The 2010 Durham Historical Calendar is on the way!  The Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau has teamed up with Gary Kueber, author of the blog Endangered Durham, to produce a remarkable journey through Durham’s architectural history.  Get a signed copy of the calendar and join the discussion with Gary and DCVB staff as they talk about the calendar, why Gary’s work is so valuable to Durham’s future, and how the calendar demonstrates Durham’s unique sense of place.

Susan Dunlap will discuss and sign copies of her new book, Caring Cultures: How Congregations Respond to the Sick.  Set in Durham, Dunlap explores how three very different churches (Latino, African American, and Euro-American) provide pastoral care-giving to parishioners who are ill.  Dunlap is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology at Duke Divinity School.

Matt and Ted Lee will discuss and sign copies of their new book, The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes with Down-Home Flavor.   The Lee Brothers offer dishes that are quick and easy but have every bit as much Southern soul as the long-simmered, the slow-smoked, and the deep-fried.  Watts Grocery will pair with us on this event, offering seasonal samplings (some from recipes in the book):  sweet potato and okra fritters with garlic butter dip, cocktail eggs with pimento and country ham, shrimp pate with housemade crackers, ginger lemonade.  And we’ll have some wine!

This new discussion series focuses on mysteries.  The selection for this month is Winter Study by Nevada Barr.  Readers who have followed intrepid forest ranger Anna Pigeon fighting fires, crawling through caves, investigating crimes at national monuments, and tracking bears in service of the National Park system will find her back almost where she began, at Isle Royale National Park.  The series is facilitated by Judy Dearlove, who has called Durham home for over three decades.  A passionate reader, she has also taught literature at several local colleges, including Duke, Meredith, and Elon.  Currently, she is engaged in the mysterious process of writing a novel.