Main Street Reads

Meet the Authors: Fundamentals of Marriage (Virtual)
2021-02-11 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a virtual free workshop and Meet the Authors for The Fundamentals of Marriage by Howard and Danielle Taylor.
This virtual event takes place at 7 pm on Thursday, February 11th. Join us via the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpceGoqjkuHdw9dta-b3emVMpSWKkTQtdO
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event.
Based on biblical principles, The Fundamentals of Marriage is an engaging, insightful and interactive workbook that explores 8 essential practices vital to marital success.
There’s no fancy formulas or hoops to jump through to understand the roles, responsibilities and expectations outlined in the Bible to take your relationship to the next level. The chapters in this workbook will help you:

• Master your communication by learning how to speak & understand the language of your spouse
• Champion & bring out the best in each other
• Conquer grudges and resentment through utilizing effective forgiveness techniques
• Manage and direct your finances as a team; and then,
• Discover and work towards the purpose and vision God blessed you with so you can become the Power Couple he intended you to be.

Each chapter presents:

• A short reading
• Personal reflection
• Discussion questions
• His & her perspectives
• Case studies highlighting real stories from real couples.

Howard and Danielle Taylor are certified marriage coaches with the American Association of Christian Counselors, executive producers on the Christian Television Network, serial entrepreneurs and the founders of Marriage on Deck, a marriage media ministry that has served over 4,000 couples through teaching the fundamentals of marriage. In addition to their marriage workbook The Fundamentals of Marriage, the Taylor’s also have a marriage talk show on Tuesdays and Thursdays 3 p.m. PST/6 p.m. EST on CTN and an eight-part video bible study on Right Now Media.

Reader Meet Writer: Love at First with Kate Clayborn (Virtual)
2021-03-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
“The most delightful cast of characters I’ve met in ages…a modern romance masterpiece.“ —New York Times bestseller Christina Lauren

From Kate Clayborn, the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, comes a sparkling, tender novel, Love At First about bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love…
Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar…
No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can’t work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance…
Double RITA® nominee Kate Clayborn lives in Virginia, where she spends her days reading and talking about all kinds of great books. Kate loves to hear from and connect with readers—follow her on Twitter, on Instagram, and on Facebook. Visit her at www.kateclayborn.com to sign up for her newsletter.

Booksigning: Local Author Matt Loveland with The Artist: Faith, Science and the Rest of Us
2021-03-06 10:30 - 12:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us for a fascinating chat and Meet the Author event with local author Matt Loveland, and get a signed copy of his new release: The Artist: Faith, Science, and the Rest of Us.
About the Book:
You matter because you were made.Created, on purpose, in the very image of God. And that’s not just a slogan. That’s something author Matt Loveland set out to prove.You believe the world was created. At least, statistically you do. According to a 2018-2019 PEW Research poll, 96% of Americans believe in a higher power. But whether it’s parents, school, or the media, 100% of us are taught from an early age that faith is the trade of the superstitious; that science and Atheism are one in the same.
Meet Matt:
Matt Loveland came to faith in Christ because he was turned off by the irrationality of Atheism; he was drawn in by the logic and reason of God. In The Artist: Faith, Science, and the Rest of Us, he takes readers along his journey to discover a surprisingly biblical truth that the majority of Christians believe and at the same time feel they lack the tools to express: that God guided our evolution. On purpose, and for a reason: because He loves us. And He loves you.

Author and Speaker Chris Singleton Returns with His New Release: Your Life Matters
2021-03-20 10:00 - 12:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
We’re so excited to announce that speaker Chris Singleton, author of the already wildly popular Different, will be at Main Street Reads on March 20th to celebrate and discuss his newest book releasing in March, Your Life Matters.

Empowering and validating, Your Life Matters teaches children of all races about Black History and reassures black children everywhere that no matter what they hear no matter what they experience, no matter what they’re told, their lives matter. Written by national speaker Chris Singleton, who lost his own mother in the 2015 Charleston church shooting, Your Life Matters teaches kids to stand tall in the face of racial adversity and fight for the life they dream of.
Each page depicts a famous hero from Black history mentoring a child of today and encouraging them to use their mind, heart, voice, and hands in that fight. Hero-mentors in the book include Maya Angelou, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Aretha Franklin, Katherine Johnson, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, Mary McLeod Bethune, George Washington Carver, and others.

Don’t miss the chance to meet this local icon, hear his words of wisdom and inspiration, and get signed keepsake copies of his books!
Chris Singleton is an inspirational speaker and former professional baseball player who travels the country as a student achievement specialist. Chris has spoken to over 60,000 students and teachers across the nation and has helped thousands of students and teachers overcome hardships and excel in the classroom. Chris’s speech on overcoming hate with love has been seen or shared millions of times and has gotten him featured on Lifetime, ESPN E:60, USA Today, CNN, and Fox News. Chris is a proud father of his son, CJ, and a proud husband to his high school sweetheart, Mariana.
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Independent Bookstore Day: Book Festival on Hutchinson Square!
2021-04-24 09:30 - 15:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
One day. Hundreds of bookstores.
Fifty states. Join the celebration!
Independent Bookstore Day is a one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country on the last Saturday in April. Every store is unique and independent, and every party is different. But in addition to authors, contests, and other fun stuff, there are exclusive books and literary items that you can only get on that day. Not before. Not after. Nowhere else.
At Main Street Reads we’ll be celebrating on the square with author chats and readings, live music, treats and lots of giveaways and prizes!

Here’s a look at participating authors!

