Category: Newsletter

The Audacious Kwame Alexander

September 28, 2018

The audacious, Newbery medal-winning Kwame Alexander wants to introduce you to some people – both in his own work and in his new HMH imprint Versify, which showcases voices underrepresented in publishing.

Swing, co-authored with Mary Rand Hess, is Kwame’s second Young Adult novel-in-verse and tells the story of 17-year-old high school junior Noah, who seeks to make the baseball team and win over the heart of Sam, a girl he’s loved since third grade.

Kwame’s all-ages event at the store (Friday, October 12, 6pm) will feature Randy Preston on guitar and offer a dynamic, inspiring performance. Kwame is already on tour for Swing, but I caught up with him by phone and asked a few questions.

Q: What inspired Swing?

A: It was inspired by remembering how I was in high school, not being cool, liking a particular girl and being afraid to tell her. Finally, I did tell her, and I asked her to the prom – she said she’d think about it ….

[Ed note: They went. Kwame reports having a good time.]

It’s also an ode to jazz music, like Solo was to Rock & Roll.

Look for the first Versify titles coming April 2019

I also wanted to write about social justice. I believe poetry, books, can change minds, change the world. It’s kind of audacious, but I believe I can change the world. I want people to see the value in all our lives. I want people to be able to appreciate and relate to people who have different experiences from them, who are not them.

Q: What’s authentic cool?

A: For me – poetry, tennis, love poems, being a dad.

You gotta find your own authentic cool. Walt (one of the characters in Swing) says he’s looking for his authentic cool, but really he’s already got it – he is unabashedly okay with being himself – obsessed with baseball, possessed of death trivia . . ..

You have to find your authentic cool for yourself, what engages, moves you, whether other people get it or not.

Q: Tell me a little about Versify, your new imprint.

A: Book publishing is an amazing dinner party, but it’s the same people at the table over and over again and there are always some empty seats. I want the table to be packed, just full of interesting people, anyone who can entertain and empower.

Q: What are you working on next?

A: There will be a continuation of the story in The Crossover.

And I’ll be making a big announcement Oct. 13 – maybe, just maybe, I’ll give you all in Key West a hint the night before . . ..

~ Robin Wood, Associate Manager

Our Current Virtual Bookclub Read — Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart

August 20, 2018

by Robin Wood

Hi all,

Hope you’re having a good summer. I’ve had some long flights in the last few months, allowing me to read a great group of new books.

But now it’s my pleasure to introduce you to our latest Books & Books at The Studios Virtual Bookclub pick for August/September — a book I could read over and over without ever tiring of it. Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart is a dazzling memoir of a boy who emigrates from the Soviet Union in 1979. It’s funny, tender, deeply affecting and has been a favorite book of mine since I first read it in 2014. When it came out in paperback I read it again. And now, I’ll get to read it with you. If you’ve read Gary’s novels you already know he’s an incredible writer. You’ve probably laughed aloud at his humor. And for those who don’t yet know him, this will be a real treat.

Becoming an American speaks to all of us today as we wait and wonder what will happen to the children separated from their families at our borders. Gary is lucky. He comes to America with his parents where they make a new home. But, oh, the hilarious details! No spoilers here but best of all, when you finish this book, you will feel you know him. And that’s a good thing because….

Gary has a new novel coming out in September, one I’ve already read and couldn’t put down. It’s called Lake Success. He’ll have you in stitches while you shake your head in disbelief, asking yourself, what is success anyway? Another funny, irreverent page turner, filled with characters you will love and hate, often at the same time. But more about that next time.

I know a lot of you are getting the kids ready to go back to school. It can be a stressful time, so we hope you’ll find a book like Little Failure a real pick-me-up at the end of the day. Maybe it will ease your worries about the kids, maybe even the world? Right now we all need that.

Thanks, as always,

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How the B&BKW Virtual Book Club works

The Books & Books @ The Studios virtual book club is an opportunity for us to share reading experiences, even if we’re not all together in the same place.

Now through the end of September, purchase a paperback copy of Little Failure and get 20% off Lake Success. Online, put both books in your cart and use the code BC20. If you order now, we’ll send both books to you when Lake Success comes out September 4, or you can pick up in store. And, if that wasn’t quite enough, the first 10 purchasers of Lake Success will get a signed copy.

Read along with us and share your reactions on social media. Make a comment, share a picture, ask a question. Don’t forget to include the hashtag: #bbkwbookclub on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Follow us on social media and look for the #bbkwbookclub hashtag. Every week, we’ll post new book club content.

A Q & A with Cork Dork Author, Bianca Bosker

August 20, 2018

by Robin Wood

Courtesy of: NapaFilms.net

We had a great time reading Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker. In addition to taking the time to answer some questions below and interacting with us on social media, Bianca was kind enough to work with us on custom book plates, available only at Books & Books at The Studios. You can still get one when you buy Cork Dork from us, online or in-store, while supplies last.

