UPCOMING EVENTS

Books For Soldiers

We are shipping books to US soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. You buy the books from us and we'll pay to ship the books to the soldiers for free. We have soldier mailing addresses and book requests. All you have to do is call us, email us, or come into the store and tell us which service you want to help and which country. Most of the books we've sent so far have been to Marines in Afghanistan, but we've also sent books to Navy surgical nurses in Afghanistan and the Army in Iraq. Our Books For Soldiers drive has been mentioned in The Woodlands Villager, The Conroe Courier and The Houston Chronicle. PREVIOUS EVENTS

Wednesday - May 26th - from 7pm to 8:30pm
Poetry Book Club
Good Books In The Woods

We'll be discussing the poets of the month and then reading our own original poetry. Please bring some of your own poetry to the meeting and you'll have a chance to read it and hear feedback in a positive and friendly setting.

Thursday - May 27th - at 6:30pm
VillaSports Book Club
VillaSports

My mom, Marta, sponsors a book club at VillaSport in The Woodlands. You have to be a member of VillaSport to join the book club. If you'd like to join the book club, please just show up at the appointed time.

Saturday - May 29 - at 8:30am
Spring and North Houston Film Group Casting Call
Good Books In The Woods

I'm not sure why I agreed to a casting call here at such an early hour, but I did. Perhaps I'll have the dogs host the film group. The casting calls are usually pretty interesting, but 8:30am on a Saturday isn't really my style. Spalding is much more of a morning puppy than I am.

Wednesday - June 9th - from 10am
Women's Wednesday Morning Book Club
Good Books In The Woods

This is a brand new book club we're just starting. It will meet the second Wednesday of every month at 10am at Good Books In The Woods. They will be reading both fiction and non-fiction. The books for the next three months have already been chosen by the club members. The book for June is Balzac & the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie. I don't have a clue what it's about. The book is in stock here at Good Books In The Woods and is available at a 15% discount to members of the book club. July's book is Mockingbird: a Potrait of Harper Lee by Charles Shields. August's book is About Alice by Calvin Trillin. The Women's Wednesday Morning Book Club had a great first meeting. If you'd like to join, please email me.

Tuesday - June 15th - at 7pm
Fiction Book Club
Good Books In The Woods

The book for June is Shadow of the Wind by Zafon. It's set in Barcelona and was a bestseller in Europe. It spent years on the Spanish bestseller lists. I've started it, and it's pretty good so far. It has an antiquarian book store in it and a mystery surrounding a vanished author. I like it.

Thursday - June 24th - at 7pm
Thursday - June 24th - at 7pm
Good Books In The Woods

The ultimate slacker bookclub doesn't meet again until June 24th. The book for June is Revolutionaries, A New History of the Invention of America. I hold out slim hope that the entire group will actually read it. I wonder if Thomas Jefferson is mentioned more than once in the book.

I have an interest in taking fiction writing classes. I've taken two classes at Montgomery College and one at Inprint all the way downtown. Montgomery College is a community college and the teachers are therefore limited in what they can teach in their classrooms. Inprint is just too far away. I am thinking about holding fiction classes at Good Books In The Woods taught by faculty from Montgomery College and Inprint. No limits. I'm talking to teachers about a short story class, a screenwriting class, and a novel class. These classes would not be free. All teachers would have a Masters in Fine Arts and be published writers. Is anyone interested in attending classes at Good Books In The Woods? Please let me know.

Thanks for reading — Jay

Thursday - April 8 - from 7pm to 9pm
Edward Hirsch
Montgomery College Lone Star in the LIbrary

The Poet Edward Hirsch will be reading his poetry and signing his books at Lone Star - Montgomery College starting at 7pm. Hirsch has published at least 7 books of poetry and has won the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is also the author of the prose book "The Demon and the Angel: Searching for the Source of Artistic Inspiration." Good Books In The Woods will be at the event selling Ed's books.

Friday - April 9 from 6pm
Spring and North Houston Film Meetup Group - Casting Call
Good Books In The Woods

We will be hosting a casting call for a short, 10 minute I think, film on Friday, April 9. I don't actually know what the film is about yet or what kind of roles are up for grabs. I don't know what kind of actors they're looking for either. I'm just a fountain of information at the moment. I can find out though. If anyone is interested in auditioning, please email me or Manny at springfilmgroup@gmail.com.

