Main Street Reads

Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars: Virtual Event
2021-08-22 15:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York)
Join in for this cool virtual Bookclub + Author Event for Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars: Space, Exploration, and Life on Earth by Kate Greene, produced by #ReadingWomenLeaders!
#ReadingWomenLeaders is a bookclub series, showcasing women leaders in every aspect of life. Prioritizing autobiographies to center the voices of the women themselves, the club reads and learns about women in the areas of the arts, politics, nature, sciences, and sports, among others.
Independent bookstores and readers from around the world are welcome to participate in this free series. Learn more HERE.
Register to Attend HERE

Kate Greene was the crew writer and second-in-command on the first simulated Mars mission for the NASA-funded HI-SEAS project. A poet, essayist, and former laser physicist, her work has appeared in multiple publications and radio shows. She’s taught writing at Columbia University, San Francisco State University, and the Tennessee Prison for Women. She lives in New York City.
Kate will be joining the Reading Women Leaders Bookclub on August 22, 2021 and you’re invited to meet the author!

About ONCE UPON A TIME I LIVED ON MARS

When it comes to Mars, the focus is often on how to get there: the rockets, the engines, the fuel. But upon arrival, what will it actually be like?
In 2013, Kate Greene moved to Mars. That is, along with five fellow crew members, she embarked on NASA’s first HI-SEAS mission, a simulated Martian environment located on the slopes of Mauna Loa in Hawai’i. For four months she lived, worked, and slept in an isolated geodesic dome, conducting a sleep study on her crew mates and gaining incredible insight into human behavior in tight quarters, as well as the nature of boredom, dreams, and isolation that arise amidst the promise of scientific progress and glory.
In Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars, Greene draws on her experience to contemplate humanity’s broader impulse to explore. The result is a twined story of space and life, of the standard, able-bodied astronaut and Greene’s brother’s disability, of the lag time of interplanetary correspondences and the challenges of a long-distance marriage, of freeze-dried egg powder and fresh pineapple, of departure and return.
By asking what kind of wisdom humanity might take to Mars and elsewhere in the Universe, Greene has written a remarkable, wide-ranging examination of our time in space right now, as a pre-Mars species, poised on the edge, readying for launch.

Bookstore Romance Day
2021-08-21 10:00 - 18:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
August 21st is the third annual Bookstore Romance Day and we’ll be celebrating here with some spicy treats and hot romance authors!
Headlining the event at Main Street Reads will be Dorothy McFalls with two stellar romance novels: The Marriage List and The Nude – don’t miss this special signing from 2-4 pm Saturday!

Official Bookstore Romance Day Ambassador(s):
Kit Rocha: Deal with the Devil

Third Thursday: Music and Fun for All!
2021-08-19 18:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
THIS MONTH: “SUMMER in SUMMERVILLE” is the theme… We’ll offer up some cooling treats for visiting readers!
On the third Thursday of each month Historic Downtown Summerville transforms into a special marketplace featuring local entertainment, craft vendors and artisans, to complement the extended hours of eclectic shops, boutiques and restaurants.
Enjoy partying out on the square, sales and treats at Main Street Reads, and singer/ songwriter/guitarist Mike Kaltofen keeping the vibe cool and festive as we enjoy our downtown community and plenty of book love.
See you on Main Street!

Living Large Book Club August Pick: All the Little Hopes
2021-08-17 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Our big book for August will be All the Little Hopes, releasing July 27th from SourceBooks, penned by Leah Weiss, author of the fabulous If The Creek Don’t Rise! Leah will join us via Zoom for the live book discussion at Main Street Reads and we’ll make BOTH her great books available at the 10% off book club discount at the store. Refreshments will be served. Join us for this wonderful evening – all are welcome!!
Prefer to join by Zoom? The link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89525681604?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 895 2568 1604 Passcode: [REDACTED]
A Southern story of friendship forged by books and bees, when the timeless troubles of growing up meet the murky shadows of World War II.
Deep in the tobacco land of North Carolina, nothing’s been the same since the boys shipped off to war and worry took their place. Thirteen-year-old Lucy Brown is precocious and itching for adventure. Then Allie Bert Tucker wanders into town, an outcast with a puzzling past, and Lucy figures the two of them can solve any curious crime they find–just like her hero, Nancy Drew.
Their chance comes when a man goes missing, a woman stops speaking, and an eccentric gives the girls a mystery to solve that takes them beyond the ordinary. Their quiet town, seasoned with honeybees and sweet tea, becomes home to a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp. More men go missing. And together, the girls embark on a journey to discover if we ever really know who the enemy is.
Lush with Southern atmosphere, All The Little Hopes is the story of two girls growing up as war creeps closer, blurring the difference between what’s right, what’s wrong, and what we know to be true.
LEAH WEISS is a Southern writer born in North Carolina and raised in the foothills of Virginia. Her debut novel If the Creek Don’t Rise was released in August of 2017. Her short stories have been published in The Simple Life magazine, Every Day Fiction and Deep South Magazine. You can contact her on her website leahweiss.com.