Peter Cotton: Fred the Snake series (including When Fred the Snake and Friends Explore Charleston)
Cyndie Degnan: His Strength Made Perfect, Michael’s Story
Mark Epstein: THEY CALL ME PATHFINDER, Education-Basketball-Equality
Priscilla Garatti: An Ocean Away, Missing God, On a Clear Blue Day
John Gibson: Soul Sprints
Lorna Hollifield: An Ocean at Night, Tobacco Sun
Alex Lettau: Yellow Death
Matthew Loveland: The Artist: Faith, Science and the Rest of Us
Christina Sinisi: Christmas Confusion and Christmas on Okracoke
Bob Spearman: Then She Was Dead, Shrimpin’ Gold, Turf and Surf
Julie Packett: Science Night: The Chronicles of Ms. Clarke’s Class
Katie Sullivan Masalin: Rocks, Paper, Flowers
Jewel Sweeney: The Adventures of Bugaboo and Ladybug Series (including Up, Up and Away)
Kathleen Varn: Ameera Unveiled and Gardenia Duty
Marybeth Wishart: Parker the Purple Penguin
Kasen Wysong: Colors of the Mayhem

Alice: Alice Ravenel Huger Smith Charleston Renaissance Artist - SPECIAL EVENT at Public Works Art Center!
2021-05-01 11:00 - 14:00 | Public Works Arts Center, 135 West Richardson Avenue, Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Just in time for the perfect Mother’s Day gift! ALICE: Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, Charleston Renaissance Artist, has come to Main Street Reads and folks, it is GORGEOUS! A collaboration between authors Dwight McInvall, Caroline Palmer and Anne Tinker, along with Middleton Place Foundation and Evening Post Books, we’re proud to carry this valuable piece of women’s and Lowcountry history in our store AND at Public Works Art Center, right around the corner!

Prouder still, we’re collaborating on an event at the Public Works Art Center on May Day (May 1st) that will have the authors there for a chat and LIVE BOOKSIGNING! The perfect space for the perfect book! Proceeds from sales benefit both the Public Works Arts Center AND Middleton Place Foundation. And the book makes the perfect Easter or Mother’s Day gift! Grab your copy at the store early so you’ll have it to bring to the signing as we expect this to be a sell-out event. And, if you plan on joining us (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) on the 1st, then email us now and reserve your spot.

Want to learn more about the book, Alice, and the work that has endured? Check out this video from Edmunton Alston House featuring legendary Charleston artist Jonathan Green:

Talk Southern to Me: A Special Evening to Talk All Books Southern!
2021-06-21 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
“My wound is geography. It is also my anchorage, my port of call.”—Pat Conroy (The Prince of Tides)
You’re invited to attend a VERY special evening discussing southern books and southern authors with author Joe Palmer (A Mariner’s Tale) and Pat Conroy Literary Center executive director Jonathan Haupt!
This event will take place on Monday evening, June 21st, in lieu of Main Street Writes that night – as this is an event both writers and readers will want to attend and join in the conversation!
We’ll be talking about why southern literature is even a “thing” – the origins and trailblazers, and who’s writing the best “southern stuff” these days. Following a fascinating talk with Joe and Jonathan, we invite you to weigh in with your own favorites and ask questions of the presenters.
Join in from the comfort of home – Jonathan will be joining us from Beaufort, SC and Joe will be weighing in from Fernandina Beach, FL. Main Street Reads’ Shari Stauch will moderate.
Topic: Talk Southern to Me
Time: Jun 21, 2021 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82702196704?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 827 0219 6704
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Your Presenters:

A native of Waycross, Georgia, Joe Palmer is an award-winning former newspaper reporter and longtime columnist, whose folksy newspaper column, Cup of Joe, ran for ten years in the Fernandina Beach News-Leader with a large, enthusiastic following. A sailor, he got the inspiration for his debut novel, A Mariner’s Tale, while doing sweat labor one scorching August afternoon on an antique sailboat he and his wife painstakingly restored. He lives in Fernandina Beach, Florida with his wife, Pam and a room-sized Great Dane named Harley.

Jonathan Haupt is the executive director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center and the former director of the University of South Carolina Press, where he created the Story River Books southern fiction imprint with Pat Conroy, named by Garden and Gun Magazine as one of the top ten things to love about the South. Jonathan’s book reviews, author interviews, and articles have appeared in the Charleston Post and Courier, Lowcountry Weekly, Beaufort Lifestyle, Savannah Morning News Beacon magazine, Pink magazine, the Southern Review of Books, and Southern Writers Magazine’s Suite T blog. He is co-editor of the anthology Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, the winner of 17 book awards. In 2020, Jonathan was recognized with the Doug Marlette Literacy Leadership Award presented by the Pulpwood Queens, the largest book club in the U.S.

Mary Alice Monroe and Angela May: Summer Reading Spectacular!
2021-06-26 09:30 - 12:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us Saturday, June 26th for an amazing event featuring authors Mary Alice Monroe and Angela May, debuting their middle-grade novel, The Islanders, available for pre-order now at Main Street Reads!
Teachers, students, librarians and reading groups can also access a curriculum guide HERE.
The morning will feature an intro to these wonderful authors as well as free treats, AND an open mic for middle graders to share their own writing! If you’re a middle school student who wants on stage that day, drop us an email at mainstreetreads@gmail.com to get on the list, or have your teacher put you on the list! Open mic readers will be given up to five minutes to read their essay, poem or short story, staying on key themes from The Islander: friendship, inclusion and conservation. Students selected to read will also receive a gift from the authors!
Co-written with first-time author and friend Angela May, The Islanders introduces Monroe’s trademark passion for the environment to a new generation of readers as they follow eleven-year-old Jake and the summer he’s forced to spend on tiny Dewees Island with his grandmother.
Everything in his life is turned upside down: Jake does not know anyone, the island is a nature sanctuary with no cars or paved roads, no stores or restaurants, and to make matters worse, Jake’s grandmother doesn’t believe in cable or the internet. When Jake meets new friends Macon and Lovie, the three embark on island adventures until one mistake changes everything. Ultimately, Jake discovers a deep love for the island and the healing power of nature.
Mary Alice Monroe has always been captivated by the beauty and fragility of the wild habitat around her. In particular, the coastal southern landscape became a strong and important focus in many of her novels. She is the New York Times bestselling author of 27 books, including the Beach House series: The Beach House, Beach House Memories, Swimming Lessons, Beach House for Rent, and Beach House Reunion, On Ocean Boulevard, and her latest book in the series The Summer of Lost and Found which will also be available for purchase/signing that day. Monroe’s debut middle-grade fiction series, The Islanders, releases June 15, 2021.
Her bestselling novel The Beach House is also a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, starring Andie McDowell, Minka Kelly, and Chad Michael Murray.
Monroe is also an active conservationist and supports numerous conservation-focused organizations. Her work includes serving as a board member emeritus for the South Carolina Aquarium and a state-certified member of the Island Turtle Team. She lives on in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, which is a source of inspiration for many of her books.
Angela May is the founder of May Media and PR and a former award-winning television news journalist who helps promote great books and share important community stories as a media specialist. She has been working with Mary Alice Monroe for more than a decade. The Islanders is their first book together! Angela’s husband is a middle school assistant principal. They have two children and live in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Also Appearing: Local Favorite Jewel Sweeney!
Summerville’s own Jewel Sweeney will be on hand, launching her two newest middle-grade books, Blueberry Ballerina and More Than a Jock. Jewel will join the festivities at 11 a.m. after her appearance at the Summerville Farmers Market.

