Inprint Night in Houston with Authors Ann Patchett and Lauren Groff

I get to the Alley Theater early. Even with season's tickets, they will give away your seat if you are late. And the traffic is always awful as you approach downtown. I needn't have worried; I arrive very early, and have my pick of seats.

Look where I sit. Yes, that says, "Reserved for Author."

It does fill up. It is a full house.

I prepare well for these two authors: I read both of their books. First up to read is Lauren Groff. 

Groff reads from her book, Fates and Furies. It has received a lot of good press, and that's why I picked up a copy last January.

Sadly, the book is a disappointment to me. 

Here's my review, if you want to read more.

Next, Ann Patchett speaks. I've read and enjoyed lots of other Patchett books: The Magician's Assistant, Run, Bel Canto, Truth and Beauty, What Now, and This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, in addition to her latest book, Commonwealth.

My favorite has been her nonfiction book, Truth and Beauty. I liked, but didn't love Commonwealth. Is there something about reading a book for an event that ruins the book for me?

After the book readings, the authors do a q&a. 

Groff shares a story about the time she met a great writer (she didn't identify him) at a party while she was in school. The Great Writer tells Groff that there haven't been many great women writers because, he explained, women turn their creativity inward and have babies. Groff goes home in a rage and puts it all in a book.

Patchett says she was raised to do nothing but serve. "Serving is the best part of what I do," she tells us, "If I could get over it, I'd be Tolstoy. But for twelve years of Catholic schools."

Finally, Patchett shares her pet peeve: readers who ask to take selfies with authors. She demonstrates what she hates with Groff. "You are on a safari," she tells us. "You may not get out of the jeep."

For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken and then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at West Metro Mommy Reads.

Holiday Gift Guide: I Challenge You to Buy Books for Christmas

Fight for truth and justice, my fellow readers. Here's one way you can do that: Buy a book for a child for Christmas this year.

 

A classic picture book, like How the Grinch Stole Christmas or an Elephant & Piggie book

A new picture book, like The Night Gardener or We Found a Hat

Mother Goose, like Rosemary Wells' My Very First Mother Goose

 

Pop-up book, like The Christmas Story by Robert Sabuda

An early chapter book series...Magic Tree House, Scholastic Branches books like Boris and Missy

A classic chapter book

A nonfiction book

A child's cookbook

A drawing book or a craft book for children

You know what...let's do more...I challenge you to buy a book for everyone at Christmas. Face it...this world needs a little more literacy. Here are a few (very random books) I have loved:

Letters of Note

Books about France

Maira Kalman book

A book about books

An action-packed read

A cookbook

Do it. For America.





Other great lists:
Here's a thorough list of books to give grownups at Lindsay's Library.
I love this list for special needs students at One More Stamp.
How about a wonderful list of coffee table books at Books Beyond Measure?
Take a look at a great list for those of us who love books at Pure Imagination.
Need to give a Secret Santa gift and don't want to spend a lot of money? Try this post from Falconer's Library.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Nonfiction November: Be the Expert

Week 4: (Nov 21 – 25) – (Julz) Be The Expert Share 3 or more books on a single topic that you have read and can recommend (be the expert).  I read a lot of nonfiction and I write up a lot of lists, so I (modestly) consider myself a bit of an expert on some genres within nonfiction. Here are some I have done in the past: Armchair Foodie Travel Books Great Books About Teaching Books That Would Be On My Syllabus If I Taught Happiness 101 Great Picture Book Biographies of Great Women Top Ten Travel Narratives And, finally... Books I'd Give to Readers Who Have Never Read...Oh Dear...Nonfiction What I Read This Week Happily, I finished all eight of my Nonfiction November reads this week. I'll share the reviews next week, but for now I'll just say that I read and enjoyed, at various levels, all of them: What Arrived This Week Of course, my Cybils fiction picture book and board book nominees continued to flood my mailbox this week. One day, I received thirteen books! I also received other wonderful books for review: Now that I've finished all my Nonfiction November reads I am free to read again at-will, so I am sure I will be picking this up in the next day or two....

What are you reading today?

What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them,and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....That's what happens at the Sunday Salon, except it's all virtual. Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon get together--at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones--and read. And blog about their reading. And comment on one another's blogs. Think of it as an informal, weekly, mini read-a-thon, an excuse to put aside one's earthly responsibilities and fall into a good book. Click here to join the Salon.

The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Kimba at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news and recap the past week.

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share books that we found in our mailboxes last week. 

 It is now being hosted here.

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which you can share the books you've acquired.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between!  This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is now being hosted at The Book Date.