Dearest Readers,

We're keeping it short and sweet on the up front this week because we want you to focus on four fabulous events we've got coming up in the next three weeks. Make sure you scroll all the way down as the soonest event appears at the bottom (and if you are a fan of bestselling blockbusters, you'll definitely want to read all about it!). We've got something for everyone so please register, mark your calendars, and spread the word. These events are sure to get people talking.

Want to make sure you don't miss any updates? We're always around on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter; we'll be back soon with new book love and current faves.

Be well.
Walter Isaacson in conversation with Wendy Kopp
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
Wednesday, April 7
7PM
Barrett Bookstore and the Darien Community Association welcome Walter Isaacson in conversation with Wendy Kopp to discuss Isaacson’s new book, The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race.

Bestselling author Walter Isaacson has established himself as the biographer of creativity, innovation, and genius. Wendy Kopp is the Founder and former CEO of Teach For America and the Co-Founder and CEO of Teach For All.

The genius at the center of Isaacson's newest book, The Code Breaker, is American biochemist Jennifer Doudna, who is considered one of the prime inventors of CRISPR, a system that can edit DNA. Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and improve the human species.

“The Code Breaker is another Walter Isaacson must-read. This time he has a heroine who will be for the ages; a worldwide cast of remarkable, fiercely competitive scientists; and a string of discoveries that will change our lives far more than the iPhone did. The tale is gripping. The implications mind-blowing.”—Atul Gawande

This is a virtual, ticketed event. Ticket includes a copy of the book. 
Wambui Ippolito + Jennifer Jewell
The Earth in Her Hands
Tuesday, April 6
7PM
Barrett Bookstore and Darien Library welcome Wambui Ippolito and Jennifer Jewell for a virtual event. Jennifer will discuss her beautiful book, The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants and engage in conversation with Wambui about the  people, places, plants that grew her into the designer, scholar, and activist she is in the plant world. 

Jennifer Jewell is the host of the national award-winning weekly public radio program and podcast Cultivating Place: Conversations on Natural History and the Human Impulse to Garden and the author of The Earth in Her Hands, 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants (Timber Press in 2020), and Under Western Skies, Visionary Gardens from the Rockies to the Pacific Coast (Timber Press, May 2021).

Wambui Ippolito is a horticulturist,  landscape designer and a graduate of the New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture. She designs and creates gardens and mini landscapes in New York and will be doing her first show garden at the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show in 2021. She develops programming for museums, public gardens, and parks exploring the broader context of horticulture, focusing on the intersections between migration, design, history, culture and science.
Mashama Bailey + John O. Morisano
Black, White, and the Grey
Wednesday, March 24
8PM
Barrett Bookstore welcomes the dynamic leadership team from the storied Savannah restaurant: The Grey. James Beard Award-winning Chef Mashama Bailey and her business partner John O. Morisano will come together for an intimate virtual conversation about food, entrepreneurship, race, gender, and class. This is a discussion you absolutely *do not* want to miss. 

“Black, White, and The Grey is a story for our hearts, minds, and times. It breaks out of any genre ever associated with restaurants—cookbooks or otherwise—taking us on a journey into the minds and motivations of two unlikely partners, each on a mission to prove something to themselves, the world, and ultimately to each other.”—Danny Meyer, author of Setting the Table

We're thrilled to partner with the following individuals and businesses to bring you this event: Lorca Coffee Bar, Avellino Family Barbecue, CT Bites, Hey Stamford!, Flour Water Salt Bread, Dorie Greenspan, Sipstirs, Darien Library, NEAT Coffee, Women's Business Development Council, MamaCollective, Rise Doughnuts, Baywater Properties, PG Properties, and The Corbin District.
Harlan Coben in conversation with John Grisham
Win
Monday, March 22
7PM
Darien Library and Barrett Bookstore welcome Harlan Coben, a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-five languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries, with seventy-five million books in print worldwide.

Joining Harlan in conversation about his just-released book, Win, we welcome John Grisham, bestselling author of A Time to Kill, The Firm, and the upcoming novel, Sooley.