The Tombolo Book Club highlights the best of literary fiction and non-fiction. 

We meet every other month, on the fourth Thursday, at 6:30 p.m. at the bookstore (though, for now, we'll be meeting virtually). There is no cost to join. 

For our second meeting, we'll be reading Lab Girl, a memoir by geobiologist Hope Jahren. She has spent her life studying trees, flowers, seeds, and soil, and her book explores her love of plant life from her Minnesota childhood to the lab she shares with her beloved lab manager, Bill. Jahren writes with warmth and curiosity about love and work.

Our facilitator is local librarian Mallory Arents. To RSVP and receive a Zoom link, email bookclubs@tombolobooks.com.

Tombolo Books is excited to host author and musician, Paul Wilborn, for an evening of music and conversation to celebrate the Gold Medal edition of Cigar City: Tales from a 1980s Creative Ghetto. 

Register for the event through our GOOGLE FORM and a Zoom link will be sent to you closer to the event date. Pre-order a signed copy of the book HERE. Please make sure you indicate how you would like your book inscription to be personalized in the order notes! 

Paul will be joined in coversation by Colette Bancroft. Colette is the book editor at the Tampa Bay Times and editor of the thrilling antholgy, Tampa Bay Noir, to which she also contributed a story.  

Cigar City: Tales From a 1980s Creative Ghetto, is a collection of linked short stories about the young artists, writers, poets, musicians and actors who inhabited Tampa’s Ybor City in the 1980s. Drawn by urban authenticity and cheap rents, they created a surreal, chaotic arts scene set against the backdrop of the empty cigar factories and shotgun shacks of Tampa’s immigrant past. Ybor drew international artists like James Rosenquist, Jim Dine and dozens more, and mirrored what was happening in New York’s Alphabet City.

The stories are fictional but they capture the spirit of the district during the 1980s. The collection is illustrated with photos from the era by Bud Lee and David Audet.

About the Author: A native of Tampa, Paul Wilborn collected multiple awards from the American Society of Newspaper Editors and the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors during a journalism career that included stints at the Tampa Tribune, The St. Petersburg Times and the Associated Press in Los Angeles. He won the Green Eyeshade Award from the Atlanta Chapter of Sigma Delta Chi, the South’s top writing prize. Based on a selection of his writing, Wilborn was chosen for the Paul Hansel Award, Florida’s top journalism prize. He was a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan.
 
His plays have been produced at Stageworks, Off-Center Theater, Radio Theater Project and University of Michigan.
 
A pianist and singer, he has led several bands including Paul Wilborn and the Pop Tarts and Blue Roses. He produced the long-running American Songbook Series at American Stage.
 
In the 1980s, Wilborn was a founding member of Ybor City’s Artists and Writers Group, which created multiple themed art and music events in the Tampa’s historic district.

 

Bring the whole family for an afternoon with authors and friends of Tombolo, Rob Sanders and Erica Sirotich. We are celebrating the release of their books Bling Blaine: Throw Glitter, Not Shade and Can We Be Friends?: Unexpected Animal Friendships from Around the World. 

Register for the event through our GOOGLE FORM and a Zoom link will be sent to you closer to the event date. Order a signed copy of 
Bling Blaine and Can We Be Friends?   
Blaine’s a boy who loves to shine . . . well actually, he loves to sparkle. Whether it's his uniform, his book bag, or even his baseball cap, Blaine’s all about the bling. But when his bling rubs some people the wrong way, and the bullying begins, Blaine—along with the entire school—starts to lose his shine. Can Blaine's friends bring back his glimmer and gleam by glittering up their own wardrobes? This delightful story proves that anyone can love bling, and that happiness comes when allies band together to throw glitter—not shade.

 Rob Sanders is a St. Petersburg local and   the   author of the nonfiction picture   books Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and   the Rainbow Flag, Peaceful Fights for   Equal Rights, Stonewall: A Building. An   Uprising. A Revolution, Mayor Pete, and   The Fighting Infantryman. These days, he   teaches elementary school kids about   books and words and reading and writing,   and writes books for those same kids.
Take a journey exploring five unexpected animal friendships! This adorable picture book, based on real-life stories, showcases popular duos like Mzee the tortoise and Owen the hippo and Koko the gorilla and her kittens, as well as lesser-known ones like Kumbali the cheetah and Kago the dog.
 

 Erica Sirotich is an illustrator residing in St.   Petersburg, Florida. She likes animals, coffee,   books, and adding to her collections of rocks,   stamps, and Japanese kokeshi. Her dog Russell   Redfur keeps her company while she draws all day.

 Erica has written and illustrated three books and   illustrated several others. In 2020, both MAIL   DUCK   (Abrams Appleseed) and CAN WE BE         FRIENDS (HarperCollins) make their way into the world. Her authorial debut, the picture book FOUND DOGS, was published by Dial in 2017. She’s also illustrated books for Little Simon, Running Press, and Albert Whitman & Co.

 

Tombolo Books' social justice book club celebrates books that tackle deep-seated issues from race to capitalism to immigration to criminal justice. We aim for thought-provoking discussions and actionable steps in a welcoming space. We hope that our discussions will lead us to interrogate how these issues show up in the communities in which we live and how we can think about social change at local, national, and international levels.

