The festival was a great chance to get some amazing book deals and at the MBP table The Hot Knives Vegetarian Cookbook: Salad Daze was one of the crowd favorites. I’m guessing reading and walking around works up quite an appetite because by the end of the day we had totally sold out of the book. Our chocolate truffles also disappeared pretty quickly. It’s safe to say that food and books make a good pair–except in libraries, of course.

DJ Spooky talked about climate change and The Book of Ice in a panel, and a few passersby commented on how impressed they were with his work. It’s always nice to get feedback directly from readers. Some other authors that stopped by were Garth Risk Hallberg, author of A Field Guide to the North American Family, Manami Okazaki, author of Kicks Japan, and Olga Ast, author of Infinite Instances.

In short, it was an awesome day.  But don’t be too disappointed if you couldn’t make it because this weekend we will be at the NY Art Book Fair at booth O06, Thursday night through Sunday, for all of your most urgent visual books needs. Check back for a full list of all the goodies we will be offering.

–Melissa Obando, Publicity Intern

Alright, The Hot Knives Vegetarian Cookbook: Salad Daze drops today, and it’s the perfect weather to stay home in the kitchen and get sloshed while making some hearty + delicious vegetarian grub. Authors and kitchen masters Alex Brown and Evan George showed up on KCRW’s Good Food to show you how and why to make your own condiments, including Sriracha and how to turn your $5 Trader Joe’s olive oil into the gourmet stuff.

You’re going to need a copy of Salad Daze right away, but check out a taste with some boozy recipes over on The World’s Best Ever. Rarebit on toast, anyone?

Brooklyn Book Festival this Sunday 10am-6pm: come to Borough Hall and check us out at booth #123 with our friends at Purgatory Pie Press. We’ll have some sweet deals and some special super author guests.

But this Friday, to get yourself pumped for the fest, Garth Risk Hallberg, author of  A Field Guide to the North American Family, will be moderating  Hot Authors–a panel and launch party for Canteen Magazine’s new issue at 3rd Ward. Should be pretty steamy.

And on Sunday at the BBF, Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky, author of The Book of Ice, will be on the mainstage at 2pm talking about sustainability and the changing environment with Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

Then next week gets crazy: Paul Miller will be opening Climate Week NYC with Andrew Revkin and talking with Donavan Hohn at McNally Jackson, Simone Lueck will be showing off Cuba TV at Clic gallery, and Olga Ast and Infinite Instances contributors will be celebrating at the Robert Miller gallery. And stay tuned for info about the NY Art Book Fair the first weekend of October.

Come out!

The LA release party is this Saturday, August 6, 6-9pm. Simone made an awesome video invite:

You’re Invited from Simone Lueck on Vimeo.

Unfortunately, we’ll be stuck in Brooklyn, hiding out at the office 24/7 to take advantage of the air conditioning. But West Coasters should get to Kopeikin Gallery early for the cocktails and Cuban food truck delights.

We won’t be too bummed this weekend–lucky us, Simone is going to make a stop in New York this fall. Hopefully, she’ll bring mojitos.

Make sure to come by!

You’re Invited from Simone Lueck on Vimeo.

Saturday, August 6 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Kopeikin Gallery

2766 S. La Cienega Blvd.

CBGB is a staff favorite. I also hear it used to be some sort of music venue? Kind of famous or something? If you’re like me and never got to see a show there due to circumstances like “youth” or “living in the Midwest,” you have to check out the photos taken by Putnam just before CBGB shut down. From 1973 to its demise in 2006, very little had changed about CBGB’s physical space, with one exception: the graffiti. The club had never stopped its patrons from adding to the mosaics of ink and pencil that literally covered every square inch of the club’s walls. Grimy and layered with ink, the walls told the history of the club, from the musicians on stage to the fans who barked back, and CBGB: Decades of Graffiti preserves that tale now that the walls are gone. And now you can get it, all digital-like.

We’ve got more MBP ebooks lined up, so stay tuned! And if this makes you get all doomsday about the future of books, don’t worry. We still <3 paper, and we’ll print books on it until they quit making it.

Listen in to the most recent episode of podcast Science…Sort of to get a taste of the music you’ll hear tonight. The Science…Sort of folks play selections from DJ Spooky’s “Terra Nullius” and help you bone up on your Antarctica knowledge:  guest Beverly Walker talks about the not-so-happy training experience of “Happy Camper Training” and why you need government issued winter coats. Enjoy!

It wouldn’t be a party without some extra special guests, including  350.org’s Bill Mckibben; the Green Patriot Posters Project’s Edward Morris; and the Small Planet Institute’s Anna Lappe. Drinks from MERCY and a huge afterparty with Evolver Magazine are the icing on the cake.

To find out more about DJ Spooky visit DJSpooky.com, and make sure to share this event with your friends on Facebook!

And even more book party madness on Thursday! Join MBP and Ekaterina Smirnova, author of An Illustrated Guide to Cockroaches, on July 14 from 6-8pm. The book release party for her newest book will be at the Chashama Gallery on 217 East 42nd street (between 2nd and 3nd Ave).  Smirnova will be signing books, teaching guest how to make their own roach traps, and leading a “roach” race. If you want more information on Ekaterinas’ upcoming projects please visit Katapostrophe.com.

J.K. Putnam attended school in Pittsburgh, PA, for film making and photography and now specializes in photojournalism, outdoor, and on-set photography. He lives in Queens, NY, works in Brooklyn, and travels elsewhere as often as possible. Visit his website, jkputnamphotography.com, for examples of his work.