West of Loveland: An Evening with Tom Drury
Featured Book
West of Loveland: a novel
"The award-winning author of The End of Vandalism returns to the Midwestern county he's chronicled over four decades for a panoramic tale of fate, found families, and the revolutionary possibilities of love. A lonely highway, a traveler, and a revolver . . . Teenage Rocky and his aunt Helen's roadside discovery on a winter afternoon sets off a mysterious yet inevitable chain of events that will assemble citizens of Grouse County in a quest for knowledge, romance, and an occasional shared supper with a decent bottle of wine. Characters from Drury's previous novels-the stoic sheriff, the red-headed photographer, the retired thief-are joined by a vibrant new cast including a trio of teens in a secret club named after a nineteenth-century suffragette, a reverend doctor who counsels her flock to perform good works and dance on houseboat, and an amateur film scholar who inspires a meet-cute in a plasma donation center. Marked by uncanny dialogue, subversive humor, and indelible descriptions of natural and human beauty, West of Loveland is a warm and polyphonic portrait of a singular community navigating contemporary life with grace and an enduring belief that something good might happen. Drury's masterwork and the capstone of what is now the Grouse County quartet, West of Loveland offers a revolutionary view of the rural Midwest and a quiet homage to American democracy"-- Provided by publisher.
This book will be available for purchase at the event.
About This Event
The Book Stall is excited to host an evening with Tom Drury featuring his new book, West of Loveland. The award-winning author of the classic The End of Vandalism returns to the Midwestern county he’s chronicled over four decades for a panoramic tale of fate, found families, and the revolutionary possibilities of love. Mr. Drury’s masterwork and the capstone of what is now the Grouse County quartet, West of Loveland offers a revolutionary view of the rural Midwest and a quiet homage to American democracy.
Tom Drury is the author of five previous novels, including Pacific, long-listed for the National Book Award, and The End of Vandalism, named one of the best books of the past 45 years by GQ Magazine in 2002. His short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Harper’s, and A Public Space, and he has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy in Berlin, and MacDowell. He lives in Iowa City.
Featured Author
Drury, Tom
About the Venue
The Book Stall
At The Book Stall, you get great reviews, sage advice/recommendations, and a personalized service for all ages and interests. If You love books, look no further than an indie store!
Visit store pageMore at The Book Stall
The Majesty of Chicago Jazz: A Discussion with Howard Reich
The Book Stall welcomes music journalist Howard Reich for an in-store discussion featuring his new book, The Majesty of Chicago Jazz: Twenty-Five Visionaries Who Define the City's Sound. Author and Chicago native Howard Reich gives readers a front-row seat to the history of Chicago jazz as it roared forth in jazz clubs, concert halls, and festivals. Reich covered Chicago jazz for more than thirty years as the Chicago Tribune’s staff critic, and in this collection, with a musician’s ear and a journalist’s expertise, Reich argues that jazz as an art form is inconceivable without Chicago. The Majesty of Chicago Jazz is captivating for jazz newcomers and aficionados alike—all are guaranteed to learn something surprising here. Howard Reich covered music for the Chicago Tribune for forty-three years and served as the newspaper’s staff jazz critic from 1989 to 2021. Reich is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and the author of six other books, including Let Freedom Swing and Portraits in Jazz. Reich served on the jury for the Pulitzer Prize in Music four times, including the year when Wynton Marsalis’ Blood on the Fields became the first jazz composition to win (1997).
The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse: An Evening with Heather Morris
The Book Stall welcomes bestselling author Heather Morris for her new book, The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz returns with a masterful new novel that captures the astonishing bravery of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Ms. Morris will be in-conversation with author Renée Rosen. Heather Morris is a native of New Zealand, now residing in Australia. For several years, while working in a large public hospital in Melbourne, she studied and wrote screenplays. In 2003, she was introduced to a gentleman who had "a story worth telling," which formed the basis of her first novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and its follow-up, Cilka's Journey. Her third novel, Three Sisters, concluded the Tattooist trilogy. One of the twenty-first century's best-selling books, The Tattooist of Auschwitz was made into an acclaimed miniseries in 2024. Heather's books have sold over nineteen million copies worldwide. Our conversation partner Renée Rosen is a USA Today bestselling author. Her novels include Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl, The Social Graces, Park Avenue Summer, Windy City Blues, White Collar Girl, What the Lady Wants and Dollface as well as the young adult novel, Every Crooked Pot.
Draw Near to Me: An Evening with Michelle Brafman
We excited to host Michelle Brafman for her new book, Draw Near to Me. In this highly-anticipated sequel to Swimming with Ghosts, the discovery of a desperately-hidden secret brings a family to the brink of collapse—the exact place where they may ultimately find true healing and forgiveness. She will be in conversation with Rachel Kamin, Director of Lifelong Learning at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El. Michelle Brafman is the author of Washing the Dead, Bertrand Court: Stories, and Swimming with Ghosts, the companion novel to Draw Near to Me. Her work has appeared in Oprah Daily, O Quarterly, Slate, LitHub, Tablet, The Forward, and elsewhere. She teaches fiction writing in the Johns Hopkins University MA in Writing Program and spoken about her work and the creative process at more than 200 venues, including book stores, literary festivals, classrooms, synagogues, and myriad book groups. Learn more at michellebrafman.com.