Book Events for Oct. 21

Louisiana Book Festival to host two community reading events

The Louisiana Book Festival will host two events encouraging festival goers to read the same book for a festival discussion. One Book, One Festival will feature a reader discussion of John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces led by Southern literature scholar Gary Richards. The second festivalwide discussion will be a Louisiana Big Read event, part of the statewide Big Read project, featuring Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. Both discussions will take place at the Louisiana Book Festival on Saturday, Oct. 27, in downtown Baton Rouge.

Additional programming related to A Confederacy of Dunces will be featured at the festival: a discussion led by author Cory McLauchlin about his Toole biography, Butterfly in the Typewriter: The Tragic Life of John Kennedy Toole and the Remarkable Story of A Confederacy of Dunces (Senate Chamber, noon-12:45 p.m.) and a screening of a documentary, JOHN KENNEDY TOOLE: the omega point, presented by producer Joe Sanford (Welcome Center Screening Room, 10 a.m.-11:15 a.m.).

The Things They Carried festival panel discussion (House Committee Room 3, 12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m.) will be moderated by Harry Laver of SLU and will include panelists Charles Elliott of SLU and Mary McCay of Loyola University.

For more information, visit, http://www.LouisianaBookFestival.com or the Louisiana Book Festival Facebook page.

Harelson, Costello to lecture

New Roads and Old Rivers, a collaborative effort by Richard Sexton, photographer, and text by Brian Costello and Randy Harelson reveals the natural and cultural vitality of Pointe Coupee Parish. Sharing photographs and treasures of history about Pointe Coupee, the two will lecture on Thursday, Oct. 25, at the Old Governor’s Mansion, 502 North Blvd. A book signing will follow the lecture.

The lecture begins at 6:30 p.m. The event is free to FHL members and $10 for guests. Go to http://www.fhl.org.

Louisiana Groove

Get your Louisiana Groove on from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, when musicians play in support of the Festival of Words at the Blue Moon Saloon, 215 E. Convent St. in Lafayette. The benefit features a variety of musicians. Food from area restaurants will be available for purchase. Funds raised help support the 2012 Festival of Words (Nov. 8-12). For more information, call [phone] or email [e-mail].

Keegan to read

In a continued celebration of the centennial at Loyola University New Orleans, the award-winning Irish author and Loyola alumna Claire Keegan will present a reading of her work at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, at Thomas Hall at Loyola in New Orleans.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call [phone] or email Jess Brown at [e-mail].

NOCCA reading series

The Creative Writing Program of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) presents the fall installment of its 2012-13 Creative Reading Series, featuring Jamey Hatley and Brad Richard at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, at Ken Kirschman Artspace, NOCCA, 2800 Chartres St. A reception will follow. The event is free and open to the public.

Lunchtime Lagniappe

Louisiana authors explore themes from Louisiana history during Lunchtime Lagniappe at noon Wednesdays at Capitol Park Museum in downtown Baton Rouge. On Wednesday, Oct. 24, Coach Paul Dietzel will speak about Call Me Coach; A Life in College Football.

EBR Parish Library

The last Recycled Reads gift book sale of the year will be held 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at 238 Little John Drive. Recycled Reads will be closed November-December for restocking. For more information, call [phone].

Book clubs:

•  Book Buffs will meet at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, at the Baker branch, 3501 Groom Road. Children ages 8-11 will take turns reading aloud from the chapter book, Hide and Seek by Sue Stauffacher. For more information or to register, call [phone].
•  JCR Books Into Movies Club will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, at Jones Creek Regional branch, 6222 Jones Creek Road. Members will discuss The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike.
•  Central Book Club will meet at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, at Central branch, 11260 Joor Road. Members will discuss The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.
•  Like It… Or Not Book Club will meet at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at Pride-Chaneyville branch, 13600 Pride-Port Hudson Road. Members will discuss Fiber and Brimstone by Laura Childs.

Livingston Parish Library

Sci Fi Book Club sign-up will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, at the Main branch, 20390 Iowa St. in Livingston. Sign up for the club at their party. Call [phone] for details.

Book Clubs:

n South Branch Bookies will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, at South branch, 23477 La. 444 in Livingston. Members will discuss Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson.

•  Teen Book Club will meet 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, at Albany-Springfield branch, 26941 La. 43, Hammond. Members will discuss 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher.

Ascension Parish Library

Have a favorite book that you’d like to share with others? Would you like to know what the favorite books are of other teens?

If so, the library’s Pizza & Books event is just the thing for you. This month’s teen event will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, at the Donaldsonville branch, 500 Mississippi St. in Donaldsonville. For more information on this teen event, call [phone].

Lafayette Public Library

November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The world’s largest writing challenge encourages aspiring writers ages 13 and older to write a 50,000-word novel in one month. During the kick-off event, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, at South Regional branch, 6101 S. Johnston St. in Lafayette, the Municipal Liaison for NaNoWriMo in the Lafayette region, Angelique Juneau, and the Director of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Creative Writing department, Marthe Reed, will assist in writing prep exercises and a brainstorming session. For more information, visit http://www.nanowrimo.org.

Library links

East Baton Rouge Parish Library: http://www.ebrpl.com/.

Livingston Parish Library: http://www.livingston.lib.la.us/.