Saturday - April 10 - from 2pm
Colleen Thompson
Good Books In The Woods

Colleen Thompson is a Woodlands author of 17 romantic suspense novels. She will be signing her latest release "A Touch of Evil" at Good Books In The Woods on April 10th at 2pm. To benefit the 100 Club, Colleen auctioned off the right to name one of the characters in this book. The auction winner, Debbie Brown, will also be at the signing. I think the Chronicle will do a story on this.

Tuesday - April 13th - 6pm
Spring and North Houston Film Group - Casting Call
Good Books In The Woods

The casting calls continue for the 10 minute shorts made by this film group. Send Manny and email if you're interested in joining the group.

Tuesday - April 20th - from 7pm to 8:30pm
Fiction Book Club
Good Books In The Woods

The book for April is Swann's Way by Marcel Proust. This is a first for me. I've never read any of the great French novellists (except for Camus' The Stranger). I never thought I'd ever read Proust, but I'm giving it a shot. It's supposed to be great.

Wednesday - April 21st - 7pm
Spring and North Houston Film Meetup Group - Rehearsal
Good Books In The Woods

I don't know what the film group means by a rehearsal. I suggest you email their Prez, Manny, for more info if interested.

Thursday - April 22nd 6:30pm
VillaSport Book Club
VillaSport in The Woodlands

Good Books In The Woods sponsors this book club that meets at VillaSport. I believe you have to be a VillaSport member to join. My mom. Marta, is part of the book club. The book is Alexander Mcall Smith's The Unbearable Lightness of Scones.

Wednesday - April 28th - from 7pm to 8:30pm
Poetry Book Club
Good Books In The Woods

The Poets for April are Edward Hirsch and Jane Hirshfield. We have the books in stock. This is turning into a fun group. The discussion of the books usually includes video of the poets reading their own works. At the end of the meeting, everyone is encouraged to read a poem or two of their own writing.

Thursday - May 6th - from 7pm to 8:30pm
Non-Fiction Book Club
Good Books In The Woods

The chosen book is Six Easy Pieces by Feynman. It's a collection of physics lectures the great phycist gave to freshman and sophomore college students. I'm sure it's way beyond me. Luckily, some members of the group think they're scientists and have agreed to help the rest of us dummies understand it all.

Wednesday - May 12th - from 10am
Women's Wednesday Morning Book Club
Good Books In The Woods

This is a brand new book club we're just starting. It will meet the second Wednesday of every month at 10am at Good Books In The Woods. They will be reading both fiction and non-fiction. The first books for the first two months have already been chosen, but after that, all members will help choose the books. The book for May is Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country. It's about travelling around Australia. I just read the first few pages and I'm hooked. Too bad I'm also banned from the book club. In a Sunburned Country is now in stock at Good Books In The Woods and available to members and joining members of the book club at a 15% discount.

Cash Back Customer Loyalty Plan

We have instituted a new Cash Back Customer Loyalty Plan for 2010. Pick up a copy of the full details at our store. In brief, the plan works like this: Spend real money at Good Books In The Woods from now until November 15, 2010. Real money means cash, credit cards, debit cards, and checks that don't bounce.

On the Friday after Thanksgiving 2010, stop by Good Books In The Woods and receive a check for 5% of your real money purchases from 1/1/10 - 11/15/10. Or receive store credit equal to 8% of your real money purchases. Certain restrictions apply. Come see me for all the actual rules and details.

Wednesday - March 24th - from 7pm to 8:30pm
Poetry Book Club
Good Books In The Woods

The poet for March is Tony Hoagland. In 2002, the American Academy of Arts and Letters praised the Hoagland's work with a citation stating, "Tony Hoagland's imagination ranges thrillingly across manners, morals, sexual doings, kinds of speech both lyrical and candid, intimate as well as wild." He's won several awards and grants including two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the James Laughlin Award, and the 2005 Mark Twain Award from the Poetry Foundation.

