CLICK HERE FOR OUR UPCOMING EVENTS

Our next event: Tues, Feb 7, 7PM - Adam Schwartz, author of A STRANGER ON THE PLANET, and Lucy Ferriss, author of THE LOST DAUGHTER

These writers are all appearing at Newtonville Books in the spring: Adam Schwartz, Lucy Ferriss, Hannah Pittard, Jessica Keener, Leslie Epstein, Richard Hoffman, Allegra Goodman, Myfanwy Collins, Andre Dubus III, Matthew Pearl, Eleni Gage, William Landay, Margot Livesey, Megan Mayhew Bergman, Adam Wilson, Mike Cooper, Sarah Braunstein, Audrey Schulman, and Bruce Machart. See below for details.

We're having a Used Book Sale: Buy 1, Get 1 Free

Baby and Toddler Drop-in Playgroup!

Join us Tuesdays and Saturdays from 11am-12pm for some casual socializing, stories, and play!
Children 2 and under and their caregivers are welcome. No registration required.

Our next writing workshop is Saturday, Feb 18, from 11-1. Click on the WRITING WORKSHOP banner on the right to register.

Please click on BECOME A MEMBER banner on the right to learn more about becoming a member and receiving 20% off all your purchases.

To Our Loyal Customers,

No doubt you have heard the news that after thirteen years at its present location, Newtonville Books is moving to Newton Centre in April. As you know, we host somewhere between 75 and 100 events, writing workshops, and bookclubs each year. We feel the role of the independent bookstore is to enliven its community with quality literary programming; but there is a wide swath of book lovers who can't attend our events because we're not off the subway system. For this reason, we decided to move to Newton Centre. We'll be updating you on the move in our weekly newsletter, and on our Facebook page.

A couple of items of note relating to the move: 

All gift certificates, rewards cards, memberships and store credits will be valid in the new location, too.

We will no longer be carrying used books; instead, we'll be expanding the size of our children's section in the new location.

I know the bookstore's exit from Newtonville leaves a void in the village. I can only hope something terrific goes into the space we currently occupy, especially as my family and I live in Newtonville, just a block from Walnut Street. So you'll continue to see me in and around the village. I hope to see YOU at our new location at Langley Place in Newton Centre, next to Jumbo Seafood, starting in April. (And I hope that you'll keep shopping with us in Newtonville until then!) It's our intention to keep growing the store and servicing the Newton community with a terrific selection of books and literary programming.

Mary Cotton
Owner

P.S.  We'll still be called Newtonville Books, to honor our heritage!

UPCOMING EVENTS

FEBRUARY

++Tues, Feb 7, 7PM - Adam Schwartz, author of A STRANGER ON THE PLANET, and Lucy Ferriss, author of THE LOST DAUGHTER

About A STRANGER ON THE PLANET

In the summer of 1969, twelve-year-old Seth lives with his unstable mother, Ruth, and his brother and sister in a two-bedroom apartment in New Jersey. His father lives with his new wife in a ten-room house and has no interest in Seth and his siblings. Seth is dying to escape from his mother’s craziness and suffocating love, her marriage to a man she’s known for two weeks, and his father’s cold disregard.

Over the next four decades, Seth becomes the keeper of his family’s memories and secrets. At the same time, he emotionally isolates himself from all those who love him, especially his mother. But Ruth is also Seth’s muse, and this enables him to ultimately find redemption, for both himself and his family.

About THE LOST DAUGHTER

As a teenager Brooke O'Connor made a decision that would change her life forever. It resulted in the loss of a child, the loss of her high school sweetheart and the loss of her own innocence. Years later, she's happily married with a beautiful young daughter. But when her high school boyfriend resurfaces and wants to reconnect with Brooke, she realizes that she never left the past behind at all. In fact, Brooke's present and, it seems, her future, is so firmly rooted in her past that she feels trapped by the guilt, expectations and hope that live within her in equal measure. When circumstances force Brooke to confront her past, she believes she may have found a way to heal old wounds, and perhaps, to atone for her mistakes. A complex and layered novel, THE LOST DAUGHTER, is both wrenching and captivating. Its poignant narrative illuminates the long and winding road to redemption and healing. Only an author of Ferriss' talent could offer such a richly textured, compelling and sophisticated work.

++Thu, Feb 9, 7PM - Hannah Pittard, author of THE FATES WILL FIND THEIR WAY, and Jessica Keener, author of NIGHT SWIM

About THE FATES WILL FIND THEIR WAY

Sixteen-year-old Nora Lindell is missing. And the neighborhood boys she's left behind are caught forever in the heady current of her absence.

As the days and years pile up, the mystery of her disappearance grows kaleidoscopically. A collection of rumors, divergent suspicions, and tantalizing what-ifs, Nora Lindell's story is a shadowy projection of teenage lust, friendship, reverence, and regret, captured magically in the disembodied plural voice of the boys who still long for her.

Told in haunting, percussive prose, Hannah Pittard's beautifully crafted novel tracks the emotional progress of the sister Nora left behind, the other families in their leafy suburban enclave, and the individual fates of the boys in her thrall. Far more eager to imagine Nora's fate than to scrutinize their own, the boys sleepwalk into an adulthood of jobs, marriages, families, homes, and daughters of their own, all the while pining for a girl–and a life–that no longer exists, except in the imagination.

About NIGHT SWIM

++Mon, Feb 13, 7PM - Leslie Epstein, author of LIEBESTOD: OPERA BUFFA WITH LEIB GOLDKORN, and Richard Hoffman, author of EMBLEM: POEMS

About LIEBESTOD: OPERA BUFFA WITH LEIB GOLDKORN

A multilayered masterpiece of fevered imagination and eroticism, Liebestod soars as the consummate work by one of America's greatest comic geniuses.

As hilarious as it is heartbreaking, Liebestod returns us to Leslie Epstein’s most compelling literary character, that European émigré and meagerly successful musician, Leib Goldkorn, whose final years as a randy centenarian in New York City end in one of the most memorable swan songs in recent fiction. Invited back to his hometown in Moravia, Leib discovers that his father is not a hops magnate but actually one of the twentieth century’s greatest composers, Gustav Mahler. Returning to New York with a bevy of rabbinical cousins, Leib, now besotted by a world-famed diva, is determined to bring to the Metropolitan Opera Rubezahl, the only opera his real father ever wrote. Yet the much-heralded premiere turns into a fiasco of unimaginable proportions, all breathtakingly relayed by a stunned newspaper correspondent who survives to report on this monumental disaster. With Liebestod, Epstein once again “illuminates the mystery of our common humanity and mortality” (New York Times).

About EMBLEM

If Anton Chekhov returned as a modern-day poet, Richard Hoffman would be his name. His poems reverberate with the same lucid witness and precision. Bridging histories local and cultural, they draw on literary traditions while simultaneously heralding experiment and invention. Both rooted and transcendent, Emblem is a marvelous new book. - Terrance Hayes, author of National Book Award winner, Lighthead

Richard Hoffman is a fiercely gifted poet whose stanzas revel in the infinite possibilities of language, and jolt, surprise, and satisfy at every turn. Each syllable in Emblem is stamped with the poet’s signature, a heady combination of skill, vulnerability and unerring wit. This is work to be savored and embraced. - Patricia Smith, author of National Book Award finalist, Blood Dazzler

Richard Hoffman’s Emblem is an extraordinary book. Hoffman knows poetic forms, and he handles them deftly. His poems move beyond form to inhabit the places where our human selves reside, the country of the heart, the city of the mind. I admire this poet for his verve, and I follow where he leads. - Pablo Medina, author of The Man Who Wrote on Water

Richard Hoffman earns highest praise for brilliantly resuscitating emblems, a genre that flourished from the Renaissance until the 19th century. His point of departure is Andrea Alciati’s Emblematum Liber (1531), the earliest and most important emblem book. Like Alciati, Hoffman begins each with a motto, and the range of his subjects is broad, bearing on aspects of life that seem to be, in his words, “either immutable or peculiarly contemporary.” Readers will relish them, and all of Hoffman’s poems, and return to them time and again. - Seymour Slive, Professor of Fine Arts Emeritus, Harvard University; former Director, Harvard Art Museums

++Wed, Feb 15, 7PM - Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss SWAMPLANDIA! by Karen Russell.

