Blue Bike’s Author Luncheon Series continues with New York Times bestseller Dorothea Benton Frank, Hall’s Chophouse, 434 King St., 11:30 am, Fri., Jun. 15, 2012. Tickets are $60 and include a three-course lunch, author talk, and a signed copy of Porch Lights (Harper Collins, 336 pp., hb., $25.99).

To purchase tickets, please click right here or call us at 843.722.2666.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Charleston Volunteers for Literacy and its Book Buddies program for Charleston second graders.

About the book: Porch Lights is a poignant tale of life, love, and transformation. A nurse returning to Sullivan’s Island from the Iraq War finds her life has been irrevocably altered by tragedy. Amid the pluff mud and palmettos of this Charleston Barrier Island, she must now rediscover love and purpose with the help of her son and aging mother.

About the author: Dorothea Benton Frank is the New York Times bestselling author of Folly Beach, Lowcountry Summer, Return to Sullivan’s Island, Bulls Island, The Land of Mango Sunsets, The Christmas Pearl, Full of Grace, Pawley’s Island, Shem Creek, Isle of Palms, Plantation, and Sullivan’s Island.

Ms. Frank has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, Parker Ladd’s Book Talk, and many local network affiliated television stations. She is a frequent speaker on creative writing and the creative process for students of all ages. She has also been a guest speaker at the South Carolina Book Festival, Novello, and North Carolina’s Festival of Books. She was born and raised on Sullivan’s Island and  divides her time between New Jersey and the Lowcountry.

(William Morrow, 336 pp., hb., $25.99, releases 6/12/12)

###

The project began as a 20-part serial that ran in the pages of The Post and Courier from December 2010 to April 2011. For the book, Hicks expanded the series, incorporating additional stories and the perspectives of people on both sides as war broke out in the heart of Charleston. The book details the military actions around the city and how the conflict affected life for residents and shopkeepers, as well as the city’s sizeable population of slaves and freedmen.

Hicks is the author of several history titles such as Ghost Ship, Toward the Setting Sun, and Raising the Hunley. Don’t miss this opportunity to talk to him about his research and get a signed copy of his new book!

(Evening Post Books, 2012, 237 pp., hb., $28.95)

###

Follow us to the South Carolina Aquarium for the release party of Mary Alice Monroe’s anticipated new novel, Beach House Memories, Mon., May 7, 6 pm.

Monroe is known for her intimate portrayals of women’s lives and for drawing parallels with nature and human nature. An active environmentalist, she draws on her own experiences in the Lowcountry. Her 13th book, Beach House Memories, is no exception.

The story follows Lovie Rutledge back in time, from her family’s old cottage on Isle of Palms to her struggle for liberation from Southern society in the 1970s. Lovie had always done what was expected—marrying the son of a historic Charleston family and turning over her fortune and fate to his control. One summer, everything changes when Lovie meets a handsome biologist and is forced to make one of the most agonizing decisions of her life. She risks losing everything: her reputation, her wealth, even her precious children.

Come meet Mary Alice Monroe and get your book signed. We will donate a portion of the proceeds to the SC Aquarium’s new Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Clinic.

(Gallery Books, hb., 400 pp. $26)

###

Mortimer is a handbag designer and NYC style icon, who has appeared in Vogue, WWD, Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire. You may recognize her from TV’s Gossip Girl and High Society.

Southern Charm is the story of Minty Davenport, a Charleston-bred girl who moves to New York City. As Minty navigates Big Apple society, a blossoming love life, and a job working for a ruthless and powerful publicist, she finds that the rules a southern belle lives by—being nice to everyone, accentuating her femininity, and minding her manners—don’t necessarily guarantee success in Manhattan.

Can’t make it? Order a signed copy by calling 843.722.2666 or clicking right here.

(Simon and Schuster, hb., 256 pp. $25)

###

In this revealing autobiography, Silverman takes the reader from his childhood as an Orthodox Jew in Philadelphia, where he stopped fasting on Yom Kippur to test God’s existence, to his adult life in the heart of the Bible Belt, where he became a legendary figure within America’s secular activist community. Never one to shy from controversy, Silverman relates many of his high-profile battles with the Religious Right, including his decision to run for governor of South Carolina to challenge the state’s constitutional provision that prohibited atheists from holding public office.

