May 9, 2008
As a longtime subscriber to the High Country News, I was delighted to see my book get some traction in its pages. Review Excerpted below.
“Schrand’s personal story reflects larger cultural truths: The transitory lives of his grandfather and stepfather mirror those of the down-on-their luck drifters who gravitate to the hotel. . . Schrand’s memoir breaks new ground. . . [and] makes Soda Springs and towns like it finally matter.” –High Country News.
No Comments » |
writing news |
Permalink
Posted by brandonrschrand
April 18, 2008
The Enders Hotel has garnered a Starred Review from Booklist. Here is what they have to say about the book:
“Schrand’s deeply textured memoir of life in a small Idaho town boasts a rich palette of glittering iridescent hues, somber earth tones, and delicate, evocative washes. . . . Schrand’s memoir sings, stirring the senses as much as the soul.”—Whitney Scott, Booklist (starred review).
No Comments » |
writing news |
Permalink
Posted by brandonrschrand
March 21, 2008
I’ve been invited to read at the Ruskin Art Club in Los Angeles as part of the Ruskin Reading Series sponsored by Red Hen Press. Founded in 1888, the Ruskin Art Club is the oldest and one of the most respected associations in Los Angeles. Past writers that have read at the club include Galway Kinnell, Joy Harjo, Percival Everett, Li-Young Li, Chris Abani, Marvin Bell, and many others.
My reading is slated for May 18, 2009. If you are in the L.A. area next May, by all means, drop by.
1 Comment |
readings and events |
Permalink
Posted by brandonrschrand
February 11, 2008
I’ve excerpted parts of my first review below:
Since 1919, the three-story brick hotel, complete with cafe and bar, has anchored downtown Soda Springs, the prosperity of which has always been tied to the notorious vicissitudes of mining, farming and ranching… For a young child, the hotel exerted a certain kind of magic, which Schrand effectively captures in his reminiscences… Holding the enterprise—and to a large extent, young Schrand’s life—together were his grandparents, whose charity and decency reassured a boy who never knew his father. As Schrand grew older, work and responsibilities mounted, as did the feeling that the hotel might be a failing venture. He worked out his resentment and anger in acts of gratuitous cruelty and petty vandalism that threatened to mark him for a future not so different from the dead-enders the hotel often sheltered.
An evocative account of a man coming to terms with his youth.–Kirkus Reviews
No Comments » |
writing news |
Permalink
Posted by brandonrschrand