Russell’s lavishly imagined and spectacularly crafted first novel sprang from a story in her highly praised collection, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves (2006). Swamplandia! is a shabby tourist attraction deep in the Everglades, owned by the Bigtree clan of alligator wrestlers. When Hilola, their star performer, dies, her husband and children lose their moorings, and Swamplandia! itself is endangered as audiences dwindle. The Chief leaves. Brother Kiwi, 17, sneaks off to work at the World of Darkness, a new mainland amusement park featuring the “rings of hell.” Otherworldly sister Osceola, 16, vanishes after falling in love with the ghost of a young man who died while working for the ill-fated Dredge and Fill Campaign in the 1930s. It’s up to Ava, 13, to find her sister, and her odyssey to the Underworld is mythic, spellbinding, and terrifying. Russell’s powers reside in her profound knowledge of the great imperiled swamp, from its alligators and insects, floating orchids and invasive “strangler” melaleuca trees to the tragic history of its massacred indigenous people and wildlife. Ravishing, elegiac, funny, and brilliantly inquisitive, Russell’s archetypal swamp saga tells a mystical yet rooted tale of three innocents who come of age through trials of water, fire, and air. (Booklist)

++Thu, Feb 16, 7PM - Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss MIDDLEMARCH by George Eliot. Hosted by Allegra Goodman.

++Thu, Feb 16, 6:30 PM - Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Bookclub meets to discuss THE MAID'S DAUGHTER: LIVING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE AMERICAN DREAM by Mary Romero.

At a very young age, Olivia left her family and traditions in Mexico to live with her mother, Carmen, in one of Los Angeles’s most exclusive and nearly all-white gated communities. Based on over twenty years of research, noted scholar Mary Romero brings Olivia’s remarkable story to life. We watch as she struggles through adolescence, declares her independence and eventually goes off to college and becomes a successful professional. Much of her extraordinary story is told in Olivia’s voice and we hear of both her triumphs and her setbacks.

In The Maid’s Daughter, Mary Romero explores this complex story about belonging, identity, and resistance, illustrating Olivia’s challenge to establish her sense of identity, and the patterns of inclusion and exclusion in her life. Romero points to the hidden costs of paid domestic labor that are transferred to the families of private household workers and nannies, and shows how everyday routines are important in maintaining and assuring that various forms of privilege are passed on from one generation to another. Through Olivia’s story, Romero shows how mythologies of meritocracy, the land of opportunity, and the American dream remain firmly in place while simultaneously erasing injustices and the struggles of the working poor.

++Sat, Feb 18, 11-1: Newtonville Books Writing Workshop. Click on WRITING WORKSHOP banner on the right to sign up.

++Mon, Feb 27, 7PM - Myfanwy Collins, author of ECHOLOCATION

Cheri and Geneva grew up on “a little patch of nothing made up of dairy farms in the valleys and boarded up iron-ore mines in the mountains, a town of old folks waiting to die and young people dying to leave.” Now, Cheri has fled that life for the city, leaving Geneva behind to care for their aunt as she succumbs to cancer. Her death draws them back together, forcing them to face their past–and each other. When Cheri’s mother turns up with a strange baby and a dangerous secret close behind, the choices that follow will push all of them beyond boundaries they never thought they’d cross.

In this stunning debut novel, Myfanwy Collins lays bare the hearts of three lost women called together by their own homing instincts in a season that will change their lives–and the place they call home–forever.

++Tues, Feb 28, 7PM - Andre Dubus III, author of TOWNIE: A MEMOIR

After their parents divorced in the 1970s, Andre Dubus III and his three siblings grew up with their exhausted working mother in a depressed Massachusetts mill town saturated with drugs and everyday violence. To protect himself and those he loved, Andre started pumping iron and learned to use his fists so well that he became the kind of man who could send others to the hospital with one punch, and did. Irresistibly drawn to stand up for the underdog, he was on a fast track to getting killed—or killing someone else.

Nearby, his father, an eminent author, taught on a college campus and took the kids out on Sundays. The clash of worlds between town and gown, between the hard drinking, drugging, and fighting of “townies” and the ambitions of well-fed students debating books and ideas, couldn’t have been more stark or more difficult for a son to communicate to a father. Only by finally putting pen to paper himself did young Andre come into his own, discovering the power of empathy in channeling the stories of others—and ultimately bridging the rift between his father and himself.

++Wed, Feb 29, 7PM - Matthew Pearl, author of THE TECHNOLOGISTS, and Eleni Gage, author of OTHER WATERS

About THE TECHNOLOGISTS

Boston, 1868. The Civil War may be over but a new war has begun, one between the past and the present, tradition and technology. On a former marshy wasteland, the daring Massachusetts Institute of Technology is rising, its mission to harness science for the benefit of all and to open the doors of opportunity to everyone of merit. But in Boston Harbor a fiery cataclysm throws commerce into chaos, as ships’ instruments spin inexplicably out of control. Soon after, another mysterious catastrophe devastates the heart of the city. Is it sabotage by scientific means or Nature revolting against man’s attempt to control it?

The shocking disasters cast a pall over M.I.T. and provoke assaults from all sides—rival Harvard, labor unions, and a sensationalistic press. With their first graduation and the very survival of their groundbreaking college now in doubt, a band of the Institute’s best and brightest students secretly come together to save innocent lives and track down the truth, armed with ingenuity and their unique scientific training.

Led by “charity scholar” Marcus Mansfield, a quiet Civil War veteran and one-time machinist struggling to find his footing in rarefied Boston society, the group is rounded out by irrepressible Robert Richards, the bluest of Beacon Hill bluebloods; Edwin Hoyt, class genius; and brilliant freshman Ellen Swallow, the Institute’s lone, ostracized female student. Working against their small secret society, from within and without, are the arrayed forces of a stratified culture determined to resist change at all costs and a dark mastermind bent on the utter destruction of the city.

Studded with suspense and soaked in the rich historical atmosphere for which its author is renowned, The Technologists is a dazzling journey into a dangerous world not so very far from our own, as the America we know today begins to shimmer into being.

About OTHER WATERS

MARCH

++Thu, Mar 1, 7PM - William Landay, author of DEFENDING JACOB

++Tues, Mar 6, 7PM: Margot Livesey, author of THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY, and Megan Mayhew Bergman, author of BIRDS OF A LESSER PARADISE

About THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY:

When her widower father drowns at sea, Gemma Hardy is taken from her native Iceland to Scotland to live with her kind uncle and his family. But the death of her doting guardian leaves Gemma under the care of her resentful aunt, and it soon becomes clear that she is nothing more than an unwelcome guest at Yew House. When she receives a scholarship to a private school, ten-year-old Gemma believes she’s found the perfect solution and eagerly sets out again to a new home. However, at Claypoole she finds herself treated as an unpaid servant.

To Gemma’s delight, the school goes bankrupt, and she takes a job as an au pair on the Orkney Islands. The remote Blackbird Hall belongs to Mr. Sinclair, a London businessman; his eight-year-old niece is Gemma’s charge. Even before their first meeting, Gemma is, like everyone on the island, intrigued by Mr. Sinclair. Rich (by Gemma’s standards), single, flying in from London when he pleases, Hugh Sinclair fills the house with life. An unlikely couple, the two are drawn to each other, but Gemma’s biggest trial is about to begin: a journey of passion and betrayal, redemption and discovery, that will lead her to a life of which she’s never dreamed.

Set in Scotland and Iceland in the 1950s and ’60s, The Flight of Gemma Hardy—a captivating homage to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre—is a sweeping saga that resurrects the timeless themes of the original but is destined to become a classic all its own.

About BIRDS OF A LESSER PARADISE:

Exploring the way our choices and relationships are shaped by the menace and beauty of the natural world, Megan Mayhew Bergman’s powerful and heartwarming collection captures the surprising moments when the pull of our biology becomes evident, when love or fear collide with good sense, or when our attachment to an animal or wild place can’t be denied.

In “Housewifely Arts,” a single mother and her son drive hours to track down an African gray parrot that can mimic her deceased mother’s voice. A population-control activist faces the ultimate conflict between her loyalty to the environment and her maternal desire in “Yesterday’s Whales.” And in the title story, a lonely naturalist allows an attractive stranger to lead her and her aging father on a hunt for an elusive woodpecker.

As intelligent as they are moving, the stories in Birds of a Lesser Paradise are alive with emotion, wit, and insight into the impressive power that nature has over all of us. This extraordinary collection introduces a young writer of remarkable talent.

++Thu, Mar 8, 7PM - Adam Wilson, author of FLATSCREEN

Flatscreen tells the story of Eli Schwartz as he endures the loss of his home, the indifference of his parents, the success of his older brother, and the cruel and frequent dismissal of the opposite sex. He is a loser par excellence—pasty, soft, and high—who struggles to become a new person in a world where nothing is new.

Into this scene of apathy rolls Seymour J. Kahn. Former star of the small screen and current paraplegic sex addict, Kahn has purchased Eli’s old family home. The two begin a dangerous friendship, one that distracts from their circumstances but speeds their descent into utter debasement and, inevitably, YouTube stardom.

By story’s end, through unlikely acts of courage and kindness, roles will be reversed, reputations resurrected, and charges (hopefully) dropped. Adam Wilson writes mischief that moves the heart, and Flatscreen marks the wondrous debut of a truth-telling comic voice.

