Episode 167 - Author Spotlight with Kelcey Ervick

We have been hitting the books and hitting road & rails! Emily had a week-long vacation on Martha’s Vineyard and read a ton. She also visited Bunches of Grapes bookstore and FOUR libraries on the island – West Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, and Edgartown. Chris attended a virtual event through the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library with Raymond Clemens who shared some of the earliest maps in their current exhibition, The World in Maps, 1400-1600. Check out the link in our show notes to watch Ray’s presentation. We also had two delicious Biblio Adventures together. The first was a literal Couch Biblio Adventure where we sat on the couch at Book Cougars HQ and ate pizza while watching Malinda Lo’s event at Simmons University. Her YA novel LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB was this semester’s joint read at Simmons. Days later we were riding the rails to meet Aunt Ellen at Grand Central in Manhattan. After hugs and a pit stop, we took the subway to Brooklyn where we spent the day walking around and experiencing bookish adventures and culinary delights. Stops included: The Center for Fiction, Smith Street Bagels, Books Are Magic, the Brooklyn Public Library at Carroll Gardens, and La Vara, where we were joined by Aunt Ellen’s partner Chris. We topped off the day with an author event and saw Maggie O’Farrell talking about her new book, THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT, at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church. It was a perfect day. We even had time to grab some pastries from Magnolia Bakery before boarding the train home. Lots of books, good food, and great company. Phew, this is a long episode blurb and we haven’t even mentioned any books yet! We’ll list our “Just Read” titles: CANNERY ROW – John Steinbeck THE FALL GIRL – audiobook narrated by Marcia Clark and Cathy LePard SMALL GAME – Blair Braverman SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE – Claire Keegan MAD WOMEN'S BALL – Victoria Mas (translated by Frank Wynne) LIBRARY GIRL: How Nancy Pearl Became America’s Most Celebrated Librarian – Karen Henry Clark (illustrated by Sheryl Murray) DARK RIVERS TO CROSS – Lynne Reeves release date 11/8/2022 MISS GRIEF AND OTHER STORIES – Constance Fenimore Woolson (edited by Anne Boyd Rioux) OPEN WATER – Caleb Azumah Nelson LOVECRAFT COUNTRY – Matt Ruff THE SALT PATH – Raynor Winn (audio) THE LUNAR HOUSEWIFE – Caroline Woods If the blurb is long, you know the episode is long, too, but stick around to the end (or fast forward if you’re crunched for time) to listen to our conversation with writer, graphic artist, English professor, and athlete KELCEY ERVICK. Her new graphic memoir THE KEEPER: SOCCER, ME, AND THE LAW THAT CHANGED WOMEN’S LIVES is fantastic! We give it four paws up. Check out this wonderful blurb from another graphic memoirist you may have heard of: “The Keeper is a triumph! Kelcey Ervick’s rollicking visual storytelling makes this information-packed lesson in women’s sports history both hilarious and surprisingly moving. Do not be deceived by her loose, exuberant drawings—the level of writerly control at play in this beautiful book is prodigious.” - Alison Bechdel, author of the New York Times bestselling Fun Home and The Secret to Superhuman Strength One more thing and then we’re putting our noses back into our books! Reminder that our current readalong book is MURDER ON THE RED RIVER by Marcie R. Rendon. Please email us (bookcougars@gmail.com) if you would like to participate in the Zoom conversation on Sunday, December 4th at 7 PM (ET). We also have a discussion thread over on Goodreads.