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Celebrate Women’s History Month 2023

March 4, 2023 by

Celebrate Women’s History Month 2023

Artist: Maliha Abidi
Available at: Jiggy Puzzles

Since 1995, presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields. (Women’s History Month website).

 

Looking for both children’s and adult books to celebrate and honor women this month and beyond? This surface-scratching reference list below will lead to some great suggestions!

 

•Social Justice Books (a project of Teach for Change), promotes the best multicultural and social justice children’s books, as well as articles and books for educators. View their  compiled list of books for every day of Women’s History Month.

•Community of Literary Magazines & Presses (CLMP), provides assistance and creates programs for independent literary publishers. View their annual WHM list of works, recommended by their members.

 

•Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (CML), has +20 branches throughout the Charlotte area. View their list of Powerful Women Leaders and Entrepreneurs for women, by women, who have succeeded in life and business.

 

•A Mighty Girl is the world’s largest collection of books, toys, movies, and music for parents, teachers, and [especially!] girls, dedicated to helping them grow smart, confident and corageous. Their amazing list of +100 new biographies (released since Feb ’22) is one to bookmark.

 

HAPPY READING!!

Filed Under: Biography, BIPoC Artists, BIPOC Authors, Children's Books, Fiction, Journals, Latest News, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction, Women's forums and support, Women's History Month, Women's National Book Association, YA Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Summer Reading Preview at Park Road Books / full list of books w/summaries,

June 14, 2022 by

Last month (on May 9, 2022), Sally Brewster, owner of Park Road Books, curated a list of must-reads for the new Summer season.

Here are 19 titles to get you through summer and beyond!

 

 

Any Other Family by Eleanor Brown  (7/22, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $27.00, HC). Three sets of parents find themselves intertwined after adopting four biological siblings, having committed to keeping the children as connected as possible. / Women’s Fiction

 

Bartender’s Cure: A Novel by Wesley Stratton (6/22, Flatiron Books, $27.99, HC). Samantha is a bartender, at the perfect neighborhood bar. A debut novel, filled with cocktail recipes and bartending tips and tricks. / Debut Fiction, Women’s Fiction

 

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory (5/22, Hyperion, $15.99 TP). Isabel is an overworked/underpaid assistant book editor. When she volunteers to work with a high-profile author, she finds not only a possible promotion, but love. / Romantic Comedy; BIPoC Fiction

 

Child: A Memoir by Judy Goldman (5/22, U. of SC Press, $19.99, TP). The story of Judy’s relationship with Mattie Culp, the Black woman who worked for her family as a live-in maid and helped raise her. It is also the story of Mattie’s child, who was left behind to be raised by someone else. / Memoir, African-American History

 

I Wish for You by David Wax (4/22, Roaring Brook Press, $18.99 HC). From courageous lions and wise owls to playful dolphins and wolves finding their voices, this lushly illustrated book explores the values we can draw from the wondrous and inspiring natural world around us. / Picture Book; New Baby; Animal Picture Books

 

Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda (7/22, Scribner, $27.99 HC). This book opens with the disappearance of a journalist who is investigating a string of vanishings in the resort town of Cutter’s Pass—will its dark secrets finally be revealed? / Thriller; Suspense

 

Lessons in Chemistry (4/22, Doubleday $29.00 HC). In 1960s California, Elizabeth Zott is a one-of-a-kind scientist. But her career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show. / Feminist Fiction; Humor

 

Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh (3/22, Pamela Dorman,  $28.00 HC). Emma loves her husband Leo and their young daughter Ruby. But almost everything she’s told them about herself, even her name, is a lie.When the very darkest moments of Emma’s past finally emerge, she must somehow prove to Leo that she really is the woman he always thought she was…/ Women’s Fiction; Suspense/Thriller

 

Love Marriage: A Novel by Monica Ali (5/22, Scribner, $27.99 HC). 26-year old med student Yasmin Ghorami is engaged to Joe Sangster, whose mother is a famous feminist. And as the wedding draws near, misunderstandings, infidelities, and long-held secrets upend both Yasmin’s relationship and that of her parents, a “love marriage,” according to the family lore that Yasmin has believed all her life. / Fiction; Cultural Heritage; Family Life

 

Marrying the Ketchups: A Novel by Jennifer Close (4/22, Knopf, $28.00 HC). A comedy of manners about three generations of a Chicago restaurant family and the deep-fried, beer-battered, cream cheese-frosted love that feeds them all. / Family Life; Fiction

 