“Adam Wilson delivers rapid fire prose that is distinctively intelligent, hilarious, artful, and perverse. While never failing to entertain, Flatscreen stealthily exposes the psychic abyss that haunts every fit of laughter. A dark jewel of a book.” (Heidi Julavits, author of The Uses of Enchantment and The Effect of Living Backwards )

“Flatscreen is the sort of novel we’ve heard nobody is able to write anymore: erudite and hilarious, raunchy and topical, and flat-out fun. Nicholson Baker meets Barthleme with a dash of Nabokov….[B]uy this altogether magical book.” (Darin Strauss, author of Chang & Eng and Half a Life )

“OMFG, I nearly up and died from laughter when I read Flatscreen. This is the novel that every young turk will be reading on their way to a job they hate and are in fact too smart for.” (Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story )

“Adam Wilson is a gutsy, funny, and often beautiful writer, and Flatscreen is one of the most hilarious and commanding debuts I’ve read in a long time.” (Sam Lipsyte, author of The Ask )

“Flatscreen is a bleakly funny and totally outrageous debut from an exciting new writer. Adam Wilson has written the slacker novel to end all slacker novels.” (Tom Perrotta, author of The Leftovers )

“Adam Wilson struts into that dark destination of post-high-school misery and emerges with a story full of energy and hilarity and emotion. What a great read!” (Deb Olin Unferth, author of Vacation and Revolution)

++Sun, Mar 11, 2PM - Mike Cooper, author of CLAWBACK

++Tues, Mar 13, 7PM - Sarah Braunstein, author of THE SWEET RELIEF OF MISSING CHILDREN: A NOVEL, and Audrey Schulman, author of THREE DAYS IN DECEMBER

About THE SWEET RELIEF OF MISSING CHILDREN

Braunstein won the 2007 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award and was named as one of the National Book Foundation’s “5 under 35,” which recognizes five young fiction writers chosen by National Book Award winners and finalists. Her debut novel is an unsettling read that is also strangely compelling, though the author reserves all of her compassion for her characters, sparing none for her readers. It follows the meandering, intertwining stories of three young people who go missing. Twelve-year-old Leonora is snatched from a street corner and finds that her upbringing, which has taught her to be sweet and polite, works against her. Sixteen-year-old Paul runs away from his negligent mother and abusive stepfather only to end up drifting for years on end. Teenager Judith, looking for excitement, lands in a seedy hotel room covered in cigarette burns and sadly disabused of her adventurous spirit; even when Judith placidly settles into marriage and parenthood, her “dull, bright, busy” life has its own kind of horror. Through random encounters and elliptical dialogue, Braunstein locates the pain in these people’s lives and makes it shimmer. (Booklist)

About THREE DAYS IN DECEMBER

In 1899 Jeremy, a young engineer, leaves a small town in Maine to oversee the construction of a railroad across East Africa. In charge of hundreds of Indian laborers, he soon finds himself the reluctant hunter of two lions that are killing his men in almost nightly attacks on their camp. Plagued by fear, wracked with malaria and alienated by a secret he can tell no one, he takes increasing solace in the company of the African who helps him hunt. In 2000 Max, an American ethnobotonist, travels to Rwanda in search of an obscure vine that could become a lifesaving pharmaceutical. Stationed in the mountains, she closely shadows a family of gorillas, the last of their group to survive the encroachment of local poachers. Max bears a striking gift for understanding the ape's non-verbal communication, but their precarious solidarity is threatened as a violent rebel group from the nearby Congo draws close.

++Wed, Mar 14, 7PM - Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss THE FATES WILL FIND THEIR WAY by Hannah Pittard

Sixteen-year-old Nora Lindell is missing. And the neighborhood boys she's left behind are caught forever in the heady current of her absence.

As the days and years pile up, the mystery of her disappearance grows kaleidoscopically. A collection of rumors, divergent suspicions, and tantalizing what-ifs, Nora Lindell's story is a shadowy projection of teenage lust, friendship, reverence, and regret, captured magically in the disembodied plural voice of the boys who still long for her.

Told in haunting, percussive prose, Hannah Pittard's beautifully crafted novel tracks the emotional progress of the sister Nora left behind, the other families in their leafy suburban enclave, and the individual fates of the boys in her thrall. Far more eager to imagine Nora's fate than to scrutinize their own, the boys sleepwalk into an adulthood of jobs, marriages, families, homes, and daughters of their own, all the while pining for a girl–and a life–that no longer exists, except in the imagination.

++Thu, Mar 15, 6:30 PM - Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Bookclub meets to discuss THE SECOND TIME WE MET by Leila Cobo.

++Wed, Mar 21, 7PM - Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss REMEMBERING LAUGHTER by Wallace Stegner. Hosted by Bruce Machart.

Published in 1937, Remembering Laughter launched the Pulitzer Prize-winning Stegner's career as a novelist. The plot follows a love triangle among a farmer, his wife, and her sister, which becomes even more disastrous when the sister becomes pregnant.

A retrospective of our previous events:

2012

Thu, Jan 5, 7PM - Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss THE TIGER'S WIFE by Tea Obreht.

Wed, Jan 11, 7PM - Yale Event with Sam Forman, author of Dr. Joseph Warren: The Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill, and the Birth of American Liberty

Sun, Jan 15, 2PM - Erin Morgenstern, author of THE NIGHT CIRCUS, and Ryan Boudinot, author of BLUEPRINTS OF THE AFTERLIFE

Wed, Jan 18, 7PM - Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss THE LAST PICTURE SHOW by Larry McMurtry. Hosted by Steve Yarbrough

Thu, Jan 19, 6:30 PM - Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Bookclub meets to discuss SAY YOU'LL BE MINE by Julia Amante.

Thu, Jan 26, 7PM - LJ Cohen, author of THE BETWEEN

2011

Sun, Feb 13, 2PM: Atul Gawande, author of THE CHECKLIST MANIFESTO

Thu, Feb 17, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by Betty Smith. Hosted by Randy Susan Meyers

Thu, Feb 24, 7PM: Alice Hoffman, author of THE RED GARDEN

Sun, Feb 27, 2PM: Urban Waite, author of THE TERROR OF LIVING, and Micah Nathan, author of LOSING GRACELAND: A NOVEL

Tues, Mar 1, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND by Helen Simonson

Thu, Mar 3, 7PM: Eleanor Brown, author of THE WEIRD SISTERS, and Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of 36 ARGUMENTS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD: A WORK OF FICTION

Wed, Mar 9, 7PM: Wesley Stace, author of CHARLES JESSOLD, CONSIDERED AS A MURDERER, and Jonathan Coe, author of THE TERRIBLE PRIVACY OF MAXWELL SIM

Sun, Mar 13, 2pm: Randy Susan Meyers, author of THE MURDERER'S DAUGHTERS, and Sarah Braunstein, author of THE SWEET RELIEF OF MISSING CHILDREN: A NOVEL

Wed, Mar 16, 7PM: Sam Lipsyte, author of THE ASK, and Steve Almond, who will read his short story "Donkey Greedy, Donkey Gets Punched," from BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2010, edited by Richard Russo

Sun, Mar 20, 2PM: Adam Schwartz, author of A STRANGER ON THE PLANET, and William Lychack, author of THE ARCHITECT OF FLOWERS

Wed, Mar 23, 7PM: Steve Yarbrough, author of SAFE FROM THE NEIGHBORS, and Ron Rash, author of BURNING BRIGHT: STORIES

Thu, Mar 24, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss HOWARD'S END by E.M. Forster. Hosted by Christopher Castellani.

Tues, Mar 29, 7PM: Brad Watson, author of ALIENS IN THE PRIME OF THEIR LIVES: STORIES, and Daphne Kalotay, author of RUSSIAN WINTER

Sat, April 2, 11AM: Come celebrate Opening Day with David A. Kelly, author of THE BALLPARK MYSTERIES series, featuring the first two early chapter books in the series, THE FENWAY FOUL-UP and THE PINSTRIPE GHOST. Ages 4+ welcome.

Tues, April 5, 7PM: Massachusetts Cultural Council Event: Join recent MCC grant winners Regie Gibson, David Lovelace, Tova Mirvis, Leslie Williams, and Lara JK Wilson as they read from current work.

Sun, April 10, 2PM: Karen Day, author of A MILLION MILES FROM BOSTON. Ages 9-12 welcome.

Wed, April 13, 7PM: Monica McInerney, author of AT HOME WITH THE TEMPLETONS, and Ladette Randolph, author of A SANDHILLS BALLAD

Join us Saturday, April 16, from 2-4PM at Union Street Restaurant in Newton Centre (Subway: Green Line to Newton Centre) for a book party to celebrate the release of THE PALE KING by David Foster Wallace. Books may be purchased at 20% off up until the official publication date of April 15. Each purchase includes a free drink ticket for the event. Purchases the day of the event will be at full price, but will also include a free drink ticket. Harvard creative writing professor and author Bret Anthony Johnston will read an excerpt from THE PALE KING. Also in attendance: our favorite literary magazines. AGNI, THE NORMAL SCHOOL, POST ROAD, REDIVIDER, SALAMANDER, and a new magazine, THE COMMON, from David Foster Wallace's alma mater, Amherst College.Be sure not to miss this one-of-a-kind event to celebrate one of the most anticipated novels of the year. Co-sponsored by Grub Street.

