National Book Award Winner Jaimy Gordon!!!
Michigan author Jaimy Gordon was announced today, 11/17/2010, as the winner of the 2010 National Book Award for fiction. Jaimy will be at the Redford Township District Library on Sunday, December 5th from 3-4:30pm to read from her new novel, Lord of Misrule, which has won the 2010 National Book Award in fiction. There will be a short reading followed by a Q&A and book signing. This event is co-sponsored by the Book Beat, the Redford Township District Library (25320 West 6 Mile Road, Redford, MI 48240. Between Telegraph and Beech Daly Rd.), and the Women’s National Book Association (Detroit Chapter). Books will be available for purchase at the event. Please contact Book Beat at 248-968-1190 for more information. This event is free and open to the public. 
“With marvelous poetic authority, Jaimy Gordon takes us deep into the underbelly of the racetrack. There are no roses or mint juleps here. This is the down-and-dirty world of claiming races, and everything is hazed with the gritty patina of desperation. Through her considerable gifts, Gordon fully inhabits this seldom-seen world of trainers, dreamers, gamblers, and grifters. At turns comic, heartbreaking, and lyrical, Lord of Misrule is a brilliant achievement.”–Don Lee, author of Wrack and Ruin
Jaimy Gordon currently resides in Kalamazoo, MI where she teaches creative writing at Western Michigan University.
Michigan Christmas Treats! 3 MI Authors at Baldwin Library, Sun. Dec. 5th
The Baldwin Public Library and Book Beat are pleased to present three Michigan authors and the Christmas books they have created. Matt Faulkner, Jane Monroe Donovan and Susan Collins Thoms will be at Baldwin Library (300 West Merrill Street Birmingham, MI 48009) on Sunday, December 5 from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm to sign and read from their latest Christmas books.
These homegrown authors are well-known around the country, and their Christmas titles are wonderful additions for anyone who appreciates the beauty of a Michigan winter. This event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase at the event. If you have any questions, call Book Beat at (248) 968-1190.
Susan Collins Thoms is the author of The Twelve Days of Christmas in Michigan and Cesar Takes a Break.
Jane Monroe Donovan is the author of Small Medium & Large, Winter’s Gift, and Black Beauty’s Early Days in the Meadow.
Matt Faulkner is the author of The Night Henry Ford Met Santa, A Taste of Colored Water, and The Monster Who Ate My Peas, among some 30 other children’s books.
Author PW Catanese at Baldwin Public Library, Mon. Dec. 6
Author P.W. Catanese will be appearing at the Baldwin Public Library (300 W. Merrill St., Birmingham, MI 48009) on Monday, Dec. 6 at 7pm to sign his latest children’s book, Happenstance Found, the first title in his Books of Umber series. Happenstance Found is one of this year’s Birmingham Battle Books. Books will be available for purchase at the event, along with this year’s other Battle Books.
“Catanese’s forte is in defining the features of the colorful imaginary world he creates, which is part steampunk, part fairy tale, and has a surprising contemporary twist. Merpeople, leviathans, and sorceresses mingle with Mozart, mirrors, and elevators in this unusual culture…a cinematic quality that will be enjoyed by a wide range of fantasy readers.” – The Horn Book
Described as part steampunk and part fairy tale, it is the story of a boy with unusual green eyes who awakens in a dark tunnel with no memories. Happenstance’s uncanny gifts begin to emerge as he travels with the mysterious Lord Umber. He is also the author of several successful novels for children, including a series of books that are sequels to classic fairy tales.
Registration is required for this event. Please contact the Baldwin Library at (248) 554-4670 or baldwinlib.org.
Sunday, December 12th; Bill Rauhauser – 20th Century Photography
Sunday, December 12th at 2 PM at Book Beat Bill Rauhauser will present and sign copies of his new book; Bill Rauhauser – 20th Century Photography. Joining Bill will be Mary Desjarlais, author of the books introductory essay.
Bill Rauhauser – 20th Century Photography is the most complete survey on the 92-year-old photographer to date and covers decades from the 1930s until the present. Bill Rauhauser has spent a lifetime quietly chronicling the heart and soul of Detroit. From his poetic recording of his family life and the urban landscape to his surprising tabletop conceptual artworks, Rauhauser’s image making has always been stamped with his own unique gentle beauty and refined composition.