Fun & Games Across America: Doing the Charleston, Plus: The Tour Expands

 

Yesterday Secret Dead Blog hit Charleston. Hard. First stop, on the suggestion of Wyn in yesterday's comments: Blue Bicycle Books. The shop itself is just like its stock: narrow yet deep. Lots of great local books, a cool, eclectic lit section, small-ish but well-chosen mystery and sci-fi shelves, as well as military history and a kids/YA room (where the daughter picked up the first Lemony Snicket book), and of course, like all great bookstores, a sleeping cat. My daughter would not let this poor cat rest. She sat down next to it as it lounged in a metal chair and stared at it until she practically willed it awake. My favorite part of the shop? A big poster for Kerouac's On the Road tucked in the very back:

 

Next we toured the waterfront park where we watched one of those big-ass, top-heavy Carnival cruise ships disembark, gliding past the USS Yorktown docked in Charleston Harbor. It was a strange clash of vessels; I couldn't help but think about the men who fought and died on one ship to preserve the buffet rights of the people on the other ship. Later, we hit the four blocks of the Old City Market, wandered down East Bay Street where I snapped a photo of "Charleston's Tightest Bar" (see top of this post) and eventually the eye-popping houses/mansions along the Battery. The heat and humidity was unreal, at least to this northern-blooded boy. I suppose you just have to surrender to it, right?

Today it's out of the frying pan and into the fire as the road trip continues down to Savannah, Georgia. If you have any indie bookstore suggestions, fire away!

Also: the F&G tour has expanded in the past few days. I'm happy to report that I'll be a featured speaker at the very first Noir at the Bar L.A. on July 17th, hosted by Stephen Blackmoore, Eric Beetner and Aldo Calcagno, and with readings by Holly O'Neill, Josh Stallings, as well as Messrs. Blackmoore and Beetner.

And I'll be doing drop-in signings at two bookshops in New Orleans this Wednesday:

GARDEN DISTRICT BOOKSHOP
2727 Prytania Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-895-2266
http://www.gardendistrictbookshop.com/  

OCTAVIA BOOKS
513 Octavia Street
New Orleans, LA 70115
504-899-7323
http://www.octaviabooks.com/

I'll keep you guys posted on possible times, but know that these fine stores will have signed copies of F&G in stock should you desire some.

Postcard update: Today we've got Charleston, SC cards going out to Pierluigi C. in L.A.; Erik A. in Lebanon, PA; Lauren O'B in Alameda, CA; Tim T. in NYC; Ed S. in Philly; Danny B. in Philly; Dave S. in Philly and Rusty R. in Hyattsville, MD. Enjoy!