Christina Sinisi: Sweet Summer Book Launch!
2021-08-14 10:30 - 12:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us Saturday morning to celebrate author Christina Sinisi, who penned the popular Christmas in Okracoke and Christmas Confusion! Her newest book, Sweet Summer, launches right here at Main Street Reads and we’re so excited to have her back!

About Sweet Summer:

Shelby Marano is the youngest of three sisters and was always Daddy’s baby girl—until her father was murdered when she was only eight years old. Ever since, she’s been running from anyone or anything that could truly hurt her. Instead, she seeks calculated thrills that leave her exhilarated, but when she’s caught outside during a summer storm, she quickly realizes not all adventures are within her control.
Tyler Burgess struggles with the responsibility of caring for a mother suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Forced to take a leave of absence from work and put his life on hold, his only reprieve is the volunteer work he does at the local museum. When a soaking-wet Shelby barges in, he offers her both refuge from the rain and a safe place to land. She’s the breath of fresh air he didn’t know he needed.
Tyler proves to be much more than just a nerd in a history museum, but what she finds out about him is a dealbreaker for her. As family health issues and an unknown stalker threaten Shelby’s perfect little world, she learns a hard lesson: no one can hide from the dangers of life. Can Shelby let her sisters, Tyler, and even more importantly, God, show her in one Sweet Summer that love is worth taking the risk?

A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Christina Sinisi writes stories about families, both the broken and blessed. Her works include a semi-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest and the American Title IV Contest where she appeared in the top ten in the Romantic Times magazine. By day, she is a psychology professor and lives in the LowCountry of South Carolina with her husband and two children and loves a good cooking challenge. Please visit her at Christina Sinisi-Author on Facebook and christinasinisi.com.

Thriller Book Club August Pick: Eight Perfect Murders!
2021-08-12 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Reader votes are in and our Thrill in the ‘Ville club is reading Eight Perfect Murders for August, a thriller by Peter Swanson.
We’ll be serving refreshments and will have a unique gift for new club members!
A Kirkus Best Fiction Book of the year
“Swanson rips us from one startling plot twist to the next… A true tour de force.” –Lisa Gardner

Fiendish good fun. –Anthony Horowitz
From the hugely talented author of Before She Knew Him comes a chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction’s most ingenious murders.
Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack–which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”–chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Deathtrap, A. A. Milne’s The Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox’s Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity, John D. MacDonald’s The Drowner, and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.
But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move–a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.
To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects . . . and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead–and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape.

Mystery and Mimosas Anyone?
2021-08-01 14:00 - 16:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
How ’bout sparking up the start of August with some cozy mysteries and a mimosa? (Or just the OJ or just the bubbly if you prefer!) Mystery authors Linda Lovely and Dorothy St. James will BOTH be with us on Sunday, August 1st at 2 pm to debut their newest books and bring on the dog days of Summerville summer:
MANAGING AN HOA CAN BE MURDER: Murder victims in separate Lowcountry homeowner associations appear to have had only two things in common—they antagonized neighbors and their dead bodies were posed to shock. Are HOA feuds provoking these murders? Kylee Kane, a retired Coast Guard investigator, agrees to help her friend’s HOA management company find the answer. After uncovering decades-old links between the murder victims, Kylee IDs the killer’s next target. Can she foil the third act in the killer’s death-as-theater game or will she be the next corpse on display?
Linda Lovely has spent most of her career working in PR and advertising—an early introduction to penning fiction. With Neighbors Like These is Lovely’s ninth mystery/suspense novel. Whether she’s writing cozy mysteries, historical suspense or contemporary thrillers, her novels share one common element—smart, independent heroines. Humor and romance also sneak into every manuscript. Her work has earned nominations for a number of prestigious awards, ranging from RWA’s Golden Heart for Romantic Suspense to Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion for Best Cozy Mystery.
Linda lives on a lake in Upstate South Carolina with her husband, and enjoys swimming, tennis, gardening, long walks, and, of course, reading To learn more, visit www.lindalovely.com
And of course many of you know Dorothy St. James, who’s had not one but TWO wonderful signings at Main Street Reads in the past, including headlining the town’s Friday night Dessert Walk in 2019! Her newest entry (love this cover!) is The Broken Spine: When small-town assistant librarian Tru Beckett sets up a secret book room in her newly modernized library, she discovers that protecting the printed word is harder than she’d ever imagined. In fact, it’s murder.
We’ll have plenty of copies of her popular Chocolate Shop mysteries on hand as well!
Dorothy St. James is the alter-ego of award-winning multi-published author, Dorothy McFalls. She enjoys writing in several different genres. Her works have been nominated for many awards including: Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, Reviewers International Organization Award, National Reader’s Choice Award, CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award, and The Romance Reviews Today Perfect 10! Award. Reviewers have called her work: “amazing”, “perfect”, “filled with emotion”, and “lined with danger.”

