2012 Events Line-up
UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL EVENTS ARE FREE AND WILL BE HELD AT ST. LOUIS COUNTY LIBRARY HEADQUARTERS – 1640 S. LINDBERGH BLVD. ST. LOUIS, MO 63131.
APRIL
Wednesday, April 18, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
2012 Suspense Night
The St. Louis County Library presents the seventh annual suspense night. One of the Library’s most popular annual programs, this event presents readings and a panel discussion with up-and-coming suspense writers from across the country. The 2012 Suspense Night will feature Reed Farell Coleman (“Hurt Machine”), Sara J. Henry (“Learning to Swim”), Frank Bill (“Crimes in Southern Indiana”), and Duane Swierczynski (“Fun & Games”).
Tuesday, April 24, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Philip Kerr, “Prague Noir”
Often compared to John le Carré and Raymond Chandler, British suspense author Philip Kerr has attracted international acclaim for his historical suspense series featuring German detective Bernie Guenther. In “Prague Fatale,” Guenther must solve the perfect locked-room mystery during a dinner party hosted by the Third Reich.
Wednesday, April 25, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Charles D’Angelo, “Think and Grow Thin: The Revolutionary Diet and Weight-Loss System That Will Change Your Life in 88 Days!”
St. Louis based weight loss guru Charles D’Angelo has helped thousands of people across the country realize weight loss success. D’Angelo’s one-stop comprehensive guide targets your mind more than your muscles to help you battle the mindset that’s keeping you from your goals. Whether you have 10, 200 or even more pounds to lose, D’Angelo’s easy-to-follow success strategies and eating plans will give you the skills and motivation to make weight loss finally work.
Thursday, April 26, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Nancy Gibbs, “The Presidents Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity”
Presented by the ‘Buzz’ Westfall Favorite Author Series
Executive Editor of TIME magazine, Nancy Gibbs reveals the secret history of the private relationships among the last 13 presidents, exploring the backroom deals, rescue missions, secret alliances and bitter rivalries of the men who served as commander in chief.
MAY
Friday, May 4th, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Teen Writers Panel
Meet St. Louis Young Adult Authors, Cole Gibsen, Antony John, and Heather Brewer. Cole Gibsen is the author of the upcoming debut novel “Katana,” a supernatural samurai thriller. Author of the smash hit “Five Flavors of Dumb,”Antony John’s newest novel is “Thou Shalt Not Road Trip.” Heather Brewer is the author of the mega bestselling Chronicles of Vladimir Tod vampire series. The authors will discuss the inspiration behind their writing careers and current projects.
Saturday, May 5, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Main Reading Room
Madeleine Albright, “Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937 -1948”
Ticket packages are $55 and include seating for two and a copy of “Prague Winter.” Ticket packages go on sale March 15 and can be purchased here.)
Presented by the ‘Buzz’ Westfall Favorite Author Series
In “Prague Winter,” former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright presents a thoughtful memoir of her formative years in Czechoslovakia during the tumult of Nazi occupation, World War II, and the onset of the Cold War. The proceeds from this event will benefit the Library Foundation and the Genealogy Collection.
Tuesday, May 8, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Sara Pennypacker, “Summer of the Gypsy Moths”
Presented by Children’s Book Week
Popular author of the “Clementine” chapter book series, Sara Pennypacker presents a new novel for young readers. In “Summer of the Gypsy Moths,” two twelve-year-old girls living at a cottage colony on Cape Cod must hide the fact that their foster mother has died. As they struggle to keep the secret and survive on their own, they begin to realize their dream of finally belonging to a real family.
Wednesday, May 9, 7:00 pm – Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Road
Ridley Pearson, “Kingdom Keepers V: Shell Game”
Presented by Children’s Book Week
St. Louis adventure writer Ridley Pearson presents the fifth installment in his bestselling Kingdom Keepers series. In “Shell Game,” the teen protectors of Disney World must board a Disney cruise ship to stop the latest nefarious plot by the Overtakers. The battle is on in new and exotic arenas!
Friday, May 11, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Main Reading Room
Andy Cohen, “Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture”
St. Louis native Andy Cohen is Bravo TV’s executive vice preseident of programming and development and the mastermind behind such hits as Top Chef and the Real Housewives franchises. In the witty style of his show “Watch What Happens: Live,’ Cohen tells tales of absurd news mishaps, hilarious encounters with celebrities, and the real stories behind reality tv. Dishy, funny, and full of heart, “Most Talkative” provides a one-of-a-kind glimpse into the world of reality television.
Saturday, May 12, 2:00 pm – Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Road
Julia Durango, “Under the Mambo Moon”
Presented by Children’s Book Week
Author of the delightful picture books “Go-Go Gorilla” and “Cha-Cha Chimps,” Julia Durango’s new book celebrates the diverse musical heritage of Latin America. On summer nights, Marisol helps out in her father’s music store. In a dazzling array of poetry, each customer tells of a favorite form of music—from salsa to tango to the cha-cha-cha.
Wednesday, May 16, 7:00 pm
Isabel Wilkerson, “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration”
Read St. Louis 2012 – Non-Fiction Selection
This event will be held at St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly Branch, 225 N. Euclid Ave. 63108
Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South in search of a better life. With stunning historical detail, Wilkerson presents a vivid account of how these heroic journeys unfolded, altering our cities, our country, and ourselves.
Thursday, May 17, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Tim Wendel, “Summer of ’68: The Season that Changed Baseball–and America–Forever”
Co-sponsored by the St. Louis Cardinals
Tim Wendel presents the extraordinary story of the 1968 baseball season—when the game was played to perfection even as the country was being pulled apart at the seams. As tensions from the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy boiled over, a select few baseball players, including Bob Gibson and the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals, were inspired to take their playing to incredible heights.
