All Booked | A Wisp of Whimsy

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Hello, fellow bookworms!

Even though Halloween is over, there’s still something about this time of year that appeals to one’s whimsical side. Whether you’re dressing up for Halloween, perusing pumpkin patches, and adventurously trying pumpkin-spice-flavored … anything, fall feels like a time to embrace the fun side of things, especially during the dwindling daylight! 

This week, our wonderful Marketing & Promotions Manager Richelle Boyd brings us a roundup of light reads that include naughty aughties vampires, a watercolor wonderland with a dark side, and an ode to originality by a gay icon. Don’t let the fact that it gets dark at 5 p.m. now keep you from enjoying the season — just add some whimsy to your reading list!

—Tessa, allbooked@independent.com

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Through the many events that the Indy has put on in these recent few months, I’ve found myself lost in light literature in my free time. I’ve been drawn to and pulling from my TBR list that features the girls, the gays, and lots of fun art to lighten my days. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy my collection of fun fall reads!

Real Vampires Get Lucky by Gerry Bartlett (2008)

This was a surprisingly quick read, and it transported me back to 2008. The vamps and other paranormals in this story are living out their Sex & the City dreams in Austin, Texas. Real Vampires Get Lucky is the third book in a series by Gerry Barlett, and admittedly without reading the first two, I am probably missing a lot of important plot and background for all these characters. However, this was one of my grabs from the Planned Parenthood Book Sale, and I admittedly got it because the cover has a black cat like mine on it. 

Main character Gloriana “Glory” St. Clair is a vampire who runs her own vintage clothing shop, fending off her will-they-won’t-they situationship with fellow vampire Jerry. One night, she comes home to find a woman dying in the alley, and she decides she has to save this poor suffering soul. 

The woman turns out to be Luciana Cavarelli, or “Lucky Carver,” the daughter of a loan shark many paranormals know. To top it all off, someone recorded Glory in the alley and is now blackmailing her. The book takes off into these mysteries and pulls in Glory’s extended network of friends and enemies alike. There are some fun explicit bedroom scenes that are a bit fun, sexy, and wild. The fashion references to Jimmy Choo heels and designer clothing are also so perfectly 2008. It was a perfect nostalgic throwback that was a breeze to read through.

Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann and Marie Pommepuy (2009)

Another one of my Planned Parenthood Book Sale grabs, this graphic novel called to me with the beautiful nature scene drawn on the front. It’s described as an “unsettling and gorgeous anti-fairy tale … a searing condemnation of our vast capacity for evil writ tiny.” The princess Aurora falls into a beautiful watercolor world, and each leaf, insect, and friend of Aurora’s are vibrant and flowing. But the story does follow the path of darkness as these characters show their pettiness and greed.

It has a perfectly nightmare-ish edge to it, with bleak death and wild showing through the perfectly painted nature. Though Aurora suffers losses, she is a fighting light in the story, and I loved her courage at the end that flipped the story. Like a fairy living off the land, she proves resourceful and persistent. It was a short read that intertwined both beautiful and horrifying art together in a way that felt real to life and the chaos of nature and people. Great for a quick read that will keep you on your toes and have you wondering where on Earth you could be that is so strikingly beautiful.

Make Trouble by John Waters (2017)

This quick read by gay icon John Waters has a permanent home on my bookshelf and is one of my most highly recommended, easy reads whenever someone needs a pick-me-up. Make Trouble is exactly what it sounds like — a fun declaration to make things happen and to be yourself. Here is one of my favorite parts from this tiny but mighty book: “Contemporary art’s job is to wreck what came before. Is there a better job description than that to aspire to? Here another trigger warning, and pardon me for swearing: go out in the world and fuck it up beautifully.” In a time when so much can seem out of control, Waters’s message is to create and to be individualistic, which to me is a message we need more than ever.

This is a book about acceptance and facing up to your weird creative whims, and the art in it is so perfectly campy and silly. It reads like a notebook that Waters scribbled in and sent off to the printers. The chaos has a perfect mess to it though, and he touches on topics like what it’s like to grow up queer and how he has been able to live and thrive in today’s world. One slice of his advice is to be nosy — I recommend the same, and mostly to dig your nose into this book!

— Richelle Boyd

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FROM OUR PAGES

Here is some of our book-related coverage from the last two weeks! Read all this and more at Independent.com.

“The Writer Speaks About Spake as a Child: DJ Palladino Will Sign His New Book at Chaucer’s on November 9” by Jim Buckley

“Enshittification Is Official! Cory Doctorow’s Book Named UCSB Reads Pick for 2027” by Leslie Dinaberg

“Emily Henry Reveals New Book Cover in Santa Barbara; Modern Classic Setting is Santa Barbara” by Meaghan Clark Tiernan

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UPCOMING BOOK EVENTS

Below, you will find a few bookish events coming up in Santa Barbara. If you are hosting a bookish event in Santa Barbara, be sure to submit the event to our online events calendar.

