Events Calendar

Open Book Signed First Editions Club

Announcing our new Signed First Editions Club

What is it?

It’s our brand new book-a-month club, kicking off in September!

You’ve come to rely on us to steer you toward good new fiction. We work hard to keep up with what’s being published, and to make sure we stock our store with books we know our customers will enjoy.

If you’ve taken, or even heard about, Lynn’s “Hot Off the Press” class, you know she has a particular affection for contemporary literary fiction, and she voraciously reads lots of new books in order to select for you the ones she thinks are worth reading and recommending.

Well now we’re taking this one step further with the Open Book Signed First Editions Club. As a member, each month you will receive a brand new hardcover novel that Lynn has selected. As a bonus, this book will be a first edition (i.e. from the very first print run of the book) and it will be signed by the author. (Word has it some of these books wind up becoming more valuable as the author’s reputation grows.)

SEPTEMBER

The September feature is Commonwealth, the brand new novel by Ann Patchett. The book tells the enthralling story of how an unexpected romantic encounter irrevocably changes two families’ lives. Spanning five decades, Commonwealth explores how this chance encounter reverberates through the lives of the four parents and six children involved.

OCTOBER
Nicotine by Nell Zink
A fierce and audaciously funny novel of families—both the ones we’re born into and the ones we create—a story of obsession, idealism, and ownership, centered around a young woman who inherits her bohemian late father’s childhood home. It’s a quirky and edgy tale of families, inheritance, cults, and the never-ending search for self-definition. Kirkus Reviews says: “Social satire with a sharp wit and a big heart.”

NOVEMBER
Moonglow by Michael Chabon
Following on the heels of his New York Times bestselling novel Telegraph Avenue, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon delivers another literary masterpiece: a novel of truth and lies, family legends, and existential adventure—and the forces that work to destroy us. The story is speculative fiction inspired by recollections Chabon’s grandfather shared with him on his deathbed about Chabon Scientific, Co., a mail-order novelty company.
(Publication date: November 22)

New announcements coming soon for the next books!

How it works:

You may sign up for the Open Book Signed First Editions Club by selecting either a three-month, a six-month, or a one-year membership. Charges are outlined below.

TERM                                   COST                                     COST

3 MONTH                         $96  (Pick up at store)           $111 (Includes shipping)

6 MONTH                         $192                                          $222

ONE YEAR                       $384                                          $444

SIGN UP HERE.

With questions, email lynn@openbookphilly.com

Open Book Signed First Editions Club will provide you with a well-written work of literary fiction each month for your reading pleasure.  Over the past eight years, Lynn has built a reputation for discovering new writers and for evaluating good quality fiction.

Here are just some of the novels Lynn has selected and included in past programming:

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss
Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
The Unseen World by Liz Moore
Forty Rooms by Olga Grushin
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
Neverhome by Laird Hunt
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
Serena by Ron Rash
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
The New Republic by Lionel Shriver
American Dervish by Avad Akhtar
The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Please Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin
Every Day is for the Thief by Teju Cole
The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan
The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright
In One Person by John Irving
Boy Snow Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

SIGN UP HERE.

Ann Patchett Master Class

DATE: Wednesday, October 5
TIME:  7PM TO 8:30PM
LOCATION: Open Book Bookstore, Elkins Park, PA

Join writing teacher and book discussion leader Lynn Rosen for a full examination of the work of Ann Patchett, with a particular focus on her new novel, Commonwealth.

Dear Reader,

I first read Ann Patchett six years ago, starting with her masterful novel Bel Canto. I will never forget those sun-filled days of reading and absorbing that book, filled with heartbreaking drama and lush description. I was hooked, and I determined to master the Ann Patchett canon. I have since read all of her work, beginning with her earliest work of fiction, Taft, and
including her non-fiction: the memoir Truth & Beauty and her essay collection, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage.

This summer I had the opportunity to speak with Ann when I interviewed her for a article for Poets & Writers magazine about authors who open bookstores (the story will be published in the September/October issue). I was thrilled (but not surprised!) to find her to be warm, engaging, and a lively conversationalist.

The Master Class concept, used often in music and the arts, is something I have long wanted to explore in studying literature by creating a one-time intensive workshop in which I lead participants in an exploration of the body of work of one author. I’m thrilled to host my first Master Class and to focus on the work of this important contemporary American author, Ann Patchett.

How the Class Works:
The Master Class is designed to be like a college lecture class. The first hour of the class will be a lecture presentation by me dedicated to an overview of Patchett’s work, including a look at each of her books. Questions and comments from participants will be welcomed and encouraged. The second part of the class will be an in-depth discussion of one Patchett book: her new novel, Commonwealth, which will be published on September 13th.

Do you have homework to do before the class? Nothing too strenuous! I encourage you to read Commonwealth, and to read as many of her other books as you wish, but this reading is not required in order to attend and enjoy the Master Class.

