Audrey Niffenegger’s new novel will be available September 29, 2009

Long-awaited, highly-anticipated, critically-acclaimed! And really, really good! Her Fearful Symmetry is being released this Tuesday, September 29!  Come in and get a first edition and receive two free tickets to her reading at TKE on January 20, 2010. Yes. The day has finally arrived…

Zoe Murdock at The King’s English

The author, Zoe Murdock

On Saturday, September 26, 2009, from 2:00-3:30 pm, The King’s English Bookshop will present Zoe Murdock in a reading and discussion of her new novel, Torn by God: A Family’s Struggle with Polygamy. This riveting family drama chronicles the devastation brought upon the Sterling family when the father has a vision that leads him to become involved with polygamy. It is based on real events that happened when Zoe was a child, but it is more than one family’s tragic story; it explores the controversial association between mainstream Mormons and fundamentalist off-shoot groups such as the one led by Warren Jeffs. At once chilling and informative, Torn by God exposes the destructive power of religious indoctrination and control.

Torn By God

Salt Lake’s Got Talent!

I love the annual Arty’s awards that City Weekly presents each year. It’s all about LOCAL. It’s local people like you and me voting for local people who we have seen, heard, read, etc. during the past year. Salt Lake is awash in talent; even the voting is difficult because you could choose any nominee and be content if they won. One of my very favorite nominees was the play about Leonardo Da Vinci, Di Esperienza, that Plan-B Theatre produced this year. Four actors…for an hour and a half–It was glorious! I wouldn’t be a self-respecting bookseller without a special shout-out to this year’s literary arts winners:

Best Fiction, Shannon Hale, The Actor and the Housewife
Best Poetry Collection, Kathryn Cowles, Eleanor, Eleanor, not your real name
Best Nonfiction, Terry Tempest Williams, Finding Beauty in a Broken World
Best Sister History, Terrell Harris Dougan, That Went Well
Best Multi-Challenged Personal History, Lance Allred, Longshot

Congrats to one and all and thanks to City Weekly for the annual reminder that we live in a pretty great place. To see all the winners visit City Weekly.

From left: Shannon Hale, Eleanor, Eleanor, not your real name, Terry Tempest Williams, Terrell Harris Dougan, Lance Allred

Thursday, September 10 is our birthday!

That’s right, The King’s English is 32! Come in today and receive 32% off any single item in the store. And here’s to many more….

In Praise of Pat Bagley

We’ve known it for years and now, the world at large will know it too. As the 2009 winner of the Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning, Pat Bagley’s political savvy and sense of humor is being recognized by his peers including this year’s judges, Garry Trudeau, Jules Feiffer and John Sherffius. You can read the entire article, Tribune political cartoonist wins prize, and see a gallery of Pat’s Tribune cartoons here: Bagley’s Cartoons. Congratulations to our favorite funny person. We love him so much in fact, we’ve created a shrine for him at the bookstore. Ask us next time you come in and we’ll give you a tour!