From the More Than Surface Level series: More Than a Jock features Alex Findman, the self-proclaimed “King of the Nerds” at Eastside High School. He is ready to take on the eleventh grade and reign as the top student in the entire school, if he can handle AP Chemistry. Alex finds out that his chemistry class won’t just be difficult because of the material, but also because the teacher has chosen their lab partners for them. Alex has been paired with a senior and varsity quarterback, Brad. Alex fears having to do work for both of them and maintaining his soaring GPA. In just a few short weeks, Alex begins to see that not all athletes are dumb meatheads like he thought. And Brad proves to him that he is more than just some jock.
In Blueberry Ballerina, Lacey Hudson is a bright and beautiful high school dancer in the upstate. Her parents own a small farm with fruit and horses. Lacey loves her farm almost as much as she loves dancing. Lacey’s skills earn her a spot with a summer program in Kansas City to dance with a professional company. She soars above and beyond what anyone would ever expect of a small-town farm girl to overcome the jealousy of others. Lacey’s hard work and positive attitude bring her face to face with the best ballerinas with the worst attitudes.
We look forward to seeing you on this special Summer Reading day to get signed books from these amazing authors and enjoy treats, aspiring young writers and community on Hutchinson Square…
Enjoy more Mary Alice Monroe selections HERE

Reader Meet Writer: Nowhere Girl with Cheryl Diamond (Virtual)
2021-06-29 19:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Excited to participate in this stellar Reader Meet Writer event about a book we’re all loving: NOWHERE GIRL. CONTACT US for information on how to join in that night – you won’t want to miss it!

An absolutely breathless read. Nowhere Girl is a courageous, heart-breaking, and beautifully written story of a girl doing everything in her power to protect the ones she loves.”
—Paul Haggis, Academy Award-winning writer/director of Crash, Million Dollar Baby, and Casino Royale
“By the age of nine, I will have lived in more than a dozen countries, on five continents, under six assumed identities. I’ll know how a document is forged, how to withstand an interrogation, and most important, how to disappear…”
Wild, heart-wrenching, and unexpectedly funny, Nowhere Girl is an inspiring coming-of-age memoir about running for freedom against the odds.
To the young Cheryl Diamond, life felt like one big adventure, whether she was hurtling down the Himalayas in a rickety car or mingling with underworld fixers. Her family appeared to be an unbreakable gang of five. One day they were in Australia, the next South Africa, the pattern repeating as they crossed continents, changed identities, and erased their pasts. What Diamond didn’t yet know was that she was born into a family of outlaws fleeing from the highest international law enforcement agencies, a family with secrets that would eventually catch up to all of them.
By the time she was in her teens, Diamond had lived dozens of lives and lies, but as she grew, love and trust turned to fear and violence, and her family—the only people she had in the world—began to unravel. She started to realize that her life itself might be a big con, and the people she loved, the most dangerous of all. With no way out and her identity burned so often that she had no proof she even existed, all that was left was a girl from nowhere.
Surviving would require her to escape, and to do so Diamond would have to unlearn all the rules she grew up with. Like The Glass Castle meets Catch Me If You Can, Nowhere Girl is an impossible-to-believe true story of self-discovery and triumph.
CONTACT US for information on how to join the event or head here to register!
Cheryl Diamond is now a citizen of Luxembourg and lives between there and Rome. Her behind-the-scenes account of life as a teenage model, Model: A Memoir, was published in 2008. Diamond´s second book, Naked Rome, reveals the Eternal City through the eyes of its most fascinating people.

Children's Booksigning with PK Potts!
2021-07-17 10:30 - 12:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us Saturday morning, July 17th, for a special book-signing with South Carolina author PK Potts, visiting us from Walterboro with three young reader selections: Army the Armadillo, If the Tree Could Talk, and A Little Girl Named Sad.
Army the Armadillo
Army the Armadillo is an enchanting tale of unexpected friendships and overcoming obstacles in unusual habitats. When a veteran and his family travel from Ft. Hood, Texas to live on the spectacular Pacific coast in Coos Bay, Oregon they are startled by a strange stowaway! Encounters in a forest of furry bullies create memorable friendships between a little girl, a prickly partner and the little armored one.
If the Tree Could Talk
Sit under the shade of the Half-Way Oak, one of the Famous Trees of Texas. Listen with the little Cherokee girl as the tree weaves a tale. From acorn to oak, the spirit of the tree comes alive with stories of the Cherokee Nation and famous marshals and outlaws traveling the old Ft. Griffin stagecoach pass. The tree talks with the wind and his favorite little person, bringing him from tears to triumph recalling 200 years of history.
A Little Girl Named Sad
This young adult novel, based on a true story, is about a girl’s difficult trials encountered while growing up with teenage alcoholic parents. Sometimes brutal, often funny, it is a frank and startling account of the damaging imprints left behind on children raised by parents with addictive behavior. This journey will take readers from the bluebonnets of Texas, snow banks in Illinois, and into the beautiful forests of Oregon.
A candid chronicle of a child growing into womanhood that will encourage others who have trod this rocky path and help them to discover their own unique ways to face the obstacles from their past and the scars left behind.
pk potts is a graduate of The Institute of Children’s Literature. She is the author of the children’s book “Army the Armadillo” and “If the Tree Could Talk”, and a featured poet in “The Poet’s Word,” an anthology published by Steady Moon Press. A freelance poet, writer and photographer whose work has appeared in Germany, Texas, Oregon and The Carolinas.

