Parnassus Books is thrilled to welcome Mary Laura Philpott for a Nashville-exclusive preview event in celebration of her new memoir, Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives. The book is officially released on Tuesday, April 12; but attendees of this event will get their copies early! Ann Patchett will provide a special welcome before Philpott’s remarks, followed by a book signing.
Enjoy cupcakes and a champagne toast, with other beverages available for purchase at the Hilton’s lobby bar. Attendees will have the opportunity to enter a drawing to win one of Philpott’s handmade ceramic turtles, as well as to make optional donations to Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
This is a free registration-required event which will take place on Sunday, April 10, at 4pm Central Time at the Hilton Green Hills. Please note: This event is full and registration has closed. (Note: If for any reason you need to cancel your registration, please call the store at 615-953-2243 at least 24 hours before the event so your space can be provided to another guest.)
About the Book
From the bestselling author of I Miss You When I Blink and “writer of singular spark and delight” (Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestselling author) comes a poignant and powerful new memoir-in-essays that tackles the big questions of life, death, and existential fear with humor and hope.
A lifelong worrier, Philpott always kept an eye out for danger, a habit that only intensified when she became a parent. But she looked on the bright side, too, believing that as long as she cared enough, she could keep her loved ones safe.
Then, in the dark of one quiet, pre-dawn morning, she woke abruptly to a terrible sound—and found her teenage son unconscious on the floor. In the aftermath of a crisis that darkened her signature sunny spirit, she wondered: If this happened, what else could happen? And how do any of us keep going when we can’t know for sure what’s coming next?
Leave it to the writer whose critically acclaimed debut had us “laughing and crying on the same page” (NPR) to illuminate what it means to move through life with a soul made of equal parts anxiety and optimism (and while she’s at it, to ponder the mysteries of backyard turtles and the challenges of spatchcocking a turkey).
Hailed by The Washington Post as “Nora Ephron, Erma Bombeck, Jean Kerr, and Laurie Colwin all rolled into one,” Philpott returns in her distinctive voice to explore our protective instincts, the ways we continue to grow up long after we’re grown, and the limits—both tragic and hilarious—of the human body and mind.
About the Author
Mary Laura Philpott, author of the national bestseller I Miss You When I Blink, writes essays that examine the overlap of the absurd and the profound in everyday life. Her writing has been featured frequently by The New York Times and appears in such outlets as The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Real Simple, and more. A former bookseller, she also hosted an interview program on Nashville Public Television for several years. Mary Laura lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her family.
Parking Information
The Hilton Green Hills is located not too far from Parnassus Books, across Hillsboro and behind the Green Hills Mall, at 3801 Cleghorn Ave, Nashville, TN 37215. Parking is available in the hotel parking deck. Parking is FREE for this event — but only if you have your ticket validated, so hang onto your ticket and get a validation sticker at the event!
