| We've been making our lists and checking them twice
| We've got lots of books we think are quite nice. Santa Claus should come right on down. Come right on down and browse at The Regulator, that is. We have books well worth giving (i.e. present-a-bull books) all through the store. A few of our favorites are listed just below. But first lets highlight a few of our upcoming events, including tonight's matchup between the best of Duke and Carolina basketball, Friday evening's look at Carolina Writers at Home, and next Wednesday's visit from our beloved bad boy of local journalism, Barry Saunders.
And no one is going to want to miss Allan Gurganus performing his Christmas classic, "A Fool for Christmas," Thursday evening December 10th. See our complete events schedule below
And meanwhile, we hope you will remember to Shop Independent Durham! |
| Present-able Books!
| This is an especially strong year for new cookbooks, starting with Durham's own Foster's Market Favorites: 25th Anniversary Collection (signed copies available). Then there's: How to make some of the basics yourself. From hummus to roasted tomato sauce to ricotta cheese. We've already had good reports on the recipes here, and then there are the marvelous little essays from folks like Roy Blount, Rick Bragg and Randall Kenan. As John Egerton says, "...life without a little South in your mouth at least once in a while is a bland and dreary prospect" 12 ways to make gazpacho, 12 ways to cook white fish fillets, 9 ways to make tomato sauce, 4 recipes for dal...... Straightforward recipes, beautiful illustrations. How and why things work in the kitchen, combined with basic skills, and recipes in a beautiful package. THE book for the serious chef on your list? Moving to general non-fiction, two titles now in paperback would be a great fit for "just the right person": How to get around using maps and compasses, the stars, latitude and longitude, by reading the waves in the ocean, etc. A great look at all the wisdom and experience that GPS has taken from us. From corsets to opium-based "soothing syrups" for babies (and "tonics" for grown-ups), to music halls and the beginnings of "lawn tennis." A fascinating visit to a very different world. In fiction, the reviews can't be much better for: A novel that imagines John Lennon in 1978, on a journey through the west of Ireland in search of his creative self, conversing with an Irish driver. A remarkable novel about marriage that offers two very different narratives, first from the husband's point of view, then from the wife's. And a staff pick from Cait here at The Regulator! And in a category all its own, there is the Brilliant, fun, heavily annotated diagrams of how things work. From a "food-heating radio box" (a.k.a a microwave), to a "room for helping people" (a.k.a. a standard room in a hospital) to "power boxes" or batteries. |
| | | Thursday, December 3, 7:00 p.m.
 Johnny Moore's book has everything a fan of the Blue Devils would want to know, trivia, history, places to visit in Durham. If you're a Tar Heel fan, Art Chansky's book is the counterpoint, with significant sites in Chapel Hill, history and trivia about UNC-CH. We'll hear about the 100 Things Duke Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and the 100 Things North Carolina Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die. Johnny Moore works at Duke University where he is a radio and television producer. Moore is the coauthor of The Blue Divide and has been i  nvolved with Duke athletics for nearly 40 years. He was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2005. Moore has interviewed many Duke coaches and players. He lives in Durham. Art Chansky is the other coauthor of The Blue Divide. Chansky, originally from Boston, graduated from UNC where he covered sports as a student reporter. He has been fascinated with the Carolina-Duke riv alry since 1968. Chansky is the author of The Dean's List; Light Blue Reign; and Blue Blood: Duke-Carolina, Inside the Most Storied Rivalry in College Hoops.
with Rob McDonald, Daniel Wallace, Jill McCorkle, Zelda Lockhart and Bronwen Dickey
Friday December 4, 7:00 p.m.
Rob McDonald photographed 25 writers and their homes in North and South Carolina for Carolina Writers at Home. The writers discuss the environment that works for them and explain the objects that surround them. The book shows where these writers live and gives some fascinating insight into their writing process. Local writers Daniel Wallace, Jill McCorkle, Zelda Lockhart, and Bronwen Dickey will join Rob McDonald to read from their sections.
