Karl Rove, former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush, and Sandra Brown, bestselling author of such thrillers as Smash Cut and Smoke Screen, are among the more than 36 authors who will appear at the 4th Annual Savannah Book Festival Feb. 18-20.
Rove will present the paperback version of his memoir, Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight, at a special festival fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 4 p.m. in the Trustees Theatre, 216 E. Broughton St. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the SCAD box office (scadboxoffice.com) or by calling 912-525-5050.
Rove’s paperback edition features new material about the current political climate. After his talk, he will field questions from the audience. Courage and Consequence: My life as a Conservative in the Fight is a first-person account of recent history’s most critical milestones by the architect of Bush’s ascendency to the Governor’s Mansion in Texas and, ultimately, to the White House. Rove’s account takes readers into the meetings and moments that defined Bush’s presidency, giving an intimate look at the decision-making and makers. Along the way, he tells of his own evolution as one of the leaders of America’s conservative movement.
Brown, whose most recent novel is Tough Customer, was the winner of the 2008 Thriller Master Award. She and her son, Ryan Brown, will discuss their lives in letters and answer audience questions in a special fundraiser for the festival at 7 p.m. Feb. 19. The event will be held at the SCAD River Club, 3 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Among those scheduled to appear at the festival are Vince Dooley, former University of Georgia football coach and author of Vince Dooley’s Garden: The Horticultural Journey of a Football Coach; Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice; Tina McElroy Ansa, author of Taking After Muhdear; and David Bottoms, poet laureate of Georgia.
Admission to most events at this year’s Savannah Book Festival is free. For a complete and up-to-date schedule of events, go to savannahbookfestival.org.
The Savannah Book Festival’s mission is to promote reading, writing and civil conversation. It is fast becoming a significant event in the literary and southeastern United States calendars. The Savannah Book Festival Inc. is an independent non-profit corporation led by a volunteer board of directors. It is committed to remaining free and open to the public and to celebrating the written word and its role in improving the human experience.
AND FOR THE KIDS …
While the Savannah Book Festival is geared toward adult readers, there are plenty of new books just out that will interest kids.
American Girl, which is marking its 25th year in 2011, kicks off a yearlong celebration by introducing Kanani Akina, the newest American Girl. She’s a girl who wants to make life better for others by helping them. She loves sharing the wonders of her home state, Hawaii, with visitors. Readers can learn more about Kanani in Aloha, Kanani (American Girl Publishing, 2011; $6.95) by Lisa Yee. Later this year, a second book about Kanani and an 18-inch Kanani doll will be available.
Once girls get to know Kanani and her commitment to helping others, they will want to read Lend a Hand: Girl-sized ways of helping others (American Girl Publishing, 2011; $9.95) by Apryl Lundsten. Inside, they’ll find creative ways to volunteer, whether it’s fund-raising or making donations or raising awareness of people and organizations they care about.
Not to be left out, boys can now jump on the vampire bandwagon with a book series called The Young Vampire Adventures, by Star Donovan. The latest addition is Gappy’s Great Escape (Bronwynn Press, LLC, 2010; $8.99). The series features 9-year-old Gappy who learns from his parents that he is turning into a vampire. Soon, he discovers he possesses special powers as a vampire and he slowly warms to the idea. In Gappy’s Great Escape, Gappy travels to the United Kingdom to visit his cousins and ends up using his vampire skills to save them all from an underground prison.
It’s never too early to start your children on a lifelong love affair with reading. These new books may get them started. Happy reading!
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