Appearances are sorted by author and location. Just click on the labels at right to find your favorite!
AbeBooks - Signed Books

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Madeleine Roux appearing 7/8 @ Women & Children First Chicago

07/08/2011 7:30 pm
Allison Hewitt is Trapped
            Allison Hewitt and her five bookselling colleagues are trapped together at the bookstore when the zombie outbreak hits. Using her wits, her laptop, and the military’s emergency wireless network, Allison reaches out for help through her blog. But as the reality of the situation sinks in, Allison’s blog becomes a harrowing account of her edge-of-the-seat adventures, as she and her companions fight their way through ravenous zombies and sometimes even more dangerous humans.

Andrea Hairston & Pan Morigan appearing 7/7 @ Women & Children First Chicago

07/07/2011 7:30 pm
Andrea Hairston
Redwood and Wildfire
Pan Morigan
Wildblue
            In Hairston’s speculative novel, Redwood, an African-American woman, and Aidan, a Seminole-Irish man, journey from the haunted swamplands of Georgia to “the City of the Future,” Chicago, circa the 1893 World’s Fair. Gifted performers and hoodoo conjurors, they struggle to call up the wondrous world they imagine, in city streets and front parlors, the stage and the screen. Living in a world stacked against them, Redwood and Aiden’s power and talent cause both torment and joy. Their search for a place to be who they want to beblues singers, filmmakers, haints, and healersis an exhilarating adventure. Author Andrea Hairston is Professor of Theater and African-American Studies at Smith College, and artistic director of Chrysalis Theater. For tonight’s event she will be joined by musician Pan Morgan, who will be performing original music inspired by the novel.

Cheryl Bardoe appearing 7/6 @ Women & Children First Chicago

07/06/2011 10:30 am
Ugly Duckling Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Tale
We will be joined by former Field Museum exhibition manager Cheryl Bardoe, who will be reading from and talking about her book, Ugly Duckling Dinosaur, a playful interpretation of the ugly duckling story, rooted in real science.

Mandy Van Deven appearing 7/1 @ Women & Children First Chicago

07/01/2011 7:30 pm
Hey, Shorty!: A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Gender-based Violence
Hey Shorty! provides a narrative account of how teen women of color in New
York City have organized over the past ten years to end gender-based violence against
girls, women, and LGBTQ folks in public spaces. At tonight’s event, co-author and
activist Mandy Van Deven will read from the book and facilitate a conversation about
street harassment, sexual harassment in schools, and strategies to increase safety.
Additionally, Van Deven hopes to promote her goal of building connections among
organizations and individuals doing anti-violence work, and encouraging everyone to
challenge harassment, violence, and the harmful assumptions that undermine their
perpetuation.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Sgt. David J. Haynes & Christopher Garlington book signing 7/2 @ The BookMarket Glenview

The Beat Cop's Guide to Chicago Eats

07/02/2011 6:00 pm
"Street smarts for your eat smarts! Don't know where to eat? Ask a cop. When the Beat Cop pauses from taking a bite out of crime, he takes a bite out of donuts, polish sausage, fried chicken, enchiladas, and omelettes...Lake Claremont Press's 2004 award-winner, "The Streets & San Man's Guide to Chicago Eats," delivered tongue-in-cheek style and food-in-mouth expertise by a certified expert of the City of Chicago's Department of Lunch: streets & sanitation department electrician Dennis Foley. Now, Sgt. David J. Haynes of the Chicago Police Department, and his partner-in-crime, blogger Christopher Garlington, want to take on Foley's street-level guide to the best mom-and-pop food bargains in Chicago with their follow-up: "The Beat Cop's Guide to Chicago Eats." "We're funnier, better-looking, and have the street smarts, girth, and weaponry to meet him in any alley, taqueria, or rib joint."
 Meet the authors for this special BookMarket book signing event ! Plus, we'll have free doughnuts!
The BookMarket
2651 Navy Blvd.
Glenview
Illinois

http://www.barbarasbookstore.com/event/beat-cops-guide-chicago-eats-0

Arthur Plotnik book signing 6/24 @ Barbara's Bookstore UIC

06/24/2011 5:00 pm
06/24/2011 7:00 pm
Join us as Arthur Plotnik hosts a presentation and reads from his new book,
Better Than Great: A Plenitudinous Compendium of Wallopingly Fresh Superlatives
Location: 

Steve Stone book signing 6/23 @ Anderson's Bookshop Naperville

STEVE STONE
Cy Young winner and longtime Chicago baseball announcer
Steve Stone visits to celebrate his new book,
Said in Stone: Your Game, My Way
In our baseball crazed city, Mr. Stone is one guy who’s been
associated with both the Cubs and the Sox! 

