San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
TURNING TO PAGE 2024
San Diego readers have much to look forward to in the new year, including festivals, author appearances and intriguing new books
One of the surprising takeaways from 2023 for me was witnessing just how many independent publishers and authors ended up with bestselling books.
The Internet and social media played no small part in this trend, with apps and websites such as Tiktok and Goodreads contributing to what can only be described as the viral equivalent of old-fashioned word-of-mouth. Bookstores now devote entire sections to books that are trending within sub-communities on Booktok and Litsy.
Of course, these industry shifts have their downsides as well (influencers being paid simply to market a book before actually reading it, the recent “reviewbombing” scandal on Goodreads, etc.), but I fully anticipate these trends to continue into the new year. With that being said, there will be some great releases from known and unknown writers that I anticipate readers will be hearing about from whatever source they rely on for recommendations (hopefully the U-T is one of those sources). What’s more, most of these authors and creators will be making some local appearances in 2024.
Writer’s Symposium by the Sea
Along with Independent Bookstore Day in April and The San Diego Uniontribune’s annual Festival of Books, the upcoming 29th Writer’s Symposium by the Sea is arguably the biggest and best literary event of the year. Beginning Feb. 19, this year’s fest will feature a number of notable names sitting down for interviews at Point Loma Nazarene University and several other venues around the city.
While a few of the authors will be on hand to promote 2023 releases, such as Paulette Jiles’ historical fiction novel “Chenneville,” most of the authors will be here to discuss projects they’re currently working on. For example, while bestselling writers Susan Orlean and Nick Hornby don’t have book releases scheduled for 2024, they will be onstage together to discuss “Writing That Inspires,” as well as Hornby’s screenwriting adaptation of Orlean’s 2011 book “Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend,” about the World War Ii-era movie star dog. The most anticipated appearance, however, just might be from Elizabeth Gilbert (of “Eat, Pray, Love” fame). She did have a book scheduled to be released in 2024 (“The Snow Forest”), but postponed the release of the novel after some readers took issue with its Russian setting while the country is still at war with Ukraine. Having had a few months to reflect, it will be interesting to hear how she looks back on the backlash. Feb. 19-23. Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Drive, San Diego. pointloma.edu/2024writers
‘Death Strikes: The Emperor of Atlantis’
This beautiful and bizarre graphic novel by Dave Maass centers on an alternate reality where the kingdom of Atlantis is real (and never sank) and its fascist government has declared all-out war on a world where no one is capable of dying. As fantastical as it all sounds, the novel, with art by Patrick Lay, Ezra Rose and Richard Bruning, has deep historical roots in real life. Maass based the work on a suppressed 1943 opera that was written by two prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp in the former Czechoslovakia. With vivid illustrations from Patrick Lay, the book also includes a moving afterword from the author and others that lays out just how much this project was a labor of love. It’s no wonder the king of fantasy himself, Neil Gaiman, has already called the book “heartbreaking and affecting.” Maass himself has deep local ties and was an investigative journalist in San Diego for many years. He will be appearing at Warwick’s to promote the book on Feb. 1. 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. warwicks.com (Berger Books, 2024; 128 pages)
‘The Still Point’
Author Tammy Greenwood has long been a staple of the local literary scene, with more than a dozen novels under her belt. When I spoke with her back in 2022 about her then-new novel “Such a Pretty Girl,” she also mentioned having spent years working on a “beast of a book” about a Socal mom attempting to navigate the hypercompetitive world of youth ballet. That book, “The Still Point,” is finally here and draws from Greenwood’s own experiences as a dancer and mother. To hear her tell it, it’s “Big Little Lies” meets “Black Swan.” One day before the book’s publication, Greenwood will appear Feb. 19 at Warwick’s bookstore in La Jolla to discuss all these things and more. 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. warwicks.com (Kensington Publishing Co., 2024; 304 pages)
‘Memory Garden’
I’ve long been a fan of local artist Susie Ghahremani’s cutesy creations on her website and Instagram page (@boygirlparty), as well as her own illustrated children’s books over the years. “Memory Garden,” however, might be her most personal book to date. She teamed up with her mother (novelist Zohreh Ghahremani) for a moving tale about a young girl connecting with her elder relative among a fantastical garden in hopes of learning about her family’s past. Yes, it’s a children’s book, but adults will likely be moved to tears as well. Both mother and daughter will be discussing the book on Feb. 27, the day the book is published, at The Book Catapult in South Park. 3010-B Juniper St., San Diego. thebookcatapult.com (Godwin Books, 2024; 40 pages)
‘The Beautiful People’
Local author Michelle Gable has hit the bestseller list a number of times for history-rich novels such as “The Lipstick Bureau” and “A Paris Apartment.” I fully expect her new novel, “The Beautiful People” (out April 16), to be yet another hit for the local writer. Set among the art and photography scene of 1960s Palm Beach, it’s the type of entertaining historical novel that keeps readers on their toes. Gable will make an appearance to promote the book on April 18 at Warwick’s. 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. warwicks.com (Graydon House, 2024; 368 pages)