![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/unnamed_1d6cff.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Hello, fellow bookworms!<\/p>\n
Summer, my favorite season, might be on its way out, but starting September 11, one of my favorite yearly Santa Barbara events is about to begin \u2014 the\u00a0Mary Jane McCord Planned Parenthood Book Sale<\/a>! I\u2019m sure I don\u2019t need to inform anyone that the federal government is threatening to defund Planned Parenthood as much as possible, meaning that countless people will lose access to the health care it provides. (For more information, click here<\/a>.) But the good news is that so many people are willing to fight and donate to make sure everyone has access to the resources and care that Planned Parenthood provides!<\/p>\n Abortion\u00a0is\u00a0healthcare, but Planned Parenthood clinics do\u00a0much more than that<\/a>. From sexual health education to STD screenings and treatment, cancer screenings, and gender-affirming care, Planned Parenthood clinics provide an invaluable service to our community.<\/p>\n I encourage everyone to\u00a0support Planned Parenthood<\/a>, buy as many books as you can carry, and make some new friends and connections in the process! I\u2019ll see you there.<\/p>\n \u2014Tessa,\u00a0allbooked@independent.com<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n Now I\u2019ll hand things over to our wonderful Copy Editor Nathan Vived to bring us an exciting upcoming book by area author Simon Tolkien as well as some Superman awesomeness. (Did anyone else cry at the new\u00a0Superman\u00a0film? I did\u2026.)<\/p>\n The Room of Lost Steps\u00a0by Simon Tolkien<\/a><\/p>\n The sequel to\u00a0The Palace at the End of the Sea<\/a>,\u00a0Lost Steps\u00a0continues the tale of Theo Sterling as he contends with the powder keg of the Spanish Civil War. In a time and place when nuance is bled from the hearts of men and violence is worth more than lives, Theo is forced to reconcile his beliefs with his wants and discover his place in a conflict where individuality is reserved solely for the ideologue leaders in the blood-washed streets of Barcelona.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a fascinating insight into an often-overlooked conflict, supplanted by the oppressive shadow of WWII a few scant years later; both the anarchists and fascists fueled by fear, rage, and hate, proving themselves to be far more difficult to fit into the binary roles of heroes and villains that so dominates the narrative of the mid-20th century. It\u2019s a daunting undertaking, and the enormous weight of the world bearing down on Theo\u2019s shoulders as his every decision is drowned out by the wider violence is palpable. Yet it\u2019s in the focused viewpoint of Theo that the reader is shown that, for all that he is unable to influence the larger theaters, Theo still has an immeasurable impact on the people and around him, small as it may seem.<\/p>\n I highly recommend.<\/p>\n Superman Smashes the Klan\u00a0by Gene Luen Yang and Illustrated by Gurihiru<\/a><\/p>\n After the incredibly complicated and labyrinthian Spanish Civil War, I wanted to read some simpler fare, so I turned to an old standby of mine. This graphic novel (2019) is based around the 1940s radio production where Superman faces off against the Clan of the Fiery Cross, a not-so-subtle stand-in for everyone\u2019s least-favorite bedsheet enthusiasts. Set in 1946, the story follows the titular hero as he struggles against his own alien identity in a Metropolis (and America, more widely) that seems to fervently champion the exclusionary hate they fought against in WWII. There\u2019s a reason the first villain Supes takes out is a literal Nazi. Alongside him are Tommy and Roberta Lee, Chinese-American siblings who have recently moved to a Metropolis suburb from Chinatown.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a basic tale, really, but in its simplicity,\u00a0Superman Smashes the Klan\u00a0is able to highlight the absurdity and sickness that those in the Klan espouse. They may dress it all up in vaunted philosophy and grand words and titles, but all that really drives them is hate. Unfounded, ignorant, impotent hate. It\u2019s a spotlight that, I think, needs to see a lot more usage these days.<\/p>\n \u2014Nathan Vived<\/p>\n FROM OUR PAGES<\/p>\n We\u2019ve had some great author visits and interviews recently, so don\u2019t miss out. Here is some of our book-related coverage from the last two weeks! Read all this and more at\u00a0Independent.