MICHAEL FRANK reads from his memoir, The Mighty Franks
Brookline Booksmith hosts essayist, critic and author MICHAEL FRANK presenting his family memoir, The Might Franks, which the New York Times calls “probing and radiantly polished.”
About The Mighty Franks:
Talented, sparkling, and lavish with both money and love, Auntie Hankie teaches young Michael which books to read, which painters to admire, and which people to adore— but beneath her charm lies a dangerous rage. This true Hollywood tale of an eccentric Jewish household tests where the boundaries of family life should be drawn, and who should draw them.
TOM PERROTTA reads at Brookline Booksmith
Brookline Booksmith is pleased to welcome author TOM PERROTTA (Election, Little Children, The Leftovers) as he reads from his newest novel, Mrs. Fletcher.
Eve Fletcher is trying to figure out what comes next. A forty-six-year-old divorcee whose beloved only child has just left for college, Eve is struggling to adjust to her empty nest when one night her phone lights up with a text message. Sent from an anonymous number, the mysterious sender tells Eve, “U R my MILF!” Over the months that follow, that message comes to obsess Eve. Sharp, witty, and provocative, Mrs. Fletcher is a timeless examination of sexuality, identity, parenthood, and the big clarifying mistakes people can make when they’re no longer sure of who they are or where they belong.
This free event is co-sponsored by 826 Boston.
BILLY BRAGG talks “Roots, Radicals and Rockers” at Brookline Brooksmith
In his latest book, the musician, left-wing activist, and sonic archivist BILLY BRAGG has crafted a remarkable history of skiffle, a particularly British music genre. Initiated by amateur players of the blues, jazz, and folk, skiffle lured teenagers obsessed with all things American and eager to dance away post-WWII conformity and deprivation. With a DIY ethos and three-chord tunes, skiffle inspired a generation of British lads to pick up guitars, including Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, and a young extraterrestrial who would later take the name “David Bowie.” Roughly a cross between folk and R&B, skiffle quickly succumbed to the other two genres and faded from the charts, even as its former disciples led the British Invasion.
Please note this is a book talk only– Billy will not be performing.
The Silver Linings Playbook author MATTHEW QUICK on The Reason You’re Alive
Boston Public Library hosts MATTHEW QUIRK as he discusses his newest novel The Reason You’re Alive. The New York Times-bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook offers a timely novel featuring his most fascinating character yet: a Vietnam vet embarking on a quixotic crusade to track down his nemesis from the war.
This event is not ticketed, and is part of the Author Talks Series at the Boston Public Library.
NYTBR Editor PAMELA PAUL On Her “Book of Books”
Harvard Book Store welcomes The New York Times Book Review editor PAMELA PAUL for a discussion of her latest book, My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues—a memoir about the stories that have shaped her life.
Imagine keeping a record of every book you’ve ever read. What would this reading trajectory say about you? With passion, humor, and insight, the editor of The New York Times Book Review shares the stories that have shaped her life.
This event is not ticketed.
ALEXANDRA FULLER reads from her novel, Quiet Until the Thaw
Harvard Book Store welcomes the bestselling author of Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight and Leaving Before the Rains Come ALEXANDRA FULLER for a reading from her first novel, Quiet Until the Thaw.
In Lakota Oglala Sioux Nation, South Dakota, two Native American cousins, Rick Overlooking Horse and You Choose Watson, though bound by blood and by land, find themselves at odds as they grapple with the implications of their shared heritage. When escalating anger toward the injustices, historical and current, inflicted upon the Lakota people by the federal government leads to tribal divisions and infighting. The cousins go in separate directions: Rick chooses the path of peace; You Choose, violence.
This event is not ticketed.
Harvard Book Store and GrubStreet present debut author ANGELICA BAKER
Harvard Book Store and GrubStreet welcome debut author ANGELICA BAKER and Boston College’s STUART NADLER—acclaimed author of Wise Men, The Book of Life, and The Inseparables—for a discussion of BAKER’s new novel, Our Little Racket, the story of five women whose lives are dramatically changed by the downfall of a financial titan.
This event is not ticketed.
LGBT Novelist SJ SINDU reads from Marriage of a Thousand Lies
Brookline Booksmith welcomes SJ SINDU with her novel Marriage of a Thousand Lies. Lucky and her husband, Krishna, are gay. They present an illusion of marital bliss to their conservative families while each dates on the side. It’s not ideal, but it seems to be working— that is, until Lucky rekindles a relationship with her first lover and childhood best friend, Nisha.
“A timely tale with themes of immigration, free will, identity, and personal choice.” — Booklist
This event is co-sponsored by Boston Pride.
Thriller Novelist LEE MATTHEW GOLDBERG in conversation with Mystery Novelist HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN
Join Brookline Booksmith as they host LEE MATTHEW GOLDBERG and HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN, who will discuss GOLDBERG’s The Mentor.
When his favorite college professor mentions that he’s writing a novel, Kyle is overjoyed. He’s eager to read the opus his mentor has toiled over…until it turns out to be not only horribly written, but depraved, and uncannily close to a real unsolved murder.
This event is not ticketed.
Brookline Brooksmith presents: Fiction in Translation with KIT SCHLUTER and EMMA RAMADAN
Brookline Booksmith hosts KIT SCHLUTER and EMMA RAMADAN as they discuss their translated works: SCHLUTER’s The King in the Golden Mask and RAMADAN’s Not One Day.
Two translators discuss two European masters, available in English for the first time. Brimming with murder, suicide, royal leprosy and medieval witchcraft, Marcel Schwob’s stories (The King in the Golden Mask) are lost horror classics from the age of Poe. French Oulipo writer, Anne Garréta’s novel (Not One Day) is an intimate, erotic, and sometimes bitter recounting of loves and lovers past, that explores the interplay between memory, fantasy, and desire.
This event is co-sponsored by Greying Ghost Press.
