All Over Albany

Nightvale co-creator, Alice Isn't Dead author at Northshire Saratoga

Author Joseph Fink -- one of the creators of the popular Welcome to Night Vale podcast -- will be at Northshire Saratoga December 1 to talk about his novel/podcast Alice Isn't Dead. Blurbage:

Keisha Taylor lived a quiet life with her wife, Alice, until the day that Alice disappeared. After months of searching, presuming she was dead, Keisha held a funeral, mourned, and gradually tried to get on with her life. But that was before Keisha started to see her wife, again and again, in the background of news reports from all over America. Alice isn't dead, and she is showing up at every major tragedy and accident in the country.

The Northshire event will be a conversation between Joseph Fink and AOA's Mary Darcy.

It's Saturday, December 1 at 7 pm in the bookstore at 424 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs. Space is limited, so it's a ticketed event -- $5, which is good for admission and a $5 discount on the book.

Northshire advertises on AOA.

Susan Orlean at Northshire Saratoga

Journalist Susan Orlean will be at the Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs December 4 for a talk. Tickets are $5 and available online.

Orlean will be having a conversation with Issac Pulver, director of the Saratoga Springs Public Library. And they'll be talking about the upcoming The Library Book. Book blurbage:

Susan Orlean re-opens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling homage to a beloved institution - our libraries. On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. Raging through the stacks, the fire reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. It was the largest library fire in the history of the United States: it destroyed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more, and shut the library down for seven years. The mystery remains: did someone purposefully set fire to the library--and if so, who?

Weaving her life-long love of books and reading with the fascinating history of libraries and the sometimes-eccentric characters who run them, award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Orlean presents a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling story. With her signature wit, insight, compassion and talent for deep research, she investigates the legendary Los Angeles Public Library fire to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives, and reveals how these buildings provide much more than just books and are needed now more than ever.

Orlean is, of course, the journalist behind article/books such as The Orchid Thief. She is also an avid and popular Twitterist. (Is that a word? It is now, for better or worse.)

The Northshire event is Tuesday, December 4 at 6 pm. It wouldn't be surprising if it filled up.

Northshire advertises on AOA.

photo: Noah Fecks

Talking about Visionary Women at Northshire

Andrea Barnet will be at Nortshire Saratoga June 30 to talk about her new book Visionary Women: How Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Jane Goodall and Alice Waters Changed Our World. Book blurbage:

Author Andrea Barnet will talk about four influential women we thought we knew well--Jane Jacobs, Rachel Carson, Jane Goodall, and Alice Waters--and how they spearheaded the modern progressive movement.

"Visionary Women" is the story of four women who profoundly shaped the world we live in today. Together, these women--linked not by friendship or field, but by their choice to break with convention--showed what one person speaking truth to power can do. Jane Jacobs fought for livable cities and strong communities; Rachel Carson warned us about poisoning the environment; Jane Goodall demonstrated the indelible kinship between humans and animals; and Alice Waters urged us to reconsider what and how we eat.

Visionary Women was published this past spring. Here's a largely positive review in the Washington Post. And here's Barnet talking about the book's subjects at the LA Times Book Festival in April.

The Northshire event is at the shop on Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs Saturday, June 30 at 7 pm. It's free.

Northshire advertises on AOA.

Katherine Applegate at Skidmore

Newbery Medal-winning author Katherine Applegate will be at Skidmore May 8 for an event organized by Northshire Bookstore. She'll be talking about her new book, Endling: The Last, with author Steve Sheinkin.

Book/event blurbage:

First Katherine Applegate thrilled readers with the action-packed Animorphs series. Then she stole our hearts with the award-winning The One and Only Ivan. Now she takes us on an unforgettable journey in this first book of an epic middle grade series.

Byx is the youngest member of her dairne pack. Believed to possess remarkable abilities, her mythical doglike species has been hunted to near extinction in the war-torn kingdom of Nedarra. After her pack is hunted down and killed, Byx fears she may be the last of her species. The Endling. So Byx sets out to find safe haven, and to see if the legends of other hidden dairnes are true. Along the way, she meets new allies--both animals and humans alike--who each have their own motivations for joining her quest. And although they begin as strangers, they become their own kind of family--one that will ultimately uncover a secret that may threaten every creature in their world.

Applegate won the Newbery Medal -- one of the most prestigious awards in the US children's literature -- for The One and Only Ivan in 2013.