Thursday - March 25th - from 7pm to 9pm
Screenwriting Class
Good Books In The Woods

Mario, fomerly of the Spring and North Houston Film Meetup Group, will be teaching a free screenwriting class at Good Books In The Woods. This event is primarily for members of The Woodlands Writers Guild. If you would like to attend the free class, please contact the President of The Woodlands Writer's Guild, Alberto Arcia. Alberto's email is damneato@aol.com. I am trying to get Good Books In The Woods more involved in the local amateur movie scene. We've already hosted a casting call that was a lot of fun.

Thursday - March 25th - 6:30 to 7:30pm
VillaSport Book Club
VillaSport

Marta (my mom) attends the VillaSport book club and sells the books they read. Marta actually brings the books to the meeting to make it easier on the members. The book they're reading now is "The Girl Who Played With Fire." The next they'll be reading is "The Unbearable Lightness of Scones" by Alexander McCall Smith. If you're a member of VillaSport and would like to join the book club, please contact their bar manager, Jim, at jim_riggs@villasport.com.

Saturday - March 27th - 10am until we run out.
Book Sale!
Good Books In The Woods

This Saturday will be Good Books In The Woods' first yard sale. We will have a tent-like thingy set up in the front yard. Any books in the yard are $1 for paperbacks and $2 for hardbacks. Cash only, tax included. Only the books in the yard are part of the sale. We're still arguing about which books to put in the sale, but I'm sure we will have hundreds, if not a couple thousand books in the sale. Books inside the store, and not part of the sale, will be 20% off (non-collectibles only).

Tuesday - March 30th - from 7pm to 8:30pm
Non-Fiction Book Club
Good Books In The Woods

The book for March is "The Wisdom of Crowds". It's an interesting book, but I'm already having disagreements with it. Perhaps I simply don't like the idea that a crowd could be smarter than me. It's somewhat disquieting when I think about it. Please note the date change for this book club. For March only, it will be on Tuesday the 30th.

Wednesday - March 31 - 11:00am
Middle Eastern Nobel Prize Winners
Good Books In The Woods

Either Dick or Jay will be teaching a free class for the Academy of Lifelong Learning on the three Middle Eastern Noble Prize winners for Literature. This class is part of ALL's wider look at Middle Eastern culture in general. You should register with ALL (it's free) to attend this class. The writers are Orhan Pamuk - Turkey 2006. Naguib Mahfouz - Egypt 1988. Shmuel Yosef Agnon - Israel 1966.

Thursday - April 1st - from 7pm to 9pm
North Houston and Spring Film Meetup Group
Good Books In The Woods

Manny, the President of The North Houston and Spring Film Group, has set an ambitious goal of completing one 10 minute film per month. The group is comprised of writers, directors, camerapersons, casting directors, and actors. No experience necessary to join the group. If learning to make movies is something you're interested in, please contact Manny at springfilmgroup@gmail.com.

Saturday - April 3rd - 10am to 5pm
Houston Indie Book Festival
Menil Park

Good Books In The Woods will be part of the Houston Indie Book Festival. The Book Festival is free to the public. We will be there along with more than 30 other indie book sellers, publishers, and writer's groups. Come on down to Menil Park and support the indie presses. Menil Park is located at the Menil Collection at 1515 Sul Ross Street, Houston, TX 77006.

Saturday, January 16th and 17th
Austin Book and Paper Show
Norris Conference Center, Austin, TX

We are headed to our 2nd book show! The Austin Book and Paper Show should be a great show. Hundreds of book dealers from around the country will gather to buy and sell books to each other and to collectors. We met some big dealers and collectors at the Houston show in November and we hope to continue to get our name out in the collecting world.

Thursday, January 19th from 7pm to 8:30pm
Author's - Fiction Book Club
Good Books In The Woods

The author for January is J.M. Coetzee, the South African born Nobel Prize winner.

Saturday, January 23rd
Montgomery County Teen Book Festival
The Woodlands College Park High School

The Teen Book Festival starts at 11:00am and lasts until 5:00pm. We will have a booth with 2 six-foot tables. We will be one of four vendors at the Festival. A total of seven authors will be on hand to sign their books. We've never been to this Festival before, but we have been told that hundreds of teenagers (maybe a couple thousand) could attend. Hundreds of teens. Maybe I'll finally figure out who egged my car last Halloween. Perhaps my sister should work this event. I have a headache already. Seriously though, it should be a great time. Bring your teen and hope he/she actually puts down their iPhone or video game long enough to glance at a book.