Portrait of a Thief: A Novel by Grace D. Li (4/22, Tiny Reparations Books, $26.00 HC). Ocean’s Eleven meets The Farewell in Portrait of a Thief, this heist novel is inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums; about diaspora, the colonization of art, and the complexity of the Chinese American identity./ Crime; Asian-American Fiction; Mystery

 

Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel by Shelby Van Pelt (5/22, Ecco, $27.99 HC). A widow takes a night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. There, she becomes acquainted with Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova./ Literary Fiction; Animals

 

Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels & Crooks by Patrick Radan Keefe (6/22, Doubleday $30.00 HC). Twelve works of literary journalism. Subjects include: the intricacies of forging $150,000 vintage wines, exploring Vietnam with Anthony Bourdain, bringing down a black market arms merchant. / True Crime / Biography & Autobiography

 

Skinship: Stories (4/22 Vintage $17.00 TP). This debut collection centers on a constellation of Korean-American families. Through an array of lives, Choi explores where first and second generations either clash or find common ground, where meaning falls in the cracks between languages, where relationships bend under the weight of tenderness and disappointment, where displacement turns to heartbreak. / Asian-American Fiction; Family Life; Short Stories

 

This Time Tomorrow: A Novel by Emma Straub (5/22, Riverhead, $28.00 HC). On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice finds herself back in 1996, reliving her 16th birthday. But it isn’t just her adolescent body that shocks her, or seeing her high school crush, it’s her dad: the vital, charming, 40-something version of her father with whom she is reunited. / Family Life; Science Fiction

 

 

Trust by Hernan Diaz (5/22, Riverhead, $28.00 HC). In the 1920s, Wall Street tycoon Benjamin Rask and his wife, Helen, had a life of seemingly endless wealth and extravagance. But at what cost did they acquire their immense fortune? This is the mystery at the center of Bonds, a successful 1937 novel. Yet there are other versions of this tale of privilege and deceit. A novel within a novel. / Historical Fiction

 

Unlikely Animals: A Novel by Anne Harnett (4/22, Ballantine, $28.00HC). A medical school dropout comes back to her NH hometown to care for her father, who is dying from a mysterious brain disease. He’s also having visions of ghosts and small animals. Set against the backdrop of a town in the throes of an opioid crisis. / Family Life; Literary; Humorous

 

Upgrade: A Novel by Blake Crouch $28.00 (7/22, Ballantine, HC). Logan Ramsay feels a little… sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking, memorizing…Logan’s genome has been hacked./ Sci-Fi Thriller

 

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill (5/22, Doubleday $28.00 HC). A fantasy novel, set in 1950s America. Thousands of women have spontaneously transformed into dragons, exploding notions of a woman’s place in the world and expanding minds about accepting others for who they really are. / Coming of Age; Fantasy; Feminist Fiction



 Park Road Books in Charlotte, NC, is the partnered bookstore for WNBA-Charlotte Chapter. We are thrilled to have this seasonal Reading Preview event with them. For self-published authors, one of the benefits of being a WNBA-Charlotte Chapter member is waived shelving fees at PRB.  

JOIN OR RENEW WITH THE WNBA-CHARLOTTE  a volunteer association dedicated to books and the people who work with and love them, WNBA-Charlotte is focused on helping the Queen City’s literary community thrive. Please join us again for the 2022-23 year

Benefits include:

  • Free stocking for self published authors at Park Road Books, Charlotte, NC

  • Access to our national book club (monthly meetings on Facebook)–a great way to share and discuss books with fellow book lovers.

  • Listing in blogrolls on WNBA websites, locally and nationally.

  • Discounts on fellow members’ editing, marketing, and publicity services.

  • Writing and publicity opportunities in The Bookwoman, WNBA national newsletter.

  • Members-only access to the WNBA national website and opportunities to network with members in all chapters.

*Remember, as a chapter member, self-published authors are waived their shelving fees at Park Road Books. One of our members member benefits,  special discounts for current WNBA-Charlotte members. Go to their PRB Consignment Program page section and learn more.

Filed Under: BIPOC Authors, Fiction, Latest News, Member benefits & perks, New Fiction, Non-Fiction, Readings, Upcoming Events, WNBA Charlotte Book Club, WNBA Charlotte Members, WNBA-Writers, Women's forums and support, Women's National Book Association, YA Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Novel Picks for Spring and Beyond; Our Spring Book & Author Panel

March 19, 2021 by

Join us Wednesday, April 7th for
NOVEL PICKS FOR SPRING & BEYOND
7:00-8:30pm EST
Hosted on Zoom
REGISTER HERE

Do you enjoy women’s fiction that’s humorous, contains family drama, ethical dilemmas, perhaps, a complicated romance? But above all, has an intelligent, female protagonist–one who works in an innovative field such as medicine, robotic engineering, or radio production (to name a few)?

