Blue Bicycle Books

Join us Thurs., Aug. 23, 5 pm as artist and social activist Kimothy Joy will be here to talk about her new illustrated book That’s What She Said: Wise Words from Influential Women (Harper Wave, hb., 128 pp., $22).

Distraught by the results of the 2016 election and the realization that the nation was not ready for its first female president, Kimothy Joy found herself poring over the biographies of brave women throughout history—those who persisted in the face of daunting circumstances—to learn from their experiences.

Turning to art, Joy channeled her feelings to the canvas, bringing these strong women to life in bold watercolor portraits surrounded by inspirational hand-lettered quotes. With each creation, Joy found catharsis and hope. She shared her watercolors with her online community and encouraged everyone to raise their own voices and recharge for the battles ahead.

Now, in this beautiful gift book, Joy has gathered her stunning illustrations and quotes and paired them with surprising, illuminating biographies of her subjects to inspire women of all ages, races, and backgrounds. That’s What She Said honors a powerful and diverse group of over fifty women—from Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinem, and Virginia Woolf to Sojourner Truth, Malala Yousafzai, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg—role models whose words and insights remind us that we must never give up the fight for a more just and equitable society.

Kimothy Joy is a Denver based artist whose work combines watercolor and pen with hand lettering. She has collaborated with the Women’s March on Washington, I AM THAT GIRL, Juniper Books, Gucci, Melinda Gates, author Jessica Bennett, and poets Nikita Gill and Cleo Wade. Her illustrations have also been featured in Glamour, Teen Vogue, O, Oprah Magazine, Refinery29, Washington Post and Huffington Post.

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.

Join us Fri., June 22, 6 pm as chef Virginia Willis, winner of a James Beard Award, will be here to discuss her new cookbook Secrets of the Southern Table (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, pb., 336 pp., $30).

In Secrets of the Southern Table, award-winning chef and cookbook author Virginia Willis takes you on a tour of today’s South—a region rich in history and cultural diversity. With her signature charm and wit, Virginia shares many well-known Southern recipes like Pimento Cheese Tomato Herb Pie and “Cathead” Biscuits, but also some surprising revelations drawn from the area’s many global influences, like Catfish Tacos with Avocado Crema, Mississippi-Style Char Siu Pork Tenderloin, and Greek Okra and Tomatoes. In addition to the recipes, Virginia profiles some of the diverse chefs, farmers, and other culinary influencers who are shaping contemporary Southern cuisine. Together, these stories and the delicious recipes that accompany them celebrate the rich and ever-evolving heritage of Southern cooking.

A popular Southern food authority and writer, Virginia is the author of six cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning Lighten Up, Y’all. She’s an editor-at-large for Southern Living and writes the regular column “Cooking with Virginia” for SouthernKitchen.com, focusing on fresh and seasonal food. She has also been featured in Country Living, House Beautiful, and USA Today. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Join us Mon., June 25, 12 pm for lunch at Halls Signature Events (5 Faber St.), as Rick Bragg discusses and signs his new book The Best Cook in the World (Deckle Edge, hb., 512 pp., $29). Tickets are $62 for the three-course luncheon and a signed copy of the book.

Get tickets here.

About the book: Margaret Bragg does not own a single cookbook. She measures in “dabs” and “smidgens” and “tads” and “you know, hon, just some.” But she can tell you the secrets to perfect mashed potatoes, corn pudding, redeye gravy, pinto beans and hambone, stewed cabbage, short ribs, chicken and dressing, biscuits and butter rolls. Many of her recipes, recorded here for the first time, pre-date the Civil War, handed down skillet by skillet, from one generation of Braggs to the next. In The Best Cook in the World, Rick Bragg finally preserves his heritage by telling the stories that framed his mother’s cooking and education, from childhood into old age. Because good food always has a good story, and a recipe, writes Bragg, is a story like anything else.

About the author: Rick Bragg is the author of seven books, including the best-selling All Over but the Shoutin’ and Ava’s Man. He is also a regular contributor to Garden & Gun magazine. He lives in Alabama.