Books & Authors

Darien-Raised Rosecrans Baldwin to Sign Copies of His New Novel

Book Readers Festival on Tuesday: Reading Recommendations, Ice Cream & Activities

Business Book Group Discussion for ‘Radical Candor’ Wednesday at Darien Library

Barrett Bookstore Presents ‘The Ladies of Summer’ June 21 at Wee Burn

Food Blogging Phenom David Leite Visits Darien Library May 25 & Refreshments Will Be Served

Newbery Honor-Winning Author Patricia Reilly Giff Comes to Darien Library Tuesday

Meet the Authors on Monday: Andrew McCarthy Talks with Dani Shapiro at Darien Library

Children’s Book Week at Darien Library & Lots of Kids Activities the Rest of May, Too

Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day at Barrett Bookstore on Saturday

Royle School Students Collect 2,000 Books for Darien Book Aid Plan

Business Book Group to Discuss ‘The Purpose Is Profit’ with Its Darien Authors

Meet the Author: Christina Baker Kline at Darien Library on Thursday

Darien YMCA Book Fair Coming Tuesday Through Saturday

Opus Luncheon Honoring Alumnae, March 1, Raises Money for Balloons for Campers Day

Fiona Davis, Author of ‘The Dollhouse’ Speaks at Darien Library Jan 31

Books & Authors

By David Gurliacci | June 22, 2017

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By David Gurliacci | June 10, 2017

Arts & Entertainment

By John Paul Barce | May 31, 2017

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By David Gurliacci | January 22, 2017

Events and other news about books, authors and author appearances

Rosengranz Baldwin Author at Barrett Bookstore 06-22-17

Former Darien resident Rosecrans Baldwin is returning to the town he was raised in to celebrate the publication of his new novel, The Last Kid Left, on Saturday, June 24 at Barrett Bookstore. On Saturday, June 24 at 5:30 pm, Rosecrans Baldwin will be at the book store in Noroton Heights Shopping Center, 314 Heights Road, starting at 5:30 p.m., Saturday to speak and sign copies of his new book. “The Last Kid Left” is a bold, searching novel about how our relationships operate in a hyper-connected world and an expertly-portrayed account of tragedy turned mercilessly into entertainment. Hailed as “One of the Best Books of the Year (So Far)” by Apple iBooks, it is the suspenseful unwinding of a crime that’s more complex than it initially seems.

But mostly it’s the story of two teenagers, dismantled by circumstances and rotten luck, who are desperate to believe that love is enough to save them. There is no charge for this event, but please call 203-655-2712 to reserve a seat.

Are you looking for some good book recommendations for both kids and adults this summer? Then the Darien Library’s Book Readers Festival is for you. The event will take place from 11 to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20 in the Library’s courtyard. __________

— an announcement from Darien Library

__________

Attendees will discover new books, get personalized reading recommendations and learn about new genres. There will also be prizes, ice cream, and children’s activities taking place during the festival.

Darien Library’s business book group will meet to discuss Kim Scott’s Radical Candor: How to Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity. The group will informally discuss the book from 6 — 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14 in the Conference Room, and then network over wine, beer, and light refreshments. This program requires registration.
About the Book

Radical Candor is a simple idea: to be a good boss, you have to care personally at the same time that you challenge directly. __________

— an announcement from Darien Library

__________

When you challenge without caring it’s obnoxious aggression; when you care without challenging it’s ruinous empathy.

Back by popular demand, Barrett Bookstore will host “The Ladies of Summer” evening 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21 at Wee Burn Country Club. It will feature three authors who have books coming out just in time for great summer reading. ________

— an announcement from Barrett Bookstore

________

“This is the third year we have organized this evening,” said Sheila Daley, owner of Barrett Bookstore. “It is a lot of fun to hear the authors discuss the backstory of their new novels. The evening begins with wine and hors d’oeuvres on the terrace and a chance to meet the authors, followed by the authors’ presentation and a joint Q&A.

David Leite, food blogger and author of Notes on a Banana, will be Darien Library’s featured speaker at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 25. Refreshments will be served. A unique blend of Anthony Bourdain, Augusten Burroughs, and Kay Redfield Jamison, David Leite’s Notes on a Banana: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Manic Depression is a true tale that dazzles, touches the heart, and, ultimately, triumphs. Born into a devoutly Catholic, food-crazed family of Azorean immigrants in 1960s Fall River, Mass., David had a childhood that was the stuff of sitcoms.

But what no one knew was that this smart-ass, determined dreamer with a vivid imagination also struggled with the frightening mood swings of bipolar disorder. To cope, “Banana,” as his mother endearingly called him, found relief and comfort in food, watching reruns of Julia Child, and, later as an adult, cooking for others.

Patricia Reilly Giff, author of many beloved novels including Lily’s Crossing and Pictures of Hollis Woods, visits Darien Library from 4 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 2. Giff will discuss her work, including her latest book Genevieve’s War, which is the companion to Lily’s Crossing, followed by a book signing. Barrett Bookstore will be on hand to sell books for the signing. Patricia Reilly Giff has recieved the Newbery Honor for Pictures of Hollis Woods and Lily’s Crossing, which is also a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book. Nory Ryan’s Song was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and an ALA Notable Book.