Book Launch Party: Don Best's The Gravedigger's Dream
2021-07-24 10:30 - 12:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us for the launch of Don Best’s much anticipated novel, The Gravedigger’s Dream, a wild plunge into the heart of the Amazon rainforest, filled with gritty, true-to-life adventure and an unforgettable cast of characters!
The story unfolds through the eyes of Brazilian Zé Licata, the gravedigger, who is willing to try anything, including armed rebellion and witchcraft, to overcome the hopelessness that cripples his village and robs his son, Rafael, of a future.
But at what cost is a brighter future won? What happens to a man’s soul when his dream becomes an obsession, and the obsession opens the gates to evil? Can Zé dance all night with the Devil and still expect a glorious dawn?
The Gravedigger’s Dream is a real-deal journey into the Brazilian Amazon of the 1970s, told with brutal honesty, redeemed by humor and deep-seated faith.
“The Gravedigger’s Dream is first-rate. The author’s long experience in the Amazon shines through real characters living real lives in a vividly drawn environment.” – T. Davis Bunn, best-selling novelist
“Iʼve been captured by this poor gravediggerʼs dream! So many wonderful, fleshed-out, believable characters. Wonderful dialog that rings true to the ear, and exciting twists of plot.” – Joan Hodges
“The words just float off the page, so transparent that I was transported to the world of Zé.” – Jeanne DeLarm-Neri, author and poet
“I became totally involved in the story. The characters came alive within their own cultural setting, so real that I found myself praying for Zé.” – Lori Figueroa
“Best can spin a yarn like no other, with tight pacing and realistic, multifaceted characters. The plot is laced with an absorbing exploration of how hope sprouts from despair, set amidst the alluring backdrop of the Amazon.” – D.L. Koontz, author of Crossing into the Mystic
From Puerto Rico to Paraguay, from Rio de Janeiro into the wilds of the Amazon, Don Best has lived the adventures of an expatriate writer and Christian missionaryThe Gravedigger’s Dream, Book One in the Rivers Wild series, was inspired by ten years of laughter, tears and lessons hard-won in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. Traveling the rivers and working in the villages, the author came to love and respect the people he writes about.
Don’s career as a professional writer and editor spans more than 35 years. During that time he has held senior editorial positions with various publications, established a successful career as a freelance writer, and written several books. His fifth and sixth books are The Gravedigger’s Dream and The Third Promise, a two-part novel from Brimstone Fiction.
While working for a newspaper in Rio de Janeiro, Don met his wife, Betty. Together, they have formed a happy marriage, raised two fine sons, and created a successful writer-photographer team that has lasted four decades. Today, Don and Betty make their home near Charleston and explore the teeming jungles of South Carolina.

Pulpwood Queens Bookclub: The Gumbeaux Sistahs
2021-07-22 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Come join us for some libations and a lively discussion about The Gumbeaux Sistahs by Jax Frey! As always, the book is available from Main Street Reads at the 10% off book club price (and it’s in paperback!)
You can join in live or via Zoom via this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85949571566?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 859 4957 1566 Passcode: [REDACTED]
“A bowl of my Mama’s gumbo and a little wine will solve any problem you’ve got,” said every single Gumbeaux Sistah ever.
Five Southern women wage a hilarious war against the ageism problems of one of their deep-in-trouble sisters using their improbable friendships, evil-genius schemes, oh-so-numerous cocktails, and a shared passion for good gumbo.
When southern artist, Judith Lafferty, loses her long-time, prestigious museum job to a much younger man, she finds herself devastated, alone in her sixties, and on the brink of financial disaster. Enter the incomparable Gumbeaux Sistahs, who deliver day-old coffee to her front door as a ploy, then go on to kidnap her, feed her excellent gumbo, and come up with outrageous solutions to her problems.
Their motives are just good excuses to drink wine, have a great time, argue over whose mother makes the best gumbo, and, most of all, help a sister out. Ageism, dangerous boyfriends, deep loneliness, and any other challenges that can face the over fifty crowd don’t stand a chance against these five resourceful ladies.
The Gumbeaux Sistahs is a heart-warming, smart story of friendship and unexpected shenanigans that you do not want to miss.

