The Signature Dish
Wednesday, September 20 - 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Washington / Clark Ballroom
Sponsored by HarperCollins (tickets required)
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Margaret Renkl / The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year / Spiegel & Grau
In fifty-two chapters, Margaret Renkl takes us through the year in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year (Spiegel & Grau/IPS), tracing the passing of the seasons and the rhythms of life by observing the world of her backyard. Beautifully illustrated by Renkl’s brother Billy Renkl, this book is both a deeply personal memoir and a literary devotional. Margaret Renkl is a contributing opinion writer to the New York Times, and is the author of Late Migrations. |
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Eileen Garvin / Crow Talk / Dutton
An injured baby crow is the catalyst that brings together three lonely people in Crow Talk (Dutton/PRH), the new novel from Hood River writer Eileen Garvin, to be published in April 2024. On a remote Washington lake, three damaged lives become entwined after a chance encounter with the crow, in a story about love, loss and the healing power of nature. Garvin has previously published a memoir, How to Be a Sister, and the novel The Music of Bees. |
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Robin Oliveira / A Wild and Heavenly Place / Putnam
From Glasgow, Scotland to the fledgling city of Seattle in Washington Territory, Bellevue writer Robin Oliveira’s new novel A Wild and Heavenly Place (G.P. Putnam’s Sons/PRH) is a sweeping story of courage, resilience and a love so powerful it reaches across a wide ocean and wider continent. Robin Oliveira previous books include Winter Sisters and the New York Times bestseller My Name is Mary Sutter. A Wild and Heavenly Place will be published in February 2024. |
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Adrianne Harun / On the Way to the End of the World / Acre Books (UCP)
In 1963, a fitness fad sparked by President Kennedy brings together an eclectic cast of characters in Adrianne Harun’s new novel On the Way to the End of the World (Acre Books/University of Chicago Press), a splendid tale of hidden motives, secret talents – and a mystery that unites them all. Adrianne Harun, author of two short story collections and the novel A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain, lives in Port Townsend. |
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Elizabeth Rusch / The Twenty-One / HarperCollins/Greenwillow
Young adults and adults alike will be enlightened and inspired by Elizabeth Rusch’s The Twenty-One: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the U.S. Government Over Climate Change (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins), the ongoing story of the young activists suing their government to claim their constitutional right to life and liberty – and a stable climate. Portland writer Elizabeth Rusch has published more than a dozen books for children, including Avalanche Dog Heroes and You Call This Democracy? |
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Amy Spalding / At Her Service / Kensington Books
Amy Spalding, bestselling author of books for adults and young adults, returns with At Her Service (Kensington/PRH), a fresh, funny, feel-good love story for the digital age. Two items at the top of Max Van Doren’s life wish list are a great career and a girlfriend, both of which seem hopelessly out of reach. Signing up for a self-actualization app might be the answer, but can an algorithm really bring happiness? At Her Service will be published February 2024. |
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Victor Lodato / Honey / HarperCollins
At 82, it is time for Honey Fasinga to leave the wonderful life she has fashioned for herself, and return to the home she long ago rejected. Award-winning author Victor Lodato introduces us to a truly unforgettable character in Honey (Harper/HarperCollins); a story will that break your heart, then piece it back together again. Lodato’s highly-acclaimed previous novels are Matilda Savitch and Edgar and Lucy. Honey will be published in April 2024. |
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Elizabeth Rush / The Quickening / Milkweed Editions
Already an Indie Next pick, Elizabeth Rush’s The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth (Milkweed Editions/IPS) is an astonishing and vital book about Antarctica, climate change, and the making of community in a hostile environment, offering both a wide-angle look at our global future and an intimate view of Rush’s personal journey. Elizabeth Rush’s previous book, Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction. |
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Yangsze Choo / The Fox Wife / Holt
The Fox Wife (Henry Holt & Co./Macmillan), Yangzse Choo’s magical third novel, is a dazzling story of a winter full of mysterious deaths, a mother seeking revenge, and old folktales that may well be true, offering an elegant tapestry blending magic and realism. Yangsze Choo is also the author The Night Tiger, and her debut novel The Ghost Bride is now a Netflix Original series. The Fox Wife will be published in February 2024. |
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Ashley Winstead / Midnight is the Darkest Hour / Sourcebooks Landmark
Ashley Winstead captures the dark side of a small Louisiana bayou town in Midnight is the Darkest Hour (Sourcebooks Landmark/Sourcebooks). Fear grips the town, fear of God’s wrath and of the Low Man, who comes from the swamp on moonless nights to kill the sinners among them. But sometimes the thing to fear the most is the beast within. Winstead is the Houston-based author of several previous novels, including In My Dreams I Hold a Knife. |
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Noelle Salazar / The Roaring Days of Zora Lily / Harlequin/MIRA
Jazz Age Seattle, a world of underground speakeasies and clubs, is the setting for Noelle Salazar’s The Roaring Days of Zora Lily (MIRA/HarperCollins). Poverty stricken Zora ekes out a living by her talent with a sewing needle, but secretly dreams of becoming a designer like Coco Chanel. The shadowy world of the speakeasy offers a path to that dream, but it will come with a cost. Noelle Salazar, who lives in Bothell, is the author of The Flight Girls. |
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Betsy Gaines Quammen / True West / Torrey House Press
Through careful listening to voices from varying political and cultural backgrounds, Montana historian and writer Betsy Gaines Quammen examines myths about the American West in True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America (Torrey House Press/Consortium). Quammen explores how the perpetuation of these myths continues to cause polarization about land, politics, liberty and self-determination across the Western United States. Betsy Gaines Quammen is also the author of Cliven Bundy, God and Public Lands in the West. |
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Vikram Madan / Zooni Tales / Holiday House
Beginning readers will love the rollicking rhymes of Vikram Madan’s graphic reader Zooni Tales: Keep It Up, Plucky Pup (Holiday House/Peachtree). Zooni the adorable pup and pals have lots of fun and adventure in the book’s three full-length stories and two mini comics. Vikram Madan is the author/illustrator of Owl and Penguin, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book, and A Hatful of Dragons, chosen as a Kirkus Best Book. He lives in Bellevue. |
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Joanna Ho / On the Tip of a Wave / Orchard Books
Joanna Ho’s On the Tip of a Wave (Orchard Books/Scholastic) is a lyrical look at artist and activist Ai Weiwei’s Life Jackets exhibit, a perfect introduction to the power of art for young readers. Inspired by images of life vests discarded on the shores of Lesbos, Ai Weiwei’s bold installation in Berlin helped call attention to the plight of refugees. Joanna Ho’s bestselling and award-winning books include The Silence That Binds Us and Eyes That Speak to the Stars. |
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Anne Broyles / I'm Gonna Paint / Holiday House
Children’s book author Anne Broyles introduces young readers to the indomitable spirit of folk artist and labor organizer Ralph Fasanella in I’m Gonna Paint (Holiday House/Peachtree). Broyles’ well-researched story shows how Fasanella’s twin passions of art and social justice came together, making him an important voice of working Americans. Anne Broyles’ previous books include Priscilla and the Hollyhocks and the International Latino Book Award winner Arturo and the Bienvenido Feast. She lives in Portland. |
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Rene Denfeld / Sleeping Giants / HarperCollins
Portland author Rene Denfeld returns to the show with Sleeping Giants (Harper), a compelling and poignant story of a young woman in search of the brother she never knew. With the help of a retired police officer, Amanda, adopted as a child, searches out what became of her older brother. Rene Denfeld, herself a foster mother, is the author of The Butterfly Girl and the international bestseller The Child Finder. Sleeping Giants will be published in March 2024. |