Rob McDonald, who is originally from rural Marion County, SC, teaches literature and writing at Virginia Military Institute. He was a nominee for the 2014 Vienna PhotoBook Prize and a recipient of a 2013 fellowship in visual arts from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
POETS FROM THE HERON CLAN
Saturday December 5, 7:00 p.m.
Poems from the Heron Clan is the third volume of an anthology series of poets from the USA and Asia. There are 33 poets in this volume, including 16 from North Carolina. Poets from India, Thailand, and South Korea are also included. Local poets Meg Wethington, Phil Morse, Kitty Bergel, and Elio Soldi will be in the shop to share their poetry. There will be an open microphone after the feature poets for more local talent to read.
NICOLE SARROCCO
NC School of Science and Math
Sunday December 6, 2:00-4:00 p.m. (please note the time and location)
Lit by Lightning: An Occasionally True Account of One Girl's Dust-ups with Ghosts, Electricity, and Granny's Ashes is the debut novel from Nicole Sarrocco who teaches at the NC School of Science and Math. Lit by Lightning is both personal and universal. It is a story with a Southern perspective about finding grace in chaos, creating meaning from nonsense, and for heaven's sake not making too much of a spectacle of yourself. The reading will be at the NC School of Science and Math.
Sarrocco lives just outside the city limits of Raleigh, NC, in a haunted house with her husband, daughter, son, dog, and groundhogs. She teaches English and History at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.
BARRY SAUNDERS
Wednesday December 9, 7:00 p.m.
And the Horse You Rode in On, Saunders, is a compilation of Barry Saunders' News and Observer columns from 1999 to 2005. Saunders provides his opinion, complaints, context and recommendations on issues of interest to Triangle residents. He's hilarious, sometimes outrageous in this review of the events, people and places that made the news in NC in the earliest years of the 21st century.
Barry Saunders has written his sometimes polarizing columns at the Raleigh News & Observer since 1993. He has a reputation as the most loved and hated columnist the newspaper has. Saunders lives in Durham.
Thursday, December 10, 7:00 p.m. "A Fool for Christmas" is Allan's marvelous story, told in the first person, of a socially awkward loner named Verne who manages a pet shop in a mall off an interstate, somewhere in North Carolina. A pregnant runaway teenage girl takes to hanging out at the mall, and out of sympathy for a fellow outcast, Verne befriends her. Allan has performed his heartwarming Christmas tale at the bookshop four or five times over the last ten years. Every time he changes the story a bit, and every time folks end up reaching for something to dab their eyes. Allan will reprise "A Fool for Christmas" at The Regulator this Thursday evening December 10th at 7:00. Simply put brothers and sisters, Allan Gurganus can flat out Tell a story. And he knocks this one out of the park.
The bookshop will be serving hot cider, cookies, and mulled wine. Admission is free, but donations of new or gently used children's books for Book Harvest will be appreciated.
SATURDAY STORYTIME
with Courtney Saffie
Saturday December 12, 10:30 a.m.
Courtney Saffie is a former preschool teacher and current dance educator in the Triangle. Her love of reading stemmed from reading as a child and it continued to blossom and grow as she got older. Some of her favorite authors include Dr. Seuss, Todd Parr, Jan Brett, Eric Carle, Leo Lionni, J.K Rowling, Jeannette Walls, Harper Lee and more. She reads whenever she has the chance and is looking forward to sharing all of her favorite children's books with your children.
For children age 3-8. Note the time.
JUDY HOGAN
Tuesday, December 15, 7:00 p.m.
In The Sands of Gower: The First Penny Weaver Mystery, Penny Weaver begins the "empty nest" phase of her life with a two week vacation in a bed and breakfast in Wales. When a German guest is murdered Penny and Detective Inspector Kenneth Morgan work on solving the case. Penny and Kenneth find a strong attraction developing between them. Penny's outspoken American character conflicts with the more conservative locals and during this post WWII period British feelings about Germans complicate the case. |
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global odyssey during which [Susan Casey] sets out to answer the simple question: why do dolphins elicit such intense emotions and behaviors in humans?"--Outside Magazine.
