Squirrel Hill Book Club - May

Pittsburgh's premier independent bookstore, Riverstone Booksfeatures a well-curated selection of literary and popular fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books.  In addition, we offer a variety of gift items, greeting cards, and children’s puzzles, educational games, and literary stuffed animals. Our experienced booksellers are voracious readers who love to match people to books they will love.

Riverstone Books

Join us for engaging discussion about Strange as this Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake

About the Book:A West Virginia family struggles amid the booms and busts of the Appalachian coal industry in this “powerful, sure-footed, and haunting” novel with echoes of John Steinbeck (New York Times Book Review). Set in present day West Virginia, this debut novel tells the story of a coal mining family—a couple and their four children—living through the latest mining boom and dealing with the mountaintop removal and strip mining that is ruining what is left of their hometown. As the mine turns the mountains “to slag and wastewater,” workers struggle with layoffs and children find adventure in the blasted moonscape craters. Strange as This Weather Has Been follows several members of the family, with a particular focus on fifteen–year–old Bant and her mother, Lace. Working at a motel, Bant becomes involved with a young miner while her mother contemplates joining the fight against the mining companies. As domestic conflicts escalate at home, the children are pushed more and more frequently outside among junk from the floods and felled trees in the hollows—the only nature they have ever known. But Bant has other memories and is as curious and strong–willed as her mother, and ultimately comes to discover the very real threat of destruction that looms as much in the landscape as it does at home.About the Author:A native of Romney, West Virginia, Ann Pancake earned a BA in English from West Virginia University, an MA in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a PhD in English Literature from the University of Washington. Ann Pancake has lived in Japan, American Samoa, and Thailand, where she taught English as a Second Language. Pancake currently teaches in the low–residency MFA program at Pacific Lutheran University. She lives in Seattle.

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

Squirrel Hill Book Club - May

More events from Riverstone Books

Discover more events from Riverstone Books, from Hobbies to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Pittsburgh and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.

Squirrel Hill Book Club - May

More events from Riverstone Books

Discover more events from Riverstone Books, from Hobbies to other experiences you might love.

More Hobbies events

Browse more Hobbies events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Pittsburgh and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.