#3 Rendezvous With A Writer OutWest

February 14, 2021

Welcome to this week's Rendezvous With A Writer OutWest featured book round-up. Find these books, and many more like them, on our separate book website Bookshop.org/shop/OutWestShop.com. We've curated book lists representing the complicated, compelling, and engaging culture, history and diversity of the American West. This week's book selections were posted on our OutWest Shop Facebook daily post February 7 - February 13, 2021. Discover titles about the Beatles, Pizza, Romance stories, Abraham Lincoln and more. 

  
February 7...“AND NOW — THE BEATLES!” A mob of screaming fans greeted the “Fab Four” when they arrived in New York on this day in 1964. Two days later, on February 9, Ed Sullivan introduced the band to an TV audience of 73 million! Were you among them?

RIGHT HERE ON OUR STAGE TONIGHT!: ED SULLIVAN’S AMERICA
By Gerald Nachman “is a vivid, discerning portrayal of American history through the lens of popular culture,” wrote Publishers Weekly. Relive many memorable performances in its pages, including, of course, The Beatles.
BEATLES GEAR: ALL THE FAB FOUR’S INSTRUMENTS FROM STAGE TO STUDIO
A gorgeous and detailed compendium. One of my husband’s favorites.

  
AFTER ABBEY ROAD: THE SOLO HITS OF THE BEATLES
An entertaining chronological history of the 220 singles released by the former band members. Author Gary Fearon was a recent guest on The Writer’s Block, listen to the Podcast. 
THE BEATLES: GET BACK
“The official account of the creation of their final album, Let It Be, told in The Beatles’ own words.” Publication is timed to the release of Peter Jackson’s documentary this summer. Pre-order now!

Questions for you! Favorite song? Favorite memory? Favorite Beatle? Feel free to share in the comment section below!
----Post by Book Guide Wendy

   

IF THE BOOT FITS: A SMART & SEXY CINDERELLA STORY involves a young Black Oscar winner and the curvaceous personal assistant to a dreadful diva. Rebekah Weatherspoon’s “steamy fairy tale shines by serving realistic conflict alongside swoon-worthy romance.” - - Publishers Weekly.

  

I'm eager to read more and have been adding to our Romance List. Take a look - I'm open for suggestions of titles to add! Click each title for details.

---Post by Book Guide Wendy

#NationalPizzaDay

FEBRUARY 9 - ANY LEFTOVER PIZZA FROM SUNDAY AT YOUR HOUSE? Our parents were known for their Super Bowl parties. My pastry chef husband always made a spectacular and delicious cake featuring team logos. But the star of the party was the array of pizzas set out on the kitchen counter. The favorite topping? BBQ chicken with bacon, onions and barbecue sauce! In Chicagoland thin-crust pizza is served “tavern-style,” cut into squares rather than wedges, making it easy to enjoy extra helpings.

Today is NATIONAL PIZZA DAY, so order up a pie or pop your leftovers in the oven. Here's a pizza memory of my sister's, Bobbi Jean. "When we arrived in Pasadena, from the East Coast, we quickly fell in love with Mi Piace on Colorado Blvd. Their BBQ Chicken Pizza was heaven - a totally new taste for me - except for the green garnish on top. I didn't like that at all. I asked the waiter what it was - he looked at me, somewhat quizzically, and said "Cilantro." It was new to me, I've never acquired a taste for it and always remove it from my food!"
FOR PIZZA LORE AND RECIPES, CHECK OUT THESE BOOKS
     

MASTERING PIZZA
 “If you want to learn to make great pizza, there is no better teacher than Marc Vetri.” - - Nathan Myhrvold, lead author of Modernist Cuisine
PIZZA: HISTORY, RECIPES, STORIES, PEOPLE, PLACES, LOVE.
All things pizza from brothers Thom and James Elliot, the Pizza Pilgrims.

  
PIZZA AND TACO: BEST PARTY EVER!
Bored? The best friends in Stephen Shaskan’s second young graphic novel throw a party with hilarious consequenc
EVERY NIGHT IS PIZZA NIGHT.
Could anything be better than pizza? Pipo surprises herself when the neighbors serve her bibimbap, red beans and rice, tagine, and dumplings. 

What do you love about pizza? Take out or delivery or homemade? Favorite toppings? A favorite memory? Share a slice of your favorite pizza with us!

---Post by Book Guide Wendy

             

FEBRUARY 10 ... TODAY IS NATIONAL CREAM CHEESE BROWNIE DAY, which reminds me of “brownie scraps,” the delicious trimmings left after a batch of brownies was cut at the bakery/confectionery where my husband and I worked. No one on staff could pass by the sheet pan at the top of the stairs without taking a piece - or two or three - they were so fudgy and rich!

For a collection of 263 recipes from around the country TASTE OF HOME
BROWNIES & BARS is an appealing choice.

 

What's your favorite brownie recipe? Bake a batch today. Then consider entering it in the "Baking with Love Cookie Contest." It’s easy and fun; you could win some wonderful prizes. Watch this video for all the details and to enter! 

Find more mouth-watering cookie recipes in the books on our Cooking, Grilling & Baking List. 

-----Post By Book Guide Wendy

February 11 - IS THERE A GUITAR IN YOR LIFE? Or a guitar memory? I loved folk music and had an acoustic guitar years ago. Took some lessons but never learned enough to accompany myself. My husband was a rocker when he was younger; his interest in guitars has never waned. He owns a couple and is considering another.