The event at Skidmore is Tuesday, May 8 at 5:30 pm. Tickets are required ($5) and they're available online.

author photo via Katherine Applegate's Facebook page

Northshire advertises on AOA.

Charles Frazier at Northshire Saratoga, and more upcoming author events

Charles Frazier -- who won the National Book Award for Cold Mountain -- will be at the Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs April 2. Tickets are required for the limited-space event -- they're $5 and available online.

Frazier will be talking with WAMC's Joe Donahue about his new book, Varina, the second wife of Jefferson Davis. Book blubrbage: "Her marriage prospects limited, teenage Varina Howell agrees to wed the much-older widower Jefferson Davis, with whom she expects the secure life of a Mississippi landowner. Davis instead pursues a career in politics and is eventually appointed president of the Confederacy, placing Varina at the white-hot center of one of the darkest moments in American history--culpable regardless of her intentions."

The conversation is Monday, April 2 at 6 pm.

More Northshire author events
Speaking of the Northshire Bookstore, here are a few more upcoming author events...

(there's more)

Matthew Weiner at Skidmore

The creator/writer/director of Mad Men -- Matthew Weiner -- will be at Skidmore November 11. The Northshire Bookstore-organized event will be an on-stage conversation between Weiner and Yaddo president Elaina Richardson.

Weiner is touring in support of his new novel, Heather, The Totality, which is being released in early November. Weiner wrote a portion of the book at Yaddo.

In addition to Mad Men, Weiner was also a writer and producer for The Sopranos.

The event is Saturday, November 11 at 7:30 pm Palamountain Hall. Tickets are $34 for one book and one seat / $47 for two seats and one book / $30 for one seat and one book for seniors, students, active-duty military.

There's also a VIP reception that's doubling as a fundraiser for Yaddo. Tickets for that start are $75 / $125 for two.

photo: Jeff Vespa

Let Dogs Be Dogs at Northshire Saratoga

The authors of Let Dogs Be Dogs -- Brother Christopher of the Monks of New Skete and Marc Goldberg -- will be at Northshire Saratoga for a demonstration and Q&A October 8.

The monks of the monastery are famous for their German Shepherds and their dog training acumen, previously chronicled in books such as the best-selling The Art of Raising a Puppy. Blurbage for the new book, which was published this month:

America's foremost authorities on dog care and training distill decades of experience in a comprehensive "foundational" guide for dog owners. No matter what training method or techniques you use with your dog, the training is unlikely to be optimally successful unless it is predicated on an understanding of the dog's true nature. Dogs need food, water, exercise and play, rest, veterinary care--the basics. But since dogs naturally want to be led, they also need focused and compassionate guidance. Through abundant stories and case studies, the authors reveal how canine nature manifests itself in various behaviors, some potentially disruptive to domestic accord, and show how in addressing these behaviors you can strengthen the bond with your dog as well as keep the peace. The promise of this book is that, especially in an ever-accelerating world filled with digital distractions, you can learn from your dog's example how to live in the moment, thereby enriching your life immeasurably.

The event is Sunday, October 8 at 5 pm at the store in downtown Saratoga Springs.

Stay Interesting: I Don't Always Tell Stories About My Life But When I Do They're True and Amazing at Northshire Saratoga

Northshire Saratoga released a list of upcoming events for June that includes a handful of notable authors... but we have to admit this is the one that made us smile:

Jonathan Goldsmith -- formerly The Most Interesting Man in the World -- will be at the bookstore June 15 for a happy hour and talk. Goldsmith has a new memoir, Stay Interesting: I Don't Always Tell Stories About My Life But When I Do They're True and Amazing, out this summer.

The event starts at 6 pm that day with sample cocktails from High Rock Distillery and a bookstore trivia challenge. Then at 7 pm Goldsmith will tell stories from the book. Or maybe the stories will tell stories about him. He is that interesting, presumably.

Also: Maybe he'll tell the story about why he gets sighted around this area so much, at The Track or the Albany/Rensselaer train station, or wherever. Perhaps TMTMW has been in our midst the entire time.

Lindy West at Northshire Saratoga

Author Lindy West will be at Northshire Saratoga April 6 to talk about her memoir. Tickets are $5 and available online. (The ticket also gets you $5 off the book.)

