June 25, 2024, Day 5563

Bike on over to Boswell on Thursday, July 25, at 6:30 pm for an event featuring UWM alum and former Wheel and Sprocket bike mechanic Sam Tracy for an evening featuring his new book, Riding More with Less: A Future for Bike Repair. Cohosted by Riverwest bike shop Truly Spoken Cycles. 

Please click here to register for this event at samtracymke.eventbrite.com. And be sure to order your copy of Riding More with Less now, too. Call the store, stop in and snag a copy on our shelves now, or click here and order on our website.

Eschewing the disposability of consumer economies, Tracy has surveyed experienced bike shop mechanics worldwide to identify the best and safest repair solutions when new parts are not an option. For those familiar with the finer arts of bicycle preservation, Tracy collects useful technical references and effective, low-cost or free repair techniques. And for the uninitiated, the book includes an overview of the community bike shops many readers may find in their own neighborhoods. In a compact, info-rich style, Tracy’s book demonstrates just how common these approaches really are.

From Craig O’Hara of the Bike Den: "Seasoned wrench and rider Sam Tracy combines decades of personal experience with input from dedicated community bike shops thriving on low-cost or no-cost repairs. Even as bicycle transportation remains undervalued, cycling generates a sense of freedom that is hard to replicate yet begs to be shared. Some maintenance required."

Sam Tracy is author of Roadside Bicycle Repair and Bicycle! A Repair & Maintenance Manifesto, and he has been managing editor of the Auto-Free Times. He began working as a bike mechanic in 1993 at Wheel and Sprocket in Milwaukee and has been developing and refining safe and effective low-cost repair techniques ever since. He has a BA in Politicial Science from UW-Milwaukee. Click here and register now for his event at Boswell on Thursday, July 25, 6:30 pm central.

Summer Fun - Upcoming Events in June and July

Tonight! Tuesday, June 25, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Ananda Lima brings the devil to Boswell with her new book, Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil. Reviewers call it "astounding," "wondrous," "eerie," and "profound." Lima will be in conversation with Milwaukee writer Danielle Harms. Register at anandalimamke.eventbrite.com.

Wednesday, June 26, 6:30 pm, at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, 1111 E Brown Deer Rd - Tracy Chevalier, author of the beloved book Girl with a Pearl Earring, appears with her latest novel, The Glassmaker. A limited number of tickets still available! Each costs $34 plus tax and ticket fee and includes admission and a hardcover copy of The Glassmaker. Purchase tickets now at tracychevalierschlitzaudubon.eventbrite.com.

Thursday, June 27, 7 pm reception, 7:30 pm event, at Shully’s ATS, 143 Green Bay Rd, in Thiensville - Milwaukee Reads presents a ticketed event with Lisa Barr, author of The Goddess of Warsaw. Tickets cost $50 each plus tax and ticket fee, and each ticket includes admission, light appetizers, a glass of wine, and a paperback copy of The Goddess of Warsaw. A delicious, delightful evening for sure. Purchase tickets now at lisabarrwss.eventbrite.com.

Saturday, June 29, 1 pm, at Milwaukee Public Library, East Branch, 2320 N Cramer St - Wisconsin author Phyllis R Dixon, author of A Taste for More, in conversation with former UN Ambassador Joan Prince. Click here to register at mpl.org/services/events/index.php?eid=146733. Check out Daniel's recommendation below!

Wednesday, July 3, 2 pm, at Shorewood Public Library, 3920 N Murray Ave - Comic artist Lucy Knisley, author of Woe: A Housecat's Story of Despair, a collection of delightful antics from Linney the House Cat. Register here on the Shorewood Library website.

Tuesday, July 9, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Juneau Black (penname of former Boswellians Sharon Nagel and Jocelyn Cole), author of Summers End, in conversation with Sarah Lange. The latest book in the Shady Hollow series is a unique take on dark academia. Click here and register at juneaublackmke.eventbrite.com.

Thursday, July 11, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Peng Shepherd, author of All This & More, in conversation with Lisa Romella of Awkward Nerd Events, our cohost for this event. Ever wish there was a clever, poignant choose-your-own-adventure novel for the literary set? Now there is! Register now at pengshepherdmke.eventbrite.com.

Friday, July 12, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Irish author Kevin Barry crosses the Atlantic to visit Milwaukee all the way from County Sligo, Ireland with his latest, The Heart in Winter. It's his first novel set in the US, and it is a beaut. From Daniel Goldin: "Bawdy, debauched, and pure poetry." Cohosted by Celtic MKE. Please click here and register at kevinbarrymke.eventbrite.com.