May 23, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Craig Johnson, “As the Crow Flies”
In the eighth book in Craig Johnson’s Sheriff Walt Longmire series, Walt is forced to lead a darkly complex investigation into the death of an Iraqi war veteran on the Cheyenne Reservation. Blending the western and suspense genres, Johnson’s unique and critically acclaimed Longmire series has attracted loyal fans across the country and will soon be adapted into an A&E television series starring Robert Taylor and Lou Diamond Phillips.
Wednesday, May 30, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Esley Hamilton and NiNi Harris, “St. Louis Parks”
Local historians Esley Hamilton and NiNi Harris present portraits of St. Louis parks, both major and minor, that prove why these common spaces are crucial to the region’s way of life. Hamilton has served as the St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation’s historian and preservationist since 1977. Harris is the author of ten books on St. Louis history and architecture.
JUNE
Monday, June 4, 7:00 pm
Dave and Janis Murray, “Graham and Jet Get Wet: The Wonders of Weather”
Children’s Event Presented by the Reading Garden Event Series
Fox 2 Chief Meteorologist Dave Murray and his wife Janis tell the story of young Graham, who experiences a destructive thunderstorm. After the storm passes, Jet, a friendly hawk, takes the boy on an exploratory journey into the clouds. Through their adventure, Graham learns a lesson about weather that he’ll never forget.
Thursday, June 7, 7:00 pm
Ace Atkins, “The Lost Ones” and “Robert B. Parker’s Lullaby”
Praised by Michael Connelly as one of “the best crime writers at work today,” Ace Atkins was selected by the estate of Robert B. Parker to continue the popular Spenser detective series. Atkins will discuss his first addition to the series “Lullaby,” as well his novel “The Lost Ones,” the second installment in a new detective series set in the Deep South.
Friday, June 8, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Lindsey Hilsum, “Sandstorm: Libya in the Time of Revolution”
Presented by the ‘Buzz’ Westfall Favorite Author Series
International editor for Britain’s Channel 4 News, Lindsey Hilsum presents a vivid and astonishing account of the revolution that overthrew Colonel Gaddafi’s forty-two-year rule of Libya. Hilsum spent the last year reporting on the Arab Spring from Egypt, Bahrain, and Libya. “Sandstorm” is a marriage of courageous reportage and beautiful storytelling from an acclaimed and gifted international journalist.
Monday, June 18, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Jeffery Deaver, “XO”
Newsweek calls bestselling author Jeffery Deaver a “suspense superstar,” and in his new novel, he lives up to the accolades once again as he sets his heroine Special Agent Kathryn Dance on a quest to stop an obsessive stalker from destroying a beautiful young country singer.
Wednesday, June 20, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Dan Ariely, “The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone—Especially Ourselves”
Behavioral economist and bestselling author of “Predictably Irrational,” Dan Ariely presents another groundbreaking book on the way we behave and examines the contradictory forces that drive us to cheat and keep us honest. From test-score scandals in our schools to the Ponzi schemes undermining our economy, dishonesty is an inescapable part of the human condition. Drawing on original experiments and research, Ariely reveals—honestly—what motivates these irrational, but entirely human, behaviors.
Friday, June 29, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Main Reading Room
Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer, “Between the Lines”
Teen Event Presented by the Reading Garden Event Series
Celebrated novelist Jodi Picoult and her daughter Samantha Van Leer present their first book for teen readers. Filled with romance, adventure, and humor, “Between the Lines” is a love story about a shy bookworm who falls head over heels for the fairy tale prince in her favorite book—then learns he is way more than fictional.
JULY
Monday, July 9, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Amor Towles, “Rules of Civility”
One of the most talked about debut novels of the past year, “Rules of Civility” is a sophisticated tale about Jazz Age New York and an irresistible young woman with an uncommon sense of purpose. Armed with little more than her own brand of cool nerve, Katey Kontent embarks on a journey from a Wall Street secretarial pool through the upper echelons of New York society in search of a brighter future.
S
aturday, July 14, 2:00 pm (Please note: The time for this event has changed.) – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Chris Cleave, “Gold”
Author of the stunning “Little Bee,” Chris Cleave again writes with elegance, humor, and passion. “Gold” is the story of Zoe and Kate, world-class athletes who have been friends and rivals since their first days of training. Now on the eve of London 2012, their last Olympics, both women will be tested to their physical and emotional limits.
Wednesday, July 18, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Alafair Burke, “Never Tell”
Detective Ellie Hatcher must uncover the truth behind the apparent suicide of a teenager with intriguing connections to both New York’s wealthiest and it’s most dispossessed. Acclaimed suspense writer Alafair Burke draws details from her own experiences as a deputy district attorney, creating an exhilarating, true-to-life tale of crime and its consequences.
Wednesday, July 25, 7:00 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Daniel Silva, “The Fallen Angel”
Gabriel Allon—art restorer, spy, and assassin—returns in a spellbinding new thriller from the #1 bestselling master of intrigue. When the body of a beautiful woman is found under the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, Gabriel is asked to quietly investigate while not asking too many questions. He soon discovers that the dead woman had uncovered a dangerous secret that threatens powers beyond the Vatican.
AUGUST
Thursday, August 16, 7 pm – Library Headquarters, Auditorium
Jennie Fields, “The Age of Desire”
Novelist Jennie Fields offers a sparkling glimpse into the life of Edith Wharton and the scandalous love affair that threatened her career and closest friendship. Fields interweaves Wharton’s real diaries and letters and brings to life one of literature’s most beloved writers, whose own story was as complex and nuanced as that of any of the heroines she created.
