Events

Join Storyline Bookshop for a discussion of Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.

About the book:

Set in the world of English aristocracy, Brideshead Revisited follows Charles Ryder and his entanglement with the Flytes, a great Catholic family. Exploring both privilege and pleasure denied, this classic tale is part romantic, part comedic, and part somber.

Join Storyline Bookshop for a discussion of Real Life by Brandon Taylor.

About the book:

Wallace is at odds with the Midwestern university he finds himself attending. An introverted young man from Alabama, black and queer, he has left his family behind without escaping his past. At school, Wallace has enforced a distance within his own circle of friends but, over the course of one tumultuous weekend, that defense begins to fracture, exposing both a hostility and desire within.

Join Storyline Bookshop for a discussion of The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig.

About the book:

When five friends go camping and find a mysterious staircase in the woods, only one of them is brave enough to climb the stairs. But once at the top, the boy never comes back down and the stairs disappear.

When the stairs appear twenty years later, the group returns to find out just exactly what happened to boy and the stairs...

Ease into your day with coffee, pastries, and the latest by R.F. Kuang, Katabasis.

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Bring your own journal, and we'll provide the craft supplies for a cozy night of junk journaling. Whether you are an avid scrapbooker, love to journal, or just want a relaxing night out with friends, join Storyline for all the fall vibes.

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Back by popular demand! Bring your bestie and come enjoy the fun. Prizes are available for all winners.

Storyline Bookshop is thrilled to welcome Michael Jerome Plunkett for a discussion of Zone Rouge. Michael will be signing copies of the book after the conversation.

About the Book:

We are démineurs. We dismantle bombs.

Ferrand Martin and his team of démineurs spend their days in the ruined fields of Zone Rouge on the periphery of Verdun, France where they clean up the artillery and explosives used in World War I. One bullet, one bit of shrapnel, one bomb at a time. The work, they say, is not measured in days, months, or years, but in generations. It’s taken a century to get this far, and it will take many more centuries to complete.

One morning, a routine call to pick up a half-buried artillery shell turns out to be much more than just a single missile: they discover a human skeleton, fully intact. Ferrand and his fellow démineurs dig deep into poisoned soil to reveal the past is rarely ever distant from the present.

This startling discovery kicks off a series of events that sees the usually desolate Zone Rouge teem with activity as academics, politicians, and locals all wrangle over the legacy of the War and what it means to remember. Zone Rouge is a brilliant reimagining of the Sisyphus myth suffused with our modern anxieties over war, climate, class, and the ghosts of our pasts.

Praise for Zone Rouge

"The scope and depth of Plunkett's vision is breathtaking and, like all good fiction, serves as a template to understand our private lives, as well as society as a whole. Zone Rouge promises to both devastate readers and reassemble them in new ways. Wonderful." —Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of TRIBE, WAR, THE PERFECT STORM

"An endearing page-turner, a stunning debut. Zone Rouge is a refreshing take on an ancient myth that feels contemporary yet retains its timeless message. Plunkett’s writing is precise and evocative and makes a strong petition against the idea that we are all victims of fate. Rather, by crafting a story equal parts absurd and profound, he unearths visceral truths about our power over our own destinies." —LtCol Tom Schueman, bestselling author of ALWAYS FAITHFUL

"The long, dark tail of war fills the alluring world of Zone Rouge, blighting the earth and shaping lives more than a century after the murderous Battle of Verdun. In the way only the best anti-war literature does, Michael Jerome Plunkett immerses us in the lasting consequences of humanity's old, ruinous lie, not by scolding or shouting, but by making us care for Ferrand Martin and his démineurs' endless toil. What beautiful writing and one hell of a debut." —Matt Gallagher, author of DAYBREAK

“Zone Rouge is a work of literature by a fine writer. This reimagining of Camus’ Myth of Sisyphus explores how we grapple with our impending death. With striking language and imagery, Plunkett creates a world that is a microcosm of the human condition. I urge you to read this riveting novel.” —Karl Marlantes, bestselling author of MATTERHORN, and WHAT IT IS LIKE TO GO TO WAR

