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

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.

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.

"Gutsy, irreverent, and tender, Nicole Santalucia is a poet of risk. In 'Because I Did Not Die,' she peels away the protective layers behind which she could hide, and, instead, shows us the vulnerable person she is. Unflinchingly, she reveals all her flaws and failures, and through these courageous poems we are drawn into the life she has lived populated by the people she has known and loved. This book is filled with unexpected moments of humor and irony interspersed with powerful, heartfelt poems. Santalucia is an amazing poet with an incredibly strong and recognizable voice." -Maria Mazziott i Gillan

David Finkel will be reading and presenting from his book, The Good Soldiers, on Tuesday April 21st from 1:30pm-4:30pm in Althouse Hall 106 (the auditorium). 

Combining the action of Mark Bowden's "Black Hawk Down" with the literary tone of Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried, The Good Soldiers" takes an unforgettable look at those in the surge, the heroes and the ruined, returning from the Iraq War.

Thomas Glavinic will be presenting and reading from his book Night Work, on Thursday, April 9th in Althouse Hall- Room 106 (the auditorium). 

The routine of daily life is such that one goes to sleep with the security that tomorrow will arrive, just as it did today. 
Jonas, a young professional in contemporary Vienna, wakes up one morning to discover that he may be the last living being on earth. The highways are empty. The restaurants are empty. The animals have disappeared. The radio only emits white noise and the internet is down. No one answers his phone calls. 

"Night Work" is a fast-paced, psychological thriller, exploring the darkness that lies deep within us all. With skilled, efficient prose, ""Glavinic unsettles our notion of the human condition and the artifice of civilization, peeling back the onion to reveal our greatest fears, that no one is in charge and that something unthinkable and unjust is about to occur. "Night Work" is a small gem of a book, unlike any other you've read.

Save the Date Signing: Eleanor Alspaugh, author of The Mommy-Go-Round (published earlier this year), will be at Whistlestop Bookshop on Saturday, October 25th, 2 p.m. Eleanor has written a thoroughly honest, at-times hilarious, and always entertaining account of coming to be a mother of three. You will learn about the Parental Curse, The Pet War, and the Trials & Tribulations of the Family Vacation. We have the book in stock now, and we are looking forward to a talk and a reading in a few weeks!

Twig George, daughter of Jean Craighead George and author in her own right, will be at the Craighead House tomorrow (Saturday, 10/11) from 1:30-2:30, talking about and signing her books, and Whistlestop Bookshop will be there in support. We'll also have some of Jean's books there. Join us to support the restoration and transformation of the Craighead House!

From Twig's website:  "Twig grew up in a family of naturalists. Her mom, Jean Craighead George, wrote over 100 books about nature and animals for children. When Twig was growing up, her family raised 173 animals in their house, not in a barn, not in cages (mostly). She would wake up in the morning and a crow might be knocking on the window, and often at night there would be a raccoon in her bed! She began writing children's stories when her kids were in elementary school. Twig is currently a lower school librarian at The Park School in Baltimore, MD."

Come join us for a reading and signing in Platform 9 3/4 (upstairs rooms) at Whistlestop Bookshop: Susan Stinson and her novel of Jonathan Edwards and colonial America, "Spider in a Tree." Tuesday, March 18th, 5 p.m.