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- Jenn Topper
Saturday, February 20, 2010
2:00PM
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The Town Book Store in Westfield will host a Meet & Greet for Jenn Topper, author of 29 Jobs and A Million Lies on Saturday, February 20, 2010 from 2-4 PM. Dark, twisted, and outrageous, this is not the story of your all-American girl seeking glory and success, but a glimpse at counterculture's underbelly and Topper’s attempts to succeed within that world. From demented B-movie, roach-infested film production offices chock full of freakish characters to the Cannes Film Festival; from starting a punk rock record label to its hard but inevitable crash; from a grimy, Greenwich Village restaurant kitchen to failed attempts at joining the Navy, you have to ask, “What’s a nice girl from the suburbs doing all of this dirty work for, anyway?”
29 Jobs and a Million Lies is the gut-wrenching, self-deprecating account of how ambition to stand out was wiped out by clumsy choices, immaturity and self-defeating righteousness. Energized to prove to the doubters that she could succeed despite the unorthodox approach, this litany of boneheaded decisions portrays how the author painfully hurled heart and soul into a long trail of draining pursuits, failing so often that success was invisible. 29 Jobs and A Million Lies is a post-GenX novel, except it's true, and in the vein of Sarah Vowell, Chuck Klosterman, and Dave Eggers.
A resident of Highlands, NJ, Jenn Topper is currently a corporate sellout but her two perfect little boys don’t seem to mind one bit.
Meet Jenn at The Town Book Store located at 270 East Broad Street in Westfield (corner of East Broad and Elmer Streets). If you are unable to attend this event, feel free to call The Town Book Store at (908) 233-3535 to reserve an autographed copy.
- Peggy Ehrhart
Saturday, March 6, 2010
2:00PM
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The Town Book Store in Westfield will host a Meet & Greet for Peggy Ehrhart, author of Sweet Man is Gone on Saturday, March 6, 2010 from 2-4 PM. Blues-singer Maxx Maxwell is smart, talented, and gorgeous--at least since she had her nose fixed, went blonde, and bought a push-up bra. So what if she’s living in a scruffy apartment in Hackensack, New Jersey, and the waitress job she’s taken to make ends meet is driving her crazy? Her band, Maxximum Blues, is really taking off, thanks to the talents of guitarist Jimmy Nashville, a heartbreakingly handsome guy whose life is complicated by an assortment of girlfriends.
But then Jimmy plunges to his death from the window of his ninth-floor apartment. His death intensifies tensions already simmering in the band, and Maxx fears her dream of making it as a singer might just as well be dead too. Besides, she has to admit that, though she was trying to resist his charm, she was as smitten with Jimmy as were the other women in his life.
The plot, with its surprising and dramatic climax, will keep readers guessing until the last few pages. Kirkus Reviews raves,“A blues singer turns detective when her guitarist’s death is ruled a suicide. Maxx’s debut has a real feel for the bar-music scene and is a gutsy, believable sleuth.” and the Newark Star Ledger says, “. . . blues riffs that are the next best thing to hearing them.”
Peggy Ehrhart is a former college English professor who lives in Leonia, New Jersey, where she plays blues guitar and writes mysteries. She has won awards for her short fiction, and her stories have appeared in numerous venues, both print and online. As Margaret J. Ehrhart, she has also published widely in the field of her academic specialty, medieval literature. Sweet Man Is Gone is her first mystery.
Meet Peggy at The Town Book Store located at 270 East Broad Street in Westfield (corner of East Broad and Elmer Streets). If you are unable to attend this event, feel free to call The Town Book Store at (908) 233-3535 to reserve an autographed copy.
- Connie McNamara
Saturday, March 13, 2010
11:00AM
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The Town Book Store in Westfield will host a Meet & Greet for Connie McNamara, author of A History of Mountainside: It Was Only Yesterday: 1945-2006 on Saturday, March 13, 2010 from 11-1 PM. McNamara provides a comprehensive look at this tight knit community that prides itself on its bucolic surroundings and its caring and cohesiveness. She recounts anecdotes, passed on by town elders, of Mountainside’s prestigious historic architecture, the establishment of the nationally renowned Children’s Specialized Hospital and the Badgley House, where Revolutionary residents concealed their valuables from the British. Longtime Mountainsiders candidly recall the 1987 tornado, the 1995 centennial celebration and the galvanizing day in 1985 when the historic Hetfield House was moved down Route 22. Produced in collaboration with the Mountainside Historic Preservation Committee, A History of Mountainside unveils the extraordinary character of this beloved New Jersey town.
A lifelong resident of Union County, Connie McNamara has lived in Mountainside since 1974. She has worked as a reporter for Newsweek and editor at New Jersey Savvy Living, and currently works as a freelance writer.
