This Week

An Evening with Malcolm Gladwell, author of David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants, Wednesday, January 29th at 8pm, Symphony Hall (ticket info here), $45 (includes a signed copy of the book). NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER.

An Evening with Cokie Roberts, author of Founding Mothers, Wednesday, February 5th at 7pm, Davis Academy, 8105 Roberts Drive, Atlanta 30350, free but please RSVP to  [It is not true that they changed the name of their street address just for this event.]

Upcoming

Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, author and illustrator of Wildwood Imperium, Friday, February 7th at 7pm, Kavarna Coffee, hosted by Poverty is Real and sponsored by Little Shop of Stories (ticket info here) to benefit the Decatur Education Foundation‘s literacy programs, $15 adults, $10 kids, plus the purchase of one book per family.

Pulitzer-prize winning poet Paul Muldoon, Saturday, February 22nd at 4pm, Glenn Auditorium on the Emory University campus, free but this event is ticketed; tickets can be obtained at theSchwartz Center for the Performing Arts box office, be reserved online (tickets.arts.emory.edu) and by phone (404-727-5050) with a $4 per order service fee, and a limited number of tickets are available at A Cappella Books, Charis Books & More, Eagle Eye Book Shop and Little Shop of Stories. Tickets (capped at two per person) must be picked up in person at these locations.

Did you miss me?

Major Decatur Literary News

Terra Elan McVoy, part-time bookseller at Little Shop of Stories and full-time author extraordinaire, was named a nominee for the Edgar Award in the Young Adult division for her 2013 novel, Criminal, by the Mystery Writers of America. The winners of this prestigious award, named after Edgar Allan Poe to honor the best in mystery fiction, will be announced on May 1st. Congratulations and good luck, Terra!

This Week

Ishmael Beah, author of Radiance of Tomorrow, tonight, January 22nd at 7pm, Jimmy Carter Library & Museum, free.

Dan Stashower, author of The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War, Tuesday, January 28th at 7pm, Jimmy Carter Library & Museum, free.

Upcoming

An Evening with Malcolm Gladwell, author of David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants, Wednesday, January 29th at 8pm, Symphony Hall (ticket info here), $45 (includes a signed copy of the book).

Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, author and illustrator of Wildwood Imperium, Friday, February 7th at 7pm, Kavarna Coffee, hosted by Poverty is Real and sponsored by Little Shop of Stories (ticket info here) to benefit the Decatur Education Foundation‘s literacy programs, $15 adults, $10 kids, plus the purchase of one book per family.

When France sneezes, Europe catches a cold. This was said by Klemons von Metternich, foreign minister for the Austrian Empire, in the mid 1800s. This idiom has been adopted to various changes of circumstances, including by me.

When Barnes and Noble sneezes, the publishing industry catches a cold. And the publishing industry is not feeling well at all.

B&N released its sales and earnings reports yesterday for its fourth quarter and for its full year ended April 27, 2013. Net losses for both the quarter and year were double that of those previous, with a downward trend. The company’s stated outlook for the next twelve months is equally bleak.

While retail sales at its bricks and mortar stores posted solid declines, it was nothing compared to the Nook digital division. Nook unit sales declined 34% for the quarter while digital content declined almost 9%. While B&N will continue to manufacture dedicated e-readers, it will stop producing tablets. They are currently looking to partner with another company to supply them with Nook branded tablets. B&N will continue with their current plans for closing 15-20 per year while opening around five. In the Atlanta market, their store on Camp Creek Parkway (just outside the perimeter), will shutter this summer.

A business can only afford losses of this magnitude ($120M in the last three months) for so long. The question on everyone’s mind is whether Barnes and Noble is going the way of Borders and, if so, what then.

This Week

Kent Wascom, author of Blood of Heaven, Wednesday, June 26th at 7pm, Highland Inn Ballroom, sponsored by A Cappella Books, free.

Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Sisterland, Monday, July 1st at 7:15pm, Decatur Library, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free.

The eighth annual AJC Decatur Book Festival Presented by DeKalb Medical starts in only 72 days away. Following yesterday’s press launch, we have lots of information on this year’s event. Here are some highlights:

The keynote address will be delivered by Congressman John Lewis, author of March, the first in a graphic novel trilogy, on August 30th — 50 years (and two days) after delivering his famous speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Mr. Lewis is a man who has long known that words matter.