Living Large Bookclub: Trouble the Water by Rebecca Dwight Bruff
2021-07-20 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us for an engaging discussion surrounding the American Fiction award-winning Trouble the Water.
NOTE: The author WILL join us via Zoom – participants can join in LIVE at the store or via the Zoom link here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87099370876?pwd=[REDACTED] Meeting ID: 870 9937 0876 Passcode: [REDACTED]

Deeply moving and illuminating, TROUBLE THE WATER reveals the little-known real-life story of Robert Smalls. Born enslaved before the Civil War, Smalls witnesses great privilege and immense suffering alongside his owner’s daughter and the dangerous son of a firebrand secessionist.
At the age of twelve, he’s sent to work in Charleston, where he loads ships and learns to pilot a cotton steamer. When the war erupts and his cotton steamer becomes a confederate warship, Robert attempts a harrowing escape to freedom for himself and the people he loves.

“With this stunning debut novel, Rebecca Bruff establishes herself as an exciting new voice in historical fiction.” – Cassandra King Conroy

Rebecca Bruff heard the story of Robert Smalls on her first visit to South Carolina. She was so captivated that she left her job and moved across the country to research and write this novel. Bruff earned her Bachelors degree in education (Texas A&M) and Master and Doctorate degrees in theology (Southern Methodist University). In 2017, she was a scholarship recipient for the prestigious Key West Literary Seminar. She volunteers at the Pat Conroy Literary Center in Beaufort, South Carolina. She’s published non-fiction, plays a little tennis, travels when she can, and loves life in the lowcountry with her husband and an exuberant golden retriever. Learn more at rebeccabruff.com

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.

Third Thursday: Christmas in July!
2021-07-15 17:30 - 20:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us for a special Third Thursday this month with a “Christmas in July” theme – we’ll have a very special local author joining us that evening, Cindy Barrineau Curtis, author of the recently released Living the Heart of God.
About the Book: When you feel like your life is lacking something vital, pick up this book. When you can’t see a clear direction, let this book be your guide. When the guilt and shame of your mistakes seem to follow you wherever you go, read this book for a better perspective. When your hope has diminished and you feel as if you are accepting that your life is as good as gets, give this book a chance to change your mind. How do you talk to God? How do you know that our prayers are heard? How do you live your life abundantly? In Living the Heart of God, you will explore the beauty of prayer with fresh eyes. You will be provided with what you need for self-reflection. You are offered ways to practice how to increase your quality of life through spending time with God.
Cindy Barrineau Curtis is the author of three Heart of God books includling Touching the Heart of God is a collection of poems, scripture references, and prayers for times of joy and sorrow and everything in between. This devotional book includes material that can be used as a small group study.
As always, local guitarist, singer and songwriter Michael Kaltofen will be playing live at Main Street Reads to set the mood for our festive evening… See you there!

Booksigning: Janet Lee Berg
2021-07-10 10:30 - 12:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us for an entertaining chat and book signing with Janet Lee Berg, author of the new release Restitution. Janet’s work has been featured in numerous newspapers and magazines on Long Island, NY, and the Post & Courier in Charleston. Her debut novel, Rembrandt’s Shadow, received a glowing critique in Historical Novels Review magazine, and she published a children’s picture book called Kitti, the Cargo Ship to inspire empathy and kindness.
“Illuminating . . . ” -Lynn H. Nicholas, world’s leading researcher on Art pilfered during WWII and author of The Rape Of Europa
Sylvie Rosenberg was once the aristocratic daughter of a prominent Dutch art dealer until the Nazi invasion of Holland changed everything. Forced to part with his astonishing collection of masterpieces, her father managed to trade a Rembrandt for the lives of twenty-five family members, including Sylvie.
Many years later, in America, Sylvie is on a path of self-destruction, still equating love with all the “things” that were taken away from her. Pocketing small items at first, eventually her hopelessness leads to a monumental betrayal, dismantling the lives of her son, Michael, a writer and Vietnam vet still struggling with the consequences of war, and his schoolteacher wife, Angela, as they struggle to fill their own void after failed attempts to conceive a child.
Desperate to win back their love, Sylvie returns to her homeland to face old ghosts and the Dutch judicial system, seeking the restitution of her family’s masterpieces. But the battle proves far more difficult than she imagined…

