Blue Bicycle Books

The Blue Bicycle Books Author’s Luncheon Series continues Fri., Oct. 8, noon to 2 pm, with local authors Josephine Humphreys (Rich in Love, others) and Beth Webb Hart (Love, Charleston, others).

Josephine Humphreys is a native of Charleston, and her hometown is the setting for her first three novels Dreams of Sleep, The Fireman’s Fair and  Rich in Love, which was made into a 1993 movie. She graduated from Ashley Hall, studied with Reynolds Price at Duke University and is the winner of the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award and a Guggenheim Foundation. While her first three books deal with contemporary life in Charleston, her most recent novel, Nowhere Else on Earth is a historical novel about Lumbee Indians in Eastern North Carolina after the Civil War.

Beth Webb Hart, a South Carolina native, holds a B.A. in English Literature from Hollins College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. Her first novel, Grace at Low Tide, was one of three finalists for the 2006 Christy Awards in the general/contemporary fiction category. She has taught creative writing on the college and high school level (where she received two national awards from Scholastic, Inc.), and is currently writer-in-residence at Ashley Hall school. Beth Webb lives with her husband, composer Edward Hart, and their son and daughter in downtown Charleston. Her fourth novel, Love, Charleston was released this week!

The talk and luncheon will be at Virginia’s Restaurant, 412 King St., followed by a dessert-and-champagne book signing at the bookstore, 420 King St. Free parking is available in the Camden Exchange Garage, which has entrances on Hutson Street and John Street.

 Guests will have their choice of entrée:

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich — Smothered in homemade Carolina style BBQ sauce, topped with lettuce, tomato and onion served on a Kaiser bun accompanied with sweet potato fries and blue cheese coleslaw.

Fried Green Tomato BLT — Buttermilk soaked and cornmeal buttered, pan-fried tomatoes layered with arugula and Applewood smoked bacon, dressed with Creole mayonnaise and served on Texas toast accompanied with sweet potato fries and blue cheese coleslaw.

Waldorf Salad — Garnished with apples, celery, raisins and walnuts accompanied with grilled Tuscan bread.

Fri., Oct. 8, 2010, 12 – 2 pm. $35, or bring a friend for $60. Advance reservations required. For tickets please call 843.722.2666 or click here.

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Author Matthew Gavin Frank will read from and sign copies of his memoir, BAROLO, chronicling his illegal work in the Italian Piemontese food and wine industry at Blue Bike, Sat., Aug. 7, 1 – 3 pm. Barolo follows Frank during his six-month stay in the same-titled region of Italy (pop. 646), living out of a tent in the garden of the local Pittatore farmhouse. The Chicago-born writer and poet has been cooking and serving his way across the world since he was 17, from breakfast in Alaska to hog snapper in Key West. His current favorite dessert recipe is Revisionist Caprese Salad: basil ice cream, mozzarella syrup, oven-dried sweet tomato, and tomato rock candy.

Order a signed copy here!

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Please join us Thurs., July 29, 5 – 7 pm for a signing with supernatural explorer Louis Charles and his second book, Helping Ghosts. Always interested in ghosts and hauntings, Charles launched his website Angels and Ghosts in 2004, and since then, has been compiling paranormal experience submissions from around the world and comparing potential evidence. Charles has also worked on numerous field tests and investigations in spirit communication, and has relayed his own research as well as others in his most recent book.

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We don’t think we have even seen Kate Gosselin multi-task at a booksigning like this. Nice work Matt. Matt and Ted Lee are busy men but managed to squeeze in a trip to the Blue Bike during the Wine and Food fest. This peanut boil kicked off a run of great events at the store all spring long.

Matt being awesome

Matt and Ted being brotherly in front of Blue Bike

The brothers boiling peanuts outside the store