Join Barbara’s Bookstore for the launch of Macy’s State Street on September 9th. After you see the sights, hear the story of RAISIN AND GRAPE, as told by children’s book creator Tom (The Day the Dog Dressed Like Dad) Amico, and read by the dulcet-toned Gilbert Gottfried. Get your book signed, have some raisins, and learn a bit about growing up. Call 312.781.3033 for further details.

Astrologer Joel Eisenberg was a famous media queen, using his gift for gab, and unbridled shamelessness, to persuade cute guys to join him for a dose of private ‘chakra balancing.’ But when Joel is publicly humiliated on his radio show he becomes convinced he must travel north to meet the soul mate who’s been predicted for him. A comic tale of karmic redemption, TUSH shows that when we foolishly pursue the wrong goals, the universe knows how to make us suffer for our stupidity.

A shadowy man gives Burke a dossier, and minutes later is gunned down. When Burke reads the dossier he discovers that Beryl Preston, a girl he’d rescued from a brutal pimp years earlier and returned to her father, is missing. Now he has to find her again—both because she might be in danger, and to prove to himself that his rescue mission hadn’t been financed by a predator who wanted his “property” returned. MASK MARKET is classic Vachss: dark, dangerous, and galvanizing, from the opening scene to the explosive climax.

Joyce Carol Oates is not only one of the most prolific writers of her generation, she is also one of the most talented. Unlimited in her literary horizons she has tackled every form and most every genre with both depth of understanding and a distinctive voice that always rings true. Join Barbara’s for an evening with a legend. Call 312.413.2665 for details.

A mysterious castle in Eastern Europe. Two cousins, torn apart by a cruel, adolescent prank, but reunited as adults. A writing class for convicts. A volunteer teacher with a very troubled past. Jennifer (Look At Me) Egan intertwines first two, then three, stories, each harrowing and enthralling in its own right, to make a still greater whole. Read THE KEEP now, then tell your friends to, long before it makes all of the critics’ best of the year lists.

Come to Barbara’s Bookstore in Oak Park to meet Kevin Clash, as he signs copies of his memoir, MY LIFE AS A FURRY RED MONSTER. Helping Kevin will be his very best friend—Elmo! Bring yourself, your children, and your friends to this extremely special event. And Elmo says he would love to have his picture taken with you. Call Barbara’s at 708.848.9140 for further information.

Oak Park’s own Jane (Book of Ruth) Hamilton reads from and signs her latest, and perhaps her best, novel, WHEN MADELINE WAS YOUNG. When Aaron Maciver’s beautiful young wife, Madeline, suffers brain damage in a bike accident, she is left with the intellectual powers of a seven-year-old. In the years that follow, Aaron and his second wife care for Madeline with deep tenderness and devotion as they raise two children of their own. All in a setting that may seem very familiar.

Join us for an evening of suspense, intrigue and exotic locations. Colin (Coroner’s Lunch) Cotterill comes to Barbara’s for the first time, reading from and signing his newest Dr. Sai Paiboun mystery, DISCO FOR THE DEPARTED, and we celebrate the return of Eric Stone, author of THE LIVING ROOM OF THE DEAD and WRONG SIDE OF THE WALL.