It's an "Off the Shelf" event -- West will be talking with WAMC's Joe Donahue for a segment that will later air on the radio.

West is a columnist for the Guardian, and a contributor to This American Life among other media outlets. She recently got a lot of attention for a column in which she explained why she deactivated her Twitter account, criticizing the platform for allowing abuse to flourish there.

Here's blurbage about West's memoir, Shrill, which is out in paperback this week:

Coming of age in a culture that demands women be as small, quiet, and compliant as possible--like a porcelain dove that will also have sex with you--writer and humorist Lindy West quickly discovered that she was anything but. ...

With inimitable good humor, vulnerability, and boundless charm, Lindy boldly shares how to survive in a world where not all stories are created equal and not all bodies are treated with equal respect, and how to weather hatred, loneliness, harassment, and loss, and walk away laughing. Shrill provocatively dissects what it means to become self-aware the hard way, to go from wanting to be silent and invisible to earning a living defending the silenced in all caps.

The event at Northshire's store on Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs starts at 7 pm on April 6.

photo: Jenny Jimenez

Graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier will be in Saratoga Springs for a Northshire event

Best-selling, award-winning cartoonist/author Raina Telgemeier will be in Saratoga Springs for an illustrated talk and Q&A October 21. The Northshire Bookstore-organized event is at the Bethesda Episcopal Church (41 Washington Street).

Telgemeier won the 2015 Eisner Award -- it's like the Oscars of comics -- for best writer/artist for her graphic novel Sisters. Her latest work -- Ghosts -- was released earlier this month and is already a best seller. As she told NPR this month about how the book deals with the subject of death:

I think most kids -- most people probably -- have some sort of fear of death. Including myself. And the idea of making it not scary but something jovial has always appealed to me. And so in depicting the ghosts in this book, and the skeletons in this book, I wanted them to be friendly. I wanted them to feel like they were friends. And it really spoke to me. And I've been in a position in the past few years where I've dealt with a lot of loss and a lot of people exiting my life in various ways. And so it was kind of also just an opportunity for me to kind of make peace with that, I suppose.

The Saratoga Springs event is Friday, October 21 at 6 pm. Admission is $17 for one seat and one book / $22 for two seats and one book / $27 for three seats and one book.

Upcoming Northshire author events include Meg Wolitzer, Marissa Meyer

A quick scan of some of the author events Northshire Saratoga has coming up...

October 16: Jennifer Weiner
As already mentioned, Jennifer Weiner will be at Congregation Shaara Tfille in Saratoga Springs for a conversation with Elaina Richardson, president of Yaddo. Weiner has a new memoir, Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing. Sunday, October 16 at 1 pm -- $34 for 1 seat and 1 book / $44 for 2 seats and 1 book / $29 for 1 seat and 1 book for students, seniors, and active military

October 27: Meg Wolitzer
Novelist Meg Wolitzer will be at Universal Preservation Hall for a fundraiser for the venue and Yaddo. Wolitzer's many novels include The Interestings, which . (For each ticket sold, $5 will go to Yaddo and $5 to Universal Preservation Hall. The ticket will also include a $5 discount on any Meg Wolitzer book in the store.) Thursday, October 27 at 7:30 pm -- $17.50

November 11: Marissa Meyer
Marissa Meyer -- author of the Lunar Chronicles series of young adult novels -- will be at the Embassy Suites Saratoga Springs to talk about her new book, Heartless, a YA series about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. Friday, November 11 at 6 pm -- $28 for 1 seat and 1 book / $40 for 2 seats and 1 book / $48 for 3 seats and 1 book

Tickets for Northshire Saratoga Jennifer Weiner event now on sale

Here are the updated details for the Northshire event with best-selling author Jennifer Weiner in Saratoga Springs October 16: Weiner will be appearing in conversation with Elaina Richardson, president of Yaddo, at Congregation Shaara Tfille at 1 pm. There will be audience Q&A afterward and book signing.

Weiner will be in town to talk about her upcoming book Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing. Book blurbage:

You know Jennifer Weiner as many things: a bestselling author, a Twitter phenomenon, and "an unlikely feminist enforcer" (The New Yorker). She's also a mom, a daughter, and a sister; a former rower and current runner; a best friend and a reality TV junkie. Here, in her first foray into nonfiction, she takes the raw stuff of her personal life and spins it into a collection of essays on womanhood as uproariously funny and moving as the best of Tina Fey, Fran Lebowitz, and Nora Ephron. ...