Did you always know you were going to write a book about your quest to pass the sommeliers’ test?

I have the disease that afflicts a lot of journalists, which is that I’m virtually incapable of doing anything without thinking that it could become a story. Vacation in a new place? Story. Dinner out? Story. And so when I first got fixated by the world of cork dorks, I thought there could maybe be a story there–but I had no inkling of all the places that journey would eventually take me.

What do you feel is the key thing you took away from your year-long journey of learning about wine tasting and the world of sommeliers?

Most of us pretty much ignore two of the five senses—taste and smell—that we’ve been given to take in the world. Sommeliers live for them. Through these somms, I’ve learned to embrace a new mindset: what I call “sensefulness,” the idea that it is by tuning into our senses that we can better make sense of the world. Even beyond the table, sharpening my senses means I can pick up on information and nuance that I never knew existed. Tuning in to them bestows us with new intelligence with which to make sense of our lives. While those revelations can begin with a glass of wine, they certainly don’t end there.

Which part of the research did you enjoy the most?

How could I possibly choose between dissecting cadaver brains with sensory scientists, guzzling Burgundy at the world’s most extravagant wine orgy, and getting hazed by aspiring Master Sommeliers? I had the time of my life, even if I was hungover for lots of it.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about making a radical life change of the kind that this book chronicles?

Knowing very little can actually be an asset, as long as you’re open, curious, and fearless about asking questions. I found that coming into the world of wine without any preconceptions made me open to all kinds of information, even from unorthodox sources, that helped me progress faster than I otherwise might have.

Are you working on a new writing project? What’s next for you?

I am! I am just starting work on a new non-fiction book, while also contributing stories about wine and culture to outlets such as The Atlantic. I have a story on mass extinction coming out soon…

What’s on your nightstand? What are you reading and recommending currently?

Next to my nightstand is a tower of books as tall as my nightstand. I recently devoured Lauren Hilgers’ fabulous book Patriot Number One — a riveting and revealing story that doubles as one of the most fascinating portraits of New York City.

What are your favorite wine recommendations these days?

I’ve been going wild for the white wines of Sicily and Slovenia. They’re interesting, odd, soulful, and a bargain, and I just cant get enough of them.

~ Robin Wood, Associate Manager

Meet our staff: Camila Duke

June 22, 2018

by Robin Wood

Part-time bookseller Camila Duke finds the bookstore restful compared to chasing her two boys, Phineas (age 7) and Cannon (age 4).

“I love the peace. I’m surrounded by books and people who love books. I’m usually surrounded by my family, which is lovely… but it’s a whole new world for me at Books & Books.”

Camila usually reads historical fiction and enthusiastically recommends Circe by Madeline Miller. She says she has been a fan of Greek Mythology, since Middle School. “This book brought it all back! The Odyssey was one of my favorite stories in which Circe had a small but important role. This book tells her story and captures the strength and magic of the goddess/witch Circe. I could not put this book down and read it in a day,”

Almost a native Conch, Camila moved to the Keys as a six-year-old, growing up on Little Torch Key. She left the Keys for college at Duke University in Durham, NC and lived in Philadelphia and New York City after graduation, earning a Masters in Elementary Education from New York University. She taught 2nd grade in NYC before deciding to move back to Key West. After teaching locally for a few years, she fell in love with a childhood friend (Evan Haskell), got married and started a family.

Her favorite thing about our island community is the island part. “I love raising my boys in a place where we can hop on our boat and explore as many islands and sandbars that we can find,” Camila says.

She’s such an island girl that alternate possible hometowns include Ibiza, off the coast of Spain. “Not so random,” she says. “It’s an island and I have family there.” And favorite vacation spot is Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

In addition to knowing what’s new and hot in historical fiction, you can count on Camila for a good recommendation of what kids are reading and enjoying these days.

~ Robin Wood, Associate Manager

Reading Cork Dork with Uva’s Mark

June 22, 2018

by Robin Wood

We’re reading Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker this month for our virtual book club pick, a book that’s providing a whirlwind education on wine tasting and the heady world of sommeliers. Store manager Emily sat down for a chat with one of our local “cork dorks” to see what he thinks of the book.

Mark Gambuzza opened wine bar Uva, on Fleming about 5 and half years ago. Uva specializes in helping people discover wines they’ll love, sourcing “limited production, estate-grown” wines that you won’t find just anywhere. Like author Bianca Bosker, he says much of his wine education came via wine distributors as he worked in the restaurant industry.