Wednesday, January 27th from 7pm to 8:30pm
Poetry Book Club
Good Books In The Woods

The Poetry Book Club skipped November and December meetings. We have adjusted the poet schedule accordingly. The poets for January are Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. The poet for Febuary will be Mark Doty.

Thursday, January 28th from 7pm to 8:30pm
Non-Fiction Book Club
Good Books In The Woods

The book for January is Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of the Species by Sean Carroll. Carroll is a molecular biologist at the University of Wisconsin. His book is about some of the fascinating people who have made significant discoveries in evolutionary biology. I'm actually reading this book. It's pretty good, although it's making me realize just how long it's been since I took a biology class.

Amazing the amount of stuff scientists have learned by digging around in the mud. My favorite chapter so far is about the scientist who came up with the theory that a large asteroid impact killed off the Dinasours. That scientist wasn't even a biologist. He was a Nobel prize winning physicist who had designed the detonators for the Manhattan Project and worked on biology in his retirement. He died a year or two before other scientists found the actual asteroid impact crater in the Gulf of Mexico.

Cash Back Customer Loyalty Plan

We have instituted a new Cash Back Customer Loyalty Plan for 2010. Pick up a copy of the full details at our store. In brief, the plan works like this: Spend real money at Good Books In The Woods from now until November 15, 2010. Real money means cash, credit cards, debit cards, and checks that don't bounce.

On the Friday after Thanksgiving 2010, stop by Good Books In The Woods and receive a check for 5% of your real money purchases from 1/1/10 - 11/15/10. Or receive store credit equal to 8% of your real money purchases. Certain restrictions apply. Come see me for all the actual rules and details.

We have been asked by several customers to expand our book club offerings. Is anyone interested in a Mystery or Thriller book club? Another non-fiction book club focused on a particular subject (investing, politics, etc.)? Any interest in a daytime Romance club? Obviously, we would need volunteers to lead the clubs. Please let me know what you're interested in.

Dick will be traveling to London this month. He knows quite a few dealers and great bookstores over there. If you have any book requests, please let me know soon. At the moment, we have requests for books published in Russia before 1917, and First Editions of some of the great English mystery writers. Dad enjoys the hunt, so the more obscure the request, the better.

Hope you all have a great 2010! Thanks for reading — Jay

Academy for Lifelong Learning (ALL) - Wednesday, September 2, from 9 - 11AM.

Dick (my dad) will be giving a presentation on The Value of First Editions and Signed Copies of Books.

This is a course through Lonestar Montogemery's ALL program. This is the first ALL class we've ever taught. It will be held here at Good Books In The Woods.

First Friday - September 4 until 10pm

We'll be open late for the art gallery crowd as First Friday returns to the Oak Ridge drive galleries. We'll have free wine.

Author's Book Club - Tuesday, September 15 7-8:30pm

This month's author is Elizabeth Strout. Pick any book by Strout. She has written three of them and has been nominated for the Orange Prize and the PEN/Faulkner award.

She also Won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Olive Kitteridge. You can view a more complete description of Elizabeth Strout's work here.

Humble Fiction Cafe - Saturday, September 19 Noon to 1:30pm

The Humble Fiction Cafe is a group of published writers who will be reading excerpts from their books at Good Books In The Woods. Their published works include Death by Dorlana Vann, Split by The Humble Fiction Cafe, A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers II by Susan H Miller, and Bring Me to Life by Theresa Laws.

Poetry Book Club Wednesday, September 23 from 7 to 8:30pm

The poet for September is Elizabeth Bishop. Read any of her poetry. We have The Complete Poems 1927-1979 in stock. Bishop was Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949-1950. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1956.

Friends of the Library - Mitchell Branch Library on Ashlane Way off Woodlands Parkway Tuesday, September 29 from 6:45 to 7:45pm

Dick (my dad) will be giving a presentation about his obsession with books. It should be a riveting story of our family's general insanity and how we ended up owning a book store. The presentation is open to the public and will be at the Mitchell Branch Library.

