This summer, we’re continuing our partnership with the Bryant Park Reading Room for their Book Club event series. Check out the incredible line up of speakers appearing—including authors Helen Ellis, Kristen Radke, Kalyn Fogarty, and Penguin Classics VP & Publisher, Elda Rotor. Plus, enter to win our sweepstakes below!
Interested in attending Bryant Park’s Reading Room events?
Click to View the Summer 2021 Bryant Park Reading Room Schedule.
Bryant Park is located behind the New York Public Library in Midtown Manhattan, between 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
Click for Directions.
All events are free and open to the public.
July 15th, 3:00pm
Short Story:
Bring Your Baggage and Don’t Pack Light: Essays by Helen Ellis
The bestselling author of American Housewife and Southern Lady Code returns with a viciously funny, deeply felt collection of essays on friendship among grown-ass women.
“An uproarious joyride, best enjoyed with a souvenir cup of white wine. Her tales of travels and tribulations with her middle-aged crew are both deep and deeply funny, seeded with bumper-sticker lines like, ‘Instead of a chip on my shoulder, I keep a Nestlé morsel under my brastrap.’”—Martha Stewart Living
“As with everything written by the Alabama-born novelist who gave us Southern Lady Code, this collection of twelve essays is equal parts irreverent and poignant—a mirthful toast to friendship at middle age.”—Southern Living
A New York Times New and Noteworthy Book • A PureWow Best Beach Read of 2021 • A Buzzfeed Book to Read this Summer • A People Best Book of the Week
Available in Hardcover, eBook, Audio, and Large Print Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click for a Discussion Guide.
July 29th, 3:00pm
Classics:
Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief by Maurice Leblanc (presented by Elda Rotor, Penguin Classics VP & Publisher)
A curated collection of the very best adventures of Arsène Lupin, France’s most famous gentleman thief.
The poor and the innocent have nothing to fear from Lupin; often they profit from his spontaneous generosity. The rich and powerful, and the detective who tries to spoil his fun, however, must beware. They are the target of Lupin’s mischief. With plans that frequently evolve into elaborate plots, Lupin is a gentleman burglar turned detective, and the most entertaining criminal genius in literature.
These stories—the best of the Lupin series, including “The Queen’s Necklace” and “Arsène Lupin in Prison”—are outrageous and witty, for the full enjoyment of those who love masters of disguise, extraordinary heists, and the panache found with Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Ocean’s Eleven and Lupin.
Available in Trade Paperback and eBook Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click to Watch the Trailer for Lupin: Part 2 on Netflix.
August 12th, 3:00pm
Graphic Novel:
Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness by Kristen Radke
From the acclaimed author of Imagine Wanting Only This—a timely and moving meditation on isolation and longing, both as individuals and as a society.
In Seek You, Kristen Radtke’s wide-ranging exploration of our inner lives and public selves, Radtke digs into the ways in which we attempt to feel closer to one another, and the distance that remains. Through the lenses of gender and violence, technology and art, Radtke ushers us through a history of loneliness and longing, and shares what feels impossible to share.
Ranging from the invention of the laugh-track to the rise of Instagram, the bootstrap-pulling cowboy to the brutal experiments of Harry Harlow, Radtke investigates why we engage with each other, and what we risk when we turn away. With her distinctive, emotionally-charged drawings and deeply empathetic prose, Kristen Radtke masterfully shines a light on some of our most vulnerable and sublime moments, and asks how we might keep the spaces between us from splitting entirely.
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
August 26th, 3:00pm
Fiction:
What We Carry by Kalyn Fogarty
Fans of Caroline Leavitt will relish this rich, complex novel born of the author’s own loss and grief, about how one can overcome tragedy through bravery and self-discovery.
“Heartbreakingly honest and wonderfully emotional, What We Carry is a poignant and heartfelt novel of learning—and loving—through loss, filled with characters you long to root for.”—Kate Hewitt, USA Today bestselling author of When You Were Mine
“This fresh, unflinchingly honest story depicts the chronic ache of grief, the challenge of self-forgiveness, and ultimately, the achievement of a new sense of balance. With fully drawn characters that will live in your heart long after the last page, this moving portrait is not to be missed.”—Rebecca Hodge, author of Wildland
Available in Trade Paperback and eBook Editions.
Enter to Win Our Bryant Park Reading Room Sweepstakes!
One lucky winner will receive copies of this summer’s featured books—including Bring Your Baggage and Don’t Pack Light by Helen Ellis, Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief by Maurice Leblanc, Seek You by Kristen Radke, and What We Carry by Kalyn Fogarty—as well as swag from the Iconic Bryant Park Collection: an “I Love Bryant Park” Mug, Accessory Pouch, and Iconic Bryant Park Tray.
