What: “Books As Gifts” Local Author Event
Where: Mabel Boswell Library, 201 Prickett Rd, Bryant
When: Saturday, December 10
Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
AND
Where: Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library, 1800 Smithers Drive, Benton
When: Saturday, December 17
Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Description: Join us for this opportunity to meet local authors, peruse their published books, and purchase any of their works as last minute gifts for the readers in your life. Local authors that you may meet include Former Congressman Ed Bethune of Little Rock, Linda Williams Palmer of Hot Springs, Caryn Southerland of Conway, Joe Poindexter of Hot Springs Village, Don Dierks of Saline County, Nancy Hendricks of Hot Springs Village, and so many more!
The Saline County Library system has an easy way to find great Christmas gifts, the kind that become classics that keep on giving through the years. A group of notable authors, including those who were recently spotlighted by the Arkansas Reading Association, will be on hand to provide personal inscriptions for books as gifts.
According to Ashley Jones, adult programmer for the Saline County Library, “At holiday time, we usually encourage parents to buy kids four things: (1) something they want, (2) something they need, (3) something to wear, and (4) something to read. This will be a stress-free event in a friendly atmosphere to provide personalized books for children, young adults, and adult readers. It’s kind of like a Christmas gift to the community.”
There will be two of these events: The first is at the Mabel Boswell Library, 201 Prickett Road in Bryant on Saturday, December 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will be followed the next week at the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library, 1800 Smithers Drive in Benton on Saturday, December 17, also from 10 to 3. The featured authors at both events include some of Arkansas’s most popular, award-winning writers. Their books, most of which were published this year, will cover a wide range of genres that would be perfect for children, young adults or adult readers. They include biography, children’s books, history, historical fiction, inspiration, sports and travel.
Among the featured authors at one or both events will be James Babb of De Queen, whose first historical adventure novel, The Devil’s Backbone, set in 1880, won a coveted national IPPY Award in juvenile fiction. It was also selected by the Arkansas Historical Association to receive the Susannah DeBlack Award awarded to historical fiction for young readers. The second novel in this series, The Devil’s Trap, continues the adventure series, and has also received recognition at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The newest installment in the series, The Devil’s Den, is set for release next year by Plum Street Publishers. As a self-confessed “reluctant reader” in adolescence, James Babb writes for those same readers, who have embraced his vivid characters.
Dr. Victor Biton of Little Rock is a renowned neurosurgeon who writes children’s books in his “spare time.” His most recent, The Butterfly Tree, is a charmingly-illustrated keepsake that evolved from the stories he told to his grandchildren. The book centers on a surprising act of kindness that shows the power of unlikely friendships. According to a five-star review on Amazon.com, The Butterfly Tree is suitable for both boys and girls, and “is full of imagery that delights the senses and pulls on the heartstrings. It stimulated thoughts and feelings about not only the child in the story, but children all over the world. I hope the author will bring us more endearing and enduring stories.”
Dr. Nancy Hendricks of Hot Springs Village is the award-winning author of Senator Hattie Caraway: An Arkansas Legacy, which offers a fresh look at Hattie Caraway of Arkansas, the first woman elected to the United States Senate. It was named by Cosmopolitan magazine as one of the “Twenty Political Books All Women Should Read.” Her most recent book, Notable Arkansas Women: 100 Names to Know was named an Arkansas Gem by the Arkansas State Library to be represented at the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. Among her honors are the Pryor Award for Arkansas History, Governor’s Arts Award, White House Millennium Award, and National Society Daughters of the American Revolution ‘Women in History’ Award. Local audiences may recall her play, Boy Hero: The Story of David O. Dodd, which was performed recently at Benton’s Royal Theatre.
Golf and travel writer Chuck Miller of Hot Springs Village is known nationally as “The Traveling Guy.” His new book is Golfing the U.S.: Reflections on a 50-Week, 50-State Golf Odyssey. It allows readers to travel vicariously as Chuck reflects on his trip across the country during which he played 141 golf courses while driving to and through a different state each week. Readers can enjoy learning about the courses he played and the places he stayed, as well as the good, bad, and ugly things that happened to him during his year on the road. It’s been called an easy and entertaining read for anyone who likes the game of golf, enjoys traveling, and is interested in learning about things to see and do in cities and towns across America – in other words, just about everybody.
The event is free to attend and attendees may purchase “something to read” gifts. Cash and checks will be accepted, with some of the authors offering discounts on their books. Call 778-4766 or 847-2166 for more information. For general library information, call 778-4766, or visit www.salinecountylibrary.org.