I have to admit, it had been a long time since I’d read anything by Terry Brooks when I attended his reading at Bookshop Santa Cruz on September 13. I was mostly just curious about what he’d be like in person, because I’d read his books faithfully in high school (and if you are now drawing certain conclusions about where I fit into my high school’s social taxonomy, then you’re 100% correct.) Terry Brooks is a fantasy writer, an inventor of worlds into which readers are constantly escaping. Not only does his work feature magic, it seems to work like magic, tying together elements in novels whose writing spans many years; though this is the result of planning ahead, when you’re reading him and the pieces fall together, it can seem like he’s cast a successful spell.

So what is he like in person? He’s quite charming and entertaining, and clearly brilliant. There’s an element of the impish and the unworldly in his persona. Happily, Terry Brooks is not the kind of author who dislikes his fans. You can write letters to him, and he’ll read them. He answers questions from his fans on his website, and hosts a forum there. And at Bookshop that Saturday, he had us all laughing and lining up for an autograph (or, in my case, a better shot). I think it’s time for me to get caught up on my Terry Brooks novels- word has it this one is very good.

Armistead Maupin is one of the best-loved authors writing during this Red Bat’s lifetime. Christopher Isherwood has said, “I love Maupin’s books for very much the same qualities that make me love the novels of Dickens.” I agree with Isherwood’s assessment, except I think Maupin’s books are more fun to read than those of Charles Dickens, because they are raunchier. I also love his often unbelievable plot twists. My favorite Armistead Maupin is The Night Listener, but the Tales of the City books are wonderful too.

Like the works of Dickens, Maupin’s Tales of the City novels were originally published in serial form. These first appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1976, and have been acquiring fans ever since. Some of those fans were at Bookshop Santa Cruz on June 5 to hear Maupin speak and get his autograph on their brand new paperback copies of Michael Tolliver Lives.

He is just as much of a good time as his novels would suggest. All of us were laughing, especially during the Q&A; I think even if he didn’t make a joke, the look on his face would have had the audience cracking up. He’s just that kind of person. I walked away feeling like this person deserves all the success he’s had over the years.

Photos from the reading are below, plus one from the walk home afterwards. It was a fine June night, so of course I couldn’t resist.