Thriller Book Club: Survive the Night
2021-07-08 17:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Our Thrill in the ‘Ville thriller book club is BACK! Join us for a thrilling discussion of this brilliant new release, Survive the Night – releasing this Tuesday from NYT bestselling author Riley Sager! The book is available at the 10% off book club price at Main Street Reads!
One of New York Times Book Review‘s summer reads guaranteed to make your heart thump and your skin crawl; An Amazon Best of the Month Pick; Named a must-read summer book by The Washington Post, Vulture, BuzzFeed, Forbes, Entertainment Weekly, CNN, New York Post, Good Housekeeping, E!, PopSugar, CrimeReads, Thrillist, and BookRiot.
It’s November 1991. Nirvana’s in the tape deck, George H. W. Bush is in the White House, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer.
Josh Baxter, the man behind the wheel, is a virtual stranger to Charlie. They met at the campus ride board, each looking to share the long drive home to Ohio. Both have good reasons for wanting to get away. For Charlie, it’s guilt and grief over the shocking murder of her best friend, who became the third victim of the man known as the Campus Killer. For Josh, it’s to help care for his sick father–or so he says.
The longer she sits in the passenger seat, the more Charlie notices there’s something suspicious about Josh, from the holes in his story about his father to how he doesn’t want her to see inside the trunk. As they travel an empty, twisty highway in the dead of night, an increasingly anxious Charlie begins to think she’s sharing a car with the Campus Killer. Is Josh truly dangerous? Or is Charlie’s jittery mistrust merely a figment of her movie-fueled imagination?
One thing is certain–Charlie has nowhere to run and no way to call for help. Trapped in a terrifying game of cat and mouse played out on pitch-black roads and in neon-lit parking lots, Charlie knows the only way to win is to survive the night.

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.

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

Pulpwood Queens Bookclub: Outbound Train by Renea Winchester
2021-06-24 18:30 - 20:00
Join us for a thoughtful discussion of Outbound Train by Renea Winchester, who’ll be joining us for the talk! (in-store purchases are eligible for the 10% bookclub discount).AND, you can join the discussion LIVE at Main Street Reads OR via Zoom – Author Renea Winchester will join us that evening via Zoom so you can ask questions of the author!
Topic: Pulpwood Queens June
Time: Jun 24, 2021 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85688828708?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 856 8882 8708 Passcode: [REDACTED]
In 1976, memories from a night near the railroad tracks sixteen years earlier haunt Barbara Parker. She wrestles with past demons every night, then wakes to the train’s five-thirty whistle. Exhausted and dreading the day, she keeps her hands busy working in Bryson City’s textile plant, known as the “blue jean plant,” all the while worrying about her teenage daughter, Carole Anne. The whistle of the train, the hum of those machines, and the struggle to survive drives Barbara. When an unexpected layoff creates a financial emergency, the desperate pressure of poverty is overwhelming.
Unbeknownst to Barbara, Carole Anne sneaks out at night to walk the tracks so she can work at Hubert’s Bar. She’s hoarding money with plans to drive her mother’s rusty, unused Oldsmobile out of Bryson City, and never return. She only needs one opportunity … if she can just find it.
When Carole Anne goes missing, Barbara finds herself at a crossroad–she must put aside old memories and past hurts to rely on a classmate for help finding her daughter. But this is the same man she blames for the incident years ago. Is she strong enough–or desperate enough–to do anything to keep her daughter safe?
The Parker women struggle to make frayed ends meet in a town where they never quite do … at least, not without expert weaving and a bit of brute force.

About the Author

Renea Winchester was born in Bryson City, North Carolina. She is the author of two nonfiction books set in Atlanta Georgia where she lived for 17 years. Outbound Train is her first novel.

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.