For now, we're meeting virtually. There is no cost to join.

For our late September meeting, we'll be discussing Winners Take All: : The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giriharadas. In NPR's roundup of the best books of 2018, critic Jessica Smith wrote: “The past years have seen some outstanding books on how philanthropists and their dollars have shaped public policy . . .  [Giridharadas] zeros in on what he sees as a glaring hypocrisy among affluent elites: that while many well-meaning (and well-off) Americans claim to want to improve society's inequalities, they don't challenge the structures that preserve that inequality, not wanting to jeopardize their own privileged positions.”

Copies are available at tombolobooks.com. Our facilitators are Matthew and Susie, who are both white folks and community-engaged residents of St. Pete passionate about justice, equity, and acting locally while thinking globally.

To RSVP and receive a Zoom link, please email bookclubs@tombolobooks.com.
 

Reading the Mind, Tombolo Books' new mental health and wellness book club, delves into books about the brain. Our readings will take us through different genres, such as memoir and narrative non-fiction, and through dark valleys, uplifting stories and new strategies for understanding our minds. There is no cost to join.

We meet every other month, on the first Thursday of that month, at 7:00 p.m. While we will eventually meet at the bookstore, we're sticking to virtual meetings for now.

For our October meeting, we'll be discussing Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker. This book intrigued us with its heartrending true story of a midcentury American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, that became science's great hope in the quest to understand the disease. Clear and compassionate, the story examines the Galvin family's legacy of suffering, love and hope.

To RSVP, please email bookclubs@tombolobooks.com for a Zoom link.

Our facilitator is Lindsey Epperson, who is a licensed clinical social worker and practitioner at Sunshine City Counseling here in St Pete.

When you think of horror, you probably think of shelves of Stephen King or Dean Koontz books. In this book club, we’re going to go beyond those titles into a deeper realm of contemporary literature.

The horror genre is experiencing a boom right now and includes some of the highest quality fiction writing you’ll find anywhere. In this club we will explore how horror can help us confront horrifying times, how it can be terrifically empowering, and the nature of fear on both a societal and a personal level.

Our next read is The Fisherman by John Langan.

In gorgeous, erudite prose, John Langan weaves a frame story on a loom of tragedy. Two men are brought together in upstate New York who share two things: a passion for fishing and profound grief. When they begin to hear rumors of Dutchman’s Creek, an infamous but also apparently legendary fishing hole, they decide to try and find the elusive spot. What unfolds, from the pages of legend, history, and myth, is a dark tale of secrets, the occult, and a terrifying, enormous truth. This story plays out like no other and is a great example of the cosmic horror sub-genre. It won the 2016 Stoker Award for Best Novel.

Luckily for us, the author has agreed to join us for a portion of the Zoom meeting! 

To RSVP and receive a Zoom link, email bookclubs@tombolobooks.com.

Tombolo Books is thrilled to host acclaimed author Monte Burke and to celebrate his latest release Lords of the Fly: Maddness, Obsession, and the Hunt for the World-Record Tarpon. It's an event avid anglers won't want to miss!!

Register for the event through our GOOGLE FORM and a Zoom link will be sent to you closer to the event date. Pre-order a signed copy of the book HERE. 

 

"This is a story of the obsessed, unhinged, and often brilliant dreamers who chase giant tarpon--a primeval fish with breathtaking glamour and ungodly strength. The thrill of hooking one on a fly rod is impossible to exaggerate, so you can believe every word of Monte Burke's funny, wistful, wonderful book. He's clearly as sick as the rest of us.  -- Carl Hiaasen
 

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, something unique happened in the quiet little town on the west coast of Florida known as Homosassa. The best fly anglers in the world—Lefty Kreh, Stu Apte, Ted Williams, Tom Evans, Billy Pate and others—all gathered together to chase the same Holy Grail: The world record for the world’s most glamorous and sought-after fly rod species, the tarpon.

In Lords of the Fly, Burke, an obsessed tarpon fly angler himself, delves into this incredible moment.  He examines the growing popularity of the tarpon, an amazing fish has been around for 50 million years, can live to 80 years old and can grow to 300 pounds in weight. It is a massive, leaping, bullet train of a fish.  When hooked in shallow water, it produces “immediate unreality,” as the late poet and tarpon obsessive, Richard Brautigan, once described it.

Burke also chronicles the heartbreaking destruction that exists as a result—brought on by greed, environmental degradation and the shenanigans of a notorious Miami gangster—and how all of it has shaped our contemporary fishery.

Filled with larger-than-life characters and vivid prose, Lords of the Fly is not only a must read for anglers of all stripes, but also for those interested in the desperate yearning of the human condition.

Monte Burke is the author of the New York Times bestseller, “Saban: The Making of a Coach," a biography of Alabama head coach, Nick Saban and “Sowbelly: The Obsessive Quest for the World Record Largemouth Bass," which was named one of the best books of the year by Sports Illustrated and Amazon, and was chosen for Barnes & Noble's "Discover Great New Writers" program. He is a contributing editor at Forbes, Garden & Gun and The Drake. Follow him on Twitter @monteburke or at monteburke.com.

