Olive Kitteridge: Stories, by Elizabeth Strout.
Powerful linked stories about grief and connectedness in a town on the Maine coast.

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel, by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows.
A novel in letters describing life on the Channel Islands during German occupation.

Say You’re One of Them: Stories, by Uwem Akpan.
Five tragic, beautifully-told tales of growing up in Africa, from the point of view of children.

The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel, by Garth Stein.
Dog gleans wisdom from the topsy-turvy life of his race car-driving master.

Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson.
An American mountain climber returns to Pakistan and Afghanistan to build schools.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog: A Novel, by Muriel Barbery.
A Parisian apartment building is the setting for ruminations on beauty and life by the 54-year-old woman concierge and a 12-year-old tenant.

My Life in France, by Julia Child.
How the famous chef came to find her passion.

Home: A Novel, by Marilyn Robinson.
A brother and sister, long estranged, return home to their ailing father.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel, by David Wroblewski.
A boy’s idyllic life on a farm is shattered when his father dies mysteriously.

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel, by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows.
A novel in letters describing life on the Channel Islands during German occupation.

Unaccustomed Earth: Stories, by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Short stories explore the divide between the first and second generations of Indian-American immigrants.

Glenn Beck’s Common Sense.
The political commentator speaks his mind.

The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel, by Garth Stein.
Dog gleans wisdom from the topsy-turvy life of his race car-driving master.

Julie & Julia, by Julie Powell.
A young woman’s quest to cook every recipe in Julia Child’s classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog: A Novel, by Muriel Barbery.
A Parisian apartment building is the setting for ruminations on beauty and life by the 54-year-old woman concierge and a 12-year-old tenant.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: A Novel, by J.K. Rowling.
Book Seven is just out in paperback.

Olive Kitteridge: Stories, by Elizabeth Strout.
Powerful linked stories about grief and connectedness in a town on the Maine coast.

Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson.
An American mountain climber returns to Pakistan and Afghanistan to build schools.

In the Forum Room of the main branch of the Sonoma County Library, there will be readings and panels. Gaye LeBaron will host a panel on Sonoma County history. Another panel, “Step Mother, Rent a Mother,” pairs Izzy Rose, author of “The Package Deal: My Not So Glamorous Transition From Single Gal to Instant Mom,” with Tasha Blaine, author of “Just Like Family: Inside the Lives of Nannies.”

Dale Dougherty, editor and publisher of MAKE magazine and general manager of the Maker Media division of O’Reilly Media will talk about the magazine, the Maker Faire, and the resurgence of “do it yourself.”

Gerald Rosen reads from his newest book, “Cold Eye, Warm Heart– A Novelist’s Search for Meaning.” Critic J. Klinkowitz says, “This is the best book (written) about the American cultural transformation of the last half of the 20th century.” C. D. Payne, best known for his “Youth in Revolt” novels, will read in the Forum Room. Also reading are Bart Schneider, author of 4 novels, and Anthony Eglin author of the English Garden mysteries.

Barbara Baer, founder of local Floreant Press, reads from her novella “Grisha the Scrivener,” published by Ghost Road Press of Denver. Terry Ehret, national award winning poet, former Sonoma County Poet Laureate, and founder of Sixteen Rivers Press, will read from her work. Pediatrician Mark Sloan, M.D., conducts an exploration of the science, history, and wonder of childbirth with excerpts from his book “Birth Day.”

Throughout the day, there will be poetry or drama on the stage of Courthouse Square. Sonoma County Poet Laureate, Mike Tuggle, will read his poetry as will Vilma Ginzburg, Karl Frederick, and Gail Larrick. Beatrice Lagos will read from her latest collection “The Poet and The Sea.” Arthur Dawson, publisher of Kulupi Press, editor of “Where Oaks Play Catch with The Sun,” and author of “The Stories Behind Sonoma Valley Place Names,” is a reader. Healdsburg poet laureate and author of “Pool Shoes,” Penelope LaMontagne, will read. Viola Weinburg, Sacramento poet laureate and author of five books of poetry, is a reader. Students Millie Williams and Kira Findling will read, and Paul Flores performs. Poet/playright Timothy Williams will appear. Pegasus Theatre presents the best of their Tapas and Cinnabarr. David Beckman performs from “Becoming Walt Whitman” and Maureen Studer from “Accosted.” Courthouse Square is also the scene for book sales and music.

The Art Bus will once again join the Book Festival to help celebrate creativity and the literary arts. It is a fully equipped mobile art studio and will be conveniently located next to The Children’s Tent. Storyteller “Uncle Dave” is featured in The Children’s Tent as well as Hillary Homzie, Jennifer Caloyeras, Tina Stolberg, and Elisa Klevin.

