Skip to main content
kathleen rooney man overboard
PastAuthor EventBook SigningLiterary FictionFree

This event has passed

Man Overboard: An Evening with Kathleen Rooney

Past event

Featured Book

man overboard cover image

Man Overboard

From the nationally bestselling author of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, comes a funny and moving novel in which a former college swimmer falls off a cruise ship and must keep treading water as memories and regrets wash over him—perfect for fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette; Florence Adler Swims Forever; and The Wedding People.

"Man Overboard! is destined to be the best book of the summer.” —Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The View From Lake Como

Patrick “Kick” Kilpatrick hates the ocean. Has always been terrified of it. And now he’s in a real pickle.

Drifting alone in the sea after falling (or jumping? He can’t remember as the all-inclusive drinks on the cruise he was taking with his extended family were, well, inclusive) Kick must survive. Breath by breath, hour by hour in the lonely sea.

As the waves crash over him, so too do the thoughts and memories of just how he got there. A Thanksgiving cruise with an obnoxious brother-in-law he has to bite his tongue to keep from screaming at. A father who gives the Great Santini a run for his money. And a mother, who already left the family boat, so to speak, a long time ago. His family may be complicated, and the pains of life may seem unbearable—infuriating enough to leap from the deck—but maybe the will to survive is stronger.

Man Overboard! is an inventive, slyly hilarious, and inspiring novel about what it means to be alive, stay alive, and what keeps us going no matter how choppy the waves of our journey become. Hold on for dear life!

This book will be available for purchase at the event.

About This Event

The Book Stall is excited to host bestselling author Kathleen Rooney for a discussion featuring her new book, Man Overboard!, a funny and moving novel in which a former college swimmer falls off a cruise ship and must keep treading water as memories and regrets wash over him. Man Overboard! is an inventive, slyly hilarious, and inspiring novel about what it means to be alive, stay alive, and what keeps us going no matter how choppy the waves of our journey become. Hold on for dear life! Ms. Rooney will be in-conversation with Sara Levine.

Featured Author

Kathleen Rooney

Kathleen Rooney is the nationally bestselling author of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, as well as Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey and From Dust to Stardust. She has won the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize from Poetry magazine and the Adam Morgan Literary Citizen Award from the Chicago Review of Books. Kathleen’s criticism can be found in The New York Times, the Star Tribune (Minneapolis), The Brooklyn Rail, Chicago magazine, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and beyond. She lives in Chicago with her spouse, the writer Martin Seay, and teaches English and creative writing at DePaul University.

In Conversation With

Sara Levine

Sara Levine is the author of the novel Treasure Island!!! and the short story collection Short Dark Oracles. Her essays, stories, and aphorisms have appeared in various magazines including The Iowa Review, Nerve, Conjunctions, Necessary Fiction, Sonora Review, and others. She holds a PhD in English from Brown University and teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She lives in Chicago, IL.

About the Venue

The Book Stall Logo

The Book Stall

At The Book Stall, you get great reviews, sage advice/recommendations, and a personalized service for all ages and interests. If You love books, look no further than an indie store!

Visit store page

More at The Book Stall

Oct29
Book and photo
Author EventWinnetka, IL

The Majesty of Chicago Jazz: A Discussion with Howard Reich

6:30 PM • Thursday, October 29, 2026The Book StallFree

The Book Stall welcomes music journalist Howard Reich for an in-store discussion featuring his new book, The Majesty of Chicago Jazz: Twenty-Five Visionaries Who Define the City's Sound. Author and Chicago native Howard Reich gives readers a front-row seat to the history of Chicago jazz as it roared forth in jazz clubs, concert halls, and festivals. Reich covered Chicago jazz for more than thirty years as the Chicago Tribune’s staff critic, and in this collection, with a musician’s ear and a journalist’s expertise, Reich argues that jazz as an art form is inconceivable without Chicago. The Majesty of Chicago Jazz is captivating for jazz newcomers and aficionados alike—all are guaranteed to learn something surprising here. Howard Reich covered music for the Chicago Tribune for forty-three years and served as the newspaper’s staff jazz critic from 1989 to 2021. Reich is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and the author of six other books, including Let Freedom Swing and Portraits in Jazz. Reich served on the jury for the Pulitzer Prize in Music four times, including the year when Wynton Marsalis’ Blood on the Fields became the first jazz composition to win (1997).

Nov2
Book and photo
Author EventWomen's FictionWinnetka, IL

The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse: An Evening with Heather Morris

6:30 PM • Monday, November 2, 2026The Book StallFree

The Book Stall welcomes bestselling author Heather Morris for her new book, The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz returns with a masterful new novel that captures the astonishing bravery of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Ms. Morris will be in-conversation with author Renée Rosen. Heather Morris is a native of New Zealand, now residing in Australia. For several years, while working in a large public hospital in Melbourne, she studied and wrote screenplays. In 2003, she was introduced to a gentleman who had "a story worth telling," which formed the basis of her first novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and its follow-up, Cilka's Journey. Her third novel, Three Sisters, concluded the Tattooist trilogy. One of the twenty-first century's best-selling books, The Tattooist of Auschwitz was made into an acclaimed miniseries in 2024. Heather's books have sold over nineteen million copies worldwide. Our conversation partner Renée Rosen is a USA Today bestselling author. Her novels include Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl, The Social Graces, Park Avenue Summer, Windy City Blues, White Collar Girl, What the Lady Wants and Dollface as well as the young adult novel, Every Crooked Pot.

Nov10
Book and photo
Author EventFictionWinnetka, IL

Draw Near to Me: An Evening with Michelle Brafman

6:30 PM • Tuesday, November 10, 2026The Book StallFree

We excited to host Michelle Brafman for her new book, Draw Near to Me. In this highly-anticipated sequel to Swimming with Ghosts, the discovery of a desperately-hidden secret brings a family to the brink of collapse—the exact place where they may ultimately find true healing and forgiveness. She will be in conversation with Rachel Kamin, Director of Lifelong Learning at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El. Michelle Brafman is the author of Washing the Dead, Bertrand Court: Stories, and Swimming with Ghosts, the companion novel to Draw Near to Me. Her work has appeared in Oprah Daily, O Quarterly, Slate, LitHub, Tablet, The Forward, and elsewhere. She teaches fiction writing in the Johns Hopkins University MA in Writing Program and spoken about her work and the creative process at more than 200 venues, including book stores, literary festivals, classrooms, synagogues, and myriad book groups. Learn more at michellebrafman.com.