  
  A Guitar Is Like An Old Friend That Is There With Me. - B.B.King

Today is NATIONAL GUITAR DAY or, alternately, GET OUT YOUR GUITAR DAY. So celebrate! Take your guitar off its stand or out of its case. Pull it from under the bed or the back of the closet. Tune it up and strum a tune. Crank up the music; you can be a god or goddess on your air guitar.

My guitarist / librarian husband recommends these books. There are more on our Music List.

 
GUITAR GENIUS recounts how Les Paul created not only the solid-body electric guitar, but many other musical inventions. An amusing and inspiring book for kids interested in music or science.

 

THE BIRTH OF LOUD chronicles the rivalry between Les Paul and Leo Fender. “A hot-rod joy ride through mid-20th-century American history.” - - New York Times Book Review
  

In GUITAR: AN AMERICAN LIFE Tim Brookes explores the history of the guitar while describing how a master craftsman builds a custom instrument for him.

A boy falls in love with music and the guitar because of his granddad. GUS & ME “is all told so naturally and with such sweet verve that readers may not notice that this is the legendary guitarist of the Rolling Stones.” - - Kirkus08

What's your favorite guitar? More than one? When did you meet your first one? What kind was it? What's your guitar's name? We'd like to hear your guitar stories! Share your story in the Comment Section below!
---Post by Book Guide Wendy

   
     Jim Christina, Bobbi Jean, Richard Paolinelli
FEBRUARY 11, 2021 THE WRITER'S BLOCK RADIO SHOW
SHOW #293 A CONVERSATION WITH RICHARD PAOLINELLI
Good friend, and Writer's Block Radio Show alumni co-host, Richard Paolinelli joins hosts Jim Christina and OutWest's Bobbi Jean for an engaging conversation about his soon-to-be-released sci fi adventure, GALEN'S WAY: A STARQUEST 4th ADVENTURE. What a romp! This story has it all - a hero and his plucky side kick, villians, a princess, a love story, blaster-to-blaster battles, tongue-in-cheek humor and lots of twists, turns, and unexpected revelations!
Enjoy the podcast among three good friends talking about a great read! 
The Writer's Block Radio Show airs on LA Talk Radio. Airs live every Thursday on LA Talk Radio: 6pm (PST), 7pm (MT), 8pm (CST), 9pm (EST).

FEBRUARY 12 ... I SAVE PENNIES. I have one for every year of my life. If I had 16,000 pennies, I would still have fewer than the number of books written about the man on the coin - ABRAHAM LINCOLN, who was born on February 12 in 1809.
                    

I am reading a fascinating new addition to the Lincoln library by David S. Reynolds. ABE: ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN HIS TIMES is a massive volume, more than a thousand pages long. Don’t dismiss it, though. The book is easy to hold; the pages open wide; the font, margins, and space between the lines are generous, making the text easy on the eye. The paper is smooth, and the deckle edge adds a classic touch.

What about content? RIVETING! I cannot put the book down. The reviews are stellar. Here’s what Edward L. Ayers, winner of the Lincoln Prize, has to say. “Abraham Lincoln’s America unfolds in all the nation’s hope, despair, and deliverance in this monumental book. Drawing on Reynolds’s unequaled knowledge and humane understanding, ABE is a brilliant portrait of the man and the country he saved.”

Find other histories on our U.S. Presidents, Heads of State & Diplomacy List.
----Post by Book Guide Wendy

      
      “My Best Friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.”
                                ― Abraham Lincoln

FEBRUARY 13 ... WHAT DO YOU HEAR WHEN I SAY “RADIO”? I hear a baseball play-by-play, the backdrop to Dad’s weekend chores; “Que Sera, Sera” on the car radio; a NASA countdown in the classroom; and my favorite voice in the dark, storyteller Jean Shepherd. I heard “You’ll shoot your eye out!” long before “A Christmas Story” was a movie. Today I have the pleasure of listening to the voice of my sister Bobbi Jean through internet radio and podcasts. How remarkable!
                  

WORLD RADIO DAY was established by UNESCO in recognition of the role radio plays as “the most widely consumed medium” globally. Radio is resilient, adaptive to new technologies, accessible to all, and provides connection for societies facing disasters and crises.
       

CELEBRATE THE RADIO TODAY! Browse through our FILM & TELEVISION & RADIO List for engaging books on these subjects. Play a recording of an old show that you love (The Lone Ranger, maybe?), crank up your favorite station, or do what I plan to do, tune in to one of Bobbi Jean’s shows, find podcasts of her shows on OUTWEST LIVE!  

Do you have a favorite radio program, DJ, station? FM, AM, or online? We want to know!

----Post by Book Guide and Radio Fan Wendy

                           
Who are we to be your guides? We are two sisters who grew up in a family that valued reading and encouraged an interest in history and the arts. Wendy spent her career with books. She worked as a children's librarian and as the buyer and manager of the children's department of an independent bookstore. A college major in literature introduced her to the classics of the American West.

Bobbi Jean and her husband, Jim, own OutWest Shop. She was the manager and buyer for a museum store before they started their own business. Bobbi Jean co-hosts The Writer's Block on LA Talk Radio, where she interviews authors of all types. The three other radio shows she hosts involve Western music and horses. Find podcasts of all her shows at OutWest Live!

We love sharing our book knowledge. You are not limited to the titles you find on our lists, though. Use the search box to rustle up any books that you want, and put them in your OutWest Book Shop cart!

Disclosure: OutWest Shop is an affiliate of Bookshop.org and earns a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Happy Reading! Remember, it's always a Great Day OutWest!

          

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