Non-Fiction Book Club - Thursday, October 1 from 7 to 8:30pm

The book for September (actually Oct 1) is Our Daily Meds by Melody Peterson. The Washington Post calls it "a fascinating introduction to one of the most powerful industries of our time." We now have it in stock.

Academy for Lifelong Learning (ALL) - Friday, October 2 from 6 to 8pm

The second ALL course at Good Books In The Woods. This will actually be a reading and presentation by local author William M Barnes. He has written two novels, Running on Edge and White Cockroach. Both are very well researched and are explorations of crucial topics in today's news. Running on Edge deals with illegal immigration and White Cockroach is about the current Mexican Drug Wars.

PRESS RELEASES

March 24, 2009, Houston Chronicle

The Chronicle Lifestyle section featured Good Books in the Woods: "Hobby Becomes an Obsession" Go to article

February 23, 2009, Woodlands Villager

The Woodlands Villager featured Good Books in the Woods:"Booked Up - Store offers 12,000 First Editions"
Go to article

First Friday - August 7th, from 7pm - 10pm

Good Books In The Woods will be open late Friday night along with Mossrock Art Gallery.

Saturday August 8th, at 1:00pm Storytime With Kathy Combs. Kathy Combs reads from her children's books Cowbow Sam and Those Confounded Secrets and The Foot-Stomping Adventures of Clementine Sweet. Kathy will also be signing her books. Kathy is a resident of The Woodlands and has been a Texan since the age of three. She will be the first in our series of local children's writers to read and sign their books here. Please bring your kids and come out and support Kathy. For more information on Kathy Combs and her books, please visit her official website kathycombs.com. Good Books In The Woods will provide free cookies and milk for all kids and parents.

Saturday August 15th, at 10:00am Storytime with Margaret McManis. Margaret will be reading from her children's books The Wild Texas Stampede! and Ima & The Great Texas Ostrich Race.

Tuesday August 18th, at 7:00pm

Author's Book Club The selected author for August is David Mitchell. Mitchell is the author of Cloud Atlas, Black Swan Green, Ghostwritten, and Number9Dream. His books have been finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, The Booker Prize, and The Costa Prize. He is one of the best British novellists writing today. Choose any of his books.

Saturday August 22nd at 1:00pm

Storytime with Sara Beachman. Sara will be reading from her children's book Miranda and The Tiger's Eye.

Tuesday August 25, at 7:00pm

Non-Fiction Book Club The selected book for August is Moorish Spain by Richard Fletcher. We will be seeking to understand why Islamic Culture collapsed after dominating the world in the fields of medicine, mathematics, astronomy, art, and poetry.

Wednesday August 26th, at 7:00pm

Poetry Book Club The selected poet for August is Pablo Neruda. Neruda won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Gabriel Garcia Marquez called him "the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language." Neruda read his poetry live in front of 100,000 people in Brazil and then in front of 70,000 people in Chile. Both readings took place in soccer stadiums. Pick any book of poetry by Neruda.

Thurday August 27th, at 7:00pm

Leon Arceneaux. Leon is a Woodlands resident who has published four novels and one book of non-fiction. He will be reading a selection from his novels and signing his books. Three of his novels are Thrillers/Suspense while the fourth is an epic love story.

Saturday August 29th, at 10:00am

Storytime with Megan Sankowski. Megan will be reading a surpirse selection of children's books.

July 24 - Naughty Nite in The Woods: The Woodlands Writers Guild will be performing at Good Books In The Woods starting at 7pm. This is a BYOB event. The Guild will be bringing musicians, poets, and comedians. Live music and naughty comedy skits. The Guild is billing this as a date night for their membership, but anyone who is interested in creative writing and thinks they may want to join The Guild is welcome to attend.

July 25 - Colleen Thompson - Colleen Thompson is a local author who writes Romantic Suspense novels. She was nominated for the RITA award for Best Romantic Suspense and won the Texas Gold for Best Mainstream Fiction. Other honors received by her books include a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, nominations from the Reviewers International Organization, Top Pick, KISS awards, and a reviewers' choice award nomination from Romantic Times Book Club Magazine, and a Perfect Ten from Romance Reviews Today. Her 14th and latest book, Beneath Bone Lake, came out in June. Colleen will be at Good Books In The Woods signing her books from 2pm - 4pm. July 25th is a Saturday, so please come out and support a local Woodlands author!