Trick or Treat Booksigning: The Witches Three Count on Me
2021-10-30 10:30 - 12:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
“A magical story that captures the fun and spirit of Halloween. I highly recommend it!” – Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times best-selling author of Turtle Summer and The Islanders

Saturday, October 30th will feature Trick or Treat at the farmer’s market up the street from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. — and at Main Street Reads we’ll have Trick or Treat all weekend long, PLUS a special book-signing Saturday with Lynda Bouchard, featuring her new The Witches Three Count on Me!
We look forward to spending a SPOOKTACULAR weekend with you all!
Nothing cures being sent to your room on Halloween night like an unexplored forest. Count on it! This is no ordinary night. It’s Halloween and a mischievous boy has run away from home. He takes a path through twisted forest trees and comes upon a frightful scene – three witches up to no good! They see him, too, and that’s when the magic begins. Will he outsmart the witches as they try to capture him? Told through the prism of a child’s imagination, you’ll discover that daring and wit come in handy when three witches are out to get you.
This is a story about taking chances, thinking on your feet, and being resourceful and brave when you face the unexpected. It’s about discovering that grown-ups don’t have all the answers. The delightful riddle is a fun teaching tool for parents and teachers of grade school children and will have them returning to this clever story again and again – even when it’s not Halloween.
Lynda Bouchard is a former flight attendant who believes that books are the greatest time machines in the world. Following a globe-trotting aviation career, she founded Booking Authors Ink, a boutique marketing firm dedicated to Southern authors. Lynda holds a Masters Degree in Public Relations from Boston University and did post-graduate work in Literature at Oxford University in England. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. This is her first book.

Launch Party: Promise by Regina E. Williams
2021-12-11 12:00 - 15:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
We invite you to join us for a special book launch and book-signing with Summerville’s own newest debut author Regina E. Williams for a story collection that will have you laughing, have you crying, but most of all… have you thinking.
We come into this life knowing what brings us pleasure and pain; what we want and need. We are then taught to distrust what we know. It is only in the university of life that we slowly regain our knowing, where we begin to again trust our instincts and those things our bodies tell us to be true; where we experience pain, joy, grief, pleasures and hopefully love.
These stories cover a span of many years, situations and locales but the reality is that place matters only in our consciousness, in our memories; a holding place. Each tale offers a brief reflection of some of those markers on the journey from self to self.
Regina E. Williams is a poet, writer, and writing consultant whose poetry and fiction have appeared worldwide. She has performed her work nationally in high schools, colleges, churches, as well as on national radio. She has participated in various panel discussions and dialogues on issues relating to the black community, Womanism, and writing.
As an associate with Writer’s Insight, a writing consultant agency, Regina designed and conducted writing workshops for students and teachers in high schools, colleges, and various civic and community institutions and organizations. She also served as a Managing Editor for Metro Exchange a monthly newspaper published by Intergroup Marketing & Communications, Inc.Regina is a founding member of Metamorphosis Writer’s Collective and “Ain’t I a Woman” Writers Collective, and a member of New Renaissance Writers Guild, and New Bones, a promotion/production group designed to promote black literature and music. Regina grew up in an immigrant community in Brooklyn, New York.
She quickly became fascinated with people: the climates and typography of the countries they came from, the musicality or lack of such in the languages they spoke, the uniqueness of the clothes they wore, the different spicing of their foods; the discovery that everyone did not worship as her family did. Her curiosity led her to travel to many places to broaden her understanding of global customs, art, and culture.

My Musings: Interactive Workshop with Ruthie Landis
2022-01-09 15:00 - 16:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us for a VERY special way to start 2022 right. Ruthie Landis’s “My Musings” workshop will start you off on the right foot to really make this your best and most insightful year ever. HINT: It helps to have a copy of her new “My Musings” journal on hand – we have them at the store for those of you who haven’t yet grabbed one!
If you had the opportunity to meet the incomparable Ruthie Landis LIVE at Main Street Reads or another special event, then you know the value of her guidance. This will be a very interactive VIRTUAL experience, with plenty of tips on how just minutes a day can lead you to journaling self-awareness and surprisingly insightful personal growth.
This free workshop (normally $95) is open to all BUT limited in space to the first 100 participants, so DO sign up soon – you won’t want to miss out on the fun!
SPACE IS LIMITED – VISIT THIS LINK TO REGISTER

Meet the Author: Live Booksigning with Julie Packett - Battling Bots!
2022-02-12 10:30 - 12:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Julie Packett is back with the second in her series: The Chronicles of Ms. Clarke’s Class. This time it’s Battling Bots so you can add to your collection that should already include Science Night, or you can grab ’em both at Main Street Reads, in paperback OR hardcover!
We look so forward to having Julie back at the store – help us give her a Summerville warm welcome!

Independent Bookstore Day 2022: Book Fair on the Square
2022-04-30 09:30 - 16:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
One day. Hundreds of bookstores.
Fifty states. Join the celebration!
Independent Bookstore Day is a one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country on the last Saturday in April. Every store is unique and independent, and every party is different. But in addition to authors, contests, and other fun stuff, there are exclusive books and literary items that you can only get on that day. Not before. Not after. Nowhere else.
At Main Street Reads we’ll be celebrating on the square with author chats and readings, live music, free treats and lots of giveaways and prizes!
Here’s the schedule of authors appearing, and below that featured titles (click on the image to learn more about each title, and pre-order your selections to have ready for Saturday signings!

Meet the Authors: Mary Alice Monroe & Angela May Launching Search for Treasure (The Islanders Book 2)
2022-06-12 14:00 - 16:00
Mary Alice Monroe and Angela May will launch their newest book at a joint event with Main Street Reads and the Timrod Library at 2:00 p.m. on June 12, 2022. The Islanders: Search for Treasure for middle-grade readers is the sequel to the New York Times bestseller, The Islanders. These are great books for families to read together, so parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, bring young readers 8 and older to meet the authors!

NOTE: This event takes place the Sunday BEFORE the book officially releases on Tuesday so you have the privilege of getting your copies before the official release date!
The FUN begins at 2:00 p.m. at Spell Chapel at Bethany United Methodist Church, 118 W. 3rd South St., across from the Timrod Library. A reception and book signing at the Library will follow, where readers can purchase books and meet the authors. The Islanders series books, as well as others by Mary Alice Monroe will be available at the event, with book sales handled by Main Street Reads.
Seating is limited, so don’t wait! Proceeds benefit the Timrod Library and Literary Association.
REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND!