An Adventurous Third Thursday and Booksigning!
2021-06-17 17:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
We’re looking forward to an outstanding Third Thursday this month. Not only will we have Mike Kaltofen on hand, and not only will the town square be sporting an Adventure theme (complete with zip line!), but we’ll be hosting an adventure of our own: the authors of the debut memoir 100 Days in Vietnam. will join us for an adventurous book launch!
Don’t miss this chance to meet co-authors Joseph and Matthew Tallon and get a personally signed copy of this much-anticipated work!
“Joe Tallon scratched and clawed his way through Army training, ultimately finding himself in Vietnam by 1972. His resiliency and strength to overcome shine through in this poignant survival story told in tandem by father and son.” – Mike Krzyzewski, Head Coach, Duke University, West Point Class of 1969
“100 Days in Vietnam offers readers both a rare window on the final days of our painful national odyssey in Vietnam and a remarkable record of an individual’s determined quest to honor a fallen comrade.” – Ken Burns, Filmmaker and Director of The Vietnam War, The Civil War, and many other films
About 100 Days in Vietnam
As American troops continue their steady exodus on the last day of their ground war in Vietnam, Lieutenant Joe Tallon is shot down by an enemy missile. Forced to eject at a dangerously low altitude from their OV-1 Mohawk, Joe and his tactical observer, Specialist-5 Daniel Richards, land in the flaming wreckage. Lieutenant Tallon survives but Specialist Richards does not. Stateside, Lieutenant Tallon begins to heal and proceed with his life but the loss of his tactical observer is never far from his mind. Forty years later, Joe embarks on a quest to bring recognition to the sacrifice of Daniel Richards and secure a Purple Heart for his family.
Painstakingly recreated from wartime letters and remembrances and contextualized by contemporary news accounts, 100 Days in Vietnam is a collaboration between Joe and his son Matt-also an Army veteran. Here we experience the war through the emotions of the man who survived it: the drudgery and monotony of airfield life, the heartache of a newlywed missing his wife, the terror of combat missions, the agony of injury and rehabilitation, and the bittersweet relief from the completion of his final mission to bring recognition to his fallen comrade.
About the Authors
Joseph F. Tallon is a retired US Army lieutenant colonel who served from 1969 to 2007. Trained as a composite Army aviator in rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, he flew the OV-1 Mohawk during Vietnam, transitioning to Army intelligence after the war. A selection of his awards and decorations during his military service includes the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal (2x), the Army Commendation Medal, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, the Vietnam Wounded in Action Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. Upon completion of a master’s degree in education and supervision at The Citadel in 1981, Joe taught high school social studies. Retired from teaching, he has been an active volunteer and fundraiser for the local chapter of the Disabled American Veterans. Joe has been married to his wife, Martha Anne, for fifty years and has two sons and six grandchildren.
Matthew A. Tallon is a former US Army transportation officer who served primarily in overseas duty assignments for five years and completed his active-duty commitment as a captain. Matt is a graduate of Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in history and a teaching certification. After completion of his military service, Matt returned to Durham Public Schools to teach high school US history and civics. After graduating from Harvard with a master’s degree in education policy and management, Matt currently serves as the senior project manager for the Public Education Leadership Project, a joint education initiative between the Harvard Business School and Harvard Graduate School of Education. Matt has been married to his wife, Lindsay, for the past twenty years and has three sons.

June Living Large Bookclub: Good Company
2021-06-15 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us on our new day (moving from 2nd Tuesdays to 3rd Tuesdays) for AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick: Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

Treats will be served and we’ll decide on July’s read at the end of the meeting! Open to all:
Plumbs the depths of marriage, motherhood and friendship with warmth and wit. I devoured it in one gulp!” –Maria Semple
A warm, incisive new novel about the enduring bonds of marriage and friendship from Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of the instant New York Times bestseller The Nest
Flora Mancini has been happily married for more than twenty years. But everything she thought she knew about herself, her marriage, and her relationship with her best friend, Margot, is upended when she stumbles upon an envelope containing her husband’s wedding ring–the one he claimed he lost one summer when their daughter, Ruby, was five.
Flora and Julian struggled for years, scraping together just enough acting work to raise Ruby in Manhattan and keep Julian’s small theater company–Good Company–afloat. A move to Los Angeles brought their first real career successes, a chance to breathe easier, and a reunion with Margot, now a bona fide television star. But has their new life been built on lies? What happened that summer all those years ago? And what happens now?
With Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s signature tenderness, humor, and insight, Good Company tells a big-hearted story of the lifelong relationships that both wound and heal us.
A Most Anticipated Book From: OprahMag.com * Refinery29 * Houston Chronicle * The Millions * Elle * Buzzfeed
Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is the author of the instant New York Times bestseller, The Nest, which is currently in development as a limited series by AMC Studios. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

Booksigning: Science Night by Julie Packett
2021-05-29 10:30 - 12:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Come meet local author Julie Packett and grab a signed copy of her middle grade novel, first in a series!
Science Night:
New year, new teacher, new classroom duty! Ms. Clarke says new experiences can be rewarding, but her fifth graders need more convincing.
Julie, a shy girl, feels a downpour of emotions when assigned her role as classroom weather reporter. Does she weather the storm or do stormy days persist?
Robbie, an outspoken newcomer, fears his new assignment won’t allow him to shine. Will his game plan to switch classroom duties result in a win or a fumble?
In front of family, teachers, and classmates, all is revealed at Science Night!

