Books and Bagels, American Hardcore and more

* The book discussion group Books and Bagels will meet at the Bookworm in Countryside Village this Sunday, Dec. 12, at 11 a.m. to discuss This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. An easy, entertaining read, the book received high marks from Publishers Weekly , which says, “Tropper strikes an excellent balance between the family history and its present-day fallout, proving his ability to create touchingly human characters and a deliciously page-turning story.” The book was a featured book of the month on Amazon.com as well. * Teen poetry writers who can keep it short are invited to enter the Neihardt Foundation’s Young Poets Contest. Junior and senior high poets can only submit one entry no longer than 30 lines, and the poems must employ some of the themes favored by John G. Neihardt, such as American Indians, explorers, and the environment. Entries must be original and unpublished and not entered simultaneously in another contest. There’s no entry fee, but the entries must be submitted by a teacher and include a school name, address and contact number, and be received by Jan. 28. Winners will be notified by March 18, and their poems will be published. Cash prizes will be awarded. Teachers can send entries to the Neihardt Foundation, PO Box 344, Bancroft, NE 68004. Email Neihardt@gpcom.net or call 888.777.4667 to learn more or to get a printed entry form. * Punk fans and music historians are likely already familiar with author Steve Blush’s American Hardcore, the story of the origins of hardcore punk. Loaded with interviews from the folks who were there (as was Blush — there’s a shot of him wheat-pasting flyers for a PIL/Minor Threat show in 1982 on page 12) and plenty of photos, it’s a must-have for those with even a passing interest in popular music. Even if you’ve got a copy, you might want to check out the all-new special edition. More than just a reprint, Blush updated all the chapters as well as adding a fourteenth, amounting to 80 new pages of content. You can flip through sample pages of the book at americanhardcorebook.com/. Comments? Questions? Want more? Check out Booked online at thereader.com. Or email us at booked@thereader.com.