church book fair, randomly stumbled into…

How I love a good church book fair.

Post-wandering through the Lakeview Festival of the Arts, Eric and I noticed that the St. Peters Annual bookfair was happening right in front of us.

In addition to the racks and tables of books, St. Peters makes a serious event of their bookfair.  There are baked goods and it’s only a quarter for a cup of coffee.  There are tables and happy volunteers all over the place, and there’s a real sense of community.

We left having spent $2.50, and armed with three fantastic books: The complete Douglas Adams/Hitchhikers Guide collection, a hardcover edition of The Time Traveller’s Wife, and a Michael Crichton paperback.

All in all, made of win.

Alison Arngrim Appears @ Borders/Lincoln Park (9/11)

Best known to the world as “Little House on the Prairie” superbrat Nellie Oleson, Alison Arngrim has spent her life hated by the television-watching world.

She’s fine with that, by the way.

Now, the girl who was so good at being bad has finally told her life story in her new book “Confessions of a Prairie Bitch.”

On Saturday, during her first-ever trip to Chicago (!!) she stopped by the Borders in Lincoln Park to make an appearance, take some questions, and sign copies of her (delightful) new book.

Of course, I had to attend.  After all, I devoured her book.  Not to mention that this particular Borders is located probably 6 minutes from my apartment.  (Hey, when an opportunity lands in your lap, you take it!)

The crowd that gathered was mid-sized, but very appreciative.  There were more than a few hard-core “Little House” fans (including two girls by me who were talking about how they’ve been to both the house where Laura Ingalls Wilder actually lived, as well as to the house where she died) but really, the crowd was respectful and riveted.

Ms. Arngrim was remarkably candid – answering questions about the infamous wheelchair episode of Little House, her AIDS work, the suffering it took to get the famous Nellie hair-do.

(Oh yeah, she brought the wig with her. Photo below!)

*Also, Ms. Arngrim was sporting a remarkably cute tote bag, which she informed us was actually made by Charlotte Stewart, who played Miss Beadle on “Little House.”  You, too, can have a Charlotte Stewart original. *

I was second in line to get my book signed, which was splendid. Ms. Arngrim was chatty and fun.  When I told her the book had kept me up late because I couldn’t stop reading it, she told me of a woman who mentioned she was reading it on the treadmill and wound up staying on said treadmill longer than she’d originally intended.  She signed my book with a friendly flourish, and then it was time for a photo.  As she’d brought the infamous Nellie wig with her, of course it had to make an appearance.

Apparently, Ms. Arngrim did two nights of her one-woman show at Davenports while she was in town.  I’m incredibly sad that I wasn’t aware of this, or I so would have gone.  If she ever returns to take another stab at doing the show in Chicago, I’m totally there.

I loved her book (Review to come on Monday!)  and the signing was a lot of fun.  Good Times.

(Side Note: Alison Arngrim does a lot of work with and for Protect.org – an organization focused on protecting children. If you’re interested, visit their site.)