Friday: Sounds on the Square Reggae Concert!
2021-05-28 19:00 - 21:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join the Town of Summerville and REV Federal Credit Union for the second Sounds on the Square Concert of the 2021 series, right across from Main Street Reads!

These shows are sure to have people of any age off their feet and dancing, so mark your calendars and join us on Friday, May 28th from 7:00 – 9:00pm!

This event is powered by REV Federal Credit Union. Thank you to REV for supporting this event series.

ABOUT THE BAND:
Summerville is pleased to welcome Mystic Vibrations to the Hutchinson Square bandstand for an evening of Reggae Music! This group performs all over the Charleston area and is a local favorite! We cannot wait to have them in Summerville for the first time!

We’ll be open late that night with the front door open to enjoy the sounds from the square – Stop by for a relaxing read and enjoy the vibe…

Pulpwood Queens Bookclub: When the Stars Go Dark
2021-05-27 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us for a thoughtful discussion of When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain (in-store purchases are eligible for the 10% bookclub discount).
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife comes an atmospheric novel of intertwined destinies and heart-wrenching suspense: A detective hiding away from the world. A series of disappearances that reach into her past. Can solving them help her heal?
“[An] absolutely incredible literary thriller.”–Good Morning America online
“A powerhouse of a novel that is guaranteed to keep the reader up all night.”–Kristin Hannah, author of The Four Winds
Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing.
The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna’s childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.
Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives–and our faith in one another.

Scholastic Parents Night: The Power of Summer Reading Sale!
2021-05-26 19:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
School’s out!
At Scholastic Parents Night: The Power of Summer Reading, a virtual panel of Scholastic authors, education experts, and booksellers will give tips and book recommendations that will keep kids excited to read all summer long!
Be sure to tune in for:

A book recommendation speed-round with an indie bookseller – Ask for recommendations based on your child’s likes and needs!
Interviews with beloved authors Varian Johnson (Twins and The Parker Inheritance) and Kelly Yang (The Front Desk series)
Tips and tricks to keep your kids reading all summer – and loving it!
Swag! Attendees who visit the store after the event will receive a goodie bag (on a first come, first serve basis), and all attendees will receive digital activities, brochures and more!

We will joined by:

Moderator John Schu: Host of Book Joy Live, author of the popular blog Watch. Read. Connect. and Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs.
Varian Johnson: Award-winning author of several books for children and young adults, including The Parker Inheritance and Twins, illustrated by Shannon Wright.
Lauren Savage: Co-founder and owner of the Reading Bug Bookstore and Reading Bug Box in San Carlos, California and narrator of the Reading Bug Adventures story and music podcast.
Lizette Serrano: VP of Educational Marketing at Scholastic, Co-founder of the Power of Story initiative and a 2021 Summer Reading Ambassador.
Kelly Yang: Author of the award-winning Front Desk series and founder of The Kelly Yang project.
You can find shorter or longer panelist bios, here, if you’d prefer to use those instead

CLICK HERE for a list of books you can purchase before or after the event. Print it, check what you like and drop it by the store any time before May 27th and get 10% off your entire purchase! (Books not yet in stock will arrive by the following week).
If you prefer – you can shop from home from the list we’ve created at our BOOKSHOP page HERE!
We hope you’ll join us at https://www.facebook.com/events/1887833914708713

Meet the Author: Eileen Harrison Sanchez with Freedom Lessons
2021-05-15 10:30 - 12:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
We’re thrilled to host award-winning author Eileen Harrison Sanchez at Main Street Reads May 15th, to discuss her novel, Freedom Lessons.
Told alternately, by Colleen, an idealistic young white teacher; Frank, a black high school football player; and Evelyn, an experienced black teacher, Freedom Lessons is the story of how the lives of these three very different people intersect in a rural Louisiana town in 1969.
Colleen enters into the culture of the rural Louisiana town with little knowledge of the customs and practices. She is compelled to take sides after the school is integrated–an overnight event for which the town’s residents are unprepared, and which leads to confusion and anxiety in the community–and her values are tested as she seeks to understand her black colleagues, particularly Evelyn. Why doesn’t she want to integrate the public schools?
Frank, meanwhile, is determined to protect his mother and siblings after his father’s suspicious death–which means keeping a secret from everyone around him.
Based on the author’s experience teaching in Louisiana in the late sixties, this heartfelt, unflinching novel about the unexpected effects of school integration during that time takes on the issues our nation currently faces regarding race, unity, and identity.
Freedom Lessons – A Novel will appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction and those interested in a broader view of our current civil rights and public school challenges.
History could guide us if we would only listen.