Ascension Parish Library: http://main.ascension.lib.la.us/.

West Baton Rouge Parish Library: http://www1.youseemore.com/WBatonRouge/default.asp.

Iberville Parish Library: http://www.iberville.lib.la.us/.

West Feliciana Parish Library: http://wfplibrary.org/.

Audubon Regional Library: http://www2.youseemore.com/AUDUBON/.

Lafayette Public Library: http://lafayettepubliclibrary.org/.

St. James Parish Library: http://www.stjames.lib.la.us/.

St. John the Baptist Parish Library: http://www.stjohn.lib.la.us/.

St. Charles Parish Library: http://www.myscpl.org/.

Jefferson Parish Library: http://www.jefferson.lib.la.us/.

New Orleans Public Library: http://nutrias.org/.

St. Bernard Parish Library: http://www.stbernard.lib.la.us/.

St. Tammany Parish Library: http://www.sttammany.lib.la.us/home_flash.html.

Vampire invasion

Anne Rice’s Vampires, with a host of supernatural writers will invade New Orleans Halloween weekend. Lestat’s Fan Club (ARVLFC) will hold its 3rd annual Undead Conference with four days of events featuring author Sherrilyn Kenyon and many more including the 24th annual Vampire Lestat Ball. The weekend kicks off Thursday, Oct. 25, with the Crescent Moon Author Meet and Greet aboard The Historic Steamboat Natchez. The fun continues all weekend with supernatural author panels, Q&A sessions, book signings, raffles, the Lestat Ball & the Farewell Dark Hunters Moon Cocktail Party. Visit http://www.arvlfc.com.

HeartLa meeting

HeartLa, the Baton Rouge Chapter of Romance Writers of America, will hold its monthly meeting 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct 27, at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library Bluebonnet branch, 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd.

Membership is open to writers of all genres. Guests may attend two meetings before joining. This month author and editor Nancy S. Brandt will give a workshop on Heroine Archetypes.

Signings

Peggy Sweeney-McDonald and Troy Kleinpeter, editor and photographer of Meanwhile Back at Cafe Du Monde a collection of foodie monologues recalling memories of life, love, family and friends in Louisiana, will sign copies of their book at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, at Perkins Rowe Barnes & Noble, 7707 Bluebonnet Blvd #100.

Mary Manhein, author of Floating Souls: The Canal Murders, will sign copies of her book at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, at Barnes & Noble Premier Center II, 3414 U.S. 190, Suite 10, in Mandeville.

Willie and Korie Robertson, stars of A&E’s Duck Dynasty and authors of The Duck Commander Family: How Faith, Family, and Ducks Built a Dynasty, will sign copies of their book, 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, at Maple Street Book Shop, 7529 Maple St. in New Orleans.

Tonja Koob Marking and Jennifer Snape, authors of Louisiana’s Oil Heritage, will sign copies of their book at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, at Octavia Books, 513 Octavia St. in New Orleans.

Margaret Dunbar Cutright, author of A Case For Solomon: Bobby Dunbar and the Kidnapping that Haunted a Nation, will sign copes of her book at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, at Washington Municipal Library, 418 N. Main St. in Washington; and at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, at South St. Landry Community Library, 235 Marie St. in Sunset.

Thomas Joseph Perez, author of Katrina Lashes Arabia, will sign copies of his book, 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, at Maple Street Book Shop Healing Center location, 2372 St. Claude Ave. in New Orleans.

Arthe Anthony, author of Picturing Black New Orleans: A Creole Photographer’s View of the Early Twentieth Century, will sign copies of her book, 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, at Garden District Book Shop, 2727 Prytania St. in New Orleans.

Robert Olen Butler, author of The Hot Country, will sign copies of his book at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, at Octavia Books, 513 Octavia St. in New Orleans.

Ron Thibodeaux, author of Hell or High Water: How Cajun Fortitude Withstood Hurricanes Rita and Ike, will sign copies of his book at Cameron Parish Library, Johnson’s Bayou branch, 4586 Gulf Beach Highway, Cameron.

George Singleton, author of Stray Decorum, will sign copies of his book at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, at Octavia Books, 513 Octavia St. in New Orleans.

Bud Steed, author of Haunted Mississippi Gulf Coast, will sign copies of his book at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, at Barnes & Noble Westbank, 1601B West Bank Expressway, Harvey.

Teena Myers, author of Finding Faith in the City Care Forgot, will sign copies of her book, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge.

Colette Saucier, author of Pulse and Prejudice and All My Tomorrows, will sign copies of her books Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge.

Warren A. Perrin, co-author of the book Iberia Parish, will sign copies of his book Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge.

David Lummis, author The Coffee Shop Chronicles of New Orleans: The Last Beaucoeur, will sign copies of his book, 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at Crescent City Books, 230 Chartres St. in New Orleans.

Johnette Downing, Why The Oyster Has The Pearl, will sign copies of her book Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge.

Information for Book Events was provided by The Louisiana Center for the Book, The Foundation for Historical Louisiana, The Festival of Words, Loyola University, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, East Baton Rouge Parish Library, Livingston Parish Library, Capitol Park Museum, Livingston Parish Library, Ascension Parish Library, Lafayette Public Library, Anne Rice’s Vampires, HeartLa and Barnes & Noble.