This Monday: National Book Award Winner Jaimy Gordon

After a slow couple of months for events (if you tried to navigate an aisle of the store in the weeks before or after the holidays without bumping into another shopper/their dog/their entire Christmas tree and/or lit menorah, you'll understand why events were not really an option during this time) we're jumping back on the horse (Ha! Hold on, you'll get why that's clever in a minute) with a truly exciting reading from Jaimy Gordon, winner of the National Book Award for her novel Lord of Misrule.

Lord of Misrule is hardly Gordon's literary debut-- she's been writing and publishing since 1973, but has remained relatively obscure compared to her current success -- but its surprise award-winning victory uncannily mirrors that of the novel's title character, a dark horse who plays a pivotal role in this story about the little-known underbelly of the racetrack. Check out the New York Times' glowing review of the novel for more information about this world and Gordon's rendering of it, some beautiful excerpts and more (also better) horse puns.

So come by the store on Monday, January 24th at 7 PM for a reading and signing with one of the most celebrated authors of 2010. Pick up your copy of Lord of Misrule here, and we'll see you there.

What the internet won't tell you

For the most part, our website does its job fairly well. When you visit it you can order books (real and, now, virtual), find links to our blog and Twitter feed, check out our "Book of the Month" selections and our revolving selection of personalized "Books We Like," &c.

Website aside, there are reasons to come into the store beyond the joy of losing yourself in the dusty, cluttery maze that is Green Apple: we have a lot of items on our shelves that you're not going to find on our website. Starting tonight, I'll start updating you regularly about these items.


1. The latest issue of Boneshaker: A Bicycling Almanac has just arrived, and at only $8 an issue, it's a must for the cycling enthusiast.

2. How many other bookstores in the Bay Area have signed, limited edition copies of Allison Schulnik's book in stock? (In case you're wondering who Allison Schulnik is, check out the Grizzly Bear video she animated below.)



3. We've also got a fine selection of small press titles--many of which I'll be highlighting in future posts. This week I want to point to Kevin Sampsell's Future Tense Books, a fine venture focused on publishing works by writers generally outside of the literary mainstream. Some highlights of the Future Tense list include the inimitable Gary Lutz (one of the great prose stylists of contemporary letters), East Bay's Chelsea Martin (think Tao Lin West), and Claudia Smith, author of the chapbook Put Your Head in My Lap.

As always, you can contact us directly by phone (415-387-2272) or email (ordersgab@greenapplebooks.com) to order any of these or other titles.

AGREED

by Tom Gauld