Want to pre-order books to be signed by the author(s)? We’re building a special cart for you to pre-order titles and they’ll be waiting for you for pickup at Main Street Reads on Saturday, June 11th, or at the event on Sunday, June 12th… stay tuned!
About the Book:
The sequel to New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe’s The Islanders, a beautiful story of friendship, loss, and the healing power of nature.
Jake Potter is back on Dewees Island for another summer with his beloved grandmother, Honey. This time, Jake is excited that his dad will be there as he continues to recover from his injuries sustained in Afghanistan. But Jake also knows they both need get used to a new normal, which isn’t easy.
Jake also discovers that his two best friends, Macon and Lovie, are struggling as well. Macon is adjusting to being a big brother, while Lovie is navigating a new relationship with her dad, who has long been absent in her life. To cheer everyone up, Jake decides that the trio needs a new mission, just like they had the previous summer in saving the turtles. He discovers that his dad loved spending time in an old tree fort on the island, and there is a special treasure box hidden somewhere nearby. Jake just knows if he can find it, maybe his dad will be happy again–and he knows Macon and Lovie are the perfect fellow treasure hunters!
Their search leads them to discover there might be actual buried treasure somewhere on Dewees, all while they battle some unwelcome guests on the island, of both the two- and four-legged kind! On the three friends’ biggest quest yet, they realize that the treasures they really want in life were with them all along.
About the Authors
Mary Alice Monroe (at left) is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-seven books, including the bestselling The Beach House series. Monroe also writes children’s picture books, and a new middle grade fiction series called The Islanders. She is a member of the South Carolina Academy of Authors’ Hall of Fame, and her books have received numerous awards, including the South Carolina Center for the Book Award for Writing; the South Carolina Award for Literary Excellence; the SW Florida Author of Distinction Award; the RT Lifetime Achievement Award; the International Book Award for Green Fiction; the Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award; and her novel, A Lowcountry Christmas, won the prestigious Southern Prize for Fiction. The Beach House is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, starring Andie MacDowell.
Several of her novels have been optioned for film. She is the cocreator and cohost of the weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction. Monroe is also an active conservationist and serves on several boards. She lives on the South Carolina coast, which is a source of inspiration for many of her books.
Angela May (at right) is the founder of May Media and PR and a former award-winning television news journalist who helps promote great books and share important community stories as a media specialist. She has been working with Mary Alice Monroe for more than a decade. The Islanders series are their first books together! Angela’s husband is a middle school assistant principal. They have two children and live in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Connect with her at AngelaMayBooks.com.

Southern Lit Spectacular!
2022-09-04 14:00 - 17:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
GRAB YOUR TICKETS HERE!
This will be THE event of the season at Main Street Reads – four incredible authors, four seriously amazing books, UNPLUGGED at the wonderful James Dean Theatre, followed by a book signing and private reception for ticket holders back at the bookstore!
Dramatic readings and conversations with these wildly popular, award-winning novelists will be the centerpiece of this Southern Lit Spectacular at 2 p.m. Sept. 4 at the James Dean Theater right up the block from us.

The program will include The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare by Kimberly Brock, The Cicada Tree by Robert Gwaltney, One Good Mama Bone by Bren McClain, and the all-new edition of Gradle Bird by JC Sasser. A portion of book sales will benefit the Timrod Library.

General tickets include a gift certificate to use towards any of the books and a souvenir program signed by all the authors, as well as food and drink at the signing reception following the performance! VIP tickets include seating in the first five rows and one each of ALL four books. Seating is limited – reserve your tix today!

