The Read: July 20-July 26, 2010

 

7:30pm, 126 Franklin Street

If you're in the mood to party tonight, head to WORD for the release of Julia Holmes' new novel, Meeks. Publishers Weekly called the book "a highly imaginative debut finds a stark Darwinian logic in a rigidly hierarchical society. Holmes has fashioned a terrifying and utterly convincing world in which the perfect human being is one stripped of all illusions." There will be free beer, wine, and cake, and you'll have the chance to enter a raffle for some cool prizes.

 

 

7pm, 37 Main Street

Award-winning writer Anthony Doerr, author of the acclaimed collection The Shell Collector, returns with a new set of stories that is even more compelling than the first. Each story deals with the concept of memory and its fragile yet powerful capacity to humanize the individual as much as the collective consciousness. Doer celebrates the release of the book, Memory Wall, tonight with a reading and launch party at PowerHouse Arena.

 

7:30pm, 686 Fulton Street

Vendela Vida's new book, The Lovers, tells the story of a widow who returns the site of her honeymoon in Turkey, 26 years later. She wants to remember the happy days of her marriage, but instead, she finds herself haunted by the many struggles she and her husband faced, mainly the divide wedged between them because of their alcoholic daughter. Join Vida tonight for a reading of the novel.

 

 

7pm, 37 Main Street

Whether they're bored office workers, disgruntled war vets, or unhappy housewives, the armor-clad members of the Society for Creative Anachronism like to fight. In her new book, Suburban Knights, photographer E.F. Kitchen captures a compelling portrait of these modern warriors as they participate in medieval battle simulations. She interviewed the fighters of the SCA on location at their battles and photographed them with an antique camera to capture the spirit. Spend the evening listening to Kitchen discuss the work and viewing the images in a new exhibition at PowerHouse Arena.

 

7pm, 218 Bedford Avenue

Described as "a genuine 'who's who' of street artists," Street Art New York takes readers on a journey down alleys, along waterways, up walls and across rooftops through Gotham's every-evolving street art scene. Authors Jaime Rojo and Steven P. Harrington bring you images of work from exciting newcomers as well as the old masters, letting each artists tell his or her story. Meet the creative duo tonight at Spoonbill & Sugartown. Make sure to pick up your own copy to have signed!

 

7:30pm, 686 Fulton Street

Author and former heroin addict Tony O'Neill evokes Burroughs and Bukowski in his stories, chronicling the underground lives of skid-row derelicts with a keen eye and irreverent humor. In his new book, Sick City, O'Neill introduces us to two junkies who are trying to sell a Sharon Tate sex tape one of them inherited from an ex-cop, but their utter lack of will-power keeps stopping them. O'Neill celebrates the book's east coast launch tonight at Greenlight with a reading from the novel. The book's unforgettable characters make this a reading not to be missed.

 

7:30pm, 126 Franklin Street

Whether you admit it or not, everyone loves a good romance novel. Tonight WORD is hosting a panel of some of the best romance writers around: Lauren Willig, author Pink Carnation series; author and blogger Sarah Wendell from SmartBitchesTrashyBooks.com; Hope Tarr, author and co-founder of Lady Jane's Salon; and editors from Romantic Times magazine and Avon Books. Sarah MacLean, author of Nine Rules To Break When Romancing a Rake, will moderate the Q&A as the ladies uncover the genre.

 

 

7:30pm, 600 Vanderbilt Avenue

New books seem to get all party fun, but what about books still good after their appointed shelf life? Maybe they should get a party every now and then, too. Head to Prospect Heights tonight for Unnameable Books' new book and film series celebrating good movies and great reads that still deserve it. Author Richard Brody will be present to talk about his book Everything is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard, and Godard's film A Married Woman will be viewed. So sit back, sip a glass of wine, and enjoy a different type of book party.

 

 

3pm, 126 Franklin Street

Grab the kids and head to WORD for a crafty afternoon. Local author Heather Swain will demonstrate how to make fun toys from her new book, Make These Toys, which contains 101 clever creations using everyday items. As a mother of two and a former third grade teacher, Swain knows how to get creative with milk cartons, cardboard tubes, rubber bands, and plain old string. If you don't have kids, offer to take your neighbors' just so you can get in on the fun, too.