Blue Bicycle Books

Fri., Jun. 22 — Virginia Willis, Secrets of the Southern Table

Mon., Jun. 25 — Rick Bragg, The Best Cook in the World

Thurs., Jul. 12 — Alison Sher, The Millennial’s Guide to Changing the World

Fri., Jul. 13 — Holy Spirits! Happy Hour with the Cocktail Bandits

Fri., Jul. 20 — Andrew Lawler, The Secret Token

Sat., Aug. 4 — Write On! Literacy Festival

Thurs., Aug. 9 — Author Luncheon with Kristan Higgins, Good Luck with That

Fri., Aug. 10 —  Alana Harrison and Drew Callander, Mightier Than the Sword

Thurs., Aug. 23 — Kimothy Joy, That’s What She Said

Fri., Aug. 24 — Author Luncheon with Issac J. Bailey, My Brother Moochie

Sun., Aug. 26 — Jason Ryan, Race to Hawaii

Sat., Sept. 1 — Ed Waldrop, Living Waters

Thurs., Sept. 6 — Author Luncheon with Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig

Sat., Sept. 8 — Nicole Rivas, A Bright and Pleading Dagger

Tues., Sept. 18 — Reese Witherspoon at the Gaillard

Sat., Sept. 22 — Archive: SC Poetry Since 2005

Fri., Oct. 5 — Author Luncheon with Diane Chamberlain, The Dream Daughter

Join us Sat., Sept. 1, 5 pm as local photographer and first-time author Ed Waldrop will be here to discuss his debut Living Waters.

Living Waters is the story of AJ McClellan, born in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. He was raised and nurtured along her creeks and waterways. Tragic events in AJ’s young life tested him deeply, but it was the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City that moved him to action. Determined to serve in his country’s defense, AJ joined the Army right out of high school, eventually doing two combat tours in Iraq. He would later leave the Army a broken man, emotionally and spiritually. He lived a vacant life in central Texas until an unexpected death in the family brought him home and began a redemptive journey for him of new life, new love, and new hope.

Ed Waldrop was raised in Charleston, SC, the son of a Navy veteran. Waldrop is an enlisted Air Force veteran himself. He later completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees and became an ordained minister. He served as a VA chaplain from 2003 to 2015, specializing in palliative care and mental health. During that time, he also pursued work toward a doctorate in pastoral care and counseling. Waldrop has worked extensively with combat veterans and their families, as well as with thousands of non-combat veterans suffering in many other ways.

Join us Fri., Aug. 24, 12 pm for lunch at Halls Signature Events (5 Faber St.), as Issac J. Bailey discusses his new book My Brother Moochie (Other Press, hb., 304 pp., $26).

Tickets are $32 for the three-course luncheon, or $60 to add a signed copy of the book.

Get tickets here.

At the age of nine, Issac J. Bailey saw his hero, his eldest brother, taken away in handcuffs, not to return from prison for thirty-two years. Bailey tells the story of their relationship and of his experience living in a family suffering from guilt and shame. Drawing on sociological research as well as his expertise as a journalist, he seeks to answer the crucial question of why Moochie and many other young black men—including half of the ten boys in his own family—end up in the criminal justice system. What role do poverty, race, and faith play? What effect does living in the South, in the Bible Belt, have? And why is their experience understood as an acceptable trope for black men, while white people who commit crimes are never seen in this generalized way?

My Brother Moochie provides a wide-ranging yet intensely intimate view of crime and incarceration in the United States, and the devastating effects on the incarcerated, their loved ones, their victims, and society as a whole.

Issac J. Bailey was born in St. Stephen, South Carolina, and holds a degree in psychology from Davidson College in North Carolina. Having trained at the prestigious Poynter Institute for journalists in St. Petersburg, Florida, he has been a professional journalist for twenty years. He has taught applied ethics at Coastal Carolina University and, as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, has taught journalism at Harvard Summer School. He currently lives in Myrtle Beach with his wife and children.

Join us Fri., Aug. 10, 5 pm as comedy writers Alana Harrison and Drew Callander will be here for an interactive children’s story event with their book Mightier Than the Sword (Penguin Workshop, hb, 320 pp., $13.99).

Wildly funny and inventive, Mightier Than the Sword pulls you, the reader, into the action. Yes, YOU! You wake up in the fictional land of Astorya, where stories from our world come to life. You’re a real human being (we assume), and in this fictional world, that makes you a superhero. Armed with your trusty pencil you have the power to create: what you write, draw, or scribble in the book becomes part of the story! Only you can rescue Prince S. from the evil Queen Rulette. Aided by the Couriers–a French stoat with dangerous dance moves, a giant dung beetle, a fire ninja, a Pegasus-centaur-cowgirl and a super-intelligent femalien chameleon–you must write, draw, and puzzle your way through a hilarious adventure that is unique to every reader! And most importantly, you must prove that the pencil is mightier than the sword.

Alana Harrison and Drew Callander have spent their lives telling stories and cracking jokes. Together they have created cartoons and short films with Jon Stewart, Conan O’Brien, John Oliver, and Kristen Schaal. Their work as writers and improv comedians has aired on Sirius XM Radio, NBC, and Comedy Central. They live with their baby daughter and exquisitely talented cat (neither of whom help with the dishes).

Join us Thurs., Aug. 9, 12 pm for lunch at High Cotton (199 East Bay St.), as Kristan Higgins discusses and signs her new novel Good Luck with That (Berkley, pb., 480 pp., $16).

Tickets are $32 for the three-course luncheon, and the book will be available to buy separately.

Get tickets here.

About the book: Emerson, Georgia, and Marley have been best friends ever since they met at a weight-loss camp as teens. When Emerson tragically passes away, she leaves one final wish for her best friends: to conquer the fears they still carry as adults. A novel of compassion and insight, Good Luck with That tells the story of two women who learn to embrace themselves just the way they are.

About the author: Kristan Higgins is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly twenty novels, which have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two children and dogs.

Join us Fri., July 13, 5:30 pm as Charleston’s own Cocktail Bandits, Taneka Reaves and Johnny Caldwell, will be here to launch their new book Holy Spirits! (Evening Post Books, hb., 176 pp., $35).

Holy Spirits! is the debut publication from popular beverage and hospitality bloggers Taneka Reaves and Johnny Caldwell. The book provides readers with an overview of Charleston cocktail culture from a unique, urban perspective. Starting with the Gullah Geechee Corridor and their famous rice wine, the book segues to the current cocktail landscape of the Holy City and interviews with key members of the beverage community. Complete with signature recipes and entertaining tips, Holy Spirits! is a must-have for any libations lover.

Cocktail Bandits educate and entertain their growing audience through original cocktail recipes, promoting the craftsmanship of other bar professionals, and sharing coverage of food and beverage events around the world. Since launching in 2013, Caldwell and Reaves have hosted sold-out events at Charleston Food & Wine Festival, Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, and Euphoria Greenville Food, Wine & Music Festival. Listed among Imbibe Magazine’s 75 People to Watch in 2018, they have nearly 30,000 followers on social media.

They have participated as expert judges in the American Craft Spirit Competition, First Annual Fried Chicken Challenge, and Charleston Fashion Week’s Top Cocktail Competition. Cocktail Bandits have also been featured in press outlets such as Sirius XM Radio online, NBC BLK online, Metro UK online, Style Me Pretty Online, Cuisine Noir Magazine, Black Southern Belle Magazine, National PBS’ “Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking TV,” ESSENCE Magazine, and several other regional publications.