Mark says he’s always loved wine, right back to when his family used to experiment with making their own in the basement. He’s a big reader and enjoyed Cork Dork. He liked Bosker’s down-to-earth writing. “She isn’t snooty,” the way wine is often approached. Outside of work, though, he prefers a wide range of reading topics. Mark is currently reading An Incomplete Education by Judy Jones and William Wilson and recently finished Ann Beattie’s The New Yorker Stories and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.

In terms of wine, right now, and always, he’s recommending Burgundy and Pinot Noirs from the Eola-Amity Hills in Oregon. “The soil there is very similar to the soil in Burgundy. These wines are super easy drinking, nice and light reds with a lower alcohol content then most pinots.”

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How the B&BKW Virtual Book Club works

The Books & Books @ The Studios virtual book club is an opportunity for us to share reading experiences, even if we’re not all together in the same place. Read the book (you can get it online here.)

And share your reactions on social media. Make a comment, share a picture, ask a question. Don’t forget to include the hashtag: #bbkwbookclub on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Follow us on social media and look for the #bbkwbookclub hashtag. Every week, we’ll post new book club content.

Meet volunteer and author, Carrie Jo Howe

June 22, 2018

by Robin Wood

photo credit: Lena Perkins

Carrie Jo is one of our cadre of fantastic volunteers. She’s also the author of Island Life Sentence, a funny story about a Key West transplant who finds paradise isn’t exactly as billed. We chatted with Carrie Jo about writing, moving to Key West and, of course, about how much fun it is to volunteer at the (air conditioned) bookstore.

Q: How did you come to write Island Life Sentence?

A: Key West is a place of storytelling.

There was that time in our garden when the poisonous Bufo Toad jumped out at me. This bowling ball sized bulbous creature’s skin secretes a deadly poison — enough to kill a dog. And the time when I realized why our front porch ceiling is painted haint blue. Did past homeowners have haint infestation? Is this forcefield actually successful in haint prevention? And when I discovered there is a hurricane protection grotto at the Catholic Church that has kept the island safe for a century. You better believe I quickly upped my weekly donation.

Add a dash of bridge driving anxiety, to this recipe of disasters and the ingredients of Island Life Sentence percolated into a book.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my local writing coach, Lisa Mahoney. This was my first novel and I needed help with structure and form. She and I met every other week for a year. She’s a funny, smart, talented taskmaster who doesn’t like exclamation points. (!)

Q: How many books so far?

A: I’ve written one other book called Motherhood is NOT for Babies. It’s a compilation of anecdotes about my husband, three boys and bad dog.

Q: How long have you been a writer?

A: I’ve written on and off my whole life.Raising the boys and working in the mortgage business severely limited my writing time.However, as my family discovered years later, I was taking notes…lots and lots of notes.

Q: What was the process of self-publishing like?

A: With Island Life Sentence, I used a crowdfunding publisher called Unbound out of the UK. Once I raised the required amount of funds, the publisher takes it through a traditional publishing process with structural editor, copy editor, and professional cover art. The negative is that the physical copy of the book can’t be purchased in the U.S. I’m working on that issue now. (Books & Books @ The Studios has print copies of the book, signed by the author.)

Q: How long have you lived in Key West? Where did you move from and why?

A: For twenty years, we lived in the Chicago suburb called Glen Ellyn. It’s tiny railroad stop community — a great place to raise a family and grow strong friendships. When my husband Tom’s Midwest sales job turned into a national territory, the only stipulation from his employer was that we live close to an airport. Key West fit that bill. With the kids grown and out of the nest, we decided to take advantage of our flexibility. We’d been vacationing in Key West for years, so when the Chicago house sold quickly, we flew down here, bought a house and moved in within 30 days.

Q: What do you like about Key West?

A: The winters. I like the winters. We are very popular in the winter too. I didn’t know I had so many friends and relatives.

I’m enjoying mentoring a 16-year-old girl in the Take Stock in Children program, which affords kids the opportunity of a college education. The organization itself is very well run. Lindsay Moore is fabulous with the mentors and students. The community is lucky to have her.

Q: Besides your own book, what do you recommend?

A: Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen, which is based on a real-life criminal. A woman drives to the Keys and gets into a car accident while shaving her private parts. This news story is what sparked my desire to create a blog about the crime down here: www.floridakeyscrimereport.com

Q: Why volunteer at the bookstore?

A: I love volunteering at the bookstore! The staff is very welcoming and appreciative.Since my skill set is my Neanderthal arms, I’m happy I can help out by reaching books on the top shelves.I love to see people’s reactions when they learn that Judy Blume is standing next to them. One woman cried she was so overwhelmed.I like to chat with customers about what they want to read next.
And — they play great music in the store.
And — it’s air conditioned.

~ Robin Wood, Associate Manager