Two events with Amy T Waldman and Peter Jest, author and subject of of We Had Fun and Nobody Died: Adventures of a Milwaukee Music Promoter. On Saturday, July 13, 7 pm, they'll be in conversation with Dave Luhrssen at Shank Hall, 1434 N Farwell Ave, with no registration required. And on Saturday, July 20, 2 pm, they'll be at at MPL Central Branch's Rotary Club Community Room, 814 W Wisconsin Ave. Click here to register for the library event.

Monday, July 22, 7 pm, at Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, 3270 Mitchell Park Dr - A ticketed event with Emily Giffin, author of The Summer Pact, a tender portrayal of grief, love, and hope. In conversation with Wisconsin author Amy E Reichert. Tickets for this event cost $36 and include admission, facilities fee, and a copy of The Summer Pact. Click here and purchase your tickets now at ticketing.wilson-center.com/giffin/63190.

New Listing!

Monday, July 29, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - Lisa Keefauver, author of Grief Is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss, in conversation with Milwaukee psychotherapist Julianne Manske Rollefson. Social worker and grief activist Keefauver has been a popular TEDx keynote speaker and created the podcast after which here book is named, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Author Melissa Gould says: "This must-read companion guide for those who are grieving has captured the heartbreak of grief with compassion, insight, and humor." Please click here and register at lisakeefauvermke.eventbrite.com.

New Listing!

Wednesday, July 31, 6:30 pm, at Boswell - It's a Thrillwaukee evening with author David Ellis, who visits for a conversation about his new book, The Best Lies. It’s a fast-paced, twisty novel about a pathological liar with a family closet full of skeletons that will surprise readers at every turn. And Ellis is an Edgar Award-winning author who has also been coauthor of nine books with James Patterson. He'll be in conversation with Milwaukee bookstagrammer Brynn Teaman. Click here and register now at davidellismke.eventbrite.com.

Staff Recommendations

Our recommending starts with Daniel Goldin, who suggests A Taste for More, the new novel from Wisconsin author Phyllis R Dixon. Daniel says: "Margo left behind her Mississippi country past (and her daughter Lana, at least temporarily) for Milwaukee to find a better life. But with the big city comes big problems, and just about anything that could happen to Margo does – family feuds, racism, the riots, crime, double crossing, schemes gone awry, best friend fallouts, fires, and just about every kind of bad relationship you can have. She’s going to do anything she can to overcome the odds and make the Fourth Street Café a success, all for her daughter. But is it worth it? A Taste for More has some enjoyable if over-the-top plotting (everything but the evil twin), but at its heart, A Taste for More is a Black woman’s survival story. And it’s hard not to root for Margo!"

As noted in the event listings above, Dixon will be at MPL's East Branch this weekend. The event is Saturday, June 29, 1 pm, and you can register and find more info by clicking here to visit the library website.

Next up, Jason Kennedy with a bit of fantastical adventure. He recommends The Daughters' War, the latest from Christopher Buehlman. Jason says: "The story of Galva is one of loss. And of horrific brutality. Galva lands in a war-torn country that has been ravaged by Goblins and is on the brink of collapse. Since the Goblins have poisoned and rid the world of horses, Galva joins an experimental group that directs magically designed birds called Covids. They are crazy strong and frightening and are the brightest hope to stop a Goblin victory. As they trample and fight their way to breaking the sieges, Galva finds love, heartache, sorrow, and betrayal that bites right down to her core. Christopher Buehlman has added another amazing chapter in this brutal world. I am eagerly anticipating more to follow."

And finally, we wrap our recommending with Kim Christenson, who recommends the recently released and Oprah's Book Club tapped Familiaris, a novel by David Wroblewski. Kim says: "At nearly 1000 pages, this book might be considered daunting, but by page 25 it had me in its grasp and took me on the long ride home. This tale of John Sawtelle is magnificent in its blended details that track his life in full. Prepare to be fully immersed in the most catastrophic event Mother Nature can muster. Be fearful in the company of myth and her time-bending reversals and shields. Now sit at the Elbow-made table with John's beloved wife and their ordinary, extraordinary friends as they work to find their purposes through trials, truths, and traumas. And then, there are the Sawtelle dogs. A multitude of Canis Familiaris in whose generational genes phenomenal charms and aptitudes reside. Upon finishing this novel, I held its weight in my hands and thought how easy it would be to read it again. This is my book of the year."

Photo credits: Ananda Lima by Beowulf Sheehan and Peng Shepherd by Delbert Vega. Newsletter compiled by Chris. As always, thank you for your patronage and apologies for the typos,

Daniel Goldin with Alex, Amie, Chris, Claire, Greta, Idalis, Ingrid, Jane, Jason, Jen, Jenny, Jeremy, Kathy, Kay, Keith, Kim, McKenna, Oli, Rachel, and Tim