THURSDAY JUNE 23 at 7:00 p.m. 
Anderson's Bookshop Naperville 

Adrienne Kolb book signing 7/12 @ Book Stall Winnetka


Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, located in the western suburbs of Chicago, has stood at the frontier of high-energy physics for forty years.Fermilab is the first written account of this laboratory and of its powerful accelerators, told from the point of view of the people who built and used them for scientific discovery. Co-author and Fermilab archivistAdrienne Kolb will be in the store to present the book. 

Tuesday, July 12 - 7:00 pm
at The Book Stall 

Gary Moore appearing 6/30 @ The University Club Chicago


Gary Moore will attend a luncheon to discuss his book Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, World War II, and the Long Journey Home. 
 Moore's father was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1940, and soon became a member of a U.S. Navy baseball team that entertained American troops in World War II.The team was assigned to guard a secret group of German POWs whom they eventually taught to play ball. 

Please call 847.446.8880 for reservations. 

Thursday, June 30 - 12:00 pm
at The University Club

Daphna Edwards Ziman book signing 6/24 @ The Book Stall Winnetka


Daphna Edwards Ziman will sign copies of her thriller, The Gray Zone. Shaped by a brutal and orphaned childhood, Kelly Jensen has become a daring and seductive criminal, a beautiful and bewitching master of disguise and identity theft.

Friday, June 24 - 6:30 pm
at The Book Stall

Friday, June 17, 2011

Get a signed Daniel Silva first edition

This is pretty cool. Barnes & Noble has a great deal on signed first editions of Daniel Silva's newest book, Portrait of a Spy, for only $14.20. I already picked mine up.

You can also get signed book plates for the new book directly from Silva's website.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

David Ansell book signing 6/22 @ 57th Street Books Chicago


County is the amazing tale of one of America's oldest and most unusual urban public hospitals. From its inception as a "Poor House" dispensing free medical care to indigents, Chicago's Cook County Hospital has been both a renowned teaching hospital and the healthcare provider of last resort for the city's uninsured. County covers more than thirty years of its history, beginning in the late 1970s when the author began his internship, to the "Final Rounds" when hundreds of former trainees gathered to bid the enormous iconic Victorian hospital building an emotional farewell when it was closed to make way for a new facility.

Ansell writes of the hundreds of doctors who went through the rigorous training process with him, sharing his vision of saving the world and of resurrecting a hospital in critical condition. County is about people, from Ansell's mentors, including the legendary Quentin Young, to the multitude of patients whom he and County's medical staff labored to diagnose and heal. It is a story about politics, from contentious union strikes to battles against "patient dumping", and public health, depicting the AIDS crisis and the opening of County's HIV/AIDS clinic, the first in the city.

Finally, it is about an idealistic young man's medical education in urban America, a coming-of-age story set against a backdrop of race, segregation and poverty.

Wednesday, June 22nd at 6pm
57th Street Books, 1301 E. 57th Street
57th Street Books
1301 E. 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois
60637-1507
773-684-1300
fiftysev@semcoop.com

http://www.semcoop.indiebound.com/event/david-ansell-county-life-death-politics-chicagos-public-hospital

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Ann Patchett appearing 6/22 @ Women's Athletic Club


Ann Patchett, the bestselling author of Bel Cantoand The Magician's Assistant, will attend a luncheon for her new novel, State of Wonder. She sets the story deep in the Amazon jungle, where a drug researcher has been sent from the U.S. to find her former mentor, a formidable scientist who is working on a valuable new drug. This is already a Book Stall favorite of 2011!

Call 847.446.8880 for reservations. 

Wednesday, June 22 - 12:00 pm
at The Women's Athletic Club 

Amy Stolls book signing 6/21 @ The Book Stall Winnetka


Amy Stolls will be in the store to talk about her novel The Ninth Wife.  It is the story of 39-year-old Bess who, having never been married herself, falls in love with a charming Irish musician who has been married eight times before.  When he proposes for the ninth time to Bess, she sets out on a cross-country journey to seek out and question the wives who came before.

Tuesday, June 21 - 7:00 pm
at The Book Stall

David Ansell book signing 6/17 @ The Book Stall Winnetka


In his book, County: Life, Death and Politics at Chicago's Public HospitalDr. David Anselldocuments the history of Chicago's Cook County Hospital, one of America's oldest and most unusual urban hospitals. From it's inception as a "poor house" dispensing free medical care to indigents, County has been both a renowned teaching hospital and the healthcare provider of last resort for the city's uninsured.