We’ll talk with three authors of stand-out trade paperback novels, plus a publishing insider who will give insight and advice on the trade fiction sales and marketing of today.

BOOK RAFFLE! Three lucky attendees will each get a panelist’s novel, compliments of the chapter!

PANELISTS

SARAH ARCHER  is a Black List Screenwriting Mini-Lab fellow who has had material produced for Comedy Central and published short stories and poetry in numerous literary magazines. In Los Angeles, she worked in literary management and development on projects including House, Concussion, Roots, and Girls Trip. Sarah currently lives in Concord, NC, and has been a WNBA member since 2019. Follow her on Instagram @SarahArcherM and on Twitter @saraharcherwrites.

The Plus One (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $16.00 TP). Kelly is 29, a brilliant robotics engineer, and perpetually single. When her younger sister’s wedding looms and her attempts to find a date fail, Kelly does the only logical thing: she builds her own boyfriend.
Ethan is gorgeous, attentive, and smart, with a mechanical heart endlessly devoted to her. Not to mention he’s good with her mother. When she’s with him, Kelly discovers a more confident, spontaneous version of herself–the person she’d always dreamed she could be. But as the struggle to keep Ethan’s identity secret threatens to detonate her career, Kelly knows she has to kiss her perfect man good-bye. There’s just one problem: she’s falling for him.

 

MADI SINHA is a writer and practicing physician who loves the nervous system, bookshops, tea with milk and snarky conversation (but not necessarily in that order). She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.​ White Coat Diaries is her debut novel. Follow her on Instagram @MadiSinha and on Twitter @MadiSinha.

The White Coat Diaries (Berkeley, $16.00 TP). Norah Kapadia has landed the medical residency of her dreams. But it’s not long before disgruntled patients, sleep deprivation, and her duty to be the “perfect Indian daughter” have her questioning her future as a doctor.
Enter chief resident Ethan Cantor. He’s everything Norah aspires to be: respected by the attending physicians, calm during emergencies, and charismatic with his patients. And as he morphs from Norah’s mentor to something more, it seems her luck is finally changing. But when a fatal medical mistake is made, pulling Norah into a cover-up, she must decide how far she’s willing to go to protect the secret. What if “doing no harm” means putting herself at risk?

 

SOPHIE SULLIVAN writes around her day job as a teacher and spends her spare time with her sweet family watching reruns of Friends. Ten Rules For Faking It is Sophie’s debut novel, but she’s written several cozy mysteries and romance series as her alter ego, Jody Holford. She lives in Ontario, Canada. Follow her on Instagram at @authorsophiesullivan and on Twitter @SophieSwrites.

Ten Rules for Faking It (Griffin, $16.99 TP). Radio Producer Everly Dean is having the worst birthday. She’s caught her boyfriend cheating on her with his assistant, such a cliche! She won’t, however, let her anxiety hold her back–she will pitch her podcast idea to her boss. There’s just one problem. Her boss, Chris, is very cute. Also, he’s extremely distant (which means he hates her, right? Or is that the anxiety talking)? And, Stacey the DJ didn’t mute the mic during Everly’s rant about Simon the Snake (syn: Cheating Ex).
Suddenly, people are lining up to date her, Bachelorette-style, fans are voting, and her interest in Chris might be a two-way street. Its a lot for a woman who could gold medal in people-avoidance. She’s going to have to fake it till she makes it to get through all of this. Perhaps she’ll make a list…

 

CARIN SIEGFRIED is the Mid-Atlantic Field Sales Representative for Macmillan Publishers. She has worked in the book industry for over two decades; past positions include Sales Manager at Soho Books, and Category Manager at Baker & Taylor. In 2009,

Carin co-founded the WNBA Charlotte Chapter, serving as President. She served as President of WNBA National from 2014 to 2016. Follow her on Twitter @CarinBookbinder.

BOOK RAFFLE * AUTHOR INTERVIEWS * Q&A ABOUT THE BOOK INDUSTRY * TAPED FOR FACEBOOK

REGISTER HERE

Filed Under: Fiction, Meet the Agents, Member benefits & perks, New Fiction, Readings, Success, Upcoming Events, Virtual Event, WNBA Charlotte Book Club, WNBA Charlotte Members, WNBA-Writers, Women's forums and support, Women's National Book Association, YA Tagged With: , , ,

Join us at Mugs on October 28th

October 23, 2020 by


Chapter Members, join us LIVE for our
GREAT GROUP READS BOOKCLUB MEETUP
Wednesday, October 28th, 7:00pm
Mugs Coffee, 5126 Park Rd, Charlotte

 

Please rsvp if you wish to attend.