S.B. Maritime Museum Book Club
Tuesday, November 10, 10:30 a.m. | S.B. Maritime Museum

Lunch with an Author: Jan Carson and Lucy Caldwell
Wednesday, November 11, 2-4 p.m. | Ojai Valley Woman’s Club

Blue Whale Poetry Reading Series: Bonnie Bolling and Laure-Anne Bosselaar
Wednesday, November 11, 5:30 p.m. | Unity of Santa Barbara Chapel

Lunch with an Author: Jan Carson and Lucy Caldwell
Thursday, November 12, 1-3 p.m. | The University Club of Santa Barbara

Polyamorous Book Club: Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha
Thursday, November 12, 6 p.m. | Draughtsmen Aleworks and Mosaic Locale 

UCSB Arts & Lectures Presents Min Jin Lee
Thursday, November 12, 7:30 p.m. | Campbell Hall, UCSB

SBCEO’s 74th Annual Breakfast with the Authors
Saturday, November 14, 8:45am-noon | SBCEO Auditorium

Storytime at the Sea Center
Saturday, November 14, 10:30 a.m. | S.B. Museum of Natural History Sea Center  

Ojai Art Center Book Festival
Saturday, November 14, noon-5 p.m. | Ojai Art Center

That Escalated: A Horror & Thriller Book Club: Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass
Saturday, November 14, 1 p.m. | Hook & Press

Author Talk & Signing: Vince Thompson, The Lockup Period
Saturday, November 14, 3 p.m. | Tecolote Book Shop

Godmothers Gather: Nicholas Epley, A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection
Saturday, November 14, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

Fall Book Sale
November 14-17, see link for hours | Buellton Library 

Monthly Poetry Conversation: Laure-Anne Bosselaar
Sunday, November 15, 4 p.m. | domecil Studio

Godmothers Gather: Dustin Hoffman, Look at Me
Sunday, November 15, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

Poetry Reading: Three Counties, Three Poets Laureate — Mary Ann McFadden, Caleb Nichols, and George Yatchisin
Monday, November 16, 5:30 p.m. | Faulkner Gallery

Chaucer’s Author Talk: Elizabeth Foscue, New Year’s Grieve
Monday, November 16, 6 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books

Godmothers Gather: Rabbi Sharon Brous, The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World
Monday, November 16, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

Godmothers Gather: Terri Cole, Father Wound: Break Unhealthy Patterns to Reclaim Your Worth and Power
Tuesday, November 17, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

Social Justice Book Club, Assata: An Autobiography by Shakur Assata
Wednesday, November 18, 5 p.m. | S.B. Central Library

Romance Book Club, Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher
Wednesday, November 18, 5:30 p.m. | S.B. Central Library

Godmothers Gather: Priyanka Mattoo, How to Be Less Useful: The Joy of Inefficiency
Wednesday, November 18, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

S.B. Museum of Natural History Book Sale
November 18-21, see link for hours | Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Chaucer’s Author Talk & Signing: David Perlis, Morning in Marin: Zen, Drugs, and Ewoks on the California Coast
Thursday, November 19, 6 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books

Author Talk: Will Sofrin, USCG Cutter Eagle: The Legacy of the Coast Guard’s Flagship
Thursday November 19, 7 p.m. | Santa Barbara Maritime Museum

UCSB Arts & Lectures Presents Rana Foroohar
Thursday, November 19, 7:30 p.m. | Campbell Hall, UCSB

Godmothers Gather: Raymond Janis & Charlie Nunn, Hollywood Tails: Famous Faces and the Dogs They Love
Friday, November 20, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

Storytime at the Sea Center
Saturday, November 21, 10:30 a.m. | S.B. Museum of Natural History Sea Center

Author Talk & Signing: Ann Shepphird, Destination Santa Barbara
Saturday, November 21, 3 p.m. | Tecolote Book Shop

Godmothers Gather: Dr. Sasha Hamdani, Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling Deeply
Saturday November 21, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

Storytime at the Sea Center
Sunday, November 22, 10:30 a.m. | S.B. Museum of Natural History Sea Center

SB Book Babes Book Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Sunday, November 22, 4 p.m. | Location upon Reservation

Godmothers Gather: Rhonda Byrne, Thought Rules: Thought Creates Everything
Sunday November 22, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

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S.B. SPOTLIGHT

We at the Independent get many books sent to us by area authors, sometimes too many! It’s practically impossible for us to read and review them all, but just because we are busy bees does not mean that they aren’t worth the attention. In an attempt to not completely drop the ball, we have compiled a list of books here that are either written by a Santa Barbara author, feature someone in our community, or have another tie to Santa Barbara. I urge you to look through this list. Perhaps you will find your new favorite read!

The following are the most recent titles that have been sent to us.

Yogi’s Story: The Meaning of Life Lives by Van Fleisher

The Hawks Are Not Dying: A Novel by Richard Handley

Lucille Rises: A Novel by Wayne McCulley

Unlicensed Massage Therapy by Moe Mitchell

If you are a local author and would like us to feature your book in this section, please email allbooked@independent.com with the subject line “S.B. Spotlight.”

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Book Reviews Courtesy of CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS*

Thanks to the generous contributions of David Starkey, Brian Tanguay and their team of reviewers at California Review of Books, we are able to provide a steady stream of book reviews via our content partnership. Recent reviews at Independent.com include: 

Wounded Boarders: Stories’ by George Singleton; review by David Starkey

The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy by Gil Durán; review by Brian Tanguay

*At the present time, all of the Independent’s book reviews are provided in collaboration with California Review of Books (calirb.com).