Archive
Friends,
below are some great events coming up at the Book Smith at 1644 Haight St. between Clayton & Cole (863-8688)
Friday, July 6
6:30 – 9:30 PM
BOOKSMITH BOOKSWAP: Flashback Edition
July marks Bookswap's third birthday! Birthdays make us sentimental. We wish we could go back and re-experience the wonder of seeing Bookswap transform from a fledgling, wobbly-kneed event series to a cornerstone of our events program, and all the hilarious moments and people along the way.
But, we can't. So, instead, this Bookswap is all about time travel. Books, like anything you love in a particular space-time, tend to change their timbre. We challenge you to think back a decade or two and re-read something you loved then. Has it gone the way of Britney and Justin's denim catastrophe of 2001 (never forget!), or has it held up? If not, what was happening in your life that made it seem like a good idea? If it has held up, why? What about the book makes it a Time Lord?
We'll talk in small groups, so you'll get to learn about other people's book histories, and then we'll convene for a rowdy, white elephant swap. As always, we'll have food, drinks, swag, local authors, good conversation, and Bookswap Birthday surprises (Bookswap, this is your life!). Amy Stephenson, our sass-attack-in-chief, will host.
Tickets $25 in the store or at Brown Paper Tickets (online or 800-838-3006)
Tuesday, July 10
WORDS & PIZZA:
Game Night at The Booksmith
7:00 - 9:00
$20 (includes Club Deluxe pizza and drinks!)
Our favorite local writers, journalists, friends, and you...duke it out over a game of Dictionary.
Team Laura (aka Laura Fraser) and Team Pireeni (aka Pireeni Sundaralingam) battle it out with their well-chosen guest team members joined by randomly chosen audience members, all emceed by Amy (Bookswap) Stephenson.
Audience provides the dictionary -- the words -- to each team. Team members have three minutes to provide a definition of the word given. Correct answers win the point; incorrect answers earn the laughs. Plus other hilarious and participatory word games! White elephant prizes awarded, of course.
Great pizza, book raffle, coupons, and hilarity for all who join the wordy merriment!
Announcing the July 10 teams!
Team Laura: Laura Fraser, Jeff Greenwald, Mary Roach!
Team Pireeni: Pireeni Sundaralingam, Ken Grobe, Elise Proulx!
Tickets must be purchased in advance, in the store or at Brown Paper Tickets online or 800-8368-3006.
Wednesday, July 11
7:30 PM
JOSHUA HENKIN
THE WORLD WITHOUT YOU
"Witty and wise, poignant and heartfelt. . . . The 4th of July will never be the same for me, nor for my fellow Americans. I can't imagine a world without Joshua Henkin." -- Gary Shteyngart
It's July 4th, 2005, and the Frankel family is descending upon their beloved summer home in the Berkshires. But this is no ordinary holiday: the family is gathering for a memorial. Leo, the youngest of the four Frankel siblings and an intrepid journalist and adventurer, was killed one year earlier while on assignment in Iraq. His parents, Marilyn and David, are adrift in grief, and it's tearing apart their forty-year marriage. Clarissa, the eldest, is struggling at thirty-nine with infertility. Lily, a fiery-tempered lawyer, is angry about everything. Noelle, a born-again Orthodox Jew (and the last person to see Leo alive), has come in from Israel with her husband and four children and feels entirely out of place. And Thisbe -- Leo's widow and mother of their three-year-old son -- has arrived from California bearing her own secret.
Over the course of three days, the Frankels will contend with sibling rivalries and marital feuds, volatile women and silent men, and, ultimately, with the true meaning of family.
“An immeasurably moving masterpiece that tracks the intricate threads connecting children to parents, sisters to brothers, wives to husbands. To say I ‘cared’ about these characters would be to hugely understate their consuming effect on me.” -- Heidi Julavits, author of The Vanishers
Joshua Henkin is the author of the novels Swimming Across the Hudson (a Los Angeles Times Notable Book) and Matrimony (a New York Times Notable Book). His stories have been published widely, cited for distinction in Best American Short Stories and broadcast on NPR's Selected Shorts. He directs the MFA Program in Fiction Writing at Brooklyn College.
Thursday, July 12
7:30 PM
ALEX STONE
FOOLING HOUDINI:
Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks, and the Hidden Powers of the Mind
Magic has never been more popular—something the average person probably doesn’t even know since the magic community is fiercely insular and zealously private. Longtime aficionado Alex Stone pulls back the curtains and shares an eye-opening glimpse into this fascinating subculture a vividly entertaining chronicle of his quest to make his mark in this notoriously secretive world where the ability to deceive is the most prized attribute of all.
A thrillingly original blend of history, psychology, science, and memoir, FOOLING HOUDINI is funny and insightful, told from Stone’s unique perspective as a journalist and a former physics graduate student. A dedicated amateur magician since childhood, Stone vows to rebound from a disastrous showing at the 2006 Magic Olympics and soon embarks on an ambitious journey of self-improvement that takes him both across the globe and inside the brain, leading him to question life’s biggest mysteries and investigate the fundamental aspects of human nature in the process.