 

The Gabber Book Club, in partnership with Tombolo Books, aims to celebrate Florida authors and great books set in our state. We meet every second Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Historic Peninsula Inn (though, for now, we'll be meeting virtually). There is no cost to join.

October's selection is The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. This slim novel packs explosive yet plainspoken power and trains its lens on Florida's entrenched history of racial injustice. Whitehead made history this year as one of a small number of authors to win the Pulitzer Prize in fiction twice. 

Every month will feature a different facilitator from the Gulfport community. If you'd like facilitate a book club, reach out to the Gabber here.

If you want to download the audiobook or read the book virtually, you can support indie bookstores by doing so from libro.fm.

To RSVP and receive a Zoom link, please email bookclubs@tombolobooks.com.

The Cat's Meow is a group of people that have a crazy dream - that swing dancing can save the world! This St. Petersburg based business has been cutting a rug for three years now, putting on workshops and community events that connect people through the collaborative spirit of jazz and vernacular dance, teaching respect and our collective history each step of the way.

The Cat's Meow:  Vintage moves, a progressive movement.

Its book club has returned in partnership with Tombolo Books, offering a way to still engage in the vibrant history and art of jazz and dance, all from the comfort and safety of your home. This month, the club will read Blues Legacies and Black Feminism by Angela Davis.

The meeting is open to the public.

"From one of this country's most important intellectuals comes a brilliant analysis of the blues tradition that examines the careers of three crucial black women blues singers through a feminist lens. Angela Davis provides the historical, social, and political contexts with which to reinterpret the performances and lyrics of Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday as powerful articulations of an alternative consciousness profoundly at odds with mainstream American culture."

A Zoom link will be available here closer to the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1213137189067422

Join the Writing Barn and Tombolo Books for a virtual launch of Naheed Hasnat Senzai and Shannon Hitchcock’s, Flying Over Water, a Middle Grade novel that “Movingly highlights a generation of youth at the center of progressive change.” – Kirkus, starred review.

Register for this event through the Writing Barn HERE and preorder your signed copy of Flying Over Water from Tombolo Books HERE! 

Award winners N.H. Senzai and Shannon Hitchcock have combined their talents to craft a heartrending Own Voices story told in dual perspectives.

Author/Writing Barn Founder/Creative Director, Bethany Hegedus, will lead an inspiring conversation with Naheed, Shannon, The Reverend Vicki Walker( Hyde Park UMC), and Janet Blair (the Community Liaison for Refugee Services, Suncoast Region).

The panel will discuss the current social and political environment, the Syrian refugee crisis, community outreach, and how educators can use Flying Over Water to build bridges of understanding with their students and address the current challenges we face.

About the panel: 
 

 Shannon Hitchcock is the author of One True Way, Ruby   Lee & Me, and The Ballad of Jessie Pearl. Her books have   been featured on many state awards lists and have   received acclaimed reviews. Shannon divides her time   between Florida and North Carolina.For more, visit her   website at shannonhitchcock.com.

 N.H. Senzai is the award-winning author of Escape from   Aleppo, Ticket to India, and Saving Kabul Corner. Her   first novel for young readers, Shooting Kabul, was the   winner of the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award   (APALA) for Young Adult Literature, was an NPR   Backseat Book Club Pick, and appeared on numerous   awards lists.Ms. Senzai lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.Visit her online at NHSenzai.com.
 

 Rev. Vicki Walker serves as the Minister of Missions and   Outreach at Hyde Park United Methodist Church in   Tampa where she is beginning her 22nd year.In this role,   she helps bridge the faith community and the world,   and in partnership respond to emerging societal issues   by building relationships between them.
 

 For the past 11 years, Janet Blair has served in the role   of Regional Liaison for the state of Florida’s Refugee   Services Program, administered by the Department of   Children and Families. In this role, Janet works with   service providers and community partners in the   SunCoast Region which includes Hillsborough, Pinellas,   Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota, Lee and Collier counties.

Janet also facilitates two coalitions, the Tampa Bay Refugee Task Force and the SWFL Refugee Task Force, that bring together federal, state, and local community leaders to work together in helping refugees settle and integrate into their new communities.

This is a Florida-themed book club for members of the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club. For now, the group will have meet-ups on Zoom. In the future the club hopes to make this a regular in-person thing.

RSVP on the St. Pete Shuffle member portal at https://spsc.wildapricot.org/event-3940108 to get the Zoom link.

In this bravura follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.

Based on the real story of a reform school that operated for 111 years and warped the lives of thousands of children, The Nickel Boys is a devastating, driven narrative that showcases a great American novelist writing at the height of his powers.

Whitehead will be speaking at the Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading on November 12-14.

Enid Shomer joins Tombolo Books for an evening of poetry and conversation. Shomer will share her latest collection, Shoreless, and we promise the words inside are just as beautiful as the cover! 

Register for the event through our GOOGLE FORM and a Zoom link will be sent to you closer to the event date. Pre-order your copy of the book HERE.