Book Briefs for Dec. 10-16, 2013

THE MOB MUSEUM TO HOST AUTHOR EVENT

Gaming history expert David G. Schwartz is scheduled to sign copies of his new book, “Grandissimo: The First Emperor of Las Vegas,” from noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 13 at The Mob Museum, The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, 300 E. Stewart Ave. Schwartz is scheduled to give an author’s talk about his book from 1 to 2 p.m. Dec. 14 followed by a book signing. For more information, visit themobmuseum.org or call 702-229-2734.

BOOK SPEED-DATING EVENT SCHEDULED

Teens are invited to a book speed-dating activity scheduled from 4 to 5 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Gibson Library, 100 W. Lake Mead Parkway. Share a favorite or a recent read in two minutes or less. For more information, visit mypubliclibrary.org.

RED ROCK VISITOR CENTER TO HOST PRESENTATION BY GUIDE AUTHOR

Local author Tom Moulin plans to talk about his book “Red Rock Canyon Visitor Guide” at 1 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Visitor Center. Moulin’s book is designed to be a comprehensive manual on hiking trails, geology, plants and animals and Native American history of the area.

For more on the book, visit snellpress.com/rrcvg.

BARBARA BOTCH TO READ POETRY FOR KIDS

Local author Barbara Botch is scheduled to read from her book “Sweet Tomatoes: Poetry for Children” at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 17 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble.

HALF-PRICE SCHOLASTIC PUBLISHING BOOK SALE SLATED

The Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway, is slated to host a half-price Scholastic Publishing book sale from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 13 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 14. For more information, visit mypubliclibrary.org.

BOOKSTORE 101 COURSE OFFERED THROUGH UNLV PARADISE CAMPUS

The UNLV division of Educational Outreach plans to offer Bookstore 101, a course in book values and identification featuring a roundtable discussion with “master bookmen from the Las Vegas Valley and a book buying expedition in the local area.” The course is scheduled from 7:15 to 9:15 p.m. Tuesdays Jan. 7-Feb. 4 at the UNLV Paradise campus, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. The enrollment fee for the course, to be taught by Phil DeFlumear of Greyhound’s Books, is $85. For more information, visit edoutreach.unlv.edu or call 702-895-3394.

MEMOIR-WRITING WORKSHOPS SLATED

An ongoing series of free four-week memoir-writing workshops is scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m. Fridays at the Las Vegas FamilySearch Library, 509 S. Ninth St. For more information, call 702-382-9695.

CHARLESTON HEIGHTS ARTS CENTER TO HOST DISCUSSION GROUP

The Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St., plans to host a book discussion group for readers 16 or older led by Aleida Castro. The group’s next meeting is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12. Organizers suggest readers call 702-229-6383 to confirm which book will be discussed.

BARNES & NOBLE TO HOST WRITING GROUP

The 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble hosts a writing critique group at 5:15 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month. The group is limited to the first 20 participants per meeting. Sign up at meetup.com/las-vegas-creative-writing-class.

JONATHAN STURAK TO BE FEATURED IN READ LOCAL AUTHOR SERIES

The READ Local Author series is slated to feature Jonathan Sturak meeting with readers from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 18 in the lobby of the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway. For more information, visit mypubliclibrary.org. Norm Clarke to speak at library

Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist and author Norm Clarke is scheduled to talk about Las Vegas, celebrities and more at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 10 at the Gibson Library, 100 W. Lake Mead Parkway. For more information, visit mypubliclibrary.org.

LIBRARY TO MARK MOB MONTH

January is Mob Month at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, with presentations by authors and experts scheduled at 7 p.m. Tuesdays. For a complete schedule, visit lvccld.org.

‘BAD KITTY’ AUTHOR PLANS LAS VEGAS VISIT

Nick Bruel, best known as author and illustrator of the tales of the cantankerous cat Bad Kitty, is scheduled to sign copies of his soon-to-be-released title “Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble” at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 15 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

CORRECTIONS OFFICER SHARES TIPS TO KEEP KIDS STRAIGHT IN NEW BOOK

Tina Alexander is slated to meet with readers and sign copies of her book “Looking Into A Inmate’s World Through A C/O’s Eye” from noon to 4 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Dr. William U. Pearson Community Center, 1625 W. Carey Ave. The book taps Alexander’s experience as a prison corrections officer in an effort to turn kids’ lives around before they’re incarcerated.

SIGNING SET FOR “TREASURE OF THE SOU”

Local author Chrystal Hallam is set to sign copies of her book “Treasure of the Soul” at 1 p.m. Jan. 8 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble.

