Aug. 2 ~ Fiona Davis (The Chelsea Girls) at Inlet Affairs
Photo: Deborah Feingold
From Fiona Davis, the nationally bestselling author of The Dollhouse and The Address, the bright lights of the theater district, the glamour and danger of 1950s New York, and the wild scene at the iconic Chelsea Hotel come together in a dazzling new novel about the twenty-year friendship that will irrevocably change two women’s lives. From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with art, the Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City’s creative oasis for the many artists, writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and poets who have called it home—a scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their art, and everything to do with politics. A Red scare is sweeping across America, and Senator Joseph McCarthy has started a witch hunt for Communists, with those in the entertainment industry in the crosshairs. As the pressure builds to name names, it is more than Hazel and Maxine’s Broadway dreams that may suffer as they grapple with the terrible consequences, but also their livelihood, their friendship, and even their freedom. Spanning from the 1940s to the 1960s, The Chelsea Girls deftly pulls back the curtain on the desperate political pressures of McCarthyism, the complicated bonds of female friendship, and the siren call of the uninhibited Chelsea Hotel.
Aug. 9 ~ Kristan Higgins (Life and Other Inconveniences) at Pastaria 811
A new novel from the NYT best-selling author of Good Luck with That about a blue-blood grandmother and her black-sheep granddaughter who discover they are truly two sides of the same coin. Emma London never thought she had anything in common with her grandmother Genevieve London. The regal old woman came from wealthy and bluest-blood New England stock, but that didn’t protect her from life’s cruelest blows: the disappearance of Genevieve’s young son, followed by the premature death of her husband. But Genevieve rose from those ashes of grief and built a fashion empire that was respected the world over, even when it meant neglecting her other son. When Emma’s own mother died, her father abandoned her on his mother’s doorstep. Genevieve took Emma in and reluctantly raised her—until Emma got pregnant her senior year of high school. Genevieve kicked her out with nothing but the clothes on her back…but Emma took with her the most important London possession: the strength not just to survive but to thrive. And indeed, Emma has built a wonderful life for herself and her teenage daughter, Riley. So what is Emma to do when Genevieve does the one thing Emma never expected of her and, after not speaking to her for nearly two decades, calls and asks for help?
Aug. 16 – The Moveable Feast: Dana Ridenour (Below the Radar) at Pawleys Plantation
FBI Special Agent Lexie Montgomery has been handed the most dangerous undercover assignment of her career: infiltrate a terrorist cell in a foreign country to locate and rescue a missing Dutch undercover operative. During the mission, a charismatic American extremist develops romantic feelings for Lexie. Believing they are of the same mind-set, he takes her to a remote terrorist training camp for indoctrination. While the Dutch Police and the FBI futilely search for her, events spiral out of control when the cell leader reveals his ruthless and brutal nature. With all ties to the outside world cut, Lexie realizes she must rely on her undercover training and skills in order to survive. Ridenour, herself a 20-year veteran of the FBI now retired in Murrells Inlet, was a proud member of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team for the 9/11 World Trade Center attack, followed by undercover certification that sent her on a series of long-term, deep-cover cases focusing on domestic terrorism. Her first novel Behind the Mask swept the 2016 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, winning Best Novel by a First Time Author, Best Fiction Novel, and the overall Grand Prize. Her second, Beyond the Cabin, won the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Award for Best Thriller!
Mostly Fridays, 11 AM-1 PM, $30*
Literary luncheons with exciting authors at area restaurants