Next Thursday night I’ll be drinking sangria, eating sorbet, and interviewing Kate Christensen — first idol, now friend — about Trouble, at WORD bookstore in Greenpoint, at 7:30 p.m. She calls this novel, her fifth, her beach book. I devoured it over the winter almost as quickly as I did the others, except I stopped in the middle to meet . . .
The Smart Set is a weekly feature, compiled and posted by Lauren Cerand, that usually appears Mondays at 12:30 pm, and highlights the best of the week to come. Special favor is given to New York’s independent booksellers and venues, and low-cost and free events. Please send details to Ms. Cerand at lauren [at] maudnewton.com by the Thursday prior to . . .
Don’t miss David Ulin’s profile of Frances Ring, the secretary who worked with F. Scott Fitzgerald in his last days. (Via.)
The recession is already overwhelming the city libraries. Patrons are searching for jobs and borrowing vastly more books and videos. Sometimes, now that they’re out of work and no prospective employers are calling, they’re just looking for a place to hang out. At the Mid-Manhattan branch a couple weeks ago, the check-out line was three times as long as I’ve . . .