Thu, April 21, 7PM: Elizabeth Berg, author of ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS YOU

Tues, April 26, 7PM: Emerson writing instructor Steve Himmer, author of THE BEE-LOUD GLADE, introduced by Elizabeth Searle, and Manuel Munoz, author of WHAT YOU SEE IN THE DARK, introduced by Julia Glass

Wed, April 27, 7PM: Poetry Event. Join us as we celebrate National Poetry Month with readings by Pablo Medina, author of THE MAN WHO WROTE ON WATER, William Corbett, author of THE WHALEN POEM, and Gail Mazur, author of FIGURES IN LANDSCAPE.

Thu, April 28, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro. Hosted by Brock Clarke.

Sun, May 1, 2PM - Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan

Wed, May 4, 7PM - Jenna Blum, author of THE STORMCHASERS

Tues, May 10, 7PM - Frederick Reiken, author of DAY FOR NIGHT

Tues, May 17, 7PM - Ann Hood, author of THE RED THREAD, and Robin Black, author of IF I LOVED YOU, I WOULD TELL YOU THIS

Tues, May 24, 7PM - Edith Pearlman, author of BINOCULAR VISION: NEW & COLLECTED STORIES, and Jane Roper, author of EDEN LAKE

Wed, May 25, 7PM - Holly LeCraw, author of THE SWIMMING POOL, and Sarah Gardner Borden, author of GAMES TO PLAY AFTER DARK

Thu, May 26, 7PM- Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA by Ernest Hemingway. Hosted by Amy MacKinnon.

Tues, May 31, 7PM - Katherine Ellison, author of BUZZ: A YEAR OF PAYING ATTENTION

June 1, 7PM - Belinda McKeon, author of SOLACE, and Jennifer McMahon, author of DON'T BREATHE A WORD

Sun, June 5, 2PM - Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss THE SWIMMING POOL by Holly LeCraw

Wed, June 8, 7PM - Mystery Night with Clea Simon, author of DOGS DON'T LIE, and Deborah Grabien, author of GRACELAND

Thu, June 9, 7PM - Mitchell Zuckoff, author of LOST IN SHANGRI-LA: A TRUE STORY OF SURVIVAL, ADVENTURE, AND THE MOST INCREDIBLE RESCUE MISSION OF WORLD WAR II

Mon, June 13, 7PM - Aimee Bender, author of THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE. Aimee will appear in celebration of the paperback release.

Tues, June 14, 7PM - Jim Shepard, author of YOU THINK THAT'S BAD

Tues, June 21, 7PM - David Schmahmann, author of THE DOUBLE LIFE OF ALFRED BUBER

Wed, June 29, 7PM - Stefan Merrill Block, author of THE STORM AT THE DOOR

Thu, June 30, &PM - Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss AFTER CLAUDE by Iris Owens. Hosted by Stephen McCauley.

Wed, July 6, 7PM - Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE by Aimee Bender.

Thu, July 7, 7PM - Sterling Watson, author of FIGHTING IN THE SHADE. Sterling will be introduced by Dennis Lehane.

Thu, July 14, 7PM - Lynne Griffin, author of SEA ESCAPE, and Alethea Black, author of I KNEW YOU'D BE LOVELY

Tues, July 19, 7PM - Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck. Hosted by Mary E. Mitchell.

Tues, Sept 6, 7PM - Tom Perrotta, author of THE LEFTOVERS

Wed, Sept 7, 7PM - Michael Griffith, author of TROPHY: A NOVEL, and Brock Clarke, author of EXLEY

Thu, Sept 8, 7PM - POST ROAD Managing Editor Christopher Boucher, author of HOW TO KEEP YOUR VOLKSWAGEN ALIVE

Tues, Sept 13, 7PM - Dawn Tripp, author of GAME OF SECRETS, and Joan Leegant, author of WHEREVER YOU GO

Wed, Sept 14, 7PM - Sue Miller, author of THE LAKE SHORE LIMITED, and Anna Solomon, author of THE LITTLE BRIDE

Sun, Sept 18, 2PM - Ammi-Joan Paquette, author of NOWHERE GIRL. Ages 9 & up.

Tues, Sept 20, 7PM - Sven Birkerts, author of THE OTHER WALK, and Lev Grossman, author of THE MAGICIAN KING

Wed, Sept 21, 7PM - Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss THE LAKE SHORE LIMITED by Sue Miller

Thu, Sept 22, 7PM - Stephen McCauley, author of INSIGNIFICANT OTHERS, and Leah Hager Cohen, author of THE GRIEF OF OTHERS

Tues, Sept 27, 7PM - Elizabeth Searle, author of GIRL HELD IN HOME

Sat, Oct 1, 2PM - Lit Mag Fair. Join us for a celebration of local literary magazines with the editors and readings by select contributors to AGNI, PLOUGHSHARES, POST ROAD, REDIVIDER, THE COMMON, and THE HARVARD REVIEW. Hosted by Sumanth Prabhaker, founder of Madras Press.

Tues, Oct 4, 7PM: Benjamin Markovits, author of CHILDISH LOVES, and Stuart Nadler, author of THE BOOK OF LIFE

Tues, Oct 18, 7PM: Julia Glass, author of THE WIDOWER'S TALE, and David Rowell, author of THE TRAIN OF SMALL MERCIES

Thu, Oct 20, 7PM - Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE by Robert Louis Stevenson. Hosted by Matthew Pearl.

Sun, Oct 23, 2PM - Marcella Pixley, author of WITHOUT TESS. Ages 12 & up welcome.

Tues, Oct 25, 7PM - Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss GIRL HELD IN HOME by Elizabeth Searle

Tues, Nov 1, 7PM - Steve Almond, author of GOD BLESS AMERICA: STORIES, and William Giraldi, author of BUSY MONSTERS

Wed, Nov 2, 7PM - Bruce Machart, author of MEN IN THE MAKING: STORIES, and Michael Schiavone, author of CALL ME WHEN YOU LAND

Thu, Nov 3, 7PM - Dennis Lehane, author of MOONLIGHT MILE: A KENZIE AND GENNARO NOVEL

Sat, Nov 5, 2PM - Small Press Saturday. Join us for a celebration of small press and indie publishing with the editors and readings by select contributors from McSweeney's/826, Last Light Studio, Melville House, Hanging Loose Press, Muumuu House, and Madras Press. Readings by Christopher Boucher, Mark Pawlak, and Jane Roper. Hosted by Sumanth Prabhaker, founder of Madras Press.

Sun, Nov 6, 11AM - Children's Music Event with Alastair Moock

Mon, Nov 7, 7PM - BEST WOMEN'S TRAVEL WRITING 2011 Event.

Tues, Nov 8, 7PM - Ha Jin, author of NANJING REQUIEM, and Josh Rolnick, author of PULP AND PAPER: STORIES

Thu, Nov 10, 7PM - THIS OLD HOUSE Event with Newton homeowners Bill and Gillian Pierce.

Mon, Nov 14, 7PM - Peter Orner, author of LOVE AND SHAME AND LOVE, and Gish Jen, author of WORLD AND TOWN

Tues, Nov 15, 7PM - Alice Hoffman, author of THE DOVEKEEPERS

Wed, Nov 16, 7PM - Matthew Salesses, author of THE LAST REPATRIATE

Thu, Nov 17, 7PM - Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut. Hosted by Michael Lowenthal.

Thu, Nov 17, 6:30PM - Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Bookclub meets to discuss TAMALES, COMADRES AND THE MEANING OF CIVILIZATION by Ellen Riojas Clark and Carmen Tafolla.

Thu, Dec 1, 7PM - Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss THE SECOND COMING OF MAVALA SHIKONGO by Peter Orner

Thu, Dec 8, 7PM - Judy Rosenberg, author of THE ROSIE'S BAKERY ALL-BUTTER, CREAM-FILLED, SUGAR-PACKED BAKING BOOK: OVER 300 IRRESISTIBLY DELICIOUS RECIPES

Wed, Dec 14, 7PM - Saul Wisnia, author of FENWAY PARK: THE CENTENNIAL: 100 YEARS OF RED SOX BASEBALL

Thu, Dec 15, 6:30PM - Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Bookclub meets to discuss THE TIME IN BETWEEN by Maria Duenas.

Thu, Dec 15, 7PM - BLUE CHRISTMAS Event with contributors Ann Hood, Lynne Barrett, Colin Channer, and Jon Clinch. Hosted by John Dufresne.