The revolution is at hand, and we must free ourselves of the chains of political and economic slavery. The nonviolent revolution is saying, “We will not wait for the courts to act, for we have been waiting hundreds of years. We will not wait for the President, nor the Justice Department, nor Congress, but we will take matters into our own hands, and create a great source of power, outside of any national structure that could and would assure us victory.” For those who have said, “Be patient and wait!” we must say, “Patience is a dirty and nasty word.” We cannot be patient, we do not want to be free gradually, we want our freedom, and we want it now. We cannot depend on any political party, for the Democrats and the Republicans have betrayed the basic principles of the Declaration of Independence.

Caldecott Honor winning author/illustrator Tomie dePaola will present this year’s kidnote address. His new book, Strega Nona Does It Again, features his beloved heroine.

Other amazing authors coming this year include Richard Blanco, Marcia Clark, Lev and Austin Grossman, Lily Koppel, David Levithan, Robert Morgan, Jason Mott, Naomi Wolfe, and Zane. Want more? Look here. Want even more? Here’s the entire list to date.

Saturday’s parade will be led by Jerry Pinkney, Caldecott medalist and author/illustrator whose new book is The Tortoise and the Hare. Tom Angleberger, author of The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppet, will kick off Sunday’s parade.

art | DBF is perhaps the most exciting edition to this year’s festival. A multitude of arts organizations will be bringing their creativity to downtown Decatur. This could be truly amazing.

This year’s poster was created by author/illustrator Dan Santat…

The AJC Decatur Book Festival’s website has all the news!

This Week

George Packer, author of The Unwinding: The Inner History of the New America, Wednesday, June 19th at 7pm, Carter Library, $10 or free with the purchase of the book.

Temple Grandin, author of The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum, Wednesday, June 19th at 7pm, First Baptist Church Decatur, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free.

Neil Gaiman, author of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Saturday, June 22nd at 7pm, sponsored by Eagle Eye Book Shop, tickets long sold out but I believe you can still order a signed copy.

Ren and Helen Davis, authors of Atlanta Walks: A Comprehensive Guide to Walking, Running, and Bicycling the Area’s Scenic and Historic Locales, Monday, June 24th at 6:30pm, Decatur Library, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free and includes a walking tour of Decatur starting at 7:30.

Mary Kay Andrews, author of Ladies’ Night, and Claire Cook, author of Time Flies, Monday, June 24th at 6:30pm, Book Exchange, $7 and you must RSVP.

Dorthea Benton Frank, author of The Last Original Wife, Monday, June 24th at 7pm, Margaret Mitchell House, $10.

Kent Wascom, author of Blood of Heaven, Wednesday, June 26th at 7pm, Highland Inn Ballroom, sponsored by A Cappella Books, free.

The Wall Street Journal, using Amazon data, notes that sales of at least one edition of the George Orwell classic increased 7,000% during the week. I’d write more about this, but … There was an excellent article in the New York Times a few weeks ago about efforts by some residents of Katha, Myanmar to preserve and restore Orwell’s residence when he was posted there as a member of the Imperial Police and from which he wrote his great Burmese Days. Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four were both published within five years of his death in 1950 at the young age of 46.

This Week:

Lauren Weisberger, author of Revenge Wears Prada, Wednesday, June 12th at 7:30pm, MJCCA, $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers.

Khaled Hosseini, author of And the Mountains Echoed, Thursday, June 13th at 7pm, First Baptist Church Decatur, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free.

Sergio Ruzzier, author of Bear and Bee, Thursday, June 13th at 7pm, a special storytime at Little Shop of Stories, free.

Graphic novelists Jackie Lewis, Patrick Dean, and Justin Colussy-Estes, Friday, June 14th at 7pm, Little Shop of Stories, free.

George Packer, author of The Unwinding: The Inner History of the New America, Wednesday, June 19th at 7pm, Carter Library, $10 or free with the purchase of the book.

Temple Grandin, author of The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum, Wednesday, June 19th at 7pm, First Baptist Church Decatur, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free.