No subject is off-limits in this intimate and honest essay collection: sex, weight, envy, money, her mom's late-in-life lesbianism, and her estranged father's death. From lonely adolescence to modern childbirth to hearing her six-year-old daughter's use of the f-word--fat­­--for the first time, Jennifer dives deep into the heart of female experience, with the wit and candor that have endeared her to readers all over the world.

Tickets are on sale now -- they're $34 for 1 seat and 1 copy of the book / $44 for two seats and 1 book / $29 for active military, students, and seniors for 1 seat and 1 book.

Weiner is very popular, so it wouldn't be a surprise if this event sold out.

photo: Maarten de Boer

Jennifer Weiner coming to Saratoga Springs for Northshire event

Best-selling author Jennifer Weiner will be appearing in Saratoga Springs October 16 as part an event organized by Northshire Saratoga. Tickets go on sale July 12 -- price is TBA.

Weiner will be in town to talk about her upcoming book Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing as part of an "Off the Shelf" discussion with WAMC's Joe Donahue. Book blurbage:

You know Jennifer Weiner as many things: a bestselling author, a Twitter phenomenon, and "an unlikely feminist enforcer" (The New Yorker). She's also a mom, a daughter, and a sister; a former rower and current runner; a best friend and a reality TV junkie. Here, in her first foray into nonfiction, she takes the raw stuff of her personal life and spins it into a collection of essays on womanhood as uproariously funny and moving as the best of Tina Fey, Fran Lebowitz, and Nora Ephron. ...

No subject is off-limits in this intimate and honest essay collection: sex, weight, envy, money, her mom's late-in-life lesbianism, and her estranged father's death. From lonely adolescence to modern childbirth to hearing her six-year-old daughter's use of the f-word--fat­­--for the first time, Jennifer dives deep into the heart of female experience, with the wit and candor that have endeared her to readers all over the world.

The specific location of the Saratoga Springs event hasn't been announced, yet.

Marissa Meyer
Also: It looks like Marissa Meyer -- author of The Lunar Chronicles -- will be at a Northshire Saratoga event November 11.

Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution at Northshire Saratoga

The Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs will be hosting an event with the author of a new book about Benedict Arnold on June 6.

Nathaniel Philbrick -- author of Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution -- will appear in conversation with Steve Sheinkin, author of The Notorious Benedict Arnold. Book blurbage:

Valiant Ambition is a complex, controversial, and dramatic portrait of a people in crisis and the war that gave birth to a nation. The focus is on loyalty and personal integrity, evoking a Shakespearean tragedy that unfolds in the key relationship of [George] Washington and Arnold, who is an impulsive but sympathetic hero whose misfortunes at the hands of self-serving politicians fatally destroy his faith in the legitimacy of the rebellion. As a country wary of tyrants suddenly must figure out how it should be led, Washington's unmatched ability to rise above the petty politics of his time enables him to win the war that really matters.

As you might know, Benedict Arnold played a key role in the Battles of Saratoga -- and his actions there are honored in some indirect ways.

Philbrick won a National Book Award for In the Heart of the Sea, which was adapted as film directed by Ron Howard last year. And a handful of his other works are apparently in various stages of being adapted for film and TV.

The Northshire event is Monday, June 6 at 6 pm in the store on Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs. Admission is $5 and redeemable for five bucks off the book.

Then Comes Marriage: United States v. Windsor and the Defeat of DOMA at Northshire Saratoga

Roberta Kaplan -- the attorney who argued the case before that Supreme Court that opened the way for the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages -- will be at Northshire Saratoga May 25. She'll be talking about her book Then Comes Marriage: United States v. Windsor and the Defeat of DOMA.

Book blurbage:

Renowned litigator Roberta Kaplan knew from the beginning that it was the perfect case to bring down the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer had been together as a couple, in sickness and in health, for more than forty years--enduring society's homophobia as well as Spyer's near total paralysis from multiple sclerosis. Although the couple was finally able to marry, when Spyer died the federal government refused to recognize their marriage, forcing Windsor to pay a huge estate tax bill.