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cA Man Among Megafires\u201d by Tyler Hayden<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBalancing the Books\u201d by Jim Buckley<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cA Musical Comedy Road Trip | \u2018The Fairley Brothers in Japan\u2019\u201d by Leslie Dinaberg<\/a><\/p>\n UPCOMING BOOK EVENTS<\/p>\n Below, you will find a few bookish events coming up in Santa Barbara. If you are hosting a bookish event in Santa Barbara, be sure to submit the event to our online\u00a0events calendar<\/a>.<\/p>\n Epic Impact Society Conversation & Book Launch: Dennis Baker:\u00a0Building Your Board of Directors for Life Romance Book Club The 51st Mary Jane McCord Planned Parenthood Annual Book Sale Opening Night On the Stage: Raegan Revord:\u00a0Rules for Fake Girlfriends The 51st Mary Jane McCord Planned Parenthood Annual Book Sale Storytime:\u00a0The Mixed-Up Owl<\/a> Chaucer\u2019s Book Talk & Signing: Hendrika De Vries:\u00a0Open Turns: From Dutch Girl to New Australian In Conversation: Isabelle Boemeke & Orlando Bloom:\u00a0Rad Future: The Untold Story of Nuclear Electricity and How It Will Save the World Storytime:\u00a0G.O.A.T. Online Seminar Series: Monday Night Poetry Group Fall Book Sale Friends of the Library Santa Ynez Valley Women\u2019s Literary Voices Salon and Happy Hour: Claudia Hoag McGarry On the Stage: Michael Thomas:\u00a0The Broken King Trail Talks: Conservation Stories Behind Some of Our Favorite Trails with the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County Book Talk and Signing:\u00a0Mountain Drive: Santa Barbara\u2019s Pioneer Bohemian Community\u00a0by Elias Chiacos Poetry Reading with Keith Ekiss & Nicholas Tino Reiner Storytime:\u00a0The Leaf Thief<\/a> Book Talk and Signing: Paul Levine:\u00a0Midnight Burning<\/a> Storytime:\u00a0Everything\u2019s Wrong<\/a> S.B. SPOTLIGHT<\/p>\n We at the\u00a0Independent\u00a0get many books sent to us by area authors, sometimes too many! It\u2019s practically impossible for us to read and review them all, but just because we are busy bees does not mean that they aren\u2019t worth the attention. In an attempt to not completely drop the ball, we have compiled a list of books here that are either written by a Santa Barbara author, feature someone in our community, or have another tie to Santa Barbara. I urge you to look through this list. Perhaps you will find your new favorite read!<\/p>\n The following are the most recent titles that have been sent to us.<\/p>\n Mountain Drive: Santa Barbara\u2019s Pioneer Bohemian Community\u00a0by Elias Chiacos<\/a><\/p>\n The Fairley Brothers in Japan\u00a0by David Starkey<\/a><\/p>\n Midnight Burning: An Einstein\u2013Chaplin Thriller\u00a0by Paul Levine<\/a><\/p>\n If you are a local author and would like us to feature your book in this section, please email\u00a0allbooked@independent.com<\/a>\u00a0with the subject line \u201cS.B. Spotlight.\u201d<\/p>\n Book Reviews Courtesy of CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS*<\/p>\n Thanks to the generous contributions of David Starkey, Brian Tanguay and their team of reviewers at California Review of Books, we are able to provide a steady stream of book reviews via our content partnership. Recent reviews at Independent.com include:<\/p>\n Guest Privileges: Queer Lives and Finding Home in the Middle East\u00a0by Gaar Adams; review by Brian Tanguay<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/unnamed-1_3a44ef.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/unnamed-2_1bdd90.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Wednesday, September 10, 5 p.m.\u00a0| The Well Montecito<\/p>\n
<\/a>Wednesday, September 10, 5:30 p.m.\u00a0|\u00a0S.B. Central Library<\/p>\n
<\/a>Thursday, September 11, 4 p.m.\u00a0| Earl Warren Showgrounds<\/p>\n
<\/a>Thursday, September 11, 6 p.m. | Godmothers<\/p>\n
<\/a>Friday-Sunday, September 12-21, times vary\u00a0| Earl Warren Showgrounds<\/p>\n
Saturday, September 13, 11 a.m. | Godmothers<\/p>\n
<\/a>Sunday, September 14, 3 p.m.\u00a0| Chaucer\u2019s Books<\/p>\n
<\/a>Sunday, September 14, 6 p.m. | Godmothers<\/p>\n
<\/a>Monday, September 15, 11 a.m. | Godmothers<\/p>\n
<\/a>Monday, September 15, 5 p.m. | Online \u2013 The Agora Foundation<\/p>\n
<\/a>Tuesday-Saturday, September 16-20, 10 a.m.\u00a0| Solvang Library Lobby<\/p>\n
<\/a>Wednesday, September 17, 5:30 p.m. | Pico Adobe<\/p>\n
<\/a>Thursday, September 18, 6 p.m. | Godmothers<\/p>\n
<\/a>Thursday, September 18, 6:30 p.m.\u00a0|\u00a0S.B. Central Library\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/a>Saturday, September 20, 3 p.m. | Tecolote Book Shop<\/p>\n
<\/a>Saturday, September 20, 4 p.m.\u00a0| S.B. Museum of Natural History<\/p>\n
<\/a>Saturday, September 20, 11 a.m. | Godmothers<\/p>\n
Sunday, September 21, 3 p.m. | Chaucer\u2019s Books<\/p>\n
<\/a>Monday, September 22, 11 a.m. | Godmothers<\/p>\n