SALISBURY — Jay Erskine Leutze will lead a discussion and sign his book, “Stand Up That Mountain” on Monday at Literary Bookpost, 110 S. Main St., 6-8 p.m.
Leutze is making his second visit to Salisbury with his book, after speaking at the Catawba College Center for the Environment in August 2012. His book is a gripping story of the battle to save Belview Mountain in Avery County from becoming a gravel pit. He details the fight from the mountain people who ask for his help to the officials in Raleigh who made the ultimate decision to shut down the gravel operation.
Loyd E. Hill, a local bridge player known statewide for his skills, is sharing his insights on how to become a better bridge player. His new book, “17 Things That You Should or Should Not Do in the Bridge Game,” is dedicated to Billy Burke, who directed the local games for many years and wrote a bridge column for the Salisbury Post.
Hill will be at Literary Bookpost on Saturday, Jan. 19, 1-3 p.m., to sign books and offer advice. Several tables will be set up in the store so guests can play while Hill offers tips on playing a smarter game.
The book is recommended for beginning to advanced players and includes bridge hands, game details and more.
Local author Chuck Thurston has published a collection of his “Senior Scribbles” newspaper columns, “Senior Scribblers Unearthed.
Some folks are good at reducing the complex to the simple. Thurston turns this on its head, digging deep into the simple and straightforward, to find layers of the tender, the poignant – and the ridiculous.
Thurston says “old age ain’t for sissies — but if you believe that laughter and fond memories make the trip more pleasant, this may be the elixir you are looking for.”
Thurston will do a book signing and reading at Barnhills in Winston-Salem on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2-3 p.m.
“Senior Scribbles Unearthed” is available on Amazon.com.
Bland Simpson talks about “Two Captains from Carolina” on “North Carolina Bookwatch” at noon today.
Carolina professor and Red Clay Rambler Simpson is also a prolific writer. His new book, “Two Captains from Carolina: Moses Grandy, John Newland Maffitt, and the Coming of the Civil War,” covers the Civil War era from the perspectives of two very different North Carolina sea captains. The first is that of Moses Grandy, a talented waterman and captain, but also one who was enslaved and badly treated. The second perspective is that of a naval officer, John Newland Maffitt, who had his own set of challenges as he served first the U.S. Navy and then the Confederacy in the times of slavery and civil war.
The program airs again on Thursday at 5 p.m.
Next week’s (Jan. 20, 24) “Bookwatch” guest is Wilmington’s Emily Colin, author of “The Memory Thief.”
D.G. Martin hosts “North Carolina Bookwatch,” on UNC-TV. For more information or to view prior programs visit the webpage at www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch
“Bookwatch Classics” airs Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. on UNC-MX, a digital cable system channel (Time Warner 172 or 4.4). Wednesday’s program features Anthony Abbott, author of “Leaving Maggie Hope.”