Sun. Jan. 31 — Clay Rice Silhouettes
Clay Rice Silhouettes – Jan. 31!
Renowned silhouette artist Clay Rice returns to Blue Bicycle Books, Sun., Jan. 31, 1 – 4 pm to cut children’s silhouettes and sign his latest books, At the Stroke of Goodnight and The Stick (Familius, hb, $17).
Taught by his grandfather, Carew Rice, Clay is a 21st-century folk artist and a Lowcountry treasure. Cutting a child’s silhouette in under five minutes is a performance in itself. You’ll be amazed when he captures a recognizable profile of your squirming two-year-old in less time than it takes to get her shoes on. His national touring schedule keeps him on the road often, cutting more than 10,000 children’s silhouettes a year, so events back home in Charleston are rare!
Personal silhouettes start at $48 for two copies.
Note — Covid protocols will be in place. Masks required. Only one family will be allowed in the silhouette-cutting area at a time, and Clay will be separated by a 6 ft table.
We expect slots to fill up quickly; to book an appointment, just register here!
YALLWrite (YALLFest 2020) — Get Signed Books!
YALLWrite (a.k.a YALLFest 2020) is this weekend!
Over 80 bestselling authors will share their trade secrets in a virtual, craft-themed festival Fri. Nov. 13 and Sat. Nov 14.
Writers like Marie Lu, Victoria Aveyard, Nic Stone, Neal Shusterman, Marissa Meyer, V.E. Schwab, Varian Johnson and more will teach dialogue, structure, world-building, writing as a political act, graphic novels, collaboration, romance, fantasy … all told there are SEVENTY (70) master classes, panels, scavenger hunts and giveaways!
Even though we’ve gone virtual, you can still get signed books. We’ve sent out YALLWrite bookplates all over the world.
Order here or click on a name below
Note that we can’t take orders for personal inscriptions. Signed bookplates may ship separately from books. Thank you so, so much for your support.
YALLWrite (YALLFest 2020) is Fri., Nov. 13 and Sat., Nov. 14

Vivian Howard, This Will Make It Taste Good, Sun. Oct. 25, 3 – 6 pm
Vivian Howard, star of “A Chef’s Life” on PBS will be in Charleston, Sun. Oct. 25, 3 – 6 pm for a special in-real-life drive-thru book signing at Tradesman Brewing (1647 King St. Extension), presented by Blue Bicycle Books.
All tickets include a signed copy of Vivian’s new book This Will Make It Taste Good: A New Path to Simple Cooking, plus a snack-pack of special treats from Vivian’s team!
SIGNED Copies still available here
Note:
*Tickets are divided into 15-minute timeslots from 3 to 6 pm.*You will remain in your car but still be able to get a personalized book and photo with Vivian, following proper Covid-safety procedures. Details to follow.
*Masks required.
*Additional books and merchandise will be available for sale.
*After getting your book signed, please feel free to park and have a beer at Tradesman!
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About This Will Make It Taste Good (Voracious Books, hb., 352 pp., $35):
An Eater Best Cookbook of Fall 2020!
From caramelized onions to fruit preserves, make home cooking quick and easy with ten simple “kitchen heroes” in these 125 recipes from the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Deep Run Roots.
“I wrote this book to inspire you, and I promise it will change the way you cook, the way you think about what’s in your fridge, the way you see yourself in an apron.”
Vivian Howard’s first cookbook chronicling the food of Eastern North Carolina, Deep Run Roots, was named one of the best of the year by 18 national publications, including the New York Times, USA Today, Bon Appetit, and Eater, and won an unprecedented four IACP awards, including Cookbook of the Year. Now, Vivian returns with an essential work of home-cooking genius that makes simple food exciting and accessible, no matter your skill level in the kitchen.
The Sophia Institute presents Sue Monk Kidd: Longings, Largeness, and Thunder — Thurs., Oct. 8, 6:30pm
Thurs., Oct. 8, 6:30 pm, The Sophia Institute presents a special online talk with author Sue Monk Kidd: Longings, Largeness, and Thunder in The Book of Longings.
Sue will be discussing her new novel and instant New York Times bestseller, The Book of Longings (Viking, hb., 432 pp, $28). The online conversation will be moderated by Sophia Institute founder and director, Carolyn Rivers.
Click here to register for this free online event.
About the book: In her fourth novel, Kidd takes an audacious approach to history, telling the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus of Nazareth changes everything.
To order a signed copy click here.
Friends & Fiction with special guest Signe Pike — Wed., Sept. 16, 7 pm
Join us Wed., Sept 16, 7 pm for Friends & Fiction on Facebook Live!
Five Bestselling Authors. Endless Stories. The Friends & Fiction team is Mary Kay Andrews, Mary Alice Monroe, Patti Callahan Henry, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Kristin Harmel. The quintet started Friends and Fiction back in April with the mission of helping support independent booksellers affected by the pandemic. Each week they feature a different independent bookseller and invite a special guest author to join them.
This week’s is Charleston’s own Signe Pike, who’ll be discussing The Forgotten Kingdom (Atria Books, Sept. 15) the second book in her Lost Queen fantasy series.
To join them online and post your questions go right here.
To purchase their books go to our online store and use promo code FRIENDS to receive 10% off your order!
Recent arrivals — Poe, Angelou, Salinger, Hemingway
For some crazy reason folks have felt cooped up lately and are cleaning out their bookshelves like mad. Upshot is we’ve got some nice things to share…
Virtual Book Launch with Rachel Beanland July 9
Join us and Spartanburg-based bookshop and publisher Hub City on Thurs., July 9, 5 pm, for a virtual event with author Rachel Beanland to celebrate her debut novel, Florence Adler Swims Forever (Simon & Schuster, hb., 320 pp, $26).
Over the course of one summer that begins with a shocking tragedy, three generations of the Adler family grapple with heartbreak, romance, and the weight of family secrets in this stunning debut novel that’s perfect for fans of Manhattan Beach and The Dollhouse.
Rachel Beanland writes fiction and essays. Her essays have appeared in Creative Nonfiction and Broad Street, among other places.
She has an MFA in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University and holds bachelor’s degrees in art history and journalism from the University of South Carolina. Before turning to writing full-time, Rachel worked in public relations and nonprofit management.
To register for the event with or without a signed copy of the book, go here.
Writing Camp goes Virtual!
Against the odds, our writing camps are off and running this year. Session 1, for grades 3 – 6, was in the airy and spacious sanctuary of Bright City Church — thank you to Nick and Jess Connolly for generously donating use of this space.
This week’s session (and the two following) are Write of Zoom-er Virtual Camps, led by Sara Peck. Each student gets this killer care package (above) delivered to their doorstep Sunday night, with t-shirts, snacks and special secret envelopes to be opened each day.
Thanks to author Brendan Reichs — who joined Session 2 via zoom and donated copies of his and Ally Condie’s awesome middle grade series The Darkdeep.
Margaret Stohl — video game and comic book writer / YALLFest co-founder / author of many books including the recent Jo and Laurie — will join this week!
Space available in most sessions. For more information see writeofsummer.com, and please call Jonathan any time at 843-323-2834, he’s always happy to talk about camp!