Watermark Books and Cafe

September 1, 2011

In this issue:
News and Notes Worthy.
Upcoming Events.
Book of the Week.
Watermark Winner.
First line(s)...
Watermark Bestsellers.
"Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor, review by Wendy Ward.
"An Emergency in Slow Motion" by William Todd Schultz, review by Bruce Jacobs.
“rode” by Thomas Fox Averill, review by Sarah Bagby.

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It's September! My grandmother used to tell me that I could only walk barefoot outside if the month didn't have an "r" in it. Now I tell my kids the same thing. But these days it's for fear of 1st degree burns.

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Do you remember this past spring when our own Rebekah Rine directed "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Well the play has received 4 (*four*) nominations for the Mary Jane Teall Theatre Awards, including Lead Female in a Drama (Jessica Callison-Fisher: Martha), Lead Male in a Drama (Bryan Welsby: George), Outstanding City Wide Drama, and Director: Rebekah Rine! The awards ceremony will take place on Monday, September 26th at Cabaret Oldtown. Find out more here: http://www.maryjaneteall.org/Mary_Jane_Teall/Home.html. Congratulations!

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A new book was released today by the Penguin group: "Just My Type" by Simon Garfield, a hugely entertaining and revealing guide about the history of type. Each Penguin rep picked a few bookstores for Simon to “analyze,” based on the type face of their logo, and our rep chose Watermark! Here's what the author had to say about the font-choice of our logo:

"Nice to see a bit of very British Gill Sans in this corner of Kansas. Sometimes the font can appear a bit cold and stark, but it works here. It says ‘tradition’ and ‘moderation’ and ‘good judgement.’"

For more information about "Just My Type," check here: http://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9781592406524

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Upcoming events...

Saturday, September 10, 7:00 p.m. Dr. Schuyler Jones, CBE, reading and signing of "A Stranger Abroad".

Join us at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum as Dr. Schuyler Jones, CBE, gives a farewell reading and signing for his memoir, "A Stranger Abroad." We are taking reservations for a special slip-cased limited numbered edition. Call Watermark at 682-1181 to reserve yours.

Thursday, September 15, 7:00 p.m. Thomas Fox Averill reading and signing of "Rode".

When Thomas Fox Averill first heard Jimmy Driftwood’s ballad “Tennessee Stud,” he found the song hauntingly compelling. As he began to imagine the story behind the lyrics, he set out to research the song’s history—a tale from “along about eighteen and twenty-five” of the legendary exploits of the greatest horse that ever lived, the “Tennessee Stud,” and his owner.

Traveling the same route the song chronicles, from Tennessee into Arkansas, through Texas and into Mexico, Averill visited racetracks, Spanish missions, historical museums, a living history farm, and national parks, inventing characters of his own along the way. His novel captures the spirit of the ballad while telling the story of Robert Johnson, a man who holds love in his heart though adventure rules his time. Pursued by a bounty hunter, Indians, and his conscience, Johnson and his horse are tested, strengthened, and made resolute.

Thomas Fox Averill, a graduate of the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop, is professor of English and writer-in-residence at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. An O. Henry Award winner, he is the author of several books, including Secrets of the Tsil Café, available in paperback from UNM Press in spring 2012.

Saturday, September 17, 10:00 a.m. Daniel Jennewein reading and signing of "Teach Your Buffalo to Play Drums."

Children's illustrator Daniel Jennewein will read from "Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?" and "Teach Your Buffalo to Play Drums," both hilarious and encouraging stories for kids about facing their fears with good humor.

Jennewein lives in Frankfurt, Germany with his wife, Lenore.

Monday, September 19, 6:00 p.m. Cinda Williams Chima reading and signing of "The Gray Wolf Throne."

"The Gray Wolf Throne" is the third of four books in The Seven Realms Series. It will go on sale Aug. 30, 2011.

Han Allister thought he had already lost everyone he loved. But when he finds his friend Rebecca Morley near death in the Spirit Mountains, Han knows that nothing matters more than saving her. The costs of his efforts are steep, but nothing can prepare him for what he soon discovers: the beautiful, mysterious girl he knew as Rebecca is none other than Raisa ana'Marianna, heir to the queendom of the Fells. Han is hurt and betrayed. He knows he has no future with a blueblood. And as far as he's concerned, the princess's family as good as killed his own mother and sister. But if Han is to fulfill his end of an old bargain, he must do everything in his power to see Raisa crowned queen.

Meanwhile, some people will stop at nothing to prevent Raisa from ascending. With each attempt on her life, she wonders how long it will be before her enemies succeed. Her heart tells her that the theif-turned-wizard Han Allister can be trusted. She wants to believe it - he's saved her life more than once. But with danger coming at her from every direction, Raisa can only rely on her wits and her iron-hard will to survive - and even they might not be enough.

