Confessions of a GBF Book-a-holic

By Jennie Cottrell | Published May 18, 2018

by committee member Paul Stankus

OK. I have a problem. I admit it.

So many books, so few dollars. Not long after the previous year’s festival, we begin planning for the following year. I squeal with silent glee as each author attending is announced, making little notes on whatever scrap of paper I brought with me Every meeting, my to-be bought list grows.

“Breathe,” I tell myself. “You are limited to 3 or 4 books this year.”—but then I hear the narrator in my head (usually in Mayor Jud Ashman’s voice.) ‘If you can support your favorite author at the Gaithersburg Book Festival, buy a book.’ –and I do. (Most people have Morgan Freeman narrating their nocturnal delusions. I have Jud Ashman narrating GBF dreams inside my head. But I digress.)

Someone help me. I need Jon Methven’s “Therapy Mammals” to overcome my addiction.

Who among you can choose a favorite child? Yes, I failed quite miserably again to whittle down my list. Here’s this year’s diamond dozen books at the Gaithersburg Book Festival which I can’t live without.

“Circe” (Madeline Miller) I’ve been waiting for 5 years to read Madeline Miller’s stunningly beautiful prose again after her debut novel Song of Achilles. In the pantheon of living writers, no one can breathe life into words better than Madeline Miller and Circe is the first book on my summer reading list.
“Poe” (Gareth Hinds) The Tell-tale heart, Anabelle Lee and the Cask of Amontillado all come to life in Gareth’s graphic novel. Poe was my favorite author as a teenager—and I will always hold a soft spot in my heart for the author who convinced my son that reading the Odyssey is fun.
“What We Reckon” (Eryk Pruitt) Eryk does to writing what Gallagher does to watermelons—Strike fast. Bludgeon with a mallet. Leave gooey word entrails splattered on the walls dripping onto the pages of the book. It’s no wonder they call him the next Quinten Tarantino.
“Ghost Ship of Brooklyn” (Robert Watson) Staff pick at the Museum of the American Revolution, this book traces the treatment of American prisoners of war kept on ships in New York Harbor. I can almost smell the sorrow of human suffering shackled below decks.
“Dinner in Camelot” (Joseph Esposito) Dubbed “The Egghead Roll on the South Lawn” – this book chronicles a dinner during the Kennedy Administration when they invited the best and the brightest – Nobel Laureates, scientists, authors, poets, and statesmen to a grand banquet at the White House to discuss the science and power of ideas. (Bonus: I will be introducing Joseph Esposito at 10:35 AM in the James Michener tent).
“Night of the Flood” (E.A. Aymar, editor) Package several up and coming authors together, add EA Aymar’s bombast and you have a recipe for fun. EA Aymar has brought some of his n’aer do wells/ crime writer syndicate together to talk crime fiction. They’re always my secret vice/ guilty pleasure at GBF. Plus, if you can’t get enough of Ed, he’s doing a Noir at the Bar after the Festival at Greene Growlers.
“Death of the Assassin” (Ann Marie Ackerman) Sometimes the best crime stories are completely true—like the story of the assassin who killed a German Mayor 150 years ago, fled to the United States and died defending Robert E. Lee. (Bonus: if you come to the presentation on this at 3:15 PM in Michener, you get to see the German town’s current mayor bestow the reward money on the descendants of the person who solved the crime.)
“Carousel Beach” (Orly Konig) Local Gaithersburg author makes good and has just released her second novel just in time for shore and waves. It’s already packed with sunscreen for my summer cruise.
“Therapy Mammals” (Jon Methven) If there’s one recurring GBF author who has a fangirl (and fanboy) following –well, besides Dave Roman– it’s zany, maniacal Jon Methven. The follow-up to “This is Your Captain Speaking” will have you rolling in the plane aisles or being dragged down them by security. Get your exclusive copy from Politics and Prose on Festival day.
“Advocating Overlord” (Philip Padgett) Did you know D-Day almost never happened? Today, we think of it as a given, but there was a time that everything could have imploded before the first soldiers hit Utah beach. This book pulls back the cover of the politics behind the decisions and provides context that the newsreels don’t portray.
“The Sky at Her Feet” (Nadia Hashimi) I’ve recently become a fan of Nadia Hashimi’s eloquent writing and her portrayal of life in Afghanistan. Looking forward to reading her newest book.
“I’m the One who Got Away” (Andrea Jarrell) This book is raking in so much positive buzz and accolades that I can’t wait to dig into it. What’s even more impressive is that this is Andrea Jarell’s literary debut. Expect to hear more great things from her in the coming years.