2010

Tues, Jan 12, 7PM: Prize-Winning Bookclub meets to discuss MARCH by Geraldine Brooks

Sat, Jan 16, 11-1PM: Newtonville Writing Workshop

Sun, Jan 17, 2PM: Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of 36 ARGUMENTS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD: A WORK OF FICTION

Tues, Jan 19, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss SAY YOU'RE ONE OF THEM by Uwem Akpan

Sun, Jan 24, 2PM: Risa Miller, author of MY BEFORE AND AFTER LIFE

Sun, Jan 24, 2PM: Middle Reader Bookclub meets to discuss INKHEART by Cornelia Funke. Ages 8-12.

Tues, Jan 26, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte. Hosted by Alice Hoffman.

Wed, Jan 27, 7PM: Joshua Ferris, author of THE UNNAMED, and Charles Bock, author of BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN

Sun, Jan 31, 2PM: Steve Yarbrough, SAFE FROM THE NEIGHBORS

Tues, Feb 23, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss the Rabbit books by John Updike, hosted by Elizabeth Searle.

Thu, Feb 25, 7PM: Atul Gawande, author of THE CHECKLIST MANIFESTO

Sun, Feb 28, 2PM: Jami Attenberg, author of THE MELTING SEASON, and Steve Almond, author of THIS WON'T TAKE BUT A MINUTE, HONEY

Sun, Feb 28, 2PM: Middle Reader Bookclub meets to discuss THE HEADLESS CUPID by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Tues, Mar 2, 7PM: Prize-Winning Bookclub meets to discuss THE LINE OF BEAUTY by Alan Hollinghurst

Tues, Mar 9, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss A RELIABLE WIFE by Robert Goolrick

Sat, Mar 13, 10:30AM: Debbie S. Miller, author of SURVIVAL AT 40 BELOW, ARCTIC NIGHTS, ARCTIC LIGHTS, THE GREAT SERUM RACE and dozens more kids' books, will read and talk about life and adventure in Alaska. Ages 5+.

Sat, Mar 20, 11-1: Newtonville Writing Workshop

Sun, Mar 21, 2PM: AGNI Magazine Event. Join the editors and selected contributors of the literary magazine AGNI to celebrate the release of the latest issue.

Tues, Mar 23, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub with Mameve Medwed. Join Mameve Medwed for a discussion on EMMA by Jane Austen. No registration required.

Thu, Mar 25, 7PM: Sheila Curran, author of EVERYONE SHE LOVED

Sun, Mar 28, 2PM: Grub Street Showcase. Hosted by Chris Castellani. Join us for a reading with current Grub Street instructors.

Thu, April 1, 7PM: Mystery Night with David Hosp, Hank Phillippi  Ryan, Paul Tremblay, and Dave Zeltserman.

Sat, Apr 3, 9:30AM: Join us for a fun morning of music with Alastair Moock.  Alastair, a Boston-area musician, will be performing songs from his newly-released children's album, A Cow Says Moock. All ages.

Tues, Apr 6, 7PM: Prize-Winning Bookclub meets to discuss HIS ILLEGAL SELF by Peter Carey.

Tues, Apr 13, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett.

Thu, Apr 15, 7PM: Pearl Abraham, author of AMERICAN TALIBAN: A NOVEL

Sat, Apr 17, 11-1: Newtonville Writing Workshop

Sun, Apr 25, 2PM: Michael White, author of BEAUTIFUL ASSASSIN, and Debra Spark, author of GOOD FOR THE JEWS

Tues, Apr 27, 7PM: Dennis Lehane, author of THE GIVEN DAY

Thu, Apr 29, 7PM: Kelly O'Connor McNees, author of THE LOST SUMMER OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT, and Randy Susan Meyers, author of THE MURDERER'S DAUGHTERS

Thu, May 6, 7PM: Robert Goolrick, author of THE RELIABLE WIFE, and Frederick Reiken, author of DAY FOR NIGHT

Tues, May 11, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss LARK & TERMITE by Jayne Anne Phillips.

Thu, May 13, 7PM: Reif Larsen, author of THE SELECTED WORKS OF T.S. SPIVET

Tues, May 18, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss MRS. DALLOWAY by Virginia Woolf. Hosted by Anita Diamant.

Sat, May 15, 11-1: Newtonville Writing Workshop

Thu, May 20, 7PM: Jennifer Belle, author of THE SEVEN YEAR BITCH, and David Goodwillie, author of AMERICAN SUBVERSIVE

Sun, May 23, 2PM: Sue Miller, author of THE LAKE SHORE LIMITED

Thu, June 3, 7PM: John Cotter, author of UNDER THE SMALL LIGHTS: A NOVELLA

Sun, June 6, 2PM: Ann Hood, author of THE RED THREAD, and Joanna Smith Rakoff, author of A FORTUNATE AGE

Tues, June 8, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss THE SELECTED WORKS OF T.S. SPIVET.

Thu, June 10, 7PM: Glen David Gold, author of SUNNYSIDE, and Jessica Shattuck, author of PERFECT LIFE

Sun, June 13, 2PM: George M. Foy, author of ZERO DECIBELS: THE QUEST FOR ABSOLUTE SILENCE

Tues, June 15, 7PM: Aimee Bender, author of THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE, and Belle Boggs, author of MATTAPONI QUEEN

Thu, June 17, 7PM: Cindy Phoel, author of COLD SNAP: BULGARIA STORIES

Sat, June 19, 11-1: Newtonville Writing Workshop

Thu, June 24, 7PM: Jennifer Egan, author of A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD, and Holly LeCraw, author of THE SWIMMING POOL

Tues, June 29, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST by Ken Kesey. Hosted by Bret Anthony Johnston.

Thu, July 8, 7PM: Iris Gomez, author of TRY TO REMEMBER

Tues, July 13, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss SUNNYSIDE by Glen David Gold.

Thu, July 15, 7PM: Joan Leegant, author of WHEREVER YOU GO  

Sun, July 18, 2PM: Mary-Beth Hughes, author of DOUBLE HAPPINESS: STORIES, and Michelle Hoover, author of THE QUICKENING

Thu, July 22, 7PM: Allegra Goodman, author of THE COOKBOOK COLLECTOR, and Jon Clinch, author of KINGS OF THE EARTH

Sun, July 25, 2PM: Lynne Griffin, author of SEA ESCAPE, and Rebecca Chace, author of LEAVING ROCK HARBOR

Tues, July 27, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss NINE STORIES by J.D. Salinger. Hosted by Julia Glass.

Tues, Aug 3, 7PM: Jonathan Tropper, author of THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU, and Ilie Ruby, author of THE LANGUAGE OF TREES

Wed, Aug 4, 7PM: Deborah Schupack, author of SYLVAN STREET, and Jacob Ritari, author of TAROKO GORGE

Tues, Aug 10, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss MRS. SOMEBODY SOMEBODY by Tracy Winn.

Thu, Aug 12, 7PM: Amy Boesky, author of WHAT WE HAVE: A FAMILY'S INSPIRING STORY ABOUT LOVE, LOSS, AND SURVIVAL

Tues, Sept 7, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU by Jonathan Tropper.

Tues, Sept 14, 7PM: Paul Harding, author of TINKERS

Thu, Sept 16, 7PM: Gary Shteyngart, author of SUPER SAD TRUE LOVE STORY, and Steve Almond, author of ROCK AND ROLL WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE

Sun, Sept 19, 2PM: Jenna Blum, author of THE STORMCHASERS, and Jessica Treadway, author of PLEASE COME BACK TO ME

Tues, Sept 21, 7PM: Jonathan Lethem, author of CHRONIC CITY

Thu, Sept 23, 7PM: Marianne Leone, author of KNOWING JESSE: A MOTHER'S STORY OF GRIEF, GRACE, AND EVERYDAY BLISS

Sun, Sept 26, 2PM: Pamela Painter, author of WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO KNOW, and Suzanna Rivecca, author of DEATH IS NOT AN OPTION: STORIES

Tues, Sept 28, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee. Hosted by Hank Phillippi Ryan.

Wed, Sept 29, 7PM: Gail Caldwell, author of LET'S TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME: A MEMOIR OF FRIENDSHIP, and Jessica Francis Kane, author of THE REPORT

Thu, Sept 30, 7PM: Anita Diamant, author of DAY AFTER NIGHT

Sat, Oct 2, 2PM: Small Press Saturday with Ampersand Books, Dzanc Books, Madras Press, Rose Metal Press, and Small Anchor Press

Tues, Oct 12, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss CHRONIC CITY by Jonathan Lethem

Thu, Oct 14, 7PM: Lily King, author of FATHER OF THE RAIN, and Tracy Winn, author of MRS. SOMEBODY SOMEBODY

Tues, Oct 19, 7PM: Readings by selected contributors (Bret Anthony Johnston, Adam Atlas) from NEW STORIES FROM THE SOUTH, hosted by volume editor, Amy Hempel

Wed, Oct 20, 7PM: Brock Clarke, author of EXLEY, and Elizabeth Searle, who will preview her new novel, GIRL HELD IN HOME, which will be published in Fall 2011 by New Rivers Press

Tues, Oct 26, 7PM: Julia Glass, author of THE WIDOWER'S TALE, and Daphne Kalotay, author of RUSSIAN WINTER

Wed, Oct 27, 7PM: Rick Moody, author of THE FOUR FINGERS OF DEATH, and Jabari Asim, author of A TASTE OF HONEY: STORIES

Thu, Oct 28, 7PM: Lan Samantha Chang, author of ALL IS FORGOTTEN, NOTHING IS LOST, and Norm Shpancer, author of THE GOOD PSYCHOLOGIST

Tues, Nov 2, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss THE GOOD SOLDIER by Ford Madox Ford. Hosted by Holly LeCraw.

