Summer Book Club Social with HarperCollins

Join us for a Book Club Social at the Bookmarks Bookstore on Thursday, June 12 at 6:30 pm! We'll be joined by author Jared Lemus, who will share more about his short story collection Guatemalan Rhapsody. Enjoy light refreshments while connecting with other readers and learning more about books perfect for you or your book club.

Tickets are $25 (plus taxes & fees) and include access to the event, light refreshments, and 20% off books featured that night. Attendees will also receive a tote bag and galleys (early review copies) courtesy of the publisher.

A representative from HarperCollins will share a list of book recommendations, followed by a conversation with the author.

Book Club Socials are an ongoing event series that's designed to gather communities of readers together to learn about books that are new to them. It's perfect for individuals wanting to build their TBR and book clubs looking for their future selections. Click here for more information about event series at Bookmarks.

To ask questions about accessibility or request accommodations, please contact Bookmarks at ZXZlbnRzIHwgYm9va21hcmtzbmMgISBvcmc= or (336) 747-1471 x1001. At least two weeks' notice will allow us to provide the best experience possible for you and your guests.

Have any questions? Check out our page and email for further inquiries.

Jared Lemus is the author of two works of fiction with Ecco, one just published and one forthcoming. His story collection, Guatemalan Rhapsody, was published March 4, 2025 and his novel’s not far behind. Lemus’s work has appeared in The Atlantic, Story, The Pinch, The Kenyon Review, PANK, Cleaver, and Joyland, among others. He holds an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh and is currently the Kenan Visiting Writer at UNC-Chapel Hill.

A vibrant debut story collection—poignant, unflinching, and immersive—masterfully moving between sharp wit and profound tenderness, Guatemalan Rhapsody offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of an ever-changing country, the people who claim it as home, and those who no longer do.

Ranging from a custodian at an underfunded college to a medicine man living in a temple dedicated to San Simon, the patron saint of alcohol and cigarettes, the characters in these stories find themselves at defining moments in their lives, where sacrifices may be required of them, by them, or for them.

In “Saint Dismas,” four orphaned brothers pose as part of a construction crew, stopping cars along the highway and robbing anyone stupid enough foolish enough to hit the brakes. In “Heart Sleeves,” two wannabe tattoo artists take part in a contest, where one of them hopes to win not only first place but also the heart of his best friend’s girlfriend. And, in “Fight Sounds,” a character who fancies himself a Don Juan is swept up in the commotion of an American film crew shooting a movie in his tiny town, until the economic and sexual politics of the place are turned on their head.

Across this collection, Lemus’s characters test their loyalty to family, community, and country, illuminating the ties that both connect us and constrain us. Guatemalan Rhapsody explores how we journey from the circumstances that we are forged by, and whether the ability to change our fortunes lies in our own hands or in those of another. Revealing the places where beauty, desperation, love, violence, and hope exist simultaneously, Jared Lemus’s debut establishes him as a major new voice in the form.

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