Blue Bicycle Books

Blue Bicycle Books welcomes Karen White to sign her newest novel Sea Change (Penguin, 392 pp., pb., $15.00) on Thurs., Jun. 21 from 1-3 pm.

Sea Change is Karen White’s 15th novel. Set on beautiful St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia, Sea Change is a story of buried secrets, new romance, and redemption. Ava Whalen thinks she has finally found true happiness when she meets child psychologist Matthew Frazier and begins an exciting romance that culminates in their elopement. However, after following Matthew to his family home in St. Simons Island, Ava finds that her new life might not be exactly what she pictured. In addition to delving into the mysterious pasts of the book’s characters, the story also touches on the fascinating history of St. Simons.

Karen White has written many popular novels set in Charleston and throughout the South including On Folly Beach, The Girl On Legare Street, The House on Tradd Street, and The Strangers on Montagu Street. She is loved by her many readers for her touching characters as well as her detailed historic backdrops.

(Penguin, 392 pp., pb., $15.00)

Blue Bicycle Books welcomes 5 local writers back to our lush courtyard for another Piccolo Fiction Open on Sat., June 2 from 5-7 pm. All five writers will be reading new 5 minute short stories, each of them beginning with the words “I ducked into the alley…” This year’s writers are:

Beth Webb Hart, South Carolina native and bestselling author of 5 novels including Sunrise on the Batteryand Grace at Low Tide.

Malinda McCollum, Pushcart Prize winning author and current College of Charleston creative writing professor.

Stephanie Hunt, contributing editor at Skirt! Magazine and the SoMA Review.

Ryan Graudin, College of Charleston graduate and writer whose first novel Luminance Hour will be released in Summer 2013

Jonathan Sanchez, two-time winner of the S.C. Fiction Project and owner of Blue Bicycle Books.

Attendees will also be treated to live music from Lime and the Coconuts. Admission is FREE, and the readings will be followed by a reception.

Western North Carolina native Wiley Cash will sign copies of A Land More Kind Than Home, Thurs. May 24, from 5:30 to 7 pm, at Blue Bicycle Books.  A portion of the proceeds will go to Charleston Volunteers for Literacy and its Book Buddies reading program for at-risk second graders.

The novel is the story of Jess Hall, a curious boy growing up in small town North Carolina. Jess is very protective of his older brother, a mute who everyone calls Stump. Their mother has always warned them not to snoop into other people’s business, but Stump can’t help it. Stump’s prying leads to shattering consequences, pushing Jess into adulthood earlier than expected. This novel reveals masterful characters from a young author with great promise.

(William Morrow, 2012, 309 pp. $24.99)

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Local author and activist Herb Silverman will be at the store Sun., Apr. 29, 3-5 pm to sign his new memoir Candidate Without a Prayer.

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)

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