mostly nonfiction and bakersfield news | August 24th, 2009
Explore Cavernous Possibilities Of Love In Cheryl Klein Novel ‘Lilac Mines’
Three love stories told over three generations. “Lilac Mines” by Cheryl Klein with its city and mountain settings and hints of ancestral ghosts is the kind of sweeping tale you expect from James Michener. Only in this case, Klein’s book is about women, women’s issues and queer issues.
Some readers might think they’re going to be [...]
Bako Book Tour Commentary: Random Obsessions, Strange Stories
For a writer at least partial insanity is a prerequisite. I think.
Anyway, the “Random Obsessions Book Tour” is like no other. At many of the stops there’s going to be weird stories and strange performances. The Bay Area tour in October is slated just for the spooky side of “big fish” tales. And I’m even [...]
Tale Of A Crook: Discovery At NY Library Becomes Reading Gem For Crime Lovers
Bob Moore’s new book may be the strangest memoir you ever read. And it wasn’t even written recently. Try the Prohibition era. It had been lost to obscurity until a rather irreverent publisher discovered one of the five remaining copies in a New York Library.
A despicable character, Bob Moore drank, stole from women, and would [...]
Elvis, Author, Crochet Rock Stars To Make Library Reading Program Appearances
Elvis may have left the building. But he’s coming back. So are some crochet rock stars and a mystery author.
It’s Saturday and you’re looking for something to do before you hit the scene for a night of excitement. Look no further. At 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays, the Beale Memorial Library Auditorium features an adult library [...]
Finally, First Local Author Book Fair To Be Held
Look no further as the Beale Memorial Library is proud to announce they will be bringing local authors together for the first inaugural book fair on Saturday, May 23 from 1 – 5 p.m.
Bakersfield area book fairs are usually a rare sight to behold, unless you count all the bookish events held at elementary schools. [...]
‘River Rock’ Melds Nature, Culture, In A Valley Of Writers
Poet Tim Z. Hernandez is quiet as he walks across the crunching gravel. He’s on a path that winds through a small complex of buildings and plant life near a more than 100-year-old restored home. Close by is a painstakingly built birdhouse for the local wildlife. Not far from where he walks, a riparian landscape of brush, trees, and [...]
INTERVIEW: ‘Persian Girls’ Reads Like Great Fiction
By Jessica Anya Blau
“Persian Girls: A Memoir” by Nahid Rachlin reads like the best fiction. There is so much suspense in this story, that I frequently found myself flipping to Nahid’s biography in the back of the book to remind myself that she survived it all and is now safely ensconced in the multi-cultural nest of New [...]
Beatrix Potter Conference Coming To Fresno State
If you didn’t know, there’s a huge center at Fresno State designed for the study of children’s literature that houses more than 50,000 books. It’s only fitting they’re hosting the Beatrix Potter Conference on April 17-19 and a related Secret Garden Party.
British author Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) is known for “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” and [...]
Pansy Division’s Jon Ginoli To Sign Books At Barnes & Noble
Get excited because punk rocker Jon Ginoli is hitting Bakersfield on March 24 at Barnes & Noble to sign his new memoir, “Pansy Division.”
Punk Rock has its brands and offshoots. There are areas that branch into country music, reggae and into the gay music scene (queercore). Ginoli’s new book “Deflowered” dicusses the queercore scene from [...]
Boys Ga-Ga About It, But ‘Sisters 8′ Is All Girls
According to the three creators of “The Sisters 8,” theirs is the only children’s book series created by an entire family. And boys are ga-ga over it.
Written by Lauren Baratz-Logsted, with husband Greg Logsted and daughter Jackie Logsted, “The Sisters 8″ is a magical collection of tales about eight sisters with eight cats, eight gifts, [...]