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About the Author:

Michael Jerome Plunkett is a writer from Long Island. He served in the United States Marine Corps and worked as an EMT in South Carolina. He is the Co-founder and Executive Director of the Literature of War Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to enriching the minds of those in uniform by providing access to exceptional literature and fostering meaningful discussions around military experiences, leadership, and the human condition. He hosts its podcast, The LitWar Podcast which has featured guests such as Elliot Ackerman, Phil Klay, and Emily St. John Mandel. He led the Patrol Base Abbate Book Club for veterans and hosted guests such as Sebastian Junger, Ocean Vuong, and Kaveh Akbar. He was a 2021 VCCA Fellow. He was a scholar in the 2024 Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. He was a 2025 resident in the Edith Wharton Writing Residency. His writing has been published in The Wrath-Bearing Tree, The War Horse, Leatherneck Magazine, Coffee or Die, Dirtbag Magazine, and Lethal Minds Journal. Zone Rouge is his first novel.

Join Storyline Bookshop for a discussion of Maggie; or a Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar by Katie Yee.

About the book:

When a woman discovers her husband's affair during what was meant to be a romantic dinner, her heartbreak is soon eclipsed by a breast cancer diagnosis—she names the tumor "Maggie," after the other woman. Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar is a poignant, darkly humorous exploration of grief, identity, and the strange paths toward healing.

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Join Storyline Bookshop for a discussion of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

About the book:

Piranesi lives in a mysterious, infinite house filled with endless halls, countless statues, and a trapped ocean whose tides he knows intimately. His only contact is a man called The Other, who seeks hidden knowledge—but as Piranesi uncovers strange clues, a darker truth about his world begins to emerge.

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Join Storyline Bookshop for a discussion of Rose in Chains by Julie Soto.

About the book:

The war is lost, the hero is dead, and Princess Briony Rosewood is captured as darkness falls over her kingdom. Stripped of her magic and sold at auction to Toven Hearst—a man from a brutal, powerful family—Briony must navigate a new life under enemy control. But even in a world ruled by cruelty, hope can sometimes be found in the unlikeliest of places.

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Stop by after school and make complementary friendship bracelets while talking about your favorite books. Meet other bookworms in the neighborhood and get some great book recommendations for your fall reading list!

Join Storyline Bookshop for a discussion of Over Growth by Mira Grant.

About the book:

Since the age of three, Anastasia Miller has claimed she's an alien left behind on Earth, waiting for her people to return—claims no one ever took seriously. But when a mysterious signal from space begins broadcasting globally, the world starts to realize the warning was real all along. As an alien invasion looms and Stasia’s true family approaches, the question becomes: what happens when the truth was always there, and no one listened?

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Join Storyline Bookshop for a discussion of Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.

About the book:

Cat’s Cradle is Kurt Vonnegut’s darkly comic take on humanity’s infatuation with science, religion, and destruction. Blending absurdity with apocalypse, the novel follows a cast of characters as they grapple with a doomsday weapon and a made-up faith called Bokononism. Both hilarious and haunting, it’s a sharp satire that cemented Vonnegut’s place as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.

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Join Storyline Bookshop for a discussion of Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones.

About the book:

When a 1912 diary hidden in a wall is uncovered, it reveals a chilling account tied to the deaths of 217 Blackfeet left in the snow. Through a series of confessional interviews, a man named Good Stab recounts his eerie life and the long arc of vengeance that follows. Written by horror master Stephen Graham Jones, this is a haunting American Indian revenge tale steeped in history and blood.

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Celebrate the first day of fall and the iconic fall movie "You’ve Got Mail" with us. Spend your day reliving the charm of this classic film through various themed activities and surprises that capture the essence of autumn romance.

Bring your favorite coloring book or pick one up from the shop for a relaxing evening of coloring with your bookish friends.

