Hi.
Welcome to Hasty Book List—your cozy corner of the internet for all things bookish. Here, I share the stories I’m reading, the ones I can’t stop thinking about, and a few literary surprises along the way. I’m so glad you’re here.
Welcome to Hasty Book List—your cozy corner of the internet for all things bookish. Here, I share the stories I’m reading, the ones I can’t stop thinking about, and a few literary surprises along the way. I’m so glad you’re here.
What if the past wasn't something you remembered—but somewhere you could visit?
Join us for a wildly imaginative evening with journalist and debut novelist Jessica M. Goldstein as we step through the doors of Retro, a dazzling speculative novel that blends time travel, workplace satire, romance, nostalgia, and sharp cultural commentary into one unforgettable adventure.
When aspiring actress Ash stumbles across a job posting for Retro, an ultra-luxury time travel company catering to the wealthy, she sees an opportunity to escape a present that feels increasingly disappointing. Soon she's guiding clients through carefully curated journeys into America's past: chaperoning bachelorette parties in the Wild West, celebrating birthdays in Prohibition-era speakeasies, and escorting ambitious tourists through the Gold Rush.
For the first time in years, Ash feels like she's living the life she always imagined. But as she becomes immersed in Retro's glamorous world—and entangled in a complicated romance that spans decades—small cracks begin to appear. Memories shift. Relationships change. And the line between past and present becomes increasingly difficult to trust.
Funny, thought-provoking, and delightfully original, Retro asks irresistible questions about nostalgia, ambition, identity, and our desire to escape the realities of modern life.
Your evening includes:
A signed hardcover copy of Retro
A welcome cocktail and snacks
A lively conversation with Jessica M. Goldstein exploring nostalgia, time travel, reinvention, memory, romance, and the seductive appeal of looking backward when the present feels uncertain
Thoughtfully designed conversation prompts to spark reflection and connection—no prior reading required
The opportunity to gather inside Pallas Studio, a neighborhood creative studio, gallery, and community space dedicated to exploring new ways of being through art and experimentation, while experiencing and shopping their current exhibition, Land & Sea
Part speculative adventure, part romantic comedy, and part meditation on the stories we tell ourselves about "the good old days," Retro invites us to consider whether we would really choose to relive the past—or whether our most important journey is learning how to fully inhabit the present.
Join us for an evening of cocktails, cuisine, conversation, and a little time travel.
Seating is extremely limited. Reserve your place today.
Drift into the deep waters of memory, survival, family, and dark comedy with nationally bestselling author Kathleen Rooney as she joins us for an unforgettable summer evening at the Chicago Literary Salon.
In her sharply funny and deeply human new novel, Man Overboard!, Rooney introduces Patrick “Kick” Kilpatrick—a former college swimmer who finds himself stranded in the open ocean after falling (or jumping?) off a Thanksgiving cruise ship somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. As he fights to stay afloat hour by hour, memories begin to surface: a volatile father, a distant mother, simmering family tensions, and the accumulated heartbreaks and absurdities that brought him to this impossible moment.
By turns hilarious, tender, surreal, and profound, Man Overboard! explores what keeps us alive when life feels unbearable—and the strange mix of fear, humor, regret, and hope that shapes the human experience. As Kick drifts through shark-filled waters and conversations with his own past, Rooney crafts a story about survival in every sense of the word: emotional, physical, familial, and existential.
Your evening includes:
A signed hardcover copy of Man Overboard! from Three Avenues Bookshop
An immersive evening at Liminal featuring:
A welcome cocktail and thoughtfully curated menu inspired by the novel
A lively conversation with Kathleen Rooney (in conversation with Sheila of @bookedandbusyreader) exploring themes of dysfunctional families, mother-son relationships, fear of the ocean, mental health, comedy as survival, and the fragile, stubborn instinct to keep going
Intentionally crafted conversation prompts to spark reflection and connection—no prior reading required
Whether you’re drawn to emotionally layered literary fiction, stories about complicated families, or novels that balance humor and heartbreak with remarkable precision, join us for an evening that dives beneath the surface—into the fears, memories, and relationships that shape who we become.
A portion of the evening’s proceeds will be donated to Rose Metal Press, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit independent publisher dedicated to literary hybrid genres.
Seating is extremely limited. Reserve your place today.
How well can we ever know the people we love?
Join us for an unforgettable evening with author Rowan Beaird as we celebrate Tenderness, a mesmerizing novel of family secrets, cults, complicated loyalties, and the hidden lives we carry beneath the surface.
Set during a wedding weekend on a remote island off the coast of Virginia, Tenderness begins as family and friends gather to celebrate the marriage of Shay O'Connor and Andrew Pruitt. But the whispers begin long before the ceremony. Shay has recently escaped Synanon, the notorious real-life cult that captivated headlines in the 1970s. Why did a woman with every apparent advantage—a loving family, an Ivy League education, and a promising future—become entangled in such a world? And has she truly left it behind?
As the wedding day draws closer, old friendships are tested, buried histories resurface, and unsettling questions begin to emerge. Told through the interwoven perspectives of Shay, her brother William, and her longtime friend Joel, Tenderness unfolds as both a gripping mystery and a deeply human story about love, identity, forgiveness, and the secrets that shape us.
Your evening includes:
A signed hardcover copy of Tenderness from our partner bookstore, Three Avenues Bookshop
A welcome cocktail and a curated menu from Le Sud
A lively conversation with Rowan Beaird exploring cults and belonging, family dynamics, friendship, reinvention, romantic longing, and the challenge of truly seeing ourselves and one another
Thoughtfully designed conversation prompts to spark reflection and connection—no prior reading required
Atmospheric, suspenseful, and impossible to put down, Tenderness transports readers to the volatile cultural landscape of the 1970s while asking timeless questions about who we become, what we leave behind, and whether love can survive the truths we uncover.
Join us for an evening of cocktails, cuisine, conversation, and one of the summer's most captivating novels.
Seating is extremely limited. Reserve your place today.
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