RSVP HERE

Great Group Reads List 

 

Our first live event since March, we are getting together to pick the book club choices for December 2020 to September 2021. GGR Chair Kristen Knox will give an informative run-down of the newest Great Group reads list, which will be the basis of all titles for the calendar. We’ll decide what books to read and when.

 

WHAT IS GREAT GROUP READS?
Great Group Reads (GGR) is an initiative started by WNBA National in 2009. Books chosen are a resource for book clubs, reading groups, bookstores and libraries.

Titles for GGR are selected on the basis of their appeal to reading groups for whom they are certain to open up lively conversations about an array of timely and provocative topics. The Selection Committee focuses attention on under-represented books from independent presses and mid- list releases from larger houses. Titles were submitted by over 100 publishers–20 books were chosen.


WHAT ARE THE 2020 TITLES?
There were 20 titles selected, in the genres of fiction, short stories and memoir. The following is the exact list, to see descriptions, go to the 2020 GGR PAGE on the national website, or the WNBA Bookshop page  

 

Anna Eva Mimi Adam by Marina Antropow Cramer
The Beauty of Her Face by Sahar Mustafah
The Bitch by Pilar Quintana, Lisa Dillman (Translator)
Continental Divide by Alex Myers
The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline
Godshot by Chelsea Bieker
Goshen Road by Bonnie Proudfoot
The Hierarchies by Ros Anderson
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
In Our Midst by Nancy Jensen
Invented Lives by Andrea Goldsmith
The Last Goldfish by Anita Lahey
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels
The Road to Urbino by Roma Tearne
The Royal Abduls by Ramiza Shamoun Koya
Tea By the Sea by Donna Hemans
Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify by Carolyn Holbrook
The Wanting Life by Mark Rader
Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur

 

I LOVE READING! HOW DO I FIND OUT ABOUT JOINING THE COMMITTEE? Contact GGR Chair Kristen Knox, at KKnox.NatlReadingGrpMonth@gmail.com  *Note, you must be a full-paid up Member to serve.

To attend the October 28th meetup, or give your picks, click here.

Filed Under: Fiction, Member benefits & perks, National Reading Group Month, New Fiction, WNBA Charlotte Book Club, WNBA Charlotte Members, WNBA-Writers, Women's National Book Association, YA Tagged With: ,

Join us for our Fall 2020 Kick-Off event, Wed. 9/16

September 9, 2020 by

Want some great book & graphic novel titles this season for your bookshelf?

Find out by joining us for:

15 for the Fall
Diverse, Heroic, & Exciting Lit Picks, from the Queen City’s Top Indie Booksellers

Wednesday, September 16th, 7:00-8:30pm
Online via ZOOM  & posted on our Facebook Page

 

FULL TITLE LIST

RSVP Here

 

For our first Fall 2020 Event, WNBA-Charlotte welcomes reps to three Charlotte-based independent bookstores. We’ll ask them about their stores, strategies for sales and marketing during the “new normal”, and most importantly, to showcase top book picks for the Fall (15 in total)!

Discover new fiction, gothic thrillers, literary biography & memoir, women’s fiction & more.  Three lucky attendees will each get a book of their choice! Full booklist to be available before the event.

MEET THE PANEL


Shelves Bookstore, Charlotte, NCAbbigail Glen is the Owner of Shelves Bookstore.  After working for years in the field of Human Resources Abbigail opened her business in 2019 as a mobile/pop-up store, with scheduled stations at local businesses and events throughout the city. She currently sells online and hopes to open a brick-and-mortar store in the near future.
Shelves Bookstore is a pop-up, online bookstore, offering a curated selection of Adult, Children’s Middle School, and YA titles, featuring diverse authors and stories.

 

Heroes Aren't Hard to Find, Charlotte, NCKarla Southern is the Event & Media Coordinator for Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find. Prior to joining the store in 2012, Karla was a graphic designer at The Lincoln Times-News.
Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find opened in 1980 in Charlotte’s Elizabeth neighborhood. It is one of the top comic book retailers in the US. They carry comics, manga, graphic novels, collectibles and more. They have a big presence at local and national comic shows, and carry their own line of comic collecting supplies.

 

Meghan Anderson is the Event Coordinator & Bookseller at Park Road Books. Prior to jher current role, Meghan was a HS English teacher in Nashville, TN and a member of AmericaCorps.
Park Road Books opened in 1977, and is Charlotte NC’s sole independent, full-service bookstore. They host author events, as well as offer sales programs to local self-published authors and discounts to local bookclubs.