Note that as part of the cost of the class, you receive a discount on your purchase of Commonwealth from Open Book Bookstore.

COST: $35
(includes a coupon for 10% off Commonwealth or another book by Ann Patchett.)

SIGN UP HERE.

NOTE: All tickets are non-refundable.

A Field Trip  THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT
Ann Patchett will be appearing at the Free Library of Philadelphia on October 6th at 7:30pm along with author Jacqueline Woodson. I have reserved a block of 15 tickets for this event at the cost of $15 per ticket. This is a separate event and a separate charge from the Master Class. Tickets are available first-come, first-served. Please email me at lynn@openbookphilly.com if you wish to join me at the Free Library on October 6th.

Hot Off the Press Fall 2016

A NEW DAYTIME SESSION HAS BEEN ADDED. SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS.

In this lively monthly book discussion class led by Lynn Rosen, participants read and discuss new literary fiction. Class conversations include a thorough and thoughtful analysis of the book as well as background information provided by Lynn about the author and the book’s path to publication. We talk serious book talk, but have a lot of laughs too!

Class will take place monthly on Tuesday evenings from 7pm to 8:30pm

Dates: September 13, October 18, November 15, December 13, January 10

NEW SESSION ADDED ON FRIDAY MORNINGS FROM 9:30 TO 11am
Dates: September 30, October 21, November 18, December 16, January 13

Location: Open Book Bookstore, 7900 High School Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027

Cost: $135

To sign up click HERE.

Here are the book selections! (Note: Class members also  receive discounts if they purchase their class books from the Open Book Bookstore. Books are not included in the cost of the class.)

SEPTEMBER 13 & 30
A Thousand Miles From Nowhere by John Gregory Brown
As the book begins, fleeing New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina approaches, Henry Garrett is haunted by the ruins of his marriage, a squandered inheritance, and the teaching job he inexplicably quit. He pulls into a small Virginia town after three days on the road, hoping to silence the ceaseless clamor in his head. One reviewer says: “Brown is an expert storyteller, and his latest only further reinforces that claim.”

OCTOBER 18 & 21
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
A stunning debut about marriage, immigration, class, race, and the trapdoors in the American Dream—the unforgettable story of a young Cameroonian couple making a new life in New York just as the Great Recession upends the economy. One reviewer says of this Cameroonian writer: “Among the spate of novels forged in the crucible of the previous decade, Mbue’s impressive debut deserves a singular place.”

NOVEMBER 15 & 18
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
This debut novel describes the tangled destinies of three kids growing up in a tight-knit African-American community in Southern California. Years later, the characters are haunted by what might have happened if they had made different decisions.  The story is told partly by the main character, Nadia, and partly by a chorus of eponymous “Mothers,” the church ladies of Upper Room Chapel.

DECEMBER 13 & 16
Swing Time by Zadie Smith
An ambitious new novel from the multi-award-winning author of White Teeth. Two brown girls dream of being dancers–but only one, Tracey, has talent. The other has ideas: about rhythm and time, about black bodies and black music, what constitutes a tribe, or makes a person truly free. It’s a close but complicated childhood friendship that ends abruptly in their early twenties, never to be revisited, but never quite forgotten, either…

JANUARY 10 & 13
Moonglow by Michael Chabon
Following on the heels of his New York Times bestselling novel Telegraph Avenue, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon delivers a novel of truth and lies, family legends, and existential adventure—and the forces that work to destroy us. The story is speculative fiction inspired by recollections Chabon’s grandfather shared with him on his deathbed about Chabon Scientific, Co., a mail-order novelty company.

To sign up click HERE.
Contact lynn@openbookphilly.com with questions.

NOTE: All tickets are non-refundable.

Adult Coloring Night

Hot Off the Press Summer 2016

In this lively monthly book discussion class led by Lynn Rosen, participants read and discuss new literary fiction. Class conversations include a thorough and thoughtful analysis of the book as well as background information provided by Lynn about the author and the book’s path to publication. We talk serious book talk, but have a lot of laughs too!

Class will take place on Wednesday evenings from 7pm to 8:30pm

Dates: July 27, August 24

Location: Open Book Bookstore, 7900 High School Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027

Cost: $55

To sign up click HERE. (See here as well for prices for one class session.)

Class members receive discounts if they purchase class books from the Open Book Bookstore.

JULY 27:
Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
It is March 30, 1924: Mothering Sunday in England. How will Jane Fairchild, orphan and housemaid, occupy her time when she has no mother to visit? How, shaped by the events of this never to be forgotten day, will her future unfold? A poetically-written book about how life unfolds.

AUGUST 24
The Unseen World by Liz Moore
The moving story of a daughter’s quest to discover the truth about her beloved father’s hidden past.
Moore, the author of Heft, a previous “Hot Off the Press” selection, is a local author and teaches creative writing at Holy Family University.

To sign up click HERE.