In this gripping, definitive account of one of our nation's most significant civil rights victories--named a Ms. Magazine Top 10 Feminist Book of 2015 and a National Law Journal Top 10 Supreme Court Aficionado Book of 2015--Kaplan describes meeting Windsor and their journey together to defeat DOMA. She shares the behind-the-scenes highs and lows, the excitement and the worries, and provides intriguing insights into her historic argument before the Supreme Court. A critical and previously untold part of the narrative is Kaplan's own personal story, including her struggle for self-acceptance in order to create a loving family of her own.

The Windsor case also helped pave the way for the SCOTUS decision last year that same-sex couples have the right marry.

Kaplan's talk is at Wednesday, May 25 at 6 pm in Nortshire's store in downtown Saratoga Springs. It's free.

Augusten Burroughs at Skidmore

Author Augusten Burroughs will be at Skidmore April 13 for a talk about his new memoir Lust & Wonder. Northshire Bookstore is hosting the event. Tickets are on sale now -- they're are $32 (1 book / 1 seat) / $39 (1 book / 2 seats) / $29 for students, seniors, active duty military (1 seat / 1 book).

Burroughs has written many books, including the memoir Running with Scissors. Here's some blurbage on the new one:

In Lust & Wonder, Burroughs chronicles the development and demise of the different relationships he's had while living in New York, and examines what it means to be in love, what it means to be in lust, and what it means to be figuring it all out. With Augusten's unique and singular observations and his own unabashed way of detailing both the horrific and the humorous, "Lust & Wonder "is an intimate and honest memoir that his legions of fans have been waiting for.

The book is set to be released March 29.

The event at Skidmore is Wednesday, April 13 at 7 pm in Palamountain Hall's Gannett Auditorium.

photo: Christopher Schelling

"As If! A celebration of Clueless" in Saratoga

Northshire Saratoga and the Saratoga Film Forum are hosting a screening of/talk about the film Clueless January 23. Journalist Jen Chaney -- author of As If: The Oral History of Clueless as Told by Amy Heckerling and the Cast & Crew -- will be appearing via Skype for a talk and Q&A.

Blurbage:

Acclaimed pop culture journalist Jen Chaney celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the classic film's release in the first book of its kind, weaving together original interviews with writer and director Amy Heckerling; key cast members, including Alicia Silverstone (Cher), Paul Rudd (Josh), Stacey Dash (Dionne), Donald Faison (Murray), Elisa Donovan (Amber), Wallace Shawn (Mr. Hall), Twink Caplan (Ms. Geist and associate producer); ... Chaney explores the influence of Jane Austen's "Emma" as the unlikely framework for Heckerling's script, the rigorous casting process (including the future stars who didn't make the cut), the functional yet fashion-forward wardrobe, the unique slang that drew from the past and coined new phrases for the future, the sun-drenched soundtrack that set the tone, and above all the massive amount of work, creativity, and craft that went into making "Clueless" look so effortlessly bright and glossy. "As If " illuminates why plaid skirts and knee socks will never go out of style, and why "Clueless" remains one of the most beloved comedies of all time.

The event is Saturday, January 23 at 7 pm at the Saratoga Film Forum at The Arts Center (320 Broadway in Saratoga Springs). Tickets are $29 for one seat and one book / $39 for two seats and one book -- and they're on sale now.

Northshire advertises on AOA.

David McCullough at Saratoga City Center

Famed author/historian David McCullough will be at the Saratoga City Center June 2 for a talk about his new book The Wright Brothers. Tickets are $40 (one seat, one book) / $50 (two seats, one book) and on sale now.

The event is part of the Off the Shelf series organized by Northshire Bookstore and WAMC. McCullough will be talking on stage with WAMC's Joe Donahue.

Book blurbage:

In this thrilling book, master historian David McCullough draws on the immense riches of the Wright Papers, including private diaries, notebooks, scrapbooks, and more than a thousand letters from private family correspondence to tell the human side of the Wright Brothers' story, including the little-known contributions of their sister, Katharine, without whom things might well have gone differently for them.

The event at the City Center is Tuesday, June 2 at 7 pm.

Jane Smiley
Another Northshire author event coming up: Pulitzer Prize-winner Jane Smiley will be at the Saratoga Springs store June 5 for a conversation with Issac Pulver, chair of the Saratoga Springs Public Library. Tickets are $5 and redeemable for a $5 discount on Smiley's novel Early Warning.

photo: William B. McCullough

Author of H is for Hawk at Northshire

Helen Macdonald -- the author of the best-selling, award-winning H is for Hawk -- will be at Northshire Saratoga this Saturday to talk about her book.

