An extended celebration will mark the launch of American Rouletter, a collaborative novel about that ever-relevant and markedly American event, a mass shooting. All the authors will be present!

From 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. a book discussion will be held in the upstairs 2nd Floor event space in Molly Pitcher Brewing Company. From 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. a Social Hour/Book Buying/Book Signing will be held in the upstairs 2nd Floor event space at Whistlestop Bookshop. Join us!

One unremarkable Friday in April, a stream of ordinary people make their way to Liberty Mall in Anywhere, USA, to shop, work, keep appointments, or catch a movie. A typical day in an average town. American Roulette tells the story of eight of those people.

Emma Franz is a store security guard with a secret. Earl Bricker, a retired factory worker, loves his country, his wife, and his good-old-boy network. Roger Elliot, mid-twenties and miserable, has more than a few axes to grind. High school senior Caitlin Browning, having triumphed over personal challenges, hopes for a quiet evening with her boyfriend. Reverend Chris Deitrich has a special surprise for his weekly Bible study group. Leah McCall, TV personality and teacher, drops by the food court to visit with her best friend. Will Humphreys’ part-time job at the mall offers him little relief from the relentless bullying that plagues his existence.

At 5:17 PM, one of these characters’ actions will change the lives of all the others. Later that night, professional crisis consultant Steven Bradley arrives to help the community deal with the aftermath.

An eclectic group of authors spent six months collaborating on American Roulette, a blockbuster novel full of tension, dread, and anguish. Each author created one of the eight key characters—complete with a supporting cast—who find themselves sharing a common destiny. Readers have but a single day to get to know each of the protagonists before time and circumstances seal their fate.

by the American Roulette Team: Pat LaMarche, Sherry Knowlton, J.M. West, Matthew Best, Phyllis Orenyo, Robert Bradshaw, Andrew Carey, and James Dodds. Foreword by Cheryl Woodruff Brooks. Other contributions by Cheryl Dunn Bychek.

Please join us for a celebration of the second book by Ashley Kauffman and Bonnie Tweedy Shaw, If You Could Feed an Elephant. This charming children’s picture book follows the popular If You Should Meet an Elephant (2020). Ashley and Bonnie will be delighted to sign and/or inscribe copies of both books.

About Beyond the Sunset:

From Woodstock to the Okavango, Beyond the Sunset Vol 1 & 2 by Author Sherry Knowlton share how a bookworm turned flower child turned healthcare executive found joy in traveling the world

Structured in a series of essays and anecdotes, these memoirs tell the story of a small-town Pennsylvania girl who stretched her horizons, tested her limits, and traveled all over the globe.

The first of two volumes follows author Sherry Knowlton and her husband Mike's post-college tour of America in their hippie van; it describes regular hikes of the Appalachian and Rocky Mountain backcountry; and, driven by a love of wild animals, Sherry and Mike are beckoned to Africa again and again.

These essays address topics as diverse as modes of transportation, wild animal encounters, Indiana Jones moments, and people met along the way. They also include practical travel tips gained through firsthand experience.

This second of two volumes continues to follow author Sherry Knowlton and her husband, Mike, as they journey all over the globe, driven by a love of wild animals, wild places, and a thirst for new experiences. Sherry and Mike are beckoned to Africa again and again but sample many destinations throughout six continents.

These essays address topics as diverse as local markets, incredible animal encounters, natural wonders, and intriguing people met along the way. They also include practical travel tips gained through firsthand experience.

Augmented by stunning photos by Knowlton and her husband, Beyond the Sunset is a love letter to all those explorers with a nine to five job and a zest for travel

Join the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Independent Bookstore Day, a day dedicated to the fun and benefit of shopping indie and shopping local. I will have exclusive merchandise ranging from onesies to travel mugs to pins to totes and books only available beginning that day, including on the store’s website.

Immediately following Christina's presentation about her new book, Lucky Mud & Other Foma: A Field Guide to Kurt Vonnegut's Planetary Citizenship, at Bosler Memorial Library, Christina will be at a meet and greet and signing of books at Whistlestop Bookshop. Join us for Kurt Konversation!