"The Gray Wolf Throne" is an epic tale of fierce loyalty, unbearable sacrifice, and the heartless hands of fate.

Monday, September 26, 7:00 p.m. Scott Phillips reading and signing of "The Adjustment".

Against the background violence committed by the returning soldiers trying to make an adjustment back into civilian life, Wayne Ogden attempts to destroy his former mentor and take down Collins Aircraft--the once fabled company that provided planes to Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, and Wiley Post.

Scott Phillips is the author of "The Ice Harvest," "The Walkaway," and "Cottonwood." He was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, and lived for many years in France. He now lives with his wife and daughter in St. Louis, Missouri.

Wednesday, September 28, 7:00 p.m. Jon Scieszka reading and signing of the "SPHDZ" series.

Jon Scieszka is the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, named by the Library of Congress. He is the author of some of the best known and funniest books written for children including "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs," "The Time Warp Trio" series and the Caldecott Honor Book "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Fairy Tales." He is also the creator of the "Trucktown" series. Jon is a former elementary school teacher and an avid promoter of literacy—particularly for boys. His website www.guysread.com focuses on his national campaign to get boys reading. Jon lives with his family in Brooklyn, NY.

Thursday, September 29, 7:00 p.m. Candice Millard reading and signing of "Destiny of the Republic" at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum (204 S. Main).

James A. Garfield may have been the most extraordinary man ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, and a renowned and admired reformist congressman. Nominated for president against his will, he engaged in a fierce battle with the corrupt political establishment. But four months after his inauguration, a deranged office seeker tracked Garfield down and shot him in the back.

But the shot didn’t kill Garfield. The drama of what hap­pened subsequently is a powerful story of a nation in tur­moil. The unhinged assassin’s half-delivered strike shattered the fragile national mood of a country so recently fractured by civil war, and left the wounded president as the object of a bitter behind-the-scenes struggle for power—over his administration, over the nation’s future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care. A team of physicians administered shockingly archaic treatments, to disastrous effect. As his con­dition worsened, Garfield received help: Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, worked around the clock to invent a new device capable of finding the bullet.

Meticulously researched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, "The Destiny of the Republic" will stand alongside "The Devil in the White City" and "The Professor and the Madman" as a classic of narrative history.

Other author visits on the horizon include Donia Bijan, Robert Morgan, Deborah Niemann-Boehle, and Tony Horwitz. Stay tuned here or visit our website here:http://www.watermarkbooks.com/

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The Book of the Week is "The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb: A Novel" by Melanie Benjamin (Delacorte Press, ISBN 9780385344159, originally $25.00)

She was only two-foot eight-inches tall, but her legend reaches out to us more than a century later. As a child, Mercy Lavinia “Vinnie” Bump was encouraged to live a life hidden away from the public. Instead, she reached out to the immortal impresario P. T. Barnum, married the tiny superstar General Tom Thumb in the wedding of the century, and transformed into the world’s most unexpected celebrity.

Here, in Vinnie’s singular and spirited voice, is her amazing adventure—from a showboat “freak” revue where she endured jeering mobs to her fateful meeting with the two men who would change her life: P. T. Barnum and Charles Stratton, AKA Tom Thumb. Their wedding would captivate the nation, preempt coverage of the Civil War, and usher them into the White House and the company of presidents and queens. But Vinnie’s fame would also endanger the person she prized most: her similarly-sized sister, Minnie, a gentle soul unable to escape the glare of Vinnie’s spotlight.

A barnstorming novel of the Gilded Age, and of a woman’s public triumphs and personal tragedies, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb is the irresistible epic of a heroine who conquered the country with a heart as big as her dreams—and whose story will surely win over yours.

Shop online or in the store, this week "The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb" is 30% off.

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This week's winner of a free lunch from Watermark Café is Tom Angelo of Wichita. Thanks for signing up for News & Notes.

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First line(s)...

"Laurie Garvey hadn't been raised to believe in the Rapture."

... from “The Leftovers” by Tom Perrotta (St. Martin's Press, ISBN 9780312358341, $25.99)

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Watermark Bestsellers.
1. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
2. "Eight Wonders of Kansas" by Marci Penner
3. "Rules of Civility" by Amor Towles
4. "Turn of Mind" by Alice LaPlante
5. "The Adjustment" by Scott Phillips
6. "Sister" by Rosamund Lupton
7. "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
8. "Cooking with Bonnie: From Farm to France" by Bonnie Aeschliman
9. "David Crocket: The Lion of the West" by Michael Wallis
10. "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

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"Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor (Little, Brown, ISBN 9780316134026, $18.99)

Karou is a 17-year-old girl living in Prague. She paints and goes to school. She has a dear best friend and a good for nothing ex-boyfriend. Karou is different. She has tattoos on her palms and an air of mystery about her. She knows magic and was raised by a loving foursome of demonic creatures. By night she runs strange errands for one of the creatures, Brimstone. Karou helps Brimstone collect human and animal molars and incisors that he strings together into ropes of charms. Where does Karou come from? Is Brimstone her father? And what does Brimstone do with all of those teeth? No matter how much she asks Brimstone refuses to answer Karou’s questions. On one of her errands Karou meets the beautiful Akiva and secrets are unveiled along with a star crossed love. Will Karou live to regret the truth about herself?