H is for Hawk is part memoir/part biography/part natural history that follows Macdonald's effort to train a hawk following her father's sudden death. It's received very strong reviews. A clip from Vicki Constantine Croke's review in NYT:

Although "animal as emotional healer" is a familiar motif, Macdonald's journey clears its own path -- messy, muddy and raw. Early on, she drives to Scotland from her home in Cambridge to pick up a captive-bred, 10-week-old, Czech-Finnish-German goshawk she's seen online. At the first glimpse of her bird, Macdonald's "heart jumps sideways." And so does the reader's, for here is a creature worth writing about: "A reptile. A fallen angel. A griffon from the pages of an illuminated bestiary. Something bright and distant, like gold falling through water."

Last fall H is for Hawk won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction ("the UK's premier prize for non-fiction books") -- one of the judges called it "a book unlike any other."

The in-store event at Northshire Saratoga is at 7 pm on Saturday, April 11. It's free.

Drawing: Tickets for Chuck Palahniuk in Saratoga + Northshire gift certificate

Drawing's closed! Winner's been emailed!

Author Chuck Palahniuk will be at Skidmore November 1 to talk about his new book Beautiful You. The event is organized by Northshire Bookstore. And we have a prize package for the event -- 2 tickets, one copy of Beautiful You, and a $50 gift certificate to Northshire -- that's we're giving away. Maybe to you.

To enter the drawing, please answer this question in the comments:

If the Capital Region -- either the whole area, or one specific part of it -- was a novel, what would its title be?

It could be anything. Non-redeemable bonus points for fun ideas with a one-line synopsis. We'll draw one winner at random.

Palahniuk is the author of books such as Fight Club and Choke. He's described his new book as "gonzo erotica."

The event at Skidmore is at 7 pm in Palamountain Hall's Gannett Auditorium. Tickets -- which include one copy of the book -- are $35 and available online. (There's also a $25 student ticket.)

Important: All comments must be submitted by 5 pm on Friday, October 9, 2014 to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. (Normal commenting guidelines apply.) One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by 10 am on Saturday and must respond by 5 pm on Monday, October 13.

photo: Sarah Lee

This fall at Northshire includes Corrigan, Maguire, Palahniuk

A handful of Northshire Bookstore Saratoga author events for the fall that caught our eye:

September 17: John Scalzi
Award-winning sci-fi author talking about his new book Lock In. 7 pm in store - free

September 20: Maureen Corrigan
Fresh Air book critic in an "Off the Shelf" conversation with WAMC's Joe Donahue about her new book So We Read On. "With rigor, wit, and infectious enthusiasm, Corrigan inspires us to re-experience the greatness of Gatsby and cuts to the heart of why we are, as a culture, 'borne back ceaselessly' into its thrall." 7 pm in store - $28 for one book and one seat / $35 for one book and two seats

(there's more)

Hillary Clinton at Northshire Saratoga

Hillary Clinton will be at the Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs for a book signing July 29. Tickets are required for the event, and they're available now -- Northshire says there's a "limited number" of them.

Buying Clinton's new memoir, Hard Choices, gets you a ticket. Book purchases can be made in person or via phone -- there are no online sales.

Given the expected popularity of Clinton's appearances, there are number of guidelines for the event (at the link above). There will be a wristband system for entry.

The event is scheduled to start at 12:15 pm on Tuesday, July 29.

Neil Gaiman at Saratoga City Center

Award-winning author Neil Gaiman will be at the Saratoga City Center June 20 to read from, and talk about, his soon-to-be-released book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Tickets are $35 (one seat and one book) and $45 (two seats and one book).

Gaiman's appearance is being sponsored by the Northshire Bookstore and WAMC -- Gaiman will be talking with Joe Donahue for the public radio station's aptly named Book Show. The event starts at 6 pm on the 20th (a Thursday).

Gaiman's work tends toward fantasy and science fiction, and ranges from comic books (The Sandman) to novellas (Coraline) to novels (American Gods). He's won a bunch of awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and Newbery.

What about the Saratoga location for Northshire? The Vermont-based book store is aiming to have its new Saratoga Springs location at 422 Broadway open by the end of July. It's currently hiring for a range of positions, according to its website.

Gaiman photo: Allan Amato