkling Sea

Brian Staveley | The Emperor's Blades

Ramona Wheeler | Three Princes

Philip Schultz | The Wherewithal: A Novel in Verse
Location: Free Library, Central Library
Cost: $15 General Admission, $7 Students
7:30 pm


Wednesday, February 5

Storytime with Carol Roth | Children's Book World
Time TBD, Please call the store at 610-642-6274
Aimed at ages three and up

One Book, One Philadelphia Opening Program Featuring Kevin Powers

Location: Free Library, Central Library

Cost: Free

7:30 pm

Thursday, February 6

Robert Hass | Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet
Location: Bryn Mawr College
Goodhart Hall, The Music Room
Cost: Free
7:30 pm

Betty Medsger | The Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover's Secret FBI
Location: Free Library, Central Library
Cost: Free
7:30 pm

Laurel Forte | Little 'Ol Me
Location: Wellington Square Bookshop
549 Wellington Square, Eagleview Town Centre, Exton, PA
Cost: Free
5:30 - 7:00 pm

Here's the Goodreads description:

After being struck by lightning, Laurel Forte, finds out she is pregnant. Throughout the pregnancy and delivery, an array of events occurs, quickly changing Laurel’s perspective on life. After her shot gun marriage and divorce, she begins dating Bryan Cease. Bryan and Laurel had what seemed to be a perfect relationship… Until, Bryan became famous. He and his crew from ‘Dumbass’ performed dare-devilish stunts and stupid human tricks. When Laurel ended the relationship with Bryan, they decided to humiliate and harass her on national television, radio and the internet. Because of the crew’s intentional malice, Laurel lived in fear for herself and her son. She was stalked, harassed and bullied by not only the celebrities from ‘Dumbass’, but their fans as well. This novel not only tells the story of ‘the other side of fame’, but the commitment, dedication, and love of a mother.

Friday, February 7

Kathryn Craft | The Art of Falling
Location: Chester County Book Company, 967 Paoli Pike, West Chester, PA
Cost: Free, but please purchase books to be signed in the store or online from Chester County Books
7:00 pm

Per Goodreads:

One wrong step could send her over the edge.

All Penny has ever wanted to do is dance—and when that chance is taken from her, it pushes her to the brink of despair, from which she might never return. When she wakes up after a traumatic fall, bruised and battered but miraculously alive, Penny must confront the memories that have haunted her for years, using her love of movement to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. 

Kathryn Craft’s lyrical debut novel is a masterful portrayal of a young woman trying to come to terms with her body and the artistic world that has repeatedly rejected her. The Art of Falling expresses the beauty of movement, the stasis of despair, and the unlimited possibilities that come with a new beginning.

Roddy Doyle | The Guts with Wesley Stace | Wonderkid
Location: Free Library, Central Library
Cost: Free
7:30 pm

This is an duo I've been looking forward to so I'm planning to meander downtown for this talk, assuming I've recovered from the trip I'm taking up to NYC to catch my friend Penny Jackson's new play Bitten on Thursday evening.