Meet Connie at The Town Book Store located at 270 East Broad Street in Westfield (corner of East Broad and Elmer Streets). If you are unable to attend this event, feel free to call The Town Book Store at (908) 233-3535 to reserve an autographed copy.
- Stuart Lutz
Saturday, April 3, 2010
2:00PM
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The Town Book Store in Westfield will host a Meet & Greet for Stuart Lutz, author of The Last Leaf: Voices of History’s Last Known Survivors on Saturday, April 3, 2010 from 2-4 PM. The book contains interviews with people who were the final eyewitness or last survivors of historically important events. The wide-ranging stories run the gamut from humor and tragedy to adventure and bravery. To name a few, meet the 1920 Olympic medalist who stole the original Olympic flag, the last survivor of the 1915 Lusitania sinking, the final Medal of Honor recipient for actions on Pearl Harbor Day and one of the last scientists at the first nuclear chain reaction, and the final Iwo Jima flag raiser.
In more than three-dozen chapters, Lutz blends background information in a lively narrative with the words of the interviewees, so that readers not familiar with the historical episodes described can understand what occurred and the long-term significance of the events. A book that truly makes the past come alive, The Last Leaf will fascinate not only history buffs but anyone who loves a great story.
Lutz, a Maplewood resident, has always been fascinated by the stories told by older people. His interests in history and writing come together in The Last Leaf where each chapter blends the narrative of the “Last Leaves” with historical background so readers can understand what occurred and the long-term importance of each event. Lutz owns Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc., a firm that sells rare letters and manuscripts. He has written for American Heritage and Civil War Times Illustrated, and has appeared on National Public Radio.
Meet Mr. Lutz at The Town Book Store located at 270 East Broad Street in Westfield (corner of East Broad and Elmer Streets). If you are unable to attend this event, feel free to call The Town Book Store at (908) 233-3535 to reserve an autographed copy.
- Josie Varga
Saturday, April 17, 2010
2:00PM
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The Town Book Store in Westfield will host a Meet & Greet for Westfield resident, Josie Varga, author of Visits from Heaven on Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 2-4 PM. If you think you are going to die, then you’re in for a big surprise. This book will not only challenge your assumptions, it will give you the proof that you never thought existed. Not only are there substantial scientific studies indicating that our consciousness survives death, but those on the “other side” have come back time and time again with evidential messages for their loved ones.
Josie Varga has assembled an incomparable collection of what she terms “visits from heaven” from around the globe and backed up by testimony from some of the world’s leading experts on afterlife communication.
This groundbreaking book will lead you to question your own mortality with the realization that we are all eternal energy beings, and energy can neither be created nor destroyed. When you reach the end of this book, you will find that the most prudent explanation is that there is nothing final about death. You always were and you always will be.
Josie Varga does not consider herself disabled and never will. Her disability, she believes, is her strength not her weakness. Despite having both cerebral palsy and bilateral hearing loss, she considers herself very fortunate as she prefers to live her life focusing on the positive.
Josie became a successful communications consultant while authoring her first book, Footprints in the Sand: A Disabled Woman’s Inspiring Journey to Happiness, which was published in 2004. Since then, she has become a motivational speaker encouraging audiences to strive to overcome and sharing the importance of having a positive mental attitude in life.
Meet Josie at The Town Book Store located at 270 East Broad Street in Westfield (corner of East Broad and Elmer Streets). If you are unable to attend this event, feel free to call The Town Book Store at (908) 233-3535 to reserve an autographed copy.
- Sue Anderson
Saturday, April 24, 2010
2:00PM
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The Town Book Store in Westfield will host a Meet & Greet with illustrator Sue Anderson for her book You’re Lovable to Me on Saturday, April 24, 2010 from 2-4 PM. Through the eyes of a bunny family, author Kat Yeh and illustrator Sue Anderson introduce families to a heart warming tale that is sure to touch readers of all ages. You’re Lovable to Me is the perfect bedtime story bringing families together to learn about the power and simplicity of unconditional love. Through the use of gentle rhyme and classic illustrations; this is a classic tale of love that can be shared with all generations.
The story begins with the repentant bunnies apologizing to their mama for the trouble they’ve created throughout the day. The mama bunny stops her children and softly explains that “no matter what your feelings are, whatever they may be . . . I’m your mama. You’re my bunnies. And you’re lovable to me.” Once the young bunny are all tucked in, Mama Bunny’s father stops by and finds his little bunny in need of a loving reminder. He, too, sweetly explains to his bunny that “You’re lovable to me.”
Sue Anderson grew up in Westfield and is the illustrator of the children’s book Off We Go. Her drawings, paintings, and graphic designs are displayed in several states on the East Coast. She enjoys life by the shore with her family in Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
Meet Sue at The Town Book Store located at 270 East Broad Street in Westfield (corner of East Broad and Elmer Streets). If you are unable to attend this event, feel free to call The Town Book Store at (908) 233-3535 to reserve an autographed copy.
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