Happy Fourth of July weekend, everyone! While the 4th itself will likely be devoted to grilled indulgences and fireworks, there’s still plenty of time this week for more literary festivities. Get out your calendars and make the most of the long weekend!
The Events
If you’re looking for something different, head to Book Woman on Thursday, July 3 at 7 p.m. for a book talk on The Place of Dance: A Somatic Guide to Dancing and Dance Making. Aimed at dancers and readers alike, this presentation by author Andrea Olsen will discuss the benefits and artistic possibility of dance, whether it’s on a stage or in a living room. Malvern’s website says the event is “suited for anyone interested in engaging embodied intelligence and living more consciously.”
At Barnes & Noble Arboretum on Saturday, July 5 at 2 p.m., catch Sharon Bayliss discuss and sign her new novel, Destruction, a modern fantasy about a father discovering his family’s completely unexpected status as dark wizards. This book is the first in a series, and takes place in Houston.
Malvern Books will host An Evening with Pam Jones and Kelly Luce on Saturday, July 5 at 8 p.m. These two local fiction authors come from considerably different backgrounds and both have new short fiction works. You can read the authors’ biographies on the event page.
Book People offers MysteryPeople Presents Noir at the Bar on Monday, July 7 at 7 p.m.This night of drinks and suspense will take place at the South Austin staple Opal Divine’s. Featured authors such as Tim O’Mara, Dan O’Shea, and Jonathan Woods will read and discuss their works.
Book People’s storytime offerings for the week include, among others, All the Little Things Storytime. As the name suggests, this storytime on Tuesday, July 8 at 10:30 a.m. will celebrate all things small and feature multiple stories fitting this theme, including William Joyce’s George Shrinks. For the rest of BookPeople’s storytime sessions, visit their storytimes page.
At Book Woman, check out the first meeting for Getting to Know the Goddess: Summer Reading Group on Wednesday, July 9 at 7 p.m. This reading group revolves around Stepping Into Ourselves: An Anthology of Writings on Priestesses, edited by Ann Key and Candace Kant.
Feeling crafty? On Thursday, July 10 at 7 p.m. at Book People, Marilyn McCray will give a book talk for her culinary how-to 
guide, Canning, Pickling, and Freezing with Irma Harding. McCray’s book is all about preserving vegetables and meats, with instructions for these processes as well as recipes. The event also includes free food and beverages!
On Thursday, July 10, at 7:15 p.m., BookWoman will host a Second Thursday Open Mic featuring Elizabeth Kropf & Wade Martin. Following readings from these two local poets, the floor is up for grabs in a round robin-style open mic. Come show your stuff!