Join Storyline Bookshop for a cozy fall storytime for kids! Enjoy dreamy woodland-themed stories and a craft to take home.

Join Storyline Bookshop for a Midnight Release Party celebrating the 20th Anniversary Edition of Twilight. Doors open late for this exclusive event—don’t miss your chance to relive the magic of Twilight at midnight!

Storyline Bookshop is thrilled to welcome Jeffrey Smalldon for a discussion of That Beast Was Not Me. Jeffrey will sign copies of the book following the discussion.

About the author:

Dr. Jeffrey Smalldon is a board-certified forensic psychologist whose distinguished career has spanned over five decades, during which he consulted on nearly 300 death penalty cases and performed more than 1,000 criminal forensic evaluations. His early correspondence with members of the Manson Family sparked a lifelong interest in understanding the minds of murderers, which later led him to work directly with some of the most notorious serial killers in American history, including Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Donald Harvey.

About the book:

In 1975, after Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford, FBI agents discovered a cache of letters in her Sacramento apartment. The return address led them to a young undergraduate—future forensic psychologist Jeffrey Smalldon.

Ten years later, after the brutal, unsolved murders of two colleagues, Smalldon’s professional fascination with killers became deeply personal.

That Beast Was Not Me chronicles his fifty-year journey into the minds of murderers—including Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Donald Harvey, and sniper Thomas Lee Dillon. Through chilling correspondence, interviews, and firsthand encounters, Smalldon offers an unflinching exploration of evil and the human capacity for violence.

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Storyline Bookshop is thrilled to welcome Amanda Goetz for a discussion of Toxic Grit in conversation with Amy Nelson. Amanda will be signing books following the discussion.

About the author:

Amanda Goetz is a 2x Founder, CEO and 4x CMO. She is an inspirational writer and content creator captivating millions of people every month through her social insights and newsletter “Life’s a Game”. Amanda graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and went on to lead marketing teams at Ernst & Young, The Knot and still advises as Fractional CMO to multiple startups. She started her last company, House of Wise, during the pandemic in her garage, raised two rounds of venture capital and sold it in 2022 all while homeschooling three young children as a single mom. She found love again and lives with her partner and 3 kiddos in Miami, FL after a decade dodging hustle culture in NYC.

About the book:

Modern ambition is broken…..and we are the ones breaking under it. In response to the toxic mindset of having it all, this bold, perspective-shifting debut reframes what it means to be ambitious in a culture that demands we do it all to have it all. Through radical vulnerability, heartfelt storytelling, science backed frameworks and real-world tools, Amanda Goetz, a former CEO and single mom of three, will help you build systems for a life that honors your ambition and your joy. In this book you’ll learn:

• How to identify and create space for all the roles you play and stop feeling like you’re failing at all of them
• How to reclaim presence in your day
• Why balance is a myth but intentional balance is the key to thriving
• How to unlearn hustle culture and create a version of success that fuels you
• The secret to setting boundaries that protect your energy without guilt
• A new approach to productivity that prioritizes what actually matters in that moment
• How to reconnect with pleasure, joy and the parts of yourself that ambition pushed aside

Whether you’re leading teams, raising kids, or rebuilding your life, Toxic Grit offers more than advice - it offers real world tools and systems to create a life that honors all parts of you.

Welcome to a new approach to ambition.

About Amy Nelson:

Amy Nelson is an entrepreneur, creator and activist. The mother of 4 young daughters, Amy pivoted from her career as an attorney in 2017 to build The Riveter, a digital media and career platform dedicated to giving professional women the information and skills to make money outside of corporate America. She raised $30 million in venture capital, started a column in Forbes, and was featured everywhere from the TODAY Show to Fortune's Most Powerful Women. Amy also hosted a successful iHeartMedia podcast, What's Her Story with Sam and Amy, and Inc named her to its Female Founders 100. Amy is also a justice reform advocate. You can follow her on all platforms at @amy_k_nelson.

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