Friday, June 17th - 6:30 pm
at The Book Stall 

http://bookstall.indiebound.com/event/david-ansell-md-mph

Trish Cook book signing 6/16 @ The Book Stall Winnetka


Winnetka author Trish Cook presents her young adult novel, Notes from the Blender. Her comedic new novel, co-written by Brendan Halpin, has just been released, and Ms. Cook has asked two local teen actors to present a staged reading from the book. Refreshments will be served, and Ms. Cook will be happy to autograph her work. Notes From the Blender is told from the dual points-of-view of Declan, a death-metal obsessed teen, and Neilly, a seemingly well-adjusted junior girl.  Their lives are thrown into an uproar when they find out that Declan's dad and Nielly's mom have been dating on the sly.

Thursday, June 16th - 7:00 pm
at The Book Stall

Edward Wolner speaking 6/15 @ University Club Chicago


Edward Wolner presents his book Henry Ives Cobb's Chicago. It is the first book about the distinguished Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb and the magnificent buildings he created throughout the city, including the Newberry Library, the Chicago Historical Society, the Chicago Athletic Association, and the Chicago Federal Building. The book includes over 140 images of Cobb's most creative buildings, as well as a dynamic portrait of an architect whose institutional designs decisively changed the city's identity during a critical phase of its development.

Please call 847.446.8880 for reservations.

Wednesday, June 15th - 12:00 pm
at The University Club
http://bookstall.indiebound.com/event/edward-wolner-university-club

Gretchen Morgenson speaking 6/15 @ Union League Club Chicago


The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Gretchen Morgenson will speak at a luncheon about her book, Reckless Endangerment. It reveals how the financial crisis emerged from the toxic interplay of Washington, Wall Street, and dishonest mortgage lenders -- or, as the book's subtitle puts it, "How Outsized Ambition, Greed and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon."

Please call 847.446.8880 for reservations.

Wednesday, June 15th - 12:00 pm
at The Union League Club 
http://bookstall.indiebound.com/event/gretchen-morgenson-luncheon-union-league-club

Lisa See book signing 6/14 @ Mirani's Restaurant Winnetka


Lisa See, the bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love talks about her newest novel Dreams of Joy.  In it, See continues the story of sisters Pearl and May from her bookShanghai Girls.  Pearl follows her daughter Joy, who runs away from California to Shanghai in 1957 to find her birth father. Their separate paths converge during one of the most tragic episodes in China's history.   

Please call 847.446.8880 reservations ($55 includes the book, lunch and a glass of wine).

Tuesday, June 14th - 12:00 pm
727 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL 60093
 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL 60093

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Food Network's Gale Gand book signing 6/11 @ Highland Park Half Price Books

151 Skokie Valley Rd.
Highland Park, IL 60035
847-831-2820

Nationally acclaimed Food Network Chef, Gale Gand demonstrates how to prepare one of her brunch dishes, perfect for entertaining. Book signing to follow. 5% of the sales from this cookbook will be donated to the West Deerfield Township Food Pantry. Half Price Books will match Gale’s donation.

Audio Book Review: Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer in Encore for Murder by Max Allan Collins

The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Volume 3: Encore for Murder by Max Allan Collins
Grade: A

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a big Mike Hammer fan. I really feel like I should be, but generally haven't found the books to be that interesting.

On the other hand, I'm a huge Max Allan Collins fan. I've read everything he's written from the Quarry novels to Nolan to Heller and everything in between. The Heller novels in particular are some of the best historical mysteries out there

His posthumous collaborations with Spillane have lead me to revisit the topic. So I came to this not sure what to expect and was pleasantly surprised.

Simply put, this is a great presentation and great story. Mike Hammer is brought into to protect actress and former flame Rita Vance and the normal gunplay and adventure ensues. The great thing about this Blackstone Audio presentation is that it's not simply an audiobook; it's a full cast audio presentation complete with sound effects. All in all, a superb listening experience.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Book Review: The Delta Solution by Patrick Robinson

The Delta Solution by Patrick Robinson
Grade: B+

The pirate attacks taking place off the shores of Somalia have mostly flown under the radar. It's not something a lot of people have been paying attention to and isn't an obvious choice for the subject of military fiction, especially in this era of military and political thrillers dominated by Middle Eastern terrorism.