July 30 - Poet Laureates Shoot-Out Paul Ruffin, Poet Laureate of Texas, and Dave Parsons, Poet Laureate of Montgomery County, will be at Good Books In The Woods at 7:00pm. They will be reading their poetry and signing their books. Doors open at 6pm, readings start at 7:30. See our flyer.

July 7, 2009 - Philip Caudil, who lives in The Woodlands, has written a Civil War history book titled Moss Bluff Rebel, A Texas Pioneer in the Civil War - that has been published by Texas A&M University Press.

Mr. Caudil will be a guest speaker on Tuesday, July 7 at 7PM at a meeting of the Sons of the Confederacy of Granbury and will sign his book. The meeting will be held at Gander Mountain sporting goods megastore in Spring off the I-45.

First Friday - July 3, 2009 Good Books In The Woods will be open late, until 10pm. Moss Rock Art Gallery and Antique Pieces will both be open as well. I don't have anything specific planned for First Friday, but I'm sure I'll have some wine or beer so please drop by.

One more important event, is the addition of a new page to our website, featuring the book clubs we mentioned earlier in the month. Please check it out our "Clubs" page to see when your group - or groups will be meeting. The response to the book clubs has been positive and impressive. All of us here look forward to these opportunities to share our passion.

First Friday - June 5th, 2009 - We will be open late along with the art galleries. This month we will have free wine and snacks.

We have invited the Woodlands Writers Guild to give some readings on First Friday. The Woodlands Writers Guild is a group of published and un-published local authors.

The President of the Guild, Alberto Arcia, will read from his latest novel, Cut & Run: The Misadventures of Alex Perez. The novel has been purchased by Arte Publico Press of Houston and will be coming out on September 30, 2009. This picaresque novel whisks the reader on a sex and scam-filled escapade down the Pan American Highway. Alberto's reading will start at 8 pm. Arcia has also published a short story, Rejali and the Camel, through JD Publishing of Spring.

Guildmember Gail Collins will read her short story, Wee Bit Low. The story is set in a bar in Nigeria. It's a little out there, but also transports the reader to another contemporary place that is very different than home. Virtual travel with a punch. Gail lived in Nigeria for four years and while there she wrote the book Nigerian Gems: Expatriate Tales of Adventure.

Other guildmembers may also be reading.

First Friday - May 1, 2009 - Southern Star Brewing Company of Conroe, TX, will be at Good Books in the Woods from 7-9pm on Friday May 1, and they will be giving away free beer. That's right...giving away free beer. So come to the bookstore where everybody knows your name and help Southern Star celebrate their first anniversary in the brewing business.

Southern Star is also going to deliver a presentation on how to make your own beer. So have a brew and learn to brew, and while you're here, browse our stacks for our usual incredible bargains.

First Friday - April, 2009 = Every month Good Books in the Woods shines a spotlight on the arts. For the month of April, Good Books is shining their light on a uniquely American artform: Baseball.

And how could you possibly learn more about the game than by going to the park?

Well, you're in luck. Good Books will be giving away free tickets to the April 6-7-8, Astros/Cubs series at Minute Maid Park.

No purchase is necessary, but your visit would be a great opportunity to browse our selection of new and used sports books.

First Friday March, 2009 - in conjunction with Mossrock Studio and Lampros Gallery, Good Books is proud to present a collection of Margaret Scott Dobbins' work: "ORGANIC INCLINATIONS"

Showing March 6th thru March 31st, 11-6 M-F, Saturday 10-5 (and by apointment)

Click here to view a sample acrylic by Ms. Dobbins.

We will also be featuring the solo Latin and Jazz guitar stylings of Agustin Mayorquin.

Saturday March 7 thru Saturday March 14 - Good Books joins with the Woodlands Dog Park Club to raise funds and facilitate pet adoptions. View Event info here.

Good Books will make cash donations to Woodlands Dog Park Club for every sale and every donation.