Wed, Nov 3, 7PM: Barry Hannah Celebration. Join Sven Birkerts, Jennifer Haigh, Amy Hempel, Askold Melnyczuk and more for a celebration of the life and work of Barry Hannah. Hosted by Gene Kwak

Thu, Nov 4, 7PM: An evening with the literary magazine THE NORMAL SCHOOL featuring founding editor Steven Church and Adam Braver, William Giraldi, Margot Livesey, Pamela Painter, and Steve Yarbrough

Tues, Nov 9, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro

Wed, Nov 10, 7PM: Leslie Williams, author of SUCCESS OF THE SEED PLANTS

Sun, Nov 14, 2PM: Lit Mag Fair. Join the editors and contributors of AGNI, ONE STORY, PLOUGHSHARES, REDIVIDER, and SALAMANDER for a celebration of the latest issues of these literary magazines.

Tues, Nov 16, 7PM: Suzanne Berne, author of MISSING LUCILE: THE STORY OF MY FATHER'S MOTHER

Wed, Nov 17, 7PM: Daniel Tobin, author of BELATED HEAVENS

Sun, Nov 21, 2PM: Grub Street Showcase. Join us for selected readings by Grub Street instructors. Hosted by Chris Castellani.

Sun, Nov 21, 5PM: Myla Goldberg, author of THE FALSE FRIEND.

Thu, Dec 2, 7PM: Poetry Event. Mark Conway, author of DREAMING MAN, FACE DOWN, Jason Stumpf, author of A CLOUD OF WITNESSES, and Nathan Hoks, author of REVEILLES

Sun, Dec 5, 2PM: Lauren Grodstein, author of A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY, and Mary E. Mitchell, author of LOVE IN COMPLETE SENTENCES

Tues, Dec 7, 7PM: DeWitt Henry, author of SWEET DREAMS: A FAMILY HISTORY

Sun, Dec 12, 2PM: Janice Shapiro, author of BUMMER AND OTHER STORIES, and Tom Perrotta, who will reprise a story from his collection, BAD HAIRCUT: STORIES OF THE SEVENTIES

Tues, Dec 14, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY by Lauren Grodstein

2009

Sun, Feb 1, 2PM: BOSTON GLOBE film critic Ty Burr, author of THE BEST OLD MOVIES FOR FAMILIES:  A GUIDE TO WATCHING TOGETHER

Thu, Feb 5, 7PM: Gregory Xavier Robillard, author of CAPTAIN FREEDOM: A SUPERHERO'S QUEST FOR TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND THE CELEBRITY HE SO RICHLY DESERVES, and Christopher Castellani, author of THE SAINT OF LOST THINGS

Sun, Feb 8, 2PM: Mitali Perkins, author of SECRET KEEPER.  Ages 10 and up.

Thu, Feb 12, 7PM: Lewis Robinson, author of WATER DOGS, and James Boice, author of NOVA

Thu, Feb 26, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss THE MONSTERS OF TEMPLETON by Lauren Groff

Sun, Mar 1, 2PM: Sue Miller, author of THE SENATOR'S WIFE

Sun, Mar 1, 2PM: Middle Reader Bookclub meets to discuss THE CITY OF EMBER by Jeanne DuPrau. Ages 12 and up.

Mon, Mar 2, 5:30PM: 1001 Bookclub meets to discuss THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt

Thu, Mar 5, 7PM: Prize-Winning Bookclub meets to discuss THE ECHO MAKER by Richard Powers

Thu, Mar 12, 7PM: Dial Press Event with Allegra Goodman, Karl Iagnemma, and a reading from THE GIANT'S HOUSE by Elizabeth McCracken as read by Elizabeth Searle

Sun, Mar 15, 2PM: Brian Evenson, author of LAST DAYS, and Alan Lightman, author of GHOST

Thu, Mar 19, 7PM: Jayne Anne Phillips, author of LARK AND TERMITE, and Matthew Pearl, author of THE LAST DICKENS

Sun, Mar 22, 2PM: Grub Street Event. Celebrate writing and reading with Grub Street Faculty.

Thu, Mar 26, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss PEOPLE OF THE BOOK by Geraldine Brooks

Sun, Mar 29, 2PM: Lisa Genova, author of STILL ALICE

Sat, Apr 4, 11AM: Red Sox Opening Day Weekend Event with David A. Kelly, author of BABE RUTH AND THE BASEBALL CURSE. Ages 5 and up.

Sun, Apr 5, 2PM: J. Robert Lennon, author of CASTLE, and LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN head writer Bill Scheft, author of EVERYTHING HURTS

Mon, Apr 6, 5:30PM: 1001 Bookclub meets to discuss ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac

Thu, Apr 9, 7PM: Nathaniel Rich, author of THE MAYOR'S TONGUE, and Holly LeCraw, who will read a preview excerpt from her forthcoming novel, THE SWIMMING POOL

Thu, Apr 23, 7PM: TIN HOUSE Books event with Jan Elizabeth Watson, author of ASTA IN THE WINGS, Adam Braver, author of NOVEMBER 22, 1963, and a reading by Steve Almond from THE DART LEAGUE KING by Keith Lee Morris.

Sun, Apr 26, 5PM: Kathleen Kent, author of THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER, and Stacey D'Erasmo, author of THE SKY BELOW

Thu, Apr 30, 7PM: Emily Franklin, author of TOO MANY COOKS: KITCHEN ADVENTURES WITH 1 MOM, 4 KIDS, and 102 RECIPES, and Sandi Kahn Shelton, author of KISSING GAMES OF THE WORLD: A NOVEL

Sun, May 3, 2PM: Lesley MFA Event. Come celebrate writing with readings by the faculty of the Lesley MFA program including: Teresa Cader, Steven Cramer, David Elliott, and William Lychack.

Thu, May 7, 7PM: Lynne Griffin, author of LIFE WITHOUT SUMMER, and Tracy Winn, author of MRS. SOMEBODY SOMEBODY

Sun, May 31, 2PM: Alice Hoffman, author of THE STORY SISTERS

Thu, June 4, 7PM: Margot Livesey, author of THE HOUSE ON FORTUNE STREET, and Ladette Randolph, A SANDHILLS BALLAD

Sat, June 6, 2PM: Kim Ablon Whitney, author of THE OTHER HALF OF LIFE. Ages 10 and up.

Sun, June 7, 2PM: Tess Callahan, author of APRIL & OLIVER, author Josh Weil, author of THE NEW VALLEY

Sun, June 7, 2PM: Middle Reader Bookclub meets to discuss THE PUZZLING WORLD OF WINSTON BREEN by Eric Berlin. Ages 8 to 12.

Thu, June 11, 7PM: Binnie Kirshenbaum, author of THE SCENIC ROUTE, and Seth Harwood, author of JACK WAKES UP

Sun, June 14, 2PM: Charles Pierce, author if IDIOT AMERICA

Tues, June 16, 7PM: Prize-Winning Bookclub meets to discuss LATE NIGHTS ON AIR by Elizabeth Hay

Thu, June 18, 7PM: Michaele Weissman, author of GOD IN A CUP: THE OBSESSIVE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT COFFEE.  Special Brew provided by Taste Coffee House.

Tues, June 23, 7PM: AGNI Magazine Release Party. Come celebrate the release of the current issue of AGNI with its editors and selected contributors.

Thu, June 25, 7PM: Anthony Weller, author of WELLER'S WAR: A LEGENDARY FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT'S SAGA OF WORLD WAR II ON FIVE CONTINENTS, and Patrick Tracey, author of STALKING THE IRISH MADNESS: SEARCHING FOR THE ROOTS OF MY FAMILY SCHIZOPHRENIA

Sun, June 28, 2PM: Roxana Robinson, author of COST, and Joan Wickersham, author of THE SUICIDE INDEX

Tues, June 30, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss ASTA IN THE WINGS by Jan Elizabeth Watson

Thu, July 9, 7PM: Jennifer Haigh, author of THE CONDITION, and Amy Hempel, author of THE COLLECTED STORIES OF AMY HEMPEL

Sun, July 12, 2PM: Paul Yoon, author of ONCE THE SHORE, and Dave King, author of THE HA-HA

Thu, July 16, 7PM: Julia Glass, author of I SEE YOU EVERYWHERE, and Galt Niederhoffer, author of THE ROMANTICS

Sun, July 26, 2PM: Andre Dubus III, author of THE GARDEN OF LAST DAYS, and Margaret Cezair-Thompson, author of THE TRUE HISTORY OF PARADISE

Thu, July 30, 7PM: Manil Suri, author of THE AGE OF SHIVA, and Don Lee, author of WRACK & RUIN

Tues, Sept 8, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss JANE EYRE. Hosted by Margot Livesey.