About Eileen

Freedom Lessons – A Novel is a fictionalized version of the year Eileen spent teaching in a rural Louisiana town in the late 1960s. Her life’s work has been as an advocate for free, appropriate and respectful educational opportunity for all students. She retired after a forty-year career in public education.

Virtual Launch Party: Deborah Clark Vance with Sylvie Denied
2021-05-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us to celebrate the launch of Sylvie Denied by Deborah Clark Vance! Deborah will join us from her Ohio home via Zoom to chat about what brought her to write this fascinating book. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of the author. The Zoom link and password are below!
As she enters adulthood in the turbulent 1970s, Sylvie thinks the way to change a violent world is to become a peaceful person. Yet she slowly sees how a childhood trauma thwarts her peaceful intentions and leads her to men with a dark side – including Enzo, the man she marries. Even as his behavior becomes increasingly volatile, she believes she can make things better with love and understanding. But finally living in terror. Sylvie must find a way to escape with her daughter and a way to claim her place in the world.
At 7:00 pm on Thursday, May 13th, Join Zoom Meeting at
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87404532011?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 874 0453 2011
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Living Large Bookclub: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
2021-05-11 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
A special treat for readers on May 11th, the second Tuesday of May, when we’ll be discussing one of our favorite picks of the year, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. We’ll meet LIVE in the store (or on the square if the weather’s nice) but anyone who wants to join via Zoom can do so via this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82018589873?pwd=[REDACTED] If prompted, Meeting ID: 820 1858 9873 Passcode: [REDACTED]

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER
THE WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER
Recommended by Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, NPR, Slate, and Oprah Magazine
#1 Library Reads Pick—October 2020
#1 Indie Next Pick—October 2020
BOOK OF THE YEAR (2020) FINALIST—Book of The Month Club

In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.
A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever–and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Mother's Day Weekend
2021-05-08 10:00 - 2021-05-09 16:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
We’re celebrating moms all weekend long with sales, treats and gifts. Stop in for yours, Saturday May 8th 10-6 and Sunday May 9th 11-4!

Reader Meet Writer: A Memoir of Food and Love in Thirteen Courses (Virtual Event)
2021-05-06 19:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
“Sobremesa reads like a cross between magical realism and the food section of the New York Times. Delicioso!” —Beth Ostrosky-Stern, New York Times Bestselling Author
If food is the universal language of love, sobremesa is the romance. Gather around the table with C-level career woman turned foodpreneur, Josephine Caminos Oría, as she cooks up a magical tale, told morsel by morsel, of some of her most memorable tableside chats—sobremesaa—that provided the first-generation Argentine-American the courage to leave the safe life she knew and start over from scratch.
In her coming-of-age adventure, Josephine travels to her family’s homeland of Argentina in search of belonging—to family, to country, to a love, and ultimately, to oneself. Steeped in the lure of Latin culture, she pieces together her mom and abuela’s pasts, along with the nourishing dishes—delectably and spiritually—that formed their kitchen arsenal. But Josephine’s travels from las pampas to the prairie aren’t easy or conventional. She grapples with mystical encounters with the spirit world that lead her to discover a part of herself that, like sobremesa, had been lost in translation. Just as she’s ready to give up on love all together, Josephine’s own heart surprises her by surrendering to a forbidden, transcontinental tryst with the Argentine man of her dreams. To stay together, she must make a difficult choice: return to the safe life she knows in the States, or follow her heart and craft a completely different kind of future for herself—one she never saw coming.
This otherworldly, multigenerational story of a daughter’s love and familial culinary legacy serves up, in 13 courses, the timeless traditions that help Josephine navigate transformational love and loss. It’s a reminder that that home really is anywhere the heart is. Sobremesa invites you to linger at the table, reveal your own hidden truths and savor the healing embrace of time-honored food and the wisdom it espouses.
CONTACT US AT mainstreetreads@gmail.com for your LINK TO ATTEND!

Josephine Caminos Oría is an Argentine-American cookbook author, entrepreneur and mom. It was in her early 40s, with five young children in tow, that Josephine took a chance on herself, leaving a C-level career to make dulce de leche. Today, Josephine, along with her Argentine husband, Gastón, is the founder of La Dorita Cooks, an all-natural line of dulce de leche products and Pittsburgh’s first resource-based kitchen incubator for start-up and early stage food makers (see www.ladorita.net for more information). In addition, Josephine is the author of Dulce de Leche: Recipes, Stories, and Sweet Traditions (Burgess Lea Press, February 2017).

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:
