All posts by trav

At the heart of it all, I’m a fan. A fan of books and bookstores. A fan of fiction and non-fiction. A fan of authors and publishers. And most of all I’m a fan of great conversations sparked by books. All that to say - I really need more bookshelves.
Alabama, Birmingham, Book Talk, Events, Hoover, library

Southern Voices 2016

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Tickets for Southern Voices 2016 go on sale Friday, January 8th. The line-up for the February 26-27, 2016 conference looks solid and will be held at the Hoover Library again this year,

SouthernVoices_LarsonThe big draw this year is Erik Larson who has written seven books and is best known for Devil in the White City, In the Garden of Beasts and the amazing best-selling book Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. Dead Wake topped many bookstores’ “Best Books” lists. For $35, you can join Larson and others for a reception on Friday, February 26th.

The Authors Conference kicks off the next day on Saturday, February 27th and will cost you $40 to get in the door for the day. The Saturday Authors Conference runs from 9a.m.-5p.m. During the day you’ll get to hear writing advice and stories from such notable authors as Natalie Baszile, Beth Ann Fennelly and Tom Franklin. Plus, Craig Johnson, Jamie Mason, Laura Lane McNeal and Mark Pryor. It’s a great mix of serious, fun and thriller books.

I have to admit that I was bummed when I saw that this year’s musical guest had to cancel. It’s a shame. She’s great. If you haven’t heard of Kellylee Evans before, you need to watch this video:

How catchy is that? You should also check out her Ordinary People. She has this jazzy blues 60’s pop groove that’s addictive. Maybe Kellylee Evans make it to Birmingham or Hoover someday.

So at 9 a.m. this Friday you can click through to the official site and buy online (the BUY NOW buttons are over in the right sidebar) or you can call  (205) 444-7888. Good luck! Tickets to past Southern Voices events have gone fast.

 

Book Reviews, Book Talk

What I Read in 2015

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Well, another year is in the bag. My year finished fast and great. I hope yours did too. Right around the end of the summer life put its foot on the gas and it took off with a roar, but thanks to the folks at work, my family and some wonderful book finds, I’m feeling good heading into 2016.

I just wanted to share a few highlights and recommended reads. If you get the chance, please share something you read this year that you think I’d enjoy. I’m always looking out for something new-to-me.

First, the digits: 15, 265 pages in 55 books. Thanks to the cool folks at LibraryThing.com I know that:

  • if laid end-to-end, these pages stretch 0.0003% of the distance to the moon.
  • I would need 3.1 U-Haul boxes to pack these books;
  • I would need 2.17 IKEA Billy bookcases to store them;
  • and, the value of their weight in gold is currently $203,351,975.

Also, if stacked on top of each other (end-to-end) then my 2015 list would be taller than Stonehenge.

Stonehenge

That’s a pretty good year for me.

I also track where I “first heard of a book”. I’ve been doing this for a couple of years and it’s the first time that “Podcasts” came in at #1. “From Friends” dropped to #3 and “Blogs” is #2. I think this means I need to get out more.

I was also a very “current reader” as (when averaged) most of my books were only 2 years old when I read them. This is something I’m going to change in 2016.

Without a doubt the best book I read this year was Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy. It impacted me more than anything else I read and it is the book I most recommended last year.

Best Fiction
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey
Fates and Furies: A Novel by Lauren Groff

Best Non-Fiction
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Evenings at Five by Gail Godwin
The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel

Anyway, please share any 2015 finds you had. And most importantly – Happy New Year to you and yours!

Bookstore Travels, Bookstores, News

Capitol Book & News is CLOSING

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If you’re near Montgomery, AL, in the next couple of days, it would be worth your while to swing by Capitol Book & News as they are closing this month. For good.

This little indie bookstore is the last in Montgomery. It’s been in business for 65 years. I didn’t realize it has not always been in its current location in Old Cloverdale. But according to the Montgomery Advertiser is used to be owned by someone else and located downtown. Downtown shops are fun, but man Old Cloverdale is one of the more idyllic spots for an indie shop.

Capitol Book reminds me of some of the great little book shops over in Savannah, GA that are so fun to walk around and visit.

So take a peek at the Advertiser article. I echo the owners’ hopes that someone else will step in and open an indie bookshop in Montgomery. The city would be better for it.

Book Column, Book Talk, Events, Recommendations

National Science Fiction Day 2016

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So yesterday was National Science Fiction Day for 2016. It’s not exactly a major holiday… yet… but it’s fun to celebrate nonetheless. An hey – if enough blog posts start mentioning it and the right publishers get behind it we could have us a real holiday one day. Though January 2nd would be a tough sell I have to admit. It’s just a little too close to the Christmas & New Year’s Eve to be of any fun.

But it’s the day that the grand poobah of the galaxy Isaac Asimov was born back in 1920. So it’s probably as good of a day as any to celebrate science fiction writing.

So in honor of Asimov’s awesome encyclopedic legacy, I’d like to share my three favorite science fiction books I read last year. I have to admit that it’s getting harder to figure out what is “science fiction” these days. So many books have elements of the future, time travel, dragons, etc. that science fiction is teetering on becoming mainstream. But that’s a post for another day.

If you’re looking for a good sci-fi read to kick off 2016, then check these out:

TimeSalvagerTime Salvager by Wesley Chu – I thought this book was great fun. It does fall in the time travel category. It has a couple of common sense and unique solutions for dealing with many of the common issues with time travel, which I thought clever. Also, it’s the first in a series so it’s a great time to jump on board.

 

 

BoneClocksThe Bone Clocks by David Mitchell – I finally got around to reading this and so glad I did. While I’m not one for “psychic powers” stuff, the writing is incredible and the way Mitchell loops everything together is almost a superpower. It’s a big book. So if you want to dip your toes then I’d recommend reading Slade House. It’s set in the Bone Clocks universe, but no necessarily a sequel. I think you’ll enjoy Slade House more if you read it second, but no harm in using it as an appetizer to see if it’s for you.

SevenevesSeveneves by Neal Stephensen – this book might very well be the most epic science fiction book I’ve ever read. It is Asimov-like in scope and skill. So very good. There definitely falls in the hard sci-fi column. So expect pages of scientists and engineers debating orbits, trajectories, etc. but you can skim that stuff if your eyes start to gloss over. The story is huge. It tracks humanity thousands of years into the future after the Earth is made uninhabitable.

That’s it! I am a huge fan of science fiction and speculative fiction. So please let me know of any fantastic reads that you’ve found. I’ll add them to my list.

Happy belated National Science Fiction Day!