Dr. Wendy Dean, resident of the Carlisle area, is the President and co-founder of Moral Injury of Healthcare, a nonprofit organization focused on alleviating workforce distress. Her new book is a landmark in the conversation about the tensions between what healthcare providers know what needs to be done for their patients and what the corporations which employ say may be done. Join us to celebrate its publication!

Former Dickinson Law School professor Peter Alexander will be signing his new book, Insufficient Funds: the Financial Life of Frank Lloyd Wright, at Whistlestop Bookshop Saturday, July 9th, noon-1 p.m. during Amani Festival. Join us for a rare return visit by the irrepressible and charming and scholarly Peter Alexander!

Join us for the 3rd Priscilla book signing at Whistlestop Bookshop! Pat and Bonnie will be here for the irresistible author/illustrator combination!

Popular mystery novelist Sherry Knowlton will be here at Whistlestop Saturday, May 1st, noon-1 p.m. to celebrate the publication of her new entry in her Alexa Williams series, Dead on the Delta (#5 !). Perfect entertainment for Mother's Day! Feel free to reserve copies of the new novel or any of her other books via the website: http://www.whistlestoppers.com/local-authors-past-present.

Come celebrate Independent Bookstore Day 2020 with Whistlestop this year!

POSTPONED UNTIL AUGUST 29th — WE WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED! We’ll be celebrating with exclusive items, giveaways, and food

Don’t miss out on the fun or the chance to show your love for your local bookstore!

Independent Bookstore Day is a one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country on the last Saturday in July (this year at least)!

These local bookstores are community institutions, inhancing the quality of life and discourse among neighbours and providing cultural touchstones to small towns and big cities across America. Independent Bookstore Day is the day to celebrate your local bookstore and the community that thrives around it. And, as very store is unique and independent, every IBD party is different.

No matter where you are though, we can guarentee there’ll exclusive books and literary items that you can only get on that day. Not before. Not after. But this year, as a special 2020 exception, they will be available online!

Whistlestop Bookshop is delighted to welcome Phuc Tran back to Carlisle with a book signing on May 4th!

For anyone who has ever felt like they don't belong, Sigh, Gone shares an irreverent, funny, and moving tale of displacement and assimilation woven together with poignant themes from beloved works of classic literature.

In 1975, during the fall of Saigon, Phuc Tran immigrates to America along with his family. By sheer chance they land in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a small town where the Trans struggle to assimilate into their new life. In this coming-of-age memoir told through the themes of great books such as The Metamorphosis, The Scarlet Letter, The Iliad, and more, Tran navigates the push and pull of finding and accepting himself despite the challenges of immigration, feelings of isolation, and teenage rebellion, all while attempting to meet the rigid expectations set by his immigrant parents.

Appealing to fans of coming-of-age memoirs such as Fresh Off the Boat, Running with Scissors, or tales of assimilation like Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Displaced and The Refugees, Sigh, Gone explores one man’s bewildering experiences of abuse, racism, and tragedy and reveals redemption and connection in books and punk rock. Against the hairspray-and-synthesizer backdrop of the ‘80s, he finds solace and kinship in the wisdom of classic literature, and in the subculture of punk rock, he finds affirmation and echoes of his disaffection. In his journey for self-discovery Tran ultimately finds refuge and inspiration in the art that shapes—and ultimately saves—him.

Come meet the author and get your copy signed at Whistlestop on May 4th!

Whistlestop will be hosting a book signing for Matthew Donnell on Saturday, November 23rd, 2019 from 10:00am -12:00pm! His book, The Boy With The Patch, will be released on November 3, 2019.

Bring your kids, get your picture taken with Drosselmeyer, and learn where the magic began before you go see Central Pennslylvania Youth Ballet’s The Nutcracker!

Come hear The Boy with the Patch: The Nutcracker Chronicles read allowed by the iconic character from The Nutcracker, Herr Drosselmeyer. Purchase the book and have it signed by the author, Matthew Donnell! As a bonus, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet will be sharing information about their annual production of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker ®.

In The Boy with the Patch: The Nutcracker Chronicles, readers will begin to discover the history of the young boy who will one day grow to bring a Nutcracker to a Christmas party and create a beautiful adventure for a little girl named Marie (or Clara) in the iconic story ballet, The Nutcracker.