Thu, Sept 10, 7PM: Anita Diamant, author of DAY AFTER NIGHT

Sun, Sept 13, 2PM: Ru Freeman, author of A DISOBEDIENT GIRL & Peter Thomson, author of SACRED SEA

Tues, Sept 15, 7PM: Prize-Winning Bookclub meets to discuss THE SEA by John Banville

Thu, Sept 17, 7PM: Jessica Shattuck, author of PERFECT LIFE, and Lucy Honig, author of WAITING FOR RESCUE

Sun, Sept 20, 2PM: Middle Reader Bookclub meets to discuss THE LIGHTNING THIEF by Rick Riordan. Ages 8-12.

Tues, Sept 22, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss THE GOOD THIEF by Hannah Tinti

Thu, Sept 24, 7PM: Lev Grossman, author of THE MAGICIANS, and Michael Dahlie, author of A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO GRACEFUL LIVING

Sun, Sept 27, 2PM: Thad Carhart, author of ACROSS THE ENDLESS  RIVER, and Jack O'Connell, author of THE RESURRECTIONIST

Tues, Sept 29, 7PM: SALAMANDER Release Party. Come celebrate the release of the current issue of SALAMANDER with its editors and selected contributors.

Thu, Oct 1, 7PM: Richard Russo, author of THAT OLD CAPE MAGIC, and Hannah Tinti, author of THE GOOD THIEF

Sun, Oct 4, 2PM: Jill McCorkle, author of GOING AWAY SHOES, and Amy MacKinnon, author of TETHERED

Tues, Oct 13, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss LUSH LIFE by Richard Price.  Hosted by Tom Perrotta.

Thu, Oct 15, 7PM: Mary E. Mitchell, author of AMERICANS IN SPACE

Sat, Oct 17, 10:30AM: David Bierdrzycki, author of ACE LACEWING.  Ages 2 and up.

Tues, Oct 20, 7PM: Prize-Winning Bookclub meets to discuss PURPLE HIBISCUS by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Sun, Oct 25, 2PM: Rawi Hage, author of COCKROACH, and Salvatore Scibona, author of THE END

Mon, Oct 26, 7PM: David Wroblewski, author of THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE

Thu, Oct 29, 7PM: Grub Street Event.  Celebrate reading and writing with the staff and instructors of Grub Street.

Sun, Nov 8, 2PM: Marilyn Chin, author of REVENGE OF THE MOONCAKE VIXEN, and Maxim D. Shrayer, author of YOM KIPPUR IN AMSTERDAM

Tues, Nov 10, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss DENIRO'S GAME by Rawi Hage. Hosted by Claire Messud.

Thu, Nov 12, 7PM: BOSTON NOIR Event.  Celebrate the publication of BOSTON NOIR, edited by Dennis Lehane, with selected contributors.

Sun, Nov 15, 2PM: Laura van den Berg, author of WHAT THE WORLD WILL LOOK LIKE WHEN ALL THE WATER LEAVES US, and Rachel Sherman, author of LIVING ROOM

Tues, Nov 17, 7PM: Prize-Winning Bookclub meets to discuss THEN WE CAME TO THE END by Joshua Ferris

Thu, Nov 19, 7PM: Kyoko Mori, author of YARN: REMEMBERING THE WAY HOME

Sat, Nov 21, 11-1: Newtonville Books Writing Workshop

Sun, Nov 22, 2PM: Ian MacKenzie, author of CITY OF STRANGERS, and Maureen Foley, author of THE BOOK OF ILLUMINATION

Tues, Nov 24, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss INDIGNATION by Philip Roth

Tues, Dec 1, 7PM: Celebrity Bookclub meets to discuss A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Michael Cunningham.  Hosted by Jennifer Haigh.

Sun, Dec 6, 2PM: Ha Jin, author of A GOOD FALL, and Richard Hoffman, author of INTERFERENCE

Tues, Dec 15, 7PM: Prize-Winning Bookclub meets to discuss THE HISTORY OF LOVE by Nicole Krauss

2008

Thurs, Feb 28, 7PM: Tony D'Souza, author of THE KONKANS

Thurs, Mar 6, 7PM: John Sedgwick, author of IN MY BLOOD: SIX GENERATIONS OF MADNESS AND DESIRE IN AN AMERICAN FAMILY, and Jaed Coffin, author of A CHANT TO SOOTHE WILD ELEPHANTS

Sun, Mar 9, 2PM: An interactive event with Harvard creative writing professor Bret Anthony Johnston, editor of NAMING THE WORLD: AND OTHER EXERCISES FOR THE CREATIVE WRITER

Thurs, Mar 13, 7PM: David McIntosh, author of THE ART OF BUSINESS

Sun, Mar 16, 7PM: Darci Klein, author of TO FULL TERM: A MOTHER'S TRIUMPH OVER MISCARRIAGE

Thurs, Mar 20, 7PM: Sven Birkerts, author of THE ART OF TIME IN MEMOIR and Askold Melnyczuk, author of THE HOUSE OF WIDOWS

Thurs, Mar 27, 7PM: Jon Clinch, author of FINN

Sat, Mar 29, 12-2PM: Soup tasting with Marjorie Drucker, owner of the New England Soup Factory and author of the NEW ENGLAND SOUP FACTORY COOKBOOK

Sun, Mar 30, 2PM: Elisa Albert, author of THE BOOK OF DAHLIA, and Eric Lerner, author of PINKERTON'S SECRET

Thurs, Apr 3, 7PM: Atul Gawande, author of BETTER: A SURGEON'S NOTES ON PERFORMANCE

Sun, Apr 6, 2PM: Ann Harleman, author of THE YEAR SHE DISAPPEARED, and Ed Hardy, author of KEEPER AND KID

Wed, Apr 9, 7PM: Alice Hoffman, author of THE THIRD ANGEL

Sun, Apr 13, 2PM: Phuli Cohan, author of THE NATURAL HORMONE MAKEOVER

Wed, Apr 16, 7PM: Elizabeth Berg, author of THE DAY I ATE WHATEVER I WANTED: AND OTHER SMALL ACTS OF LIBERATION

Sat, Apr 19, 3PM: Kate Bernheimer, author of THE GIRL IN THE CASTLE INSIDE THE MUSEUM. All ages.

Thu, Apr 24, 7PM: Keith Gessen, author of ALL THE SAD YOUNG LITERARY MEN, and Felicia Sullivan, author of THE SKY ISN'T VISIBLE HERE

Thu, May 1, 7PM: Fiona Maazel, author of LAST LAST CHANCE, and Josh Barkan, author of BLIND SPEED

Sun, May 4, 2PM: Jack O'Connell, author of THE REVISIONIST

Thu, May 8, 7PM: Michael Lowenthal, author of CHARITY GIRL, and N.S. Koenings, author of THEFT

Sun, May 11, 2PM: Chris Bohjalian, author of SKELETONS AT THE FEAST

Thu, May 15, 7PM: Ann Hood, author of COMFORT

Sun, June 8, 2PM: Karen Day, author of NO CREAM PUFFS, and Mary Jane Beaufrand, author of PRIMAVERA

Tues, June 10, 7PM: Nina deGramont, author of GOSSIP OF THE STARLINGS, and JoeAnn Hart, author of ADDLED

Thu, June 12, 7PM: Mameve Medwed, author of OF MEN AND THEIR MOTHERS, and Ed Park, author of PERSONAL DAYS

Thu, June 19, 7PM: Alison Bass, author of SIDE EFFECTS, and Michael Dahlie, author of A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO GRACEFUL LIVING

Sun, June 22, 2PM: Margot Livesey, author of THE HOUSE ON FORTUNE STREET, and DeWitt Henry, author of SAFE SUICIDE

Tues, June 24, 2PM: Middle Reader Bookclub meets to discuss THE TAIL OF EMILY WINDSNAP by Liz Kessler. Ages 7 to 12.