"Daughter of Smoke and Bone" is different- Laini Taylor sets the book apart from other young adult titles by creating an original world and fascinating characters. The brilliantly constructed fantasy is told backwards and the reader learns Karou’s past along with Karou. Short, action packed chapters raise questions about good and evil, the nature of hope, the futility of war and the enduring power of love. The descriptions in the book are beautifully written and there is a great satisfaction in learning Karou’s past the moment that she does and an equal amount of frustration when Talyor leaves Karou’s future in question. (Obviously to be addressed by a sequel.)

In an article dated August 19th, 2011. The Wall Street Journal listed "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" as one of the books that publishers are hoping will court the Harry Potter audience and appeal to both adult and young adult readers. The book is a pleasure to read – it draws you in and keeps you hoping for more.

Review by Wendy Ward

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Bruce Jacob's reviews often appear in "Shelf Awareness," an industry e-newsletter for good readers. They recently published this review. To see the entire e-letter or to sign up to receive the newsletter in your own inbox, visit Shelf Awareness here: http://beta.shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html

"An Emergency in Slow Motion" by William Todd Schultz (Bloomsbury, ISBN 9781608195190, $25.00)

Forty years ago, Diane Arbus, the photographer best known for her shots of sideshow "freaks" and other denizens of the social underworld, swallowed two different barbiturates, climbed into her bathtub, slit her wrists and died. In his new study of Arbus, William Todd Schultz suggests that this overkill suicide (her first attempt) may have been just another strategy for this angry, tortured artist "to elicit support, to make people care and respond. What Arbus was after, most likely, was what she was always after--love."

Schultz, professor of psychology at Pacific University in Oregon, seems to be the go-to guy for the special genre of "psychobiography," having published articles about Sylvia Plath, Oscar Wilde, Jack Kerouac, James Agee and a book-length analysis of Truman Capote, Tiny Terror, just out this spring. He has made a career of sifting through artists' primary work, journals, conversations and anecdotes to uncover the often-scrambled brains behind their artistry.

Drawing on Patricia Bosworth's 1984 biography of Arbus, interviews with her octogenarian therapist, literary memoirs of her brother, the poet Howard Nemerov, and entries from her schoolgirl journals recently released by her estate, Schultz meticulously gathers the basic facts of her life and her public photographs into a portrait of a sensitive, concupiscent woman who "passed from the bright light, from a world of wealth in which she felt like a privileged exile, into darkness, the worlds of her subjects." Like her pictures, this dark inner life is not pretty... but it is discomfortingly enlightening.

Review by Bruce Jacobs

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Sarah's book reviews can be heard on alternate Mondays on KMUW 89.1. You can read her most recent review below or listen to it here:
http://www.kmuw.org/index.php/book/august_29_rode_by_thomas_fox_averill/

“rode” by Thomas Fox Averill (UNM Press, ISBN 9780826350299, $24.95)

Inspiration can come when one least expects it. Thomas Fox Averill, a professor of English and Writer-In-Residence at Washburn University, was at the Winfield Bluegrass Festival when he was captivated by Jimmy Driftwood’s ballad “Tennessee Stud.” After extensive research on the origins of the song, followed by a trek through Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Mexico and back again, Averill wrote a novel inspired by the song and the time in which it was written... "along about eighteen and twenty-five."

In authentic language, Averill crafts a mesmerizing tale of an outlaw, his heroic horse, and the woman he holds in his heart. Robert Johnson begins as a thoughtful but simple man whose only intention is to simply raise horses. This is interrupted when he is the suspect in a murder he did not commit. Drifting across the rugged country, Johnson encounters people, good and bad, who could star in novels of their own: gamblers, villains, horse thieves and evangelist bootleggers. Johnson’s loneliness forces him to return to his native Tennessee and the love of his life.

Both an odyssey and a love story, “rode” will clutch your heart, the way the ballad of the "Tennessee Stud" took hold of Thomas Fox Averill's, and transport you to the days when a man really could be saved by his horse.

Review by Sarah Bagby

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Later.
Beth