Meet the Authors
Kimberly Brock is the bestselling author of The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare (Harper Muse) and her award-winning debut, The River Witch. Eleanor Dare spent three weeks on The Southern Independent Booksellers Bestseller List. A former actor and special needs educator, in 2014, Kimberly founded Tinderbox Writer’s Workshop, a transformative creative experience for women in the arts. Kimberly has served as a guest lecturer for many regional and national groups, including The Women’s Fiction Writer’s annual conference and The Pat Conroy Literary Center. She lives near Atlanta with her husband and three children. www.kimberlybrockbooks.com
Robert Gwaltney, award-winning writer of southern fiction, is a graduate of Florida State University. He resides in Atlanta Georgia where he is an active member of the literary community. By day, he serves as Vice President of Easter Seals North Georgia, Inc., Children Services, a non-profit supporting children with disabilities and other special needs. Robert’s work has appeared in such publications as The Signal Mountain Review and The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature. Robert also serves as Prose Editor for The Blue Mountain Review. His debut novel, The Cicada Tree, was awarded the Somerset Award for literary fiction. www.robertlgwaltney.com
Bren McClain is the author of the critically acclaimed debut novel, One Good Mama Bone, from Pat Conroy’s Story River Books. described as “Charlotte’s Web for grown-ups.” It won the 2017 Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction and the 2018 Patricia Winn Award for Southern Literature. It was also named Pulpwood Queen 2017 Book of the Year, a 2017 Great Group Reads by the Women’s National Book Association, and a Southeastern Independent Booksellers (SIBA) Okra pick. She is at work on her next novel, TOOK, which was named gold medalist in the 2016 William Faulkner –William Wisdom Novel-in-Progress. Bren makes her home in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. www.brenmcclain.com
J.C. Sasser started her professional career at age twelve, working as a dishwasher, waitress, and cook at a truck stop off Georgia’s I-16. Over her life, she’s worked as an envelope licker, tortoise tagger, lifeguard, Senate page, model, editor, water-polo coach, marine biologist, plant grower, software consultant, and 6-Sigma Black Belt. Her debut novel, Gradle Bird, won the 2018 Southern Book Prize and the IBPA’s Benjamin Franklin award for Best New Voice in Fiction, and was a finalist for the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. She currently lives in the south Georgia woods in an old WWII barracks with her husband, Thomas, their two sons, T.C. and Robert Esten, and dogs Boo Reedy and Batman. www.jcsasserbooks.com
Meet the Books
The fate of the world is often driven by the curiosity of a girl. What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke remains a mystery, but the women who descended from Eleanor Dare have long known the truth lies in what she left behind: a message carved onto a large stone and the contents of her treasured Commonplace Book. Brought from England on Eleanor’s fateful voyage to the New World, her book was passed down through the fifteen generations of daughters who followed as they came of age. Thirteen-year-old Alice had been next in line to receive it, but her mother’s tragic death fractured the unbroken legacy and the Dare Stone and the shadowy history recorded in the book faded into memory. Or so Alice hoped.
In the waning days of World War Two, Alice is a young widow and a mother herself when she is unexpectedly presented with her birthright: the deed to Evertell, her abandoned family home and the history she thought forgotten. Determined to sell the property and step into a future free of the past, Alice returns to Savannah with her own thirteen-year-old daughter, Penn, in tow. But when Penn’s curiosity over the lineage she never knew begins to unveil secrets from beneath every stone and bone and shell of the old house and Eleanor’s book is finally found, Alice is forced to reckon with the sacrifices made for love and the realities of their true inheritance as daughters of Eleanor Dare.
In this sweeping tale from award-winning author Kimberly Brock, the answers to a real-life mystery may be found in the pages of a story that was always waiting to be written.
“Some things in this world are meant to burn …” The summer of 1956, a brood of cicadas descends upon Providence Georgia, a natural event with supernatural repercussions, unhinging the life of Analeise Newell, an eleven-year-old piano prodigy. Amidst this emergence, dark obsessions are stirred, uncanny gifts provoked, and secrets unearthed.
During a visit to Mistletoe, a plantation owned by the wealthy Mayfield family, Analeise encounters Cordelia Mayfield and her daughter Marlissa, both of whom possess an otherworldly beauty. A whisper and an act of violence perpetrated during this visit by Mrs. Mayfield all converge to kindle Analeise’s fascination with the Mayfields.
Analeise’s burgeoning obsession with the Mayfield family overshadows her own seemingly, ordinary life, culminating in dangerous games and manipulation, setting off a chain of cataclysmic events with life-altering consequences—all of it unfolding to the maddening whir of a cicada song.
A novel of courageous parental love and the instructive, healing bonds that form between humans and animals. Set in early 1950s rural South Carolina, One Good Mama Bone chronicles Sarah Creamer’s quest to find her mama bone, after she is left to care for a boy who is not her own but instead is the product of an affair between her husband and her best friend and neighbor, a woman she calls Sister. When her husband drinks himself to death, Sarah, a dirt-poor homemaker with no family to rely on and the note on the farm long past due, must find a way for her and young Emerson Bridge to survive. But the more daunting obstacle is Sarah’s fear that her mother’s words, seared in her memory since she first heard them at the age of six, were a prophesy, You ain’t got you one good mama bone in you, girl.
When Sarah reads in the local newspaper that a boy won $680 with his Grand Champion steer at the recent 1951 Fat Cattle Show & Sale, she sees this as their financial salvation and finds a way to get Emerson Bridge a steer from a local farmer to compete in the 1952 show. But the young calf is unsettled at Sarah’s farm, crying out in distress and growing louder as the night wears on. Some four miles away, the steer’s mother hears his cries and breaks out of a barbed-wire fence to go in search of him. The next morning Sarah finds the young steer quiet, content, and nursing a large cow. Inspired by the mother cow’s act of love, Sarah names her Mama Red. And so Sarah’s education in motherhood begins with Mama Red as her teacher.
But Luther Dobbins, the man who sold Sarah the steer, has his sights set on winning too, and, like Sarah, he is desperate, but not for money. Dobbins is desperate for glory, wanting to regain his lost grand-champion dynasty, and he will stop at nothing to win. Emboldened by her lessons from Mama Red and her budding mama bone, Sarah is committed to victory even after she learns the winning steer’s ultimate fate. Will she stop at nothing, even if it means betraying her teacher?
A wildly inventive novel that stretches the boundaries of what it costs to love and be loved. Sixteen-year-old Gradle Bird has lived her entire life with her Grandpa, Leonard, at a seedy motel and truck stop off Georgia’s I-16. But when Leonard moves her to a crumbling old house rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Ms. Annalee Spivey, Gradle is plunged into a lush, magical world much stranger and more dangerous than from the one she came.
Here she meets Sonny Joe Stitch, a Siamese fighting fish connoisseur overdosed on testosterone, a crippled, Bible-thumping hobo named Ceif “Tadpole” Walker, and the only true friend she will ever know, a schizophrenic genius, music-man, and professional dumpster-diver, D-5 Delvis Miles. As Gradle falls deeper into Delvis’s imaginary and fantastical world, unsettling dangers lurk, and when surfaced Gradle discovers unforeseen depths in herself and the people she loves the most.
Gradle Bird is an unusual tale of self-discovery and redemption that explores the infirmities of fatherly love, the complexities of human cruelty, and the consequences of guilt, proving they are possible to overcome no matter how dark and horrible the cause.

Book Signing: Cheryl Oliver's Ghosts of the Hunley
2022-11-12 13:00 - 15:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us for an exciting signing and conversation about the Hunley with author Cheryl Oliver, and grab a copy of her newest work, Ghosts of the Hunley!
This book is the first of a series related to the men of the H.L. Hunley Submarine, the first submarine to sink an enemy ship. In this book it covers the life story of Horace Lawson Hunley, and the first people in his life that made a difference in his plan to build a submarine.
Some of them are as follows: His friend Robert Ruffin Barrow who helped finance the submarine. Hunley’s friend and co-worker Francis Hanson Hatch. The first commander John Scott of his fishboat submarines Pioneer. Others have written of the submarine.
This series is about the men involved in making the sub a reality, whether by financing, building, designing, seeking, advising, approving, writing letters, or diary entries. Each book in the series includes crew members of the submarine and all of those who had a hand in making the H.L. Hunley become a reality.
Cheryl Oliver was born in Arlington, Virginia and grew up where local news was National news. She graduated from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. Cheryl is a speaker, historian, genealogist; and a member of the DAR, UDC, Descendants of Jamestown, Virginia, and applied to Colonial Dames. Her first ancestor came over to Virginia in 1608. Other ancestors came in 1617, some settled in Virginia and some in the Carolinas, and branched out to all the other southern states.
Cheryl has lived in South Carolina for well over 12 years. She lives in Summerville where she enjoys being in warm weather and activities with Tim. Cheryl enjoys gardening, visiting historical sights and nature. She is a professional genealogist and a member of the National Genealogical Society. She is a member of the UDC and participates in UDC activities. She has been involved with the SCV, and participates in the Magnolia Cemetery Ghost Walks, the H.L. Hunley Memorial Services, Confederate Memorial Services throughout the south, several parades in South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. She enjoys attending and participating in reenactments and has been a speaker at many SCV camps and other groups throughout the south. Her books have become popular, and her greatest joy is educating and sharing history.

