Corrected Date! - QuailMail #997 - Nathan Ballingrud, Literary Trivia, Arts & Lecture Season One

CORRECTION: The correct date for Ann Patchett is Sunday, October 27 , not October 6 as originally stated. Thank you for your patience and for keeping me on my toes!

Open Monday–Saturday 9 am–9 pm • Sundays 10 am–6 pm

We will be open 9am-6pm on Thursday, July 4th.

From Kaley:

Hello, QuailMail readers! I am excited to begin work on bringing you our weekly newsletters. You may see some changes in formatting or style, but rest assured that these emails will continue to share upcoming events, book reviews, and literary news.

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Staff Picks

From Anne: What We Were Promised: A Novel by Lucy Tan. These are not the Crazy Rich Asians from the other books. These are Unhappy Rich Asians, despite their affluent western lifestyle. The Zhen family has a luxurious serviced apartment in Shanghai. Wei, a marketing strategist, bows under the guilt of not having engaged in nobler work. Lina, lonely in her new life of leisure, is haunted by the circumstances surrounding her arranged marriage to Wei and her lingering feelings for his brother, Qiang. Lina and Wei take pains to hide their anxieties, but their housekeeper, Sunny, a hardworking girl with secrets of her own, bears witness to their struggles. When Qiang reappears in Shanghai, the family must finally come to terms with the past.

From Bud: Wanderers: A Novel by Chuck Wendig. One night, the world goes to sleep. The next day, a large segment of the world’s population simply does not awaken. Instead, they have mysteriously slipped into an “in-between state” where they do not talk, nor can they be woken up. These unfortunate souls are “sleepwalkers” who are lumbering through the days and nights on a journey across the nation toward an inescapable unknown destination. Keeping watch over them, along the way, are the survivors. Those who did not fall victim to this strange malady. These are the “shepherds.” What happens to them as they move toward their common fate will determine the outcome for everyone involved.

2019 North Carolina Book Festival and Quail Ridge Books Arts & Lecture Series

Tickets on sale now at Eventbrite

The Arts & Lecture Series strives to bring the most engaging authors, writers, and thinkers to our state.

The inaugural season features some of the most celebrated writers working today. They are novelists and essayists whose award-winning works cover the most compelling topics in contemporary society.

Wednesday, 8/21: Karl Marlantes with Wiley Cash

Friday, 9/6: Sarah Rose Etter

Sunday, 10/27: Ann Patchett

Selections from Lizzy's Take Ten , Part 1

Code Name Verity

Elizabeth Wein

This WWII novel not only features some of the strongest female characters I've ever seen, but it also teaches an important lesson about what heroes look like. Maddie and Queenie's friendship is strong enough to withstand literal Nazis so they're at the top of this best friend list.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky

This book astounded me when I read it years ago. Written in the form of letters, this incredible story about a high school boy who finds a group of truly caring friends and flourishes into his own person is one you won't forget. It's a story about trauma, healing, and the people who stand by you as you go through it all.

Isla and the Happily Ever After

Stephanie Perkins

Stephanie Perkins is one of my favorite North Carolina authors. This is the third book in a silly-sounding (but totally worth it) series that features a different character in each book. In this book we see Isla, her best friend Kurt (named after Kurt Cobain), and her new boyfriend Josh enter their senior year at a French boarding school for American students.

Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee

Jeff Zentner

Another senior year book, this is a quirky tale set in a small town in Tennessee about a pair of best friends who have a cable access show about bad horror movies. There's also an MMA fighter. None of this sounds like my cup of tea, but I loved these characters with their hilarious questions and fiercely protective friendship.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear

E.K. Johnston

Johnston takes readers on a thoughtful look at the days and weeks after a teenager gets raped at her school's cheerleading camp. It's like Speak but with a good support group. Hermione's best friend Polly is one of the greatest friend characters I've seen in YA. The girls at the center of this story are strong beyond their years yet still realistic.

In this week’s episode of Bookin’ , Michael Parker joins host Jason Jefferies to talk about his fantastic new novel Prairie Fever, which is one of the best novels of 2019. Michael and Jason discuss education, family dynamics, creativity and southern door disease. Signed copies of Prairie Fever can be purchased in-store and online here (while supplies last).

Bookin' is sponsored by indie supporter Libro.fm Audiobooks --tune in for a special offer for Bookin' listeners. The podcast can be found at at QuailRidgeBooks.com/Podcast and on other platforms like iTunes , Stitcher , and Spotify .

D.G. Martin hosts North Carolina Bookwatch on UNC-TV, airing Sundays at 11:00 a.m. and Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. This coming week D.G.'s guest is Scott Huler with A Delicious Country . Find the full Bookwatch schedule and watch episodes online at UNC-TV.org/Bookwatch .

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, July 9, at 7:00 PM

NATHAN BALLINGRUD

Wounds

Wounds is a confounding, strange, and utterly entrancing collection of six stories, including one new novella. From the eerie dread descending upon a New Orleans dive bartender after a cell phone is left behind in a bar fight in “The Visible Filth” to the search for the map of hell in “The Butcher’s Table,” Ballingrud’s beautifully crafted stories are riveting in their quietly terrifying depictions of the murky line between the known and the unknown.

Wednesday, July 10, at 7:00 PM

Literary Trivia

Do you love bar trivia and books? If so, join us on Wednesday, July 10 for a night of literary trivia, sponsored by the Redbud Writing Project , which is the Triangle's only adult education writing school. This trivia night will feature four rounds of questions, all of them about books, literature, or literature-inspired pop culture. Winners will receive prizes and glory; BYOB and snacks. Hope to see you there! E-mail ecataneo@redbudwriting.org to sign up a team or an individual!