Category Archives: Birmingham

The Localist – Birmingham Book Launch

Mark your calendars for this Saturday (November 29th) for the book launch of local author and business owner Carrie Rollwagen’s newest project The Localist: Think Independent, Buy Local and Reclaim the American Dream. Things kick off at 10 a.m. at Church Street Coffee & Books.

The Localist is a book that is near and dear to just about everything Rollwagen espouses. It’s a book. It’s local. It’s a way of life. I have yet to get my hands on a copy, but the premise sounds like the kind of book that inspires people to be aware of what is going on around them and could even save our sense of community.

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Part memoir and part “how-to” guide for shopping local, readers will:

. . . follow Carrie on her localist adventure as she embraces slow food, small business, the locavore movement, and many quirky indie shopkeepers and unique independent shops along the way.

The Localist promises to not be anti-big-box store, just very very pro-local-indie shop, while offering tips on how to save money buying local and how to interact with the community. It’s a theme Rollwagen (@crollwagen) weaves into her writing whenever pen is put to paper or she sits at a keyboard. She blogs about buying local Alabama goods, she blogs at her local shop and she blogs about her writing.

If you’re not sold yet, then take a moment and read through a couple of excerpts:

So check out The Localist event at Church Street Coffee & Books this Saturday at 10 a.m. There are also more upcoming events listed if you’d like to meet Carrie and check out the book some other time. I have no doubts this book is worth reading no matter where you live or where you shop.

National Readathon Day 2015

Penguin Random House has joined forces with a few other companies to found the National Readathon Day event. Mark your calendar for January 25, 2015, if you’d like to participate. The hashtag is #timetoread.

The event is a fundraiser with aims to raise money to combat illiteracy as well as shine a spotlight on the fact that younger folks are turning away from books. You can click through and get more details on how to participate and even info on how to set up your own reading party for the National Readathon Day.

But even if you don’t get to participate, if you are reading these words, I would like to encourage you to volunteer at an adult literacy program in your area. Somehow I’m always surprised when reading the stats on literacy in America. The National Readathon page states that:

  • 40% of American adults are at or below basic reading levels
  • 14% of American adults are completely illiterate

Literacy_CouncilHere in Birmingham, AL you can check out the Literacy Council over on 2nd Avenue North. They do a really good job and offer training classes for tutors and volunteers. The schedules are good too. There is a small cost involved for materials so make sure you read up on everything.

Moss Rock Festival

Today is the last day of the Moss Rock Festival here in Birmingham. It starts at 10 a.m. and wraps at 4 p.m. Yesterday was windy and chilly, but lots of fun. The festival has grown quite a bit in the past couple of years. I scouted it out and found a few booths with books. Check them out if you’re walking around today there are some pretty fun books to be had.

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The Hoover Library – they have a great booth with two tables set up crammed with used books. Hardbacks are going for $2 and paperbacks for $.50.

Five Star Trails: Birminghamauthor Tom Spencer will be signing at the Fresh Air Family booth (blue tent, in the kids craft section on the green) today.This hiking guide is the newest outdoor book to the Birmingham area and is published by local publisher Menasha Ridge Press (disclosure: this is one of the imprints I work for). Spencer did all of the research and writing and it is so well done. Check it out!

Birmingham Home and Garden – the magazine folks were there and they had a large beautiful almost-coffee-table-sized book on home decorating. Pretty snazzy looking.

Birmingham Magazine – if you swing by you can get a free magazine, but they also had four books on the South. Mostly Southern photo and photo-essay. I asked and they seemed to be for sale only if you get a subscription, but stop by if you’re interested and see if you get a different answer.

Let me know if I missed anything as I plan on going back to the Moss Rock Festival again today. Hope you all can make it as well. If you can survive the parking madness, it’s really worth it.

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Find Free Books in Birmingham

Books are great, but FREE books get a whole different section on the Awesome Meter. Fortunately, book people are high on the Awesome Meter themselves – want proof?

Just check out these three places around Birmingham where readers can find free books all stocked by folks who understand the value of books and the joy of reading.

Crestwood Coffee Company

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As soon as you walk into the Crestwood Coffee Company you will see the books lining the wall to the right of you. The selection is a good one for a “take one and leave one” kind of a set up. Lots of big names and hardbacks. Certainly worth checking out. The book conditions run the gamut from bent covers to brand new with stickers still on them. It’s a great place to find free books (and the coffee is tasty too).

Little Free Library Avondale

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The Little Free Library movement is a great one. Boxes and birdhouses of books are cropping up all over the country. This one is found in a street-side courtyard at the Methodist Church in Avondale. I have no idea who maintains this or how often the stock is updated. When I stopped by it was all paperbacks with a mix of fiction and poetry. All the books were in the condition you’d think they’d be if left in a box outside.

Literacy Council Book Cart

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This cart is maintained by the folks of the Alabama Literacy Council. It is rolled outside almost every day, and it’s always worth checking out. You have to stop by early though as the cart of free books sits in the middle of the loft district. So every dog walker and jogger has a chance to pick through the offerings. Please note: the LC offices and cart are temporarily on 2nd Ave. North after a fire damaged their building on 1st Ave. North. I’m not sure when they’ll move back.

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What am I missing? Are there other good spots around Birmingham for picking up free books? Let me know… of course… I wouldn’t blame you one bit of you wanted to keep your find a secret.