 

Titles Below. All available for purchase the presenter’s bookstore. Three lucky attendees will win a listed book of their choice! 

RSVP Here  

Presented by Abbigail Glen (owner, Shelves Bookstore)

  • Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (Atria, HC)

  • Betty by Tiffany McDaniel (Knopf, HC)

  • Bunheads by Misty Copeland (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, HC)

  • Dear Justyce by Nic Stone (Crown Books for Young Readers, HC)

  • Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson (Katherine Teagen Books, HC)

 

Presented by Meghan Anderson (Event Coordinator, Park Road Books)

 

Presented by Karla Southern (Event Coordinator, Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find)*

*to order from Heroes, call 704.375.7462

  • Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden (First Second, TP)

  • Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Marino Tamaki (First Second, TP)

  • My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics, TP)

  • Paperbacks from Hell: the Twisted History of 70’s and 80’s Horror Fiction by Grady Hendrix (Quirk Books, TP)**

  • The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (Quirk Books, TP)**

(**Picked by Rachel Feldman, WNBA Charlotte President. Order from these and other stores)

Filed Under: BIPOC Authors, Fiction, New Fiction, Non-Fiction, Readings, Upcoming Events, Virtual Event, WNBA Charlotte Book Club, WNBA Charlotte Members, WNBA-Writers, Women's National Book Association, YA Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

JOIN or RENEW by Sept. 21 (updated), and be entered in our booksellers raffle!

August 6, 2020 by

Members who join or renew by September 21st (updated :D), will be entered to win one of six $30.00 gift card from these Charlotte, NC booksellers! 

BOOK BUYERS, (Plaza Midwood), used books of all genres.

HEROES AREN’T HARD TO FIND (Elizabeth), comics, graphic novels, manga, specialty items, and collecting supplies.

MAIN STREET BOOKS  (Davidson), full service independent bookstore

PARK ROAD BOOKS (South Park), full-service independent bookstore

SHELVES BOOKSTORE, (Charlotte Metro-Area), mobile pop-up /online store featuring multicultural titles

THAT’S NOVEL, (Camp North End), used books, plus new books from select local authors

It’s our way of saying “Thank You” for your valued, important support at this time!  

Join or renew here! Thank You and Stay Safe!

Filed Under: Fiction, Latest News, New Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Publishing - Agents, Acquisition Editors, Publishers, Publicists, Booksellers, WNBA Charlotte Book Club, WNBA Charlotte Members, WNBA-Writers, Women's National Book Association, YA

Book Club VIRTUAL Meetup June 2nd

May 29, 2020 by

Come and discuss The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib (St. Martin’s, TP) 
Tuesday, June 2, 7:00pm
Virtually, on Zoom (rsvp)  

Synopsis: Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted into 17 Swann Street, a center for women with life-threatening eating disorders. Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.

All are welcome to attend, to give your input or learn about a new book to read!

? ? All titles for our bookclub are selected from WNBA’s Great Group Reads List.

Filed Under: Fiction, New Fiction, Publishing - Agents, Acquisition Editors, Publishers, Publicists, Booksellers, Readings, Uncategorized, Upcoming Events, WNBA Charlotte Book Club, WNBA Charlotte Members, Women's National Book Association, YA Tagged With: , , ,

National Poetry Month 2020: Contagion by Linda Vigen Phillips

April 6, 2020 by

For National Poetry Month 2020, we present the poetry and prose from our Members.

CONTAGION
by Linda Vigen Phillips

I can smell the poetry

in the air

everywhere, and be careful

it is contagious.

I explored the streets without cover

and oh my,

I did discover things without

and within.

Wisteria grabbed my nose

on a walk

usually brisk, but now the gift of time

demands my attention, a twist.

A disturbance overhead, I hear

two hawks

frenzied by two ravens

too curious about the nest.

Squirrels, always squirrely

can be ignored

but wait, a symphony

inside my head choreographs their dance.

I came down with it,

the poetry.

An infectious smile

invades my languid soul.

Linda is the author of two Young Adult novels-in-verse: Behind These Hands (Light Messages, 2018) and Crazy (Eerdmans, 2014),  Follow her on Twitter @LVigenPhillips

 

Filed Under: Fiction, Member benefits & perks, National Poetry Month, Poetry, Publishing - Agents, Acquisition Editors, Publishers, Publicists, Booksellers, Readings, WNBA Charlotte Members, WNBA-Writers, Women's forums and support, Women's National Book Association, YA Tagged With: , , , , , ,