Submitted by Village Books
Before you head out on summer vacations, road trips and camping excursions, head into Village Books where local and traveling authors will be talking about a variety of titles — all worthy of reading en route. From young adult reads to keep your out-of-school teen entertained to riveting mysteries ideal for a quick thrill around the campfire, Village Books hosts a variety of authors each month who all have a story to share.
Thursday, July 9, 7:00 p.m.
Christopher Kelly, “America Invades: How We’ve Invaded or Been Militarily Involved with Almost Every Country on Earth”
America has invaded eighty-four out of 194 countries (countries recognized by the United Nations and excluding the United States) in the world. That’s 43 percent of the total. And it hasn’t been militarily involved with just ninety or a hundred countries. It has had some form of military involvement with a spectacular 191 out of 194. That’s more than 98 percent. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse, America has had a vast impact around the globe. Kelly takes readers on a global tour of America’s military involvement with nearly every country in the world. From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli and everywhere in between, this popular history documents the triumphs and the tragedies of American forces serving overseas.
Christopher Kelly is the son of a Korean War veteran and the descendant of Stephen Van Rensselaer, the leader of a disastrous invasion of Canada during the War of 1812. Kelly is the past chairman of Chyron Corp. (now ChyronHego) and the director of Kelly Television Co. and Kelly Broadcasting. His co-author, Stuart Laycock, is a British historian and author.
Friday, July 10, 7:00 p.m.
Kate Christie, “In the Company of Women” — Fiction
Caroline “CJ” Jamieson gave up studying history to join the Women’s Army Corps. But instead of the California post she anticipated, her orders land her on an artillery training base in West Texas. When CJ meets fellow enlistee Brady Buchanan, Fort Bliss begins to live up to its name.
Kate Christie, author of Gay Pride & Prejudice, Beautiful Game, and Leaving LA, was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After studying women’s history at Smith College, she earned a Master’s in Creative Writing from Western Washington University. Currently she lives near Seattle with her wife, three daughters, and the family dog.
Saturday, July 11, 4:00 p.m.
Katelyn Schneider, “Secrets” — Young Adult Fiction, Local Author
Nothing is more tantalizing than a secret. What if trying to figure out everything about someone else is the key to finding out who you really are and unlocking a future you never thought possible? Join Victoria Laine as she struggles to discover the secrets of a world she thought she knew.
Katelyn Schneider is a sophomore at Western Washington University, majoring in Creative Writing with a minor in Psychology. She has managed to gain 687 lives in Super Mario World 3, and has acquired a passion for animals second only to writing. Between classes, homework, and a part-time job at a local pet store, she takes every opportunity she can get to tell the stories of the characters that speak for themselves in her mind.
Monday, July 20, 7:00 p.m.
LeeAnn Brook, “Points of Inspiration: An Artist’s Journey with Painting and Photography”
A book about the creative process, Points of Inspiration: An Artist’s Journey with Painting and Photography is an artist’s personal story about how one medium has inspired another, offering glimpses into her studio as well as her personal vision. Steeped in the art world for more than 40 years, contemporary landscape painter/photographer LeeAnn Brook explores the process of creating her vivid work. With a Foreword by award-winning writer Molly Fisk, and featuring over 140 images of Brook’s painting and photography, the book is a thoughtful and nourishing conversation about creativity, strolling among beautiful works of art with the artist herself.
An award-winning painter, photographer and graphic designer for over 40 years, LeeAnn Brook resides in Sierra foothills arts community of Nevada City, California. In addition to being a guest speaker in the arts and a painting workshop presenter, she is the writer, designer, photographer, artist and publisher of her new book “Points of Inspiration: An Artist’s Journey with Painting and Photography.”
Thursday, July 23, 7:00 p.m.
Johanna DiBiase, “Mama and the Hungry Hole” — Fiction
Julia’s Mama steals her away to New Mexico. Lonely and forced to take care of herself during Mama’s “quiet time,” Julia befriends Tree. When Nana visits and a Circus moves in next door, everything seems better, but Tree notices something very wrong, an eerie sensation of nothingness deep beneath its roots.
Johanna DeBiase writes from New Mexico, where she is spellbound by the energy vortex of Taos Mountain. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College. Her short fiction has appeared in “Portland Review,” “theEEEL,” “Monkeybicycle,” “Convergence,” “Prick of the Spindle and San Antonio Current.” She is also a certified yoga instructor, freelance journalist, vintage clothing boutique owner and mother of one.
Sunday, July 26, 4:00 p.m.
Roderick Kimball, “Path Puzzles” — Local Author
“Path Puzzles” is a new book of logic puzzles in the vein of Sudoku and Ken Ken. The puzzles progress through seven levels of difficulty. New logical concepts are introduced at the third and fourth levels, making the puzzles even more interesting thereafter. In the eighth level, the clues are encrypted, necessitating an extra layer of deduction.
Roderick Kimball is a freelance puzzle maker and all-around idea guy. He has written puzzles for the New York Times, the Unemployed Philosophers’ Guild, the National Museum of Mathematics, and NPR’s Ask Me Another. Roderick Kimball is also a juggler-musician-funnyman with the Flying Karamazov Brothers.
Wednesday, July 29, 7:00 p.m.
Jenny Milchman, “As Night Falls” — Mystery
Sandy Tremont has always tried to give her family everything. But as the sky darkens over the Adirondack mountains and the threat of a heavy snowfall looms, an escaped murderer named Nick Burgess has the power to take it all away. Gazing outside at the shadowy woods, Sandy prepares dinner while upstairs, fifteen-year-old Ivy, smart, brave, and with every reason to be angry, keeps her distance from her parents. Sandy’s husband Ben, a wilderness guide, arrives home late to a mood already simmering with unease. Nearby, two desperate men on the run make their way through the fading light, the ground in their wake red with blood they’ve shed—there can be no loose ends or witnesses. Almost twenty years as prison cellmates have forged a deadly team: Harlan is the muscle and Nick, the mind and the will. As they approach a secluded house and look through its spacious windows to see a couple eating dinner, Nick knows that here he will find what he’s looking for…before he disappears forever. When he opens the door to the Tremont home, Nick comes armed with a legacy of terror, and a secret that threatens to drag Sandy with him into the darkness. From the acclaimed and award winning author of Ruin Falls and Cover of Snow comes a breathless new novel of psychological suspense about a dark, twisted turn of events that could shatter a family—a read perfect for fans of Harlan Coben, Tana French, and Nancy Pickard.
Jenny Milchman is the author of Cover of Snow, which won the Mystery Writers of America’s Mary Higgins Clark Award, Ruin Falls, and As Night Falls. She is Vice President of Author Programming for International Thriller Writers, a member of the Mystery Writers of America and New York Writers Workshop, and the creator and organizer of Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day, which is celebrated annually in all fifty states. Jenny lives in the Hudson River Valley with her family.