Stone’s determination to excel at magic’s highest levels quickly blossoms into an obsession as he eagerly commits to training rigorously, learning hundreds of complicated techniques, and crafting a cutting-edge act. He takes us through the ups and downs with remarkable good humor and humility, inviting us along for the ride as he attends tournaments, conventions, lectures, shows, and boot camps; spends countless hours getting schooled by a gruff mentor at a rundown pizza parlor; practices everywhere he goes; causes loved ones to fear for his sanity; and interacts with a colorful bunch of eccentrics, skeptics, scholars, cheats, criminals, geniuses, legends, and prodigies.
Traveling from the Las Vegas Strip to the halls of academia, Stone’s tale traces the history of magic and the impact of its seminal moments, spotlighting the contributions of famous headliners and forgotten pioneers alike. Delving deeper, Stone ponders the connections between magic and science as he probes the limits of consciousness, experiments on the workings of the mind, and explores the challenges of distinguishing reality from illusion. Ultimately he brings all of his findings together as he prepares for his return to the stage with a performance designed to nail a magician’s greatest feat: fooling other magicians -- the Holy Grail of their collective calling.
Alex Stone has written for Harper’s, Discover, Science, and The Wall Street Journal. He graduated from Harvard University and has a master’s degree in physics from Columbia University. He grew up in Wisconsin, Texas, and Spain. He currently lives in New York City.
Friday, July 13
8:00 PM
July Literary Clown Foolery: Pen Names Edition
Books & Burlesque
Welcome to the lighter side of literature!
This month, the clowns go incognito! Carmela Ciuraru joins us for her paperback release of Nom De Plume, which is a collection of "narratives of secrecy, obsession, modesty, scandal, defiance, and shame". Yup, sounds perfect.
We'll interview Carmela, and, hopefully, make her laugh, while you drink our lovely drinks. As always, there'll be live performances by bay are players, musicians, and more, all for only $10 at our 90-minute show. Join us, and bring all your friends, and enemies.
Tickets in the store or at Brown Paper Tickets
Monday, July 16
Note Early Time: 4:00 PM
Chuck Palahniuk Brings the Brandy Alexander Witness Reincarnation Project Tour to The Booksmith
One of our all-time favorite people (and one of our all-time favorite writers!) returns, this time right in the store, for a late afternoon of mayhem dedicated to the brand-new, most outrageous Invisible Monsters Remix. We know you’ll have to ditch work early to come listen to him and leave with a signed copy, and we also know it’s totally worth it!
If you’re attending:
Seating will be available for those purchasing a copy of Invisible Monsters Remix from The Booksmith. Simply ask for a reserved seat card when you place your order (in the store, online, by email, or by phone) in advance, or purchase a copy in the store. Reserved seats won’t last for long, so don’t delay placing your order. You may order multiple copies. Reserved seats unclaimed at 3:45 will be given to others.
All books will be signed by Chuck in advance, and you’ll pick your book up when you arrive at the store that afternoon. (Due to time constraints, Chuck won't be able to personalize copies. But they will be signed!)
Seating will commence at 3:15 PM. Those without seats will easily be able to hear Chuck’s talk in the store. If you arrive before 3:15, please plan to wait outside, enjoying the ‘hood.
If you cannot attend but want a signed book:
We must receive your order (online, by email, or by phone) no later than 12 noon PST on July 9. (We will make every effort to accommodate orders placed after this date, while supplies last.) We’ll have your copy signed and shipped to you immediately after July 16.
Chuck Palahniuk is one of the most innovative and daring writers of our generation. His new release, INVISIBLE MONSTERS REMIX, is the first book that truly realizes the complexity and depth of Palahniuk’s vision.
Loaded with new material and special design elements, INVISIBLE MONSTERS REMIX is a “director’s cut” that fulfills the author’s original vision for his 1999 novel. Readers will find themselves jumping between chapters, holding the book to a mirror to read the text, rereading the book to understand the elusive dissolve between fiction and fact, and deciphering the playful book design as they embark on a ride they'll never forget.
Palahniuk's fashion-model protagonist has it all -- boyfriend, career, loyal best friend -- until an accident destroys her face, her ability to speak, and her self-esteem. Enter Brandy Alexander, Queen Supreme, who is one operation away from becoming a bona-fide woman. Seamlessly laced into the original text are new chapters of memoir and further enriching scenes with the book's characters. This elaborate new format turns an already daring satire on beauty and the fashion industry into an even more wildly unique and immersive reading experience.
Chuck Palahniuk is the author of Fight Club, which was made into a movie directed by David Fincher, as well as Survivor, Damned, and Tell-All, among other books. He lives in Washington State.