It's that reason that makes Robinson's latest stand out. It's a unique set-up and a unique story. Robinson manages to tell both sides of the story, offering an explanation (but not excuses) for why the Somalis in the book undertake piracy.

This is actually the third book in the Mack Bedford Navy SEAL series. Still, you can pick this one up  and not be lost. There's a brief reference to a previous book early on, but the book easily stands on its own.

My only quibble with the book is the pacing. The book is strongest in the middle 250 (out of 328) pages. The first few chapters drag -- enough so that you may be tempted to put it down and move on to the next title on your reading list. Stick with it though, and the story really picks up throughout the middle chapters.

The conclusion feels a little rushed, though.  I don't want to say much more for fear of spoiling it, but suffice it to say while it is satisfying and wraps up the storyline nicely, it all seems a little too easy.

All told, though, this is one worth checking out if you're a fan of military thrillers. It's the first of Robinson's books I've read and I'm definitely going to be looking for the others.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

La Toya Jackson book signing 6/24 @ Barnes & Noble Webster Place Chicago

Webster Place
1441 West Webster Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
773-871-3610
http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/72774

CANCELLED - Gary Dell'Abate book signing 6/16 @ Skokie Barnes & Noble

Old Orchard
55 Old Orchard Center, Skokie, IL 60077, 847-676-2230

Sgt. David J. Haynes & Christopher Garlington book signing 6/18 @ Barbara's Bookstore UIC

 "Street smarts for your eat smarts! Don't know where to eat? Ask a cop. When the Beat Cop pauses from taking a bite out of crime, he takes a bite out of donuts, polish sausage, fried chicken, enchiladas, and omelettes...Lake Claremont Press's 2004 award-winner, "The Streets & San Man's Guide to Chicago Eats," delivered tongue-in-cheek style and food-in-mouth expertise by a certified expert of the City of Chicago's Department of Lunch: streets & sanitation department electrician Dennis Foley. Now, Sgt. David J. Haynes of the Chicago Police Department, and his partner-in-crime, blogger Christopher Garlington, want to take on Foley's street-level guide to the best mom-and-pop food bargains in Chicago with their follow-up: "The Beat Cop's Guide to Chicago Eats." "We're funnier, better-looking, and have the street smarts, girth, and weaponry to meet him in any alley, taqueria, or rib joint."
 Meet the authors for this special Barbara's book signing event ! Plus, we'll have free doughnuts!
Barbara's UIC
1218 S. Halsted St.
Chicago
Illinois

http://www.barbarasbookstore.com/event/beat-cop-guide-chicago-eats

Daniel Greenstone book signing 6/16 @ The Open Books Store Chicago

Local author and award-winning educator Daniel Greenstone celebrates the launch of his new book A Theory of Great Men with a reading and signing at Open Books.

“A Theory of Great Men is a dynamic and intimate portrait of an irreverent, flawed man, one who has a talent for accumulating both protégés and enemies. Daniel Greenstone fashions a humorous and fast-paced story set in a suburban Chicago high school. George Cavaliere, a veteran high school history teacher and the narrator, has many attributes of a brilliant educator. He’s a vibrant classroom performance artist, with both passion for his subject and an energetic delivery yet his twitchy impatience with political correctness and his restless philandering lead to the unraveling of his career and his marriage. A part-time job coaching an underdog basketball team helps Cavaliere to confront his own shortcomings and begin to see that, although he is anything but a great man, he is, nevertheless, the master of his own fate."

June 16
6 pm

213 W. Institute Pl.
Suite 207
Chicago, IL 60610
312.475.1355 x100
store@open-books.org

Nnedi Okorafor book signing 6/16 @ 57th Street Books Chicago


In a far-future, post-apocalyptic Saharan Africa, genocide plagues one region. When the only surviving member of a slain village is brutally raped, she manages to escape, wandering farther into the desert. She gives birth to a baby girl with hair and skin the color of sand, and instinctively knows her daughter is different. She names her daughter Onyesonwu, which means "Who Fears Death?" in an ancient African tongue.

Reared under the tutelege of a mysterious and traditional shaman, Onyesonwu discovers she possesses a remarkable and unique magic. The journey to fulfill her destiny will force her to confront nature, tradition, history, the spiritual mysteries of her culture, and eventually to learn why she was given the unusual name she bears: Who Fears Death?
  
Thursday, June 16th at 6pm
57th Street Books, 1301 E. 57th Street 


57th Street Books
1301 E. 57th Street
Chicago
, 
Illinois
60637-1507
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