Friends of The Oakland Public Library Bookmark Bookstore, August and beyond
The Friend’s new primarily volunteer-run bookstore in downtown Oakland opened June 15. The spacious, light-filled shop is open during daytime hours, five days a week (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). Shoppers will find over 17,000 used, rare, and out-of-print books at discount prices, along with CDs, DVDs, vinyl and jigsaw puzzles. The proceeds benefit programs and other needs of the Oakland Public Library. The store accepts up to four boxes or bags of books or media of good quality anytime during business hours; special arrangements can be made for larger donations. Opportunities to join more than 50 other people as a volunteer for three hour shifts once a week abound. The tasks are varied and suitable for adults and teens. The best way to support the bookstore — beyond buying books — is to join the Friends group. Information is available online and always, by talking to other Friends at the shop.
August and beyond, hours vary, visit the website HERE for complete information.
“Prairie Man”: Author Dean Butler in Conversation at A Great Good Place for Books, Aug. 8
The iconic television show “Little House on the Prairie” is about to hit its 50th anniversary and Dean Butler has written a marvelous account of his experience starring as Almanzo Wilder, the man Laura Ingalls married. A foreword from Melissa Gilbert (Laura) and Alison Arngrim (Nellie) launches a memoir that begins with the then-22-year-old Butler joining the show halfway through its run. Butler swiftly became a central, romantic figure for the show based on the “Little House” books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The life stories continue as Butler shares memories from his diverse career that includes appearing on Broadway, prominent roles on other classic television shows, and his current work as a director and producer. Butler has produced 80 episodes over 10 seasons of NBC Golf Channel’s Emmy nominated series, “Feherty.” Join staff and Butler at the cozy bookstore in Montclair Village for a rare, in-person conversation about his life and all things Little House on the Prairie.
Aug. 8, 7 p.m., free, Great Good Place for Books
Book launch: Jason Shiva’s “Adventuregame Comics: Samurai vs. Ninja” (Book 3), Mrs. Dalloway’s, Aug. 27
The Oakland illustrator and author is joined by bestselling author Gene Luen Yang for a discussion about Shiva’s creative process. As it does in its predecessors, the third book in the Samurai vs. Ninja graphic novels series allows readers to choose their warrior’s fate. Once the path is established, each reader embarks on training sessions involving puzzle-solving and other interactive skill-building. All of the activities are performed in a competitive maze-like spree with victory dependent on savvy choices. Shiga has created eight graphic novels, 20 comic books, more than a dozen magazine and newspaper strips, and offers the world’s second-largest interactive comic. Yang is the author and/or illustrator of graphic novels including “American Born Chinese”, “Boxers & Saints”, “Dragon Hoops”, and more. Expect a lively, back-and-forth event, with audience Q&A and a book signing included.
Aug. 27, 6 p.m., free, Mrs. Dalloways
New Books by Bay Area authors for end-of-summer vacationers
Visit your favorite local independent bookstore and snap up a few of these new releases penned by Bay Area’s energetic writers. Celebrated writer Joyce Maynard provides the long-awaited followup up to her 2021 novel, “Count the Ways”, with the return of now-fifty-something-year-old Eleanor featured in “How the Light Gets In”. Climate change, aging, parent-child relationships, school shootings and other topics proliferate, but it’s the characters that attract and mesmerize her readers.
A second title from a young writer, award-winning journalist and UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism alumna Mara Kardas-Nelson, exposes secrets of the world of global microfinance in her first book, “We Are Not Able to Live in the Sky: The Seductive Promise of Microfinance.”
Third on a short list: former San Francisco Library Laureate Soma Mei Sheng Frazier debuts with “Off the Books”, a road-trip novel that centers an Oakland native as the protagonist.
Fans of nonfiction might like Dean-David Schillinger’s “Telltale Hearts: A Public Health Doctor, His Patients, and the Power of Story”. The San Francisco General Hospital physician writes of slowing down and learning patients’ stories and how this has led him to provide better medical care.
Last but never least, hop on the websites of Bay Area-based Chronicle Books and Heyday Books. Both publish wonderful books in a wide range of categories and often, shine the spotlight on local writers and illustrators.