Tues, June 24, 7PM: Newtonville Bookclub meets to discuss LETTER FROM POINT CLEAR by Dennis McFarland

Thu, June 26, 7PM: Scott Heim, author of WE DISAPPEAR, and Francie Lin, author of THE FOREIGNER

Tues, July 1, 7PM: Prize-Winning Bookclub meets to discuss OUT STEALING HORSES by Per Petterson, winner of the IMPAC Dublin Prize for Fiction and Independent Foreign Fiction Prize

Tues, July 8, 7PM: Jennifer Haigh, author of THE CONDITION

Thu, July 10, 7PM: Ron McLarty, author of ART IN AMERICA

Sun, July 13, 2PM: Darin Strauss, author of MORE THAN IT HURTS YOU, and Salvatore Scibona, author of THE END

Thu, July 17, 7PM: Don Lee, author of WRACK AND RUIN

Sun, July 20, 3:30PM: 1001 Bookclub meets to discuss MOBY-DICK by Herman Melville. Discussion will be lead by Boston College literature professor James Wallace.

Tues, July 22, 7PM: Andre Dubus III, author of THE GARDEN OF LAST DAYS

Thu, July 24, 7PM: Elin Hilderbrand, author of A SUMMER AFFAIR, and Benjamin Taylor, author of THE BOOK OF GETTING EVEN

Sun, July 27, 2PM: Sheridan Hay, author of THE SECRET OF LOST THINGS, and Steve Almond, author of (NOT THAT YOU ASKED)

Thu, Sept 11, 7PM: Nellie Hermann, author of THE CURE FOR GRIEF, and Nicholas Dawidoff, author of THE CROWD SOUNDS HAPPY

Thu, Sept 18, 7PM: Laurie Edwards, author of LIFE DISRUPTED: GETTING REAL ABOUT CHRONIC ILLNESS IN YOUR TWENTIES AND THIRTIES, and Rosalind Jaffee, co-author of WOMEN, WORK, AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE: KEEP WORKING, GIRLFRIEND!

Sun, Sept 21, 2PM: Yael Goldstein Love, author of THE PASSION OF TASHA DARSKY, and Pagan Kennedy, author of THE DANGEROUS JOY OF DR. SEX AND OTHER TRUE STORIES

Thu, Sept 25, 7PM: Hannah Tinti, author of THE GOOD THIEF, and Amy MacKinnon, author of TETHERED

Sun, Sept 28, 2PM: PLOUGHSHARES Release Party. Come celebrate the release of the current issue of PLOUGHSHARES with its editors and selected contributors, including new Executive Director Ladette Randolph.

Thu, Oct 2, 7PM: Mystery Night with Gary Braver, author of SKIN DEEP, Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of FACE TIME, Linda Barnes, author of LIE DOWN WITH THE DEVIL, and Roberta Isleib, author of ASKING FOR MURDER

Sun, Oct 5, 2PM: Joshua Henkin, author of MATRIMONY, and Ellen Litman, author of THE LAST CHICKEN IN AMERICA

Thu, Oct 9, 7PM: SALAMANDER Release Party. Come celebrate the release of the current issue of SALAMANDER with its editors and selected contributors.

Sun, Oct 12: Newtonville Books Tenth Anniversary celebration with Anita Diamant, Alice Hoffman, Sue Miller, Tom Perrotta, Richard Russo, and Jim Shephard.

Thu, Oct 16, 7PM: Douglas Bauer, author of PRAIRIE CITY, IOWA: THREE SEASONS AT HOME, and Sophie Gee, author of THE SCANDAL OF THE SEASON

Sun, Oct 19, 2PM: Wendy Mnookin, author of THE MOON MAKES ITS OWN PLEA

Sun, Oct 26, 2PM: Alice Mattison, author of NOTHING IS QUITE FORGOTTEN IN BROOKLYN, and Leah Hager Cohen, author of HOUSE LIGHTS

Sun, Nov 2, 2PM: Adam Braver, author of NOVEMBER 22, 1963, and Jenna Blum, author of THOSE WHO SAVE US

Sun, Nov 9, 2PM: Julia Glass, author of I SEE YOU EVERYWHERE

Thu, Nov 13, 7PM: Emerson College Creative Writing Event. Come celebrate writing with readings by the faculty of the Emerson College creative writing department: Daniel Tobin, author of SECOND THINGS, and Lise Haines, author of SMALL ACTS OF SEX AND ELECTRICITY

Sat, Nov 15, 2PM: Emily Franklin, author of AT FACE VALUE, and Brendan Halpin, author of FOREVER CHANGES. Ages 21 and up.

Thu, Nov 20, 7PM: Rick Moody, author of RIGHT LIVELIHOODS, and Wesley Stace, author of BY GEORGE. Moody and Stace will read and then sing together as Authros, doing covers of old and obscure pre-modern popular music in two-part harmony.

Sun, Nov 23, 2PM: UMASS-Boston Creative Writing Event. Come celebrate writing with readings by the faculty of the UMASS-Boston creative writing department.

Thu, Dec 4, 7PM: AGNI Magazine Release Party. Come celebrate the release of the current issue of AGNI with its editors and selected contributors.

2007

Tues, Feb 20, 7:30PM – Daniel Alarcon, author of LOST CITY RADIO

Sun, Mar 4, 3-5PM – Grand re-opening reception.

Wed, Mar 7, 7:30PM – Jodi Picoult, author of NINETEEN MINUTES.  Karoun Restaurant.

Thurs, Mar 8, 7:30PM – Jill A. Davis, author of ASK AGAIN LATER

Thurs, June 21, 7:30PM – Amy Hassinger, author of THE PRIEST’S MADONNA

Tues, June 26, 7:30PM – Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of PRIME TIME, and Jan Brogan, author of YESTERDAY’S FATAL

Tues, July 10, 7:30PM – Amanda Eyre Ward, author of FORGIVE ME, and Leah Hager Cohen, author of HOUSE LIGHTS

Fri, July 20, 9PM-midnight:  Harry Potter party at the New Art Center.  There will be a screening of a Harry Potter movie, along with Potter-themed music, activities, trivia, snacks, and drinks, and more.

Tues, Sept 11, 7PM – Jill Bialosky, author of THE LIFE ROOM, and Heidi Pitlor, author of THE BIRTHDAYS

Thurs, Sept 20, 7PM – Wesley Stace, author of BY GEORGE

Thurs, Sept 27, 7PM – Ellen Litman, author of THE LAST CHICKEN IN AMERICA.  Co-sponsored by Grub Street.

Sun, Sept 30, 2PM – Jennifer Block, author of PUSHED: THE PAINFUL TRUTH ABOUT CHILDBIRTH AND MODERN MATERNITY CARE

Tues, Oct 2, 7PM – Brock Clarke, author of THE ARSONIST’S GUIDE TO WRITERS’ HOMES IN NEW ENGLAND

Sat, Oct 6, 2PM – Eric Berlin, author of THE PUZZLING WORLD OF WINSTON BREEN.  Interactive event for ages 8-13.

Thurs, Oct 11, 7PM – Rachel Kadish, author of TOLSTOY LIED

Sat, Oct 20, 11AM – Laurie Keller, author of THE SCRAMBLED STATES OF AMERICA, will read from her new picture book, DO UNTO OTTERS.  Related activities will follow the reading.  Ages 4-8.

Thurs, Oct 25, 7PM – Steve Almond, author of (NOT THAT YOU ASKED), and Margo Rabb, author of CURES FOR HEARTBREAK

Tues, Nov 6, 7PM – Michael Knight, author of THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Tues, Nov 13, 7PM – Tom Perrotta, author of THE ABSTINENCE TEACHER.  Union
Street Bar & Grill.

Tues, Nov 27, 7PM – Emily Franklin, Steve Almond, Mameve Medwed, and Josh Neuman read from HOW TO SPELL CHANUKAH: 18 WRITERS ON 8 NIGHTS OF LIGHTS, edited by Emily Franklin.  Union Street Bar & Grill.

Sun, Dec 2, 2PM – Lynne Reeve Griffin, author of NEGOTIATION GENERATION: TAKE BACK YOUR PARENTAL AUTHORITY WITHOUT PUNISHMENT

Thurs, Dec 6, 7PM – Laura Pappano, co-author of PLAYING WITH THE BOYS: WHY SEPARATE IS NOT EQUAL IN SPORTS

Sun, Dec 9, 1-3PM – Bookstore reception.  Please join us for eats and drink as we celebrate all that’s new at Newtonville Books.

Thurs, Dec 11, 7PM – A special celebration of the tenth anniversary edition of THE RED TENT by with Anita Diamant and Judy Bolton-Fasman

Thurs, Dec 13, 7PM – David McIntosh, co-author of THE ART OF BUSINESS

Sun, Dec 16, 7PM – Join us for a half-hour screening of THE COLDEST WINTER by David Halberstam, on Out-of-the-Book production in association with Powell’s Books

Tues, Dec 18, 7PM – Poetry Night with Richard Hoffman, author of GOLD STAR ROAD, and Afaa Weaver, author of THE PLUM FLOWER DANCE

Thurs, Dec 20, 7PM – Mystery Night with Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of FACE TIME, Katherine Hall Page, author of THE BODY IN THE IVY, and Robert Isleib, author of PREACHING TO THE CORPSE

296 Walnut St. - Newtonville, MA - 02460