ALIANTE LIBRARY TO HOST WRITERS CLUB

The Aliante Library Writers Club is scheduled to meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the Aliante Library, 2400 W. Deer Springs Road. For more information, contact facilitator Glory Wade at glorywadewriter@gmail.com.

‘On Two Fronts’ authors plan signing

Lan Taubold and Adam Fenner are set to sign copies of their book “On Two Fronts” at 1 p.m. Jan. 25 at the 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd. Barnes & Noble. Taubold is also slated to sign copies of the book he wrote with Richard Devin, “Ripper: A Love Story.”

‘THE AVIATOR’S WIFE’ AUTHOR TO VISIT

Melanie Benjamin is set to discuss her novel “The Aviator’s Wife,” which follows the story of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, during a free program scheduled at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. For more information, visit lvccld.org.

SHARE POEMS AT HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Polish up a poem or two and try them out at Human Experience, a free spoken word event, from 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays in The Beat Coffeehouse inside Emergency Arts, 520 Fremont St. For more information, visit lasvegaspoets.org.

FREE READ TO ME PROGRAM OFFERED

Celebrity storytellers Oscar Goodman, Rita Rudner, Clint Holmes, Terry Fator, Carrot Top, The Scintas and others have donated their talents to the Clark County Education Association Community Foundation’s Read To Me program. Children can view more than 15 videos of celebrities reading books on the website at readtomelv.com. Stories also can be accessed by calling 702-240-2665. Both databases are frequently updated with fresh stories. Parents and teachers can download lesson plans for each book on the website.

CHEFS FEATURED IN DIGITAL COOKBOOK

Local celebrity chef Laura Augsburger has joined with chefs and food bloggers across the country in the digital cookbook “Spreading Cheer With Philadelphia,” a book benefiting Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign. The book includes Augsburger’s peanut butter mousse tart. Other submissions include Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger’s apple cream cheese bread pudding and key lime pie, and Izzy’s Red Velvet Curly Cake courtesy of Todd English. The book can be downloaded at cheesecakecheer.com.

DOWNLOAD BOOKS AND MORE FROM YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY

Virtual Branch websites make it easy to browse, check out and download digital books and more to a home computer for free. All patrons need is a valid library card and an Internet-connected PC. Virtual Branch download websites feature a digital catalog of downloadable audio books, e-books, music and video titles. Each site is meant to look and feel like the library’s main site, and it has many easy-to-use features similar to an online store. Digital book downloads are borrowed just like print materials. Once patrons select the title or author they want, they follow the steps to check out and then download the title to their home computer. Patrons can transfer most titles to portable media players, such as MP3 players, PDAs, Kindles or smart phones. Each title that is downloaded has a designated lending period. When the title expires, it is automatically returned to the Virtual Branch, so there are no late fees. For more information, visit search.overdrive.com.

ZINE LIBRARY OPEN IN EMERGENCY ARTS

Grab a cup of coffee and check out the independently crafted magazines at the Las Vegas Zine Library inside The Beat Coffeehouse in Emergency Arts, 520 Fremont St. The library is more of a collection on display for reference and on-site reading than a checkout repository. Contributions of zines are appreciated. For more information, visit lvzinelibrary.blogspot.com.

HENDERSON WRITERS GROUP MEETINGS SET

The Henderson Writers Group meets from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. Mondays in room C-2 at Community Lutheran Church, 3720 E. Tropicana Ave. Meetings are typically canceled on holidays. For more information, visit hendersonwritersgroup.

FREE STORYCORPS TOOLKIT

HELPS COLLECT MEMORIES

The national StoryCorps’ Memory Loss Initiative encourages people with memory loss to share their stories with loved ones and future generations. To make that task easier, a free step-by-step toolkit is available to download at storycorps.org/mli. The Commemorate toolkit offers an individual reminiscence program that family members can initiate or memory loss care facilities can add to activities. The initiative has collected more than 1,800 interviews with 180 partner organizations. For more information, visit storycorps.org or call 646-723-7027.

ACCESS RECORDED BOOK PROGRAMS ONLINE

Too busy to get out to book programs? The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District has started posting videos and podcasts of many of its programs online. Selections available so far include: “An Afternoon with Tony Curtis,” John L. Smith’s presentation “Amelia’s Long Journey: The Challenge of Writing What You Know,” “Batman” movie producer Michael Uslan’s presentation at the 2009 Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival, Jami Carpenter’s “ABCs of Editing” workshop and Brian Rouff’s “Getting Published: A Long Strange Trip.” To access the programs, visit lvccld.org, select “Books, Movies & More” and then “Video and Podcasts.”

The Black Mountain Institute has offered recordings of its programming since 2006. To access recordings of a gamut of writers from E.L. Doctorow to Alissa Nutting, visit blackmountaininstitute.org and select “multimedia.”