Fresh books by area authors available
New books are on the way this summer and fall from four of the region’s top authors:
• Jim Lynch, the author of the terrific first novel “The Highest Tide” and former Spokesman-Review reporter, will release “Border Songs” (Alfred A. Knopf) on Tuesday. This is a funny and touching novel about an eccentric Border Patrol agent working the region north of Bellingham. Look for him at Auntie’s Bookstore on July 30.
• Jess Walter, the 2006 National Book Award finalist from Spokane, releases his new novel, “The Financial Lives of the Poets” (Harper), on Sept. 22. It’s a comic novel about a man who goes to extreme and hysterical lengths to save his family from economic disaster.
• Jack Nisbet, the Spokane author of “Sources of the River” and “Visible Bones,” releases his new book, “The Collector: David Douglas and the Natural History of the Northwest” (Sasquatch Books), on Oct. 1. It’s the story of the first botanical explorer of our region and the man who gave his name to the Douglas fir.
• Timothy Egan, the National Book Award winner and Spokane product, releases “The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), his sweeping history of the 1910 fires in North Idaho and Montana, on Oct. 19.
‘Golf, Naked’
Here’s a book signing coming up that should intrigue golf fanatics: “Golf, Naked: The Bare Essentials Revealed” (Pick It Up Publishing) by Greg Rowley.
Rowley is the former director of golf at Black Rock and is on the board of directors of the Inland Empire Chapter of the PGA. In 2004, he was chosen by Men’s Journal as having one of the “50 Best Jobs in America.”
According to the publisher, the book is packed with “tips, tales and tricks of the trade.” Sounds like a good Father’s Day pick for a golf fanatic.
Rowley will be signing the book on Saturday at noon at the Barnes & Noble in Spokane Valley, 15310 E. Indiana Ave.
Gray Dog titles
Gray Dog Press, the Spokane-based publisher, has issued a pair of new titles from local writers:
• “Colors of the Soul: A Poetic Quest,” a poetry volume by Merle P. Martin of Spokane Valley, a former professor and author of nine books.
• “It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time,” a memoir by Four Lakes resident Vern Hopkins. It’s a collection of stories about growing up in this region, with emphasis on “ranching, rodeoing, racing, road-building and retirement.”
Both of these books are available in area bookstores or directly from Gray Dog Press, www.graydogpress.com or (509) 534-0372.
Hastings Summer Book Club
Have a child who loves to spend the summer with a book? Check out the Hastings Summer Book Club, which provides discounts, contests and guided reading journals for kids. It’s open to everyone 18 and under.
Go to your local Hastings store in Spokane or Coeur d’Alene for details.
Tinman Book Social
This sounds like a good time: the Tinman Gallery’s first-ever Book Social, Wednesday, 7 p.m., at the gallery, 811 W. Garland Ave.
It’s like a book club, but you don’t have to read a specific title. Owner Sue Bradley describes it as allowing “people to share their favorite authors and themes while encountering new ideas and titles that they may find enjoyable.”
All you have to do is show up. Snacks will be served.