(Pitchstone Publishing, 225 pp. pb. $22.95)

###

Set amid the perils of illegal border crossings, The Iguana Tree is the suspenseful saga of Lilia and Hector, who separately make their way from Mexico into the United States, seeking work in the Carolinas and a home for their infant daughter. Stone examines the obstacles each faces in pursuing a new life: manipulation, rape, betrayal by family and friends, and exploitation by corrupt officials. The Iguana Tree is a universal story of loss, grief, and human dignity.

(Hub City Press, 220 pp, hb. $24.95)

###

Stop in for a glass of wine during the Upper King Street Design Walk and meet the authors of Janie Mitchell, Reliable Cook, Lisa Foster and Mary Lou Coombs. The authors will be in the store this Thurs., Apr 19, 5-7:30 pm. Janie Mitchell, Reliable Cook is a non-fiction account of an ex-slave’s life, offering a snapshot view of Charleston from 1862-1931 based on Mitchell’s personal writings. The book chronicles her life as well as her relationship with her owners, the Rutledge family, and her later employment with other Charleston families. Fans of Mary Chesnut’s Diary and The Letterbook of Eliza Lucas Pinkney are sure to enjoy this wonderful piece of history.

(Evening Post Books, 104 pp. hb., $29.95)

####

]]> http://bluebicyclebooks.com/2012/04/16/upper-king-street-design-walk-this-thursday/feed/ 0 http://bluebicyclebooks.com/2012/03/22/booksigning-with-governor-nikki-haley-mon-april-9-6-pm/ http://bluebicyclebooks.com/2012/03/22/booksigning-with-governor-nikki-haley-mon-april-9-6-pm/#comments Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:57:10 +0000 bbb http://bluebicyclebooks.com/?p=893

S.C. Governor Nikki Haley will visit Blue Bicycle Books, Mon., Apr. 9, 6 pm to sign her new memoir Can’t Is Not an Option: My American Story (Sentinel, hb., $27.95, 256 pp.).

4. Books are for sale in the store now, and will be sold at a special outside kiosk on Monday afternoon. The book-selling line is separate from the signing line.

5. Gov. Haley will be inside, but the line will likely extend onto the sidewalk. First-come, first-serve, rain or shine. You will not be admitted without a yellow signing line ticket.

6. Can’t make it? We will ship signed pre-ordered books with the Governor’s signature. The only way to get a personal inscription is to wait in line.

]]> http://bluebicyclebooks.com/2012/03/22/booksigning-with-governor-nikki-haley-mon-april-9-6-pm/feed/ 0 http://bluebicyclebooks.com/2012/03/21/italian-luncheon-with-author-katie-crouch/ http://bluebicyclebooks.com/2012/03/21/italian-luncheon-with-author-katie-crouch/#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:10:26 +0000 bbb http://bluebicyclebooks.com/?p=892 Joins us and Katie Crouch for our first author luncheon of 2012, Fri., Apr. 20, 12-2pm at our next door neighbor,  Osteria la Bottiglia. Katie is a longtime friend of the store and the author of two of our all-time best sellers: Girls in Trucks and Men and Dogs. Last year she published The Magnolia League, the first book in a Young Adult trilogy. This is a fantastic event to treat a friend or give as an early Mother’s Day gift.

Tickets cost $25 and include a delicious Italian lunch, author talk, and a champagne-and-dessert book signing at Blue Bicycle. Click here to purchase tickets or give us a call at (843) 722-2666.

###

Many believe that math and humor must be mutually exclusive, or that the life of a college professor must be boring. Ha!  Written for a popular audience, this book presents stories about expert witnessing, consulting, teaching, being a professor, and about how probability (think random events) impacted someone’s life in a very direct way.

Random Tales of a College Math Professor (pb. 173 pp. $19.98)

###

]]> http://bluebicyclebooks.com/2012/03/21/random-tales-of-a-college-math-professor-signing-mar-29/feed/ 0