The Literary Arts Guild produces the Sonoma County Book Festival which is part of the Santa Rosa Arts District. The purpose of Book Fest has always been to encourage literacy. In 2007, the Festival was the recipient of the Merit Award from the city of Santa Rosa. Sponsors this year are O’Reilly Media, the Sonoma County Library, Copperfield’s Books, and The Sitting Room. For a schedule with times and locations visit www.socobookfest.org

Volunteers Needed for 10th Annual Sonoma County Book Festival: Join the team of dedicated organizers and volunteers who make the Sonoma County Book Festival happen seamlessly year after year. For more information, visit www.socobookfest.org/volunteers

Want to write a novel but don’t know where to start?

Chris Baty has the answer with National Novel Writing Month, a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing.

The goal is to write a 50,000-word novel in a month. It doesn’t have to make sense, can have character flaws and a plot that needs help.

Baty says, “The only thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.”

Started in 1999 with 21 participants, NaNoWriMo has grown to almost 120,000 participants in 2008.

NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

“Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down,” says Baty.

Chris Baty, Founder and Director of National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org), is also the author of “No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days.”

On August 20, Baty will discuss how to write a novel in 30 days at 7:00 pm, at the Petaluma Community Center, 320 No McDowell Blvd. $15 at the door. For more details visit www.thewritespot.us.

Media + press clips at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/mediakit.

“The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel,” by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows.
A novel in letters describing life on the Channel Islands during German occupation.

“The Elegance of the Hedgehog: A Novel,” by Muriel Barbery.
A Parisian apartment building is the setting for ruminations on beauty and life by the 54-year-old woman concierge and a 12-year-old tenant.

“Olive Kitteridge: Stories,” by Elizabeth Strout.
Powerful linked stories about grief and connectedness in a town on the Maine coast.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: A Novel”, by Stieg Larsson.
A journalist and his punk prodigy investigate the disappearance of a woman forty years ago.

“The Time Traveler’s Wife”, by Audrey Niffenegger.
Clare’s in love, but Henry keeps slipping the usual time-space continuum.

“Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: A Novel,” by Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith.
The undead roam Hertfordshire and the Bennets are having none of it.

“The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel,” by Garth Stein.
Dog gleans wisdom from the topsy-turvy life of his race car-driving master.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: A Novel,” by J.K. Rowling.
Book Seven is just out in paperback.

“I See You Everywhere: A Novel,” by Julia Glass.
Bound as sisters, two women tell the stories of their very different lives.

“Glenn Beck’s Common Sense.”
The political commentator speaks his mind.

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel, by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows.
A novel in letters describing life on the Channel Islands during German occupation.

The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel, by Garth Stein.
Dog gleans wisdom from the topsy-turvy life of his race car-driving master.

New Moon: A Novel, by Stephenie Meyer.
Book Two in the Twilight series.

Olive Kitteridge: Stories, by Elizabeth Strout.
Powerful linked stories about grief and connectedness in a town on the Maine coast.

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: A Novel, by Stieg Larsson.
A journalist and his punk prodigy investigate the disappearance of a woman forty years ago.

Glenn Beck’s Common Sense.
The political commentator speaks his mind

Netherland: A Novel, by Joseph O’Neill.
When his wife leaves, a young banker living in NY through 9/11 finds solace in the company of immigrants.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog: A Novel, by Muriel Barbery.
A Parisian apartment building is the setting for ruminations on beauty and life by the 54-year-old woman concierge and a 12-year-old tenant.

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: A Novel, by Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith,
The undead roam Hertfordshire and the Bennets are having none of it.

Unaccustomed Earth: Stories, by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Short stories explore the divide between the first and second generations of Indian-American immigrants.

The year’s event takes place at Windrush Farm in Petaluma. Not only will Raskin read from his part memoir, part travel guide to gardening, eating, and sipping in Sonoma County, but the afternoon event includes culinary as well as literary pleasures. Brick over pizza will be served along with a variety of local wines and beer.

Reserve your place by July 28 by contacting J.J. Wilson at boxcar@sonic.net or 795-9028. Tickets are $40. Ask about discounts for students. Children are free.

“The idea of being a “before” in need of a make-over is just ridiculous. Women of all ages want to learn more about themselves and express that understanding visually in an authentic way. No one should ever feel like they are a “before.”  In fact, I’d like to do away with the whole concept,” notes Robin.

