Saturday, February 16 / Local Author Day. The Bookworm is proud to host these authors:
12 – 1 p.m. | Nancy Kay will sign Grandma, I Want to Die ($15.95). Nancy was raised to think independently and stand on her own identity. Nancy provided for her family. She was there for her children whenever they needed her. Life is not without problems. Nancy was not prepared for the latest obstacles. A life is too precious. Death is forever. Nancy approaches the situation with dignity, self-respect, proving her love for family, and believing there is help somewhere. She begins her journey with hope and love.
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. | Patrick Swanson will sign One Man and a Chainsaw ($15.95). Patrick Swanson describes the influences that led him to start restoring a native prairie remnant in the Loess Hills, discusses his strategy and progress on the restoration work, and offers his reflections on faith, wellness, and sense of place developed from his experiences.
1 – 2 p.m. | Trish Eklund will sign Abandoned Nebraska: Echoes of Our Past ($26.99). Though the people have moved on, the remnants of their lives remain, left for us to wonder what once was. The Nebraska countryside is rich with history, from the dilapidated houses near the Fort Robinson area where Crazy Horse was killed, to the near deserted village, Monowi--population of one. Abandoned Nebraska: Echoes of Our Past is a photographic adventure through the hauntingly beautiful neglected places of Nebraska, including schools, asylums, colleges, factories, churches, countless farmhouses, and even entire towns. Trish Eklund's personal experiences with the places, and stories of those associated with them, accompany the author's enchanting images.
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. | Lindsay Blake will sign Remember Us ($14.95). When 25-year-old Ben calls his twin sister, Reese, to tell her their father has cancer, she drops everything and races back to their childhood home in Nebraska. A few days later--and thirteen years since walking out of their lives without a word--their estranged mother, Bernice, arrives on the doorstep. Remember Us chronicles the family's journey through the following months as they begrudgingly grow reacquainted with each other, confront their past, and build a possible future. At its core, Remember Us explores forgiveness, love, loss, and the unexpected beauty of the people who share the same DNA.
2 – 3 p.m. | Jill Koegel will sign D.I.E.T.S. 365: Daily Inspirations for Eating and Training Success ($14.99). Take a new approach to traditional diets by making small, cumulative changes. "D.I.E.T.S." are Daily Inspirations for Eating and Training Success. Created by a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer, you will be offered specific daily challenges and strategies for turning small healthy habits into long term lifestyles.
2:30-3:30 p.m. | Suzanne Fay will sign Unforeseen Evil ($19.99). Unforeseen Evil follows the chilling story of Suzanne Fay, who fell prey to a group of gypsy psychic scammers, who stole her inheritance through identity theft. For over a year she was psychologically brainwashed by members from a gypsy community. She was set up to be an emotional hostage, and at the gypsy's mercy until she found someone who saved her.
3 – 4 p.m. | Colleen Schmit will sign The Burn Book: 8 Strategies to Recognize and Extinguish Teacher Burnout ($16.95). Teaching is both one of the most rewarding vocations and one of the most challenging. Sometimes the challenges teachers face can bring you down and even make you lose sight of WHY you became a teacher in the first place. Burnout can hit hard and fast – sometimes without you even realizing it. But burnout doesn’t have to derail your mission as an educator! The Burn Book will help you to recognize and identify the signs and symptoms of teacher burnout and provide you with invaluable strategies to combat the flames and get back on track with your WHY.
4 to 5 p.m. | Mary Kay Leatherman will sign Vanity Insanity ($14.95). Ben Keller owns the Vanity Insanity, a salon with amazingly strange people who had actually made the choice to do hair. The accidental hair stylist finds himself privy to the dreams and dark secrets of those who are making regular appointments to sit in his safe chair. As their lives cross and their hairstyles change over the years, Ben slowly starts to accept that his lot in life must be to carry everyone's sins and burdens so they can feel better about themselves.
Friday, February 22 / 6 p.m. | Steve Marantz will sign Citizen Akoy: Basketball and the Making of a South Sudanese American (University of Nebraska Press, $ 26.95). Akoy Agau led Omaha Central High School to four straight high school basketball state championships (2010-13) and was a three-time All-State player. One of the most successful high school athletes in Nebraska's history, he's also a South Sudanese refugee. At age four, Akoy and his family fled Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War. The challenge to assimilate culturally was particularly steep, and basketball provided a sense of belonging and an avenue to realize his potential. He landed a Division 1 basketball scholarship to Louisville for a year and a half, then played at Georgetown before he graduated in the spring of 2017. With remaining eligibility, he played for Southern Methodist University while pursuing a graduate degree.
In a fluid, intimate, and joyful narrative, Steve Marantz relates Akoy's refugee journey of basketball, family, romance, social media, and coming of age at Nebraska's oldest and most diverse high school. Set against a backdrop of the South Sudanese refugee community in Omaha, Marantz provides a compelling account of the power of sports to blend cultures in the unlikeliest of places.
Saturday, February 23 / 10 to 11:30 a.m. | Saturday Storytime at The Bookworm. Teachers from local schools will read their favorite books. Readers this Saturday will be Tamira Jensen at 10 a.m., Cynthia Heller at 10:30 a.m., and Pat Mathews at 11 a.m. Please join us.
Saturday, February 23 / 1 p.m. | Mary Pipher will sign Women Rowing North: Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing as We Age (Bloomsbury, $27.00). Women growing older contend with ageism, misogyny, and loss. Yet as Mary Pipher shows, most older women are deeply happy and filled with gratitude for the gifts of life. Their struggles help them grow into the authentic, empathetic, and wise people they have always wanted to be.
In Women Rowing North, Pipher offers a timely examination of the cultural and developmental issues women face as they age. Drawing on her own experience as daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, caregiver, clinical psychologist, and cultural anthropologist, she explores ways women can cultivate resilient responses to the challenges they face. "If we can keep our wits about us, think clearly, and manage our emotions skillfully," Pipher writes, "we will experience a joyous time of our lives. If we have planned carefully and packed properly, if we have good maps and guides, the journey can be transcendent."
Sunday, February 24 / 1 p.m. | Blake Ursch and Kristine Gerber will sign Nebraska Craft Beer – A History and Guide to Beer Made Here (Omaha World-Herald, $19.95). Omaha World-Herald reporter Blake Ursch explores the history of Nebraska craft beer from the early breweries that satisfied the thirst of working immigrants to the craft brewery movement of today. The book features current and archival beer stories, historic and current photographs of Nebraska’s breweries and beer memorabilia from Nebraska collectors. Each craft brewery in the state is listed and an illustrated foldout map by Matt Haney makes it easy to visit and drink the great craft beer being made here.