Wednesday Stories on the Square
2022-11-30 09:30 - 10:00, 2022-12-07 09:00 - 09:30, 2023-01-11 09:30 - 10:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us every WEDNESDAY morning at 9:30 a.m. for “Stories on the Square, our outdoor storytime adventure – kids of all ages welcome! Treats served and student discounts to ALL attendees!
Storytime at Main Street Reads has become one of our featured events, held outside to ensure proper social distancing. We have lots of chairs for younger listeners, hoola-hoops for distancing and plenty of juice boxes and fruit snacks to munch while they listen.
In case of inclement weather, storytime moves inside – we move the furniture and place the hoops and chairs on the floor – we do ask that strollers park outside!

Patti Callahan Henry Coming to Summerville!
2023-05-07 14:00 - 17:00 | Timrod Library, 217 Central Avenue, Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Patti Callahan Henry Coming to Summerville!

New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan Henry is coming to the Timrod Library on May 7 with her newest novel, The Secret Book of Flora Lea, releasing May 2. Patti’s presentation begins at 2 p.m. at the fellowship hall of Bethany United Methodist Church, followed by a classic reception and book signing at the Timrod Library.
Tickets are $40 ($30 for members) and include the author’s presentation and reception, plus a hardcover copy ofThe Secret Book of Flora Lea. Tickets are available at the Library and payable by cash or card. Credit card purchases are also available by phone at (843) 871-4600 or online at the Event page on thetimrodlibrary.org.
In The Secret Book of Flora Lea, a young woman named Hazel discovers a rare book that may reveal long-held secrets about her sister, Flora, who went missing as a child during World War II. The evacuation of British children to the safety of the countryside during the war provides the historical backdrop for this imaginative tale about the bond between sisters, the complications of love, and the enduring magic of storytelling.
Patti Callahan Henry is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of several novels, including Becoming Mrs. Lewis and Once Upon a Wardrobe. She is the recipient of the Christy Award, the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer of the Year Award, and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year. She is the cohost and co-creator of the popular weekly online live web show and podcast Friends and Fiction. A full-time author and mother of three, she lives in Alabama and South Carolina with her family.
Main Street Reads will provide the books for this special event and we’ll have other popular titles by Patti available for purchase and signing as well.
All proceeds benefit the Timrod Literary and Library Society. Don’t miss this special event! CLICK HERE to grab your tix now – we’re expecting a full house

Monday Main Street Writes
2023-06-19 18:30 - 20:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
For the inner writer in all of us, our regular Monday evening writers group – growing every week and sharing some incredible talent!
Join us via the Zoom link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83115591753?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 831 1559 1753
Passcode: [REDACTED]
If you’d prefer to send your pages in advance (no more than 2 single-spaced or 4 double spaced, you can email them to mainstreetreads@gmail.com — and we’ll share w/the group. On entering the meeting you’ll be given a link to a Google doc of words so you can follow along.
Want to see samples from this incredible group? Visit https://mainstreetwrites.com/

Wednesday Stories on the Square
2023-06-28 09:30 - 10:00, 2023-08-09 09:30 - 10:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us every WEDNESDAY morning at 9:30 a.m. for “Stories on the Square, our outdoor storytime adventure – kids of all ages welcome! Treats served and student discounts to ALL attendees!
Storytime at Main Street Reads is a weekly featured event, held inside when the weather doesn’t permit. We have lots of chairs for younger listeners, hula-hoops for distancing and plenty of juice boxes and fruit snacks to munch while they listen.
In case of inclement weather, storytime moves inside – we move the furniture and place the hoops and chairs on the floor – we do ask that strollers park outside!

A VERY Special Stories on the Square with Martha Jaworowski: Trucks at First Sight
2023-07-19 09:30 - 10:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
We have a visiting author for this Wednesday’s storytime, and a chance to grab a SIGNED copy of her incredible book at a discounted price.
Martha will be featured at Stories on the Square and you’re going to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book. It’s kid-smart in all the right ways – colorful, insightful, interesting, teaching counting, shapes, patterns along the way, and it’s FUN!
TRUCKS AT FIRST SIGHT is a children’s counting book filled with brilliant illustrations which combine art and trucks to fuel a child’s passion for numbers and learning. The dazzling illustrations leave young readers (and their caretakers) yearning to turn the pages as they search the patterned drawings for the next set of trucks. TRUCKS AT FIRST SIGHT features a variety of childrens’ favorite vehicles: scooping excavators, churning mixers, puttering tractors, and many more.

Come meet Martha (she’s a mom, too!) and learn more about her work, her writing, her art, and her passion for young readers 🙂

Hanging on the Porch: Special Salon Readings From...
2023-10-26 18:00 - 19:30
We’re celebrating the written word with our friends at Summerville’s own South Porch Artists Residency. Each month, hosting artists and entrepreneurs Brad Erickson and Brian Protheroe bring in budding artists from around the country to create art and community at their historic property (516 Central Ave).

They (and we!) believe that artists, writers, scholars and clergy – while often undervalued – provide essential services to our society, and to each of us as human beings. They uncover the universe, reveal our common humanity, expose injustice, point to reconciliation, and nurture our hearts, minds and spirits.

And this month, we have a VERY unique opportunity to bring their visiting writers to share with YOU at Main Street Reads!

This will be a Thursday evening event on October 26th (Fourth Thursday), and refreshments will be served. We invite you to come hear their words and mix and mingle with these bright young minds!

Featured Writers

Wisconsin author and poet Carrie Voigt Schonhoff has self-published two books of poems titled, ‘The Liminal Space’ and ‘The End of the Beginning.’ She was widowed in 2012 and that life challenge has taught her many things, some of which she writes about in her books. She completed her first Book Tour of over 24 local and international events in 2022. This year, she released audio books for both of her poetry books.

Having just started her writing journey a couple years ago, while maintaining her full-time job, Carrie wants her readers to know that you’re never too old, too young, too busy, or too burnt out to follow your passions and what makes you truly happy. And for her, that’s sharing her art with the world. You can learn more about Carrie and find her books at liminalartistry.com.