“Who we are now is perfect. Images of air-brushed celebrities foster competition instead of camaraderie.  We all feel the pressure to look better, to be better, to measure up to an unattainable ideal. The beauty industry thinks it will sell more if it makes a women feel bad about herself, but the opposite is true. Pleasure is infectious and inclusive. We need to approach personal style with curiosity and excitement.  You will always benefit by learning more about color and design and how to use beauty tools to enhance greater self-expression,” adds Robin.

Along with editing by Bono, Growing More Beautiful: An Artful Approach to Personal Style, was designed by Petaluma’s Nancy Campana, is richly illustrated with Robin’s paintings and photos by accomplished local photographers Jerrie Jerné and Victoria Webb.

Meet Robin and hear more about her approach to style on July 7, Petaluma Copperfield’s at 7 p.m.

An independent bookstore helps to define and inform the unique culture of a small town. And in Sonoma, folks rely of Readers’ Books to help them choose what to read. Recently I asked co-owner Lilla Weinberger about how she chooses the books she carries in her store. And here’s what she emailed me:

“We carry around 17,000 titles, although given the current economy our inventory is necessarily less robust than usual. The process of selection is what defines each bookstore and is quite complicated. It involves the taste, preferences and knowledge of the buyer, the sales history (if any) of the authors other books, the interests of the various communities that frequent the bookstore, the input of sales reps and publishers, early reviews and subsequent publicity. Our initial buying of what we call frontlist is done two or three times a year depending on the publisher. We buy spring/summer titles in the winter and fall/winter titles in the spring. There are always books that take us by surprise. Examples are The Female Brain and Losing Mum and Pup. Often a book that doesn’t do well in hardcover will take off in paperback–like The Red Tent so many years ago. A title we love is The Vagrants by Yiyun Li. The reviews were excellent but made it sound so depressing that few people were motivated to read it. That’s when hand selling becomes so important. Our customers rely on us to read and recommend books they might otherwise miss.”

Adds Weinberger: “The best way to influence our buying decisions is to buy books from us. That way we see that there are people in the community who want to buy a certain kind of book. It doesn’t work to come in and check the shelves for conservative titles if you never buy books from that store. Right now we have to rely more and more on special orders because we can’t carry as much stock. Generally we try to represent the best-known conservative authors because it’s important to us to be a bookstore for the entire community. Our customer base, however, is predominantly liberal in its views so it wouldn’t make sense for us to carry an equal number of conservative and liberal titles. The current book, Liberty and Tyranny, by Mark Levin is an example of both a title that caught us by surprise, and a conservative title for which there has been considerable demand. Fortunately our customers have been willing to special order it often enough that we can see there is a real demand for it, in which case we begin reordering it when we run out.

Ever wonder about who chooses the new books lining the shelves of your local bookstore?

Recently I asked Ty Wilson, adult frontlist buyer for Copperfield’s Books, about the books he purchases for the local chain and why. Wilson started out in the book biz as a clerk with Tower Books in 1984. He moved on to book buyer and purchased books for stores for nine years. He’s been with Copperfield’s since 2003.

SP: About how many titles do you carry at Copperfield’s?

TW: Right now, the Montgomery Village store alone has 30,000 titles on hand. And we have quick and easy access to another quarter million titles, just in case we missed something.

SP: Do different stores carry different titles?

TW: Yes. No two Copperfield’s are the same size, but we wedge in as much as possible.

SP: How do you choose your titles?

TW: Reading ‘em helps, but it’s hard to keep up with half a million new titles every year. It can be any one (or an alchemy) of a host of factors like sales history, advance reviews, projected publisher support, the author’s C.V. or simply a really good idea. Or, like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a title and cover image you can’t pass up.

SP: When do you do your buying?

TW: Forthcoming titles are purchased anywhere from a month to eight months in advance. We’re working on the fall season now, which is shaping up to be the best in years. Kingsolver, Dan Brown, John Irving, Pat Conroy, Pamuk, Doctorow, Byatt, Alice Munro, Niffenegger. I could go on. It’s like the ‘27 Yankees. And that’s just the fiction. The follow-up to Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson, called Stones into Schools, arrives December 1.

SP: Do you have a book in the store now that is doing much better than expected?

TW: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery came from a small publisher who packages translated European fiction. Word-of-mouth has created a new book club staple. And, on the nonfiction side, Liberty and Tyranny by political commentator Mark Levin has been booming.

SP: Are you carrying a title that you love, but no one else is buying?

TW: There are still a few people finding In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje a gem from 1987. It was my first book by the author, and his prose stunned me. I’ve yet to recover.

SP: What’s the best way for your patrons to influence your buying?

TW: Any purchase is a vote for the author’s next effort. We watch what sells, whether it’s off a stack or from a special order. Conversely, we get the message when a book just won’t budge.