Andrew McCarthy Dani Shapiro authors Darien Library 04-30-17

Andrew McCarthy, author of Just Fly Away, and Dani Shapiro, author of Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage, will be featured speakers at a “Meet the Authors” event at Darien Library from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Darien Library Community Room. In Just Fly Away, when fifteen-year-old Lucy Willows discovers she has an eight-year-old brother living just a few blocks away — the result of her father’s brief affair — she begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her life. How could Lucy’s father have betrayed the entire family? How could her mother forgive him? And why isn’t her sister rocked by the news the way Lucy is?

Darien Library announced these coming events for children and teenagers during Children’s Book Week, May 1 to 7, and during the rest of May. You can sign up for the Darien Library mailings like this one (by going to the library website) and not have to wait for Darienite.com to publish one:

Jr. Book Club: Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
Monday, May 1st at 4 p.m.
Join us for a book discussion of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man followed by a craft or game inspired by the book. Open. Grades 2-3. Meet the Author: Patricia Reilly Giff
Tuesday, May 2nd at 4 p.m.
Come and meet Newbery Honor-winning author Patricia Reilly Giff, the author of more than 60 books for children including Pictures of Hollis Woods, Lily’s Crossing, and Winter Sky.

Barrett Bookstore Thumbnail from website 04-23-17

Independent Bookstore Day marks its third year of celebrating independent bookstores nationwide on Saturday, April 29, with literary parties around the country. Barrett Bookstore will join the fun with:

a story time at 11 a.m.
a raffle of original gifts designed especially for this event
refreshments
games

Join over 490 independent bookstores in 48 states to salute authors, booksellers, and book lovers everywhere. “It is a privilege to be a part of this amazing network of authors, readers, publishers and booksellers, who care passionately about books,” said Sheila Daley, owner of the store. “And of course we depend on our loyal customers to keep this enterprise going. We hope they will stop by!”
More About Independent Bookstore Day
From the Independent Bookstore Day website:

What is Independent Bookstore Day?

Lily Johnston Anne Johnston Book Aid Plan Royle School 04-19-17

Darien High School freshman Lily Johnston and her sister, Anne, have thousands of reasons to be proud. As volunteers for Darien Book Aid Plan, the Johnstons worked recently with Royle Elementary School Library Media Specialist Sherrie Lanier to carry out a successful book drive. The Johnstons, who are alumnae of the elementary school, started the drive because of the low supply of children’s books available to meet demand. Anne is a 2015 DHS graduate. Since 1949, Darien Book Aid Plan has fostered literacy around the world through the free distribution of books.

The Purpose is Profit Ed McLaughlin Wyn Lydecker 04-09-17

Darien Library’s Business Book Group will meet to discuss The Purpose is Profit: The Truth about Starting and Building Your Own Business at 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 12. The authors, Ed McLaughlin and Wyn Lydecker, will join the group to answer questions from the participants. Both McLaughlin and Lydecker live in Darien. The Purpose Is Profit is a 2017 Silver Axiom Business Book Award Winner in Entrepreneurship. Copies of the book are available at the library.

Christina Baker Kline, author of A Piece of the World, will be the Darien Library’s featured speaker at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 30. The No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller Orphan Train has now written a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting “Christina’s World.” To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family’s remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life.

Superheroes, Assemble and Read! The Darien YMCA is having their annual Book Fair from Tuesday, March 28 through Saturday, April 1. Come buy the latest books for all your little superheroes and fill up their shelves! Get an early start to your Easter shopping here and 25 percent of the proceeds will help out Holly Pond School. The Book Fair will be hosted at The Atrium at the Darien YMCA located at 2420 Post Road in Darien.

The Opus Luncheon Honoring Alumnae, which is sponsored by Halstead Property, LLC and Barrett Bookstore, will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, March 1 at The Country Club of Darien. Local author Sara Goff will serve as keynote speaker. Opus for Person-to-Person invites the public, Opus members, alumni and guests to mingle and reconnect with old friends, while supporting Balloons for Campers Day. ____________
— an announcement from Opus for Person-to-Person
____________
Tickets are $65 per person, which includes lunch and a signed copy of I Always Cry at Weddings. USA Today says about “I Always Cry at Weddings,” “The cast is vibrant, and the author describes every character as so unique that you cannot only see them, but hear the inflections in their voices.

Fiona Davis author speaks in Darien 01-22-17

« August 2022 »

Join Fiona Davis, author of The Dollhouse, will speak at Darien Library from 3 to 4 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 31 for an afternoon tea. To register for this event, please call 203-655-1234 or register online here.

Fiona Davis’ exquisite debut novel The Dollhouse pays tribute to New York City, past and present, and the women who’ve come to the Big Apple in search of a new beginning and a life to call their own. The novel is set in and around the famed Barbizon Hotel for Women, an exclusive alternative residence for New York City’s young, single women that from 1927 to 1981 housed thousands of aspiring models, secretaries, editors, actresses, and writers — among them Lauren Bacall, Grace Kelly, Sylvia Plath, Liza Minelli, Candice Bergen, Joan Crawford, Joan Didion, and Betsey Johnson.