Melora Fern writes fiction about birds, emboldened women, and life’s complicated relationships. She recently moved to Hillsborough, NC and thoroughly enjoys her writers-critique group, hiking and making new friends.

She’ll be reading the first chapter (about 2000 words) of Whistling Women and Crowing Hens, her debut, soon to-be-published historical fiction about a woman claiming her independence during the tumultuous 1920s. When a naïve concert whistler escapes her overbearing sister by joining a traveling troupe, she experiences forbidden lesbian love and discovers self-empowerment can cause heartbreak.

Kate M Carey enjoys farmers markets, beach walks, Buckeye football, and exploring the politics of everyday life. Her fiction and essays have appeared in the anthologies Things We Carry Still Anthology (Nov 2023) from Middle West Press, County Lines Journal, Savanna Writers Anthology, and the journals Reckon Review, Noctua, The Tishman Review, and Panoply.

She’ll read from her essay One Sheep a Herd Makes, which was published by Reckon Review in July.

LA Hawkins is a practicing lawyer, so (surprise surprise) dreams of a career as a writer. A private poet since the age of 8, she writes to make sense of a mixed-up world, and began sharing her words with others only in the past few years. Her first novel, Ribbons of Guilt, is very much in process and the focus of her time at South Porch.

She will be reading a short story, entitled “Four Eyes” which centers on a young girl whose new glasses bring color as well as clarity.

Spooktacular Book Launch! Mr. Albert: The Story of an Ex-Person by AF Winter
2023-10-29 13:00 - 15:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
We’re THRILLED to host the book launch party for A.F. Winter’s latest release, Mr. Albert: The Story of an Ex-Person.

AND, if you grab your book that day, you’ll get 10% off your tab next door at Frothy Beard!!!

HINT: We’ll have a few food samples on hand at Main Street Reads from our Frothy Beard pals to whet your whistles…

Mr. Albert, who happens to be dead although his body for some reason has not gotten the memo, enjoys nothing more than getting plastered in seedy bars on the Jersey shore. In a moment of weakness, he saves Santo Murphy from committing suicide, as he’s about to hurl himself into the frigid Atlantic Ocean.

When he discovers Mr. Albert’s secret, Santo believes his savior must have a higher purpose than intoxication. Santo’s purpose becomes to find Mr. Albert’s purpose and he will not leave Albert’s side until he discovers it…

Meet the Author

Mr. Winter has won the South Carolina Playwright’s Festival for his play, The Colliers. He has three novels in print including the wildly popular Man in the Pandemic, and four that are yet to be published. His work has appeared in print and online magazines.

His poems have been published in several anthologies and he performs as a featured poet and author in the South Carolina low country. He lives near Charleston, SC with his dog, Millie, and is overjoyed when one of his three exceptional daughters comes to visit.

Book Signing: Reading Jane with Susannah Kennedy!
2023-11-19 13:00 - 15:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
We’re thrilled to be a part of this eastern leg of Susannah’s tour – come join in the fun and enjoy refreshments and some stimulating conversation. The book will be available to be signed by the author that day!

Reading Jane: A Daughter’s Memoir and the book tour “Surviving the Narcissistic Mother”

As the estimation of narcissism and its impact on children grows, more people are identifying as the children of such an upbringing. They have been raised by a parent whose sense of self-importance overshadowed the child, the child existing rather as an extension of a parental self that lacks empathy and often exploits their child. It’s estimated that nearly 60 million people are damaged by such relational patterns. Children of such parents are vulnerable to poor self-esteem, lack of boundaries, and co-dependence.

Having emerged on the other side of this phenomenon, Susannah Kennedy, author of Reading Jane: A Daughter’s Memoir has launched her book tour along the East Coast. The tour includes a stop at Main Street Reads in Summerville!, where she’ll sign copies as well as address her path to healing. It wasn’t an easy one, and might not have been achieved at all had Susannah’s mother not inexplicably taken her own life at age 75. When Susannah discovered 45 years of Jane’s diaries, she had a portal into the narrative her mother created and lived.

Susannah avoided plunging in for three years, until she was driven to do so, to understand finally the mystery her mother presented. What emerges is Susannah’s own story in contrast to her mother’s, and ultimately leads her to finally shake off the constraints set by Jane’s need to control both the narrative and her daughter.

Previous events on the West Coast leg of the tour have demonstrated that Susannah is not alone. Nearly 5 percent or 1 in 200 people suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and the sons and daughters are showing up at book events — to take from Susannah’s story of healing the hope they might finally understand and heal their own.

The Reading Jane: Surviving the Narcissistic Mother Eastern Seaboard Tour will encompass 12 cities in October and November 2023: Boston and Gloucester, Massachusetts; Newport, Rhode Island; Owego and Woodstock, New York; Washington D.C.; Montrose and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Charlotte, North Carolina; Hilton Head Island and Summerville, South Carolina; and Savannah, Georgia. For details on dates, times, and locations, please visit www.sibyllinepress.com or www.susannahkennedy.com. Main Street Reads at 115 S. Main Street in Summerville will host Susannah on November 19th from 1-3 p.m.

About the author: Berkeley and Oxford-educated anthropologist Susannah Kennedy was born in India and raised in the United States. Later, she traveled extensively on her own, first in Italy, and then through the Middle East and India, settling for two years in Egypt before becoming a reporter in Dallas, Texas. At Oxford University, she specialized in Arab culture and politics, receiving her DPhil in social anthropology. She and her psychoanalyst husband lived and worked in Germany, raising three children in a thatched-roof farmhouse in the countryside outside Hamburg. Her mother’s suicide and its aftermath brought them back to California in 2017. They now reside in Marin County.

Wednesday Stories on the Square
2024-08-28 09:30 - 10:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us every WEDNESDAY morning at 9:30 a.m. for “Stories on the Square” – our storytime adventure – kids of all ages welcome! Treats served and student discounts to ALL attendees!

Storytime at Main Street Reads has become one of our featured events. We have lots of chairs for younger listeners and plenty of juice boxes and fruit snacks to munch while they listen.

Story time now takes place INSIDE the store – we move the furniture and place the hoops and chairs on the floor – we just do ask that strollers park outside! No bugs, no rain, just books and fun!
