Happenings

April 17, 5:30-7pm at Back of Beyond Books. Brianna Madia signing from her second memoir: Never Leave the Dogs Behind

Note: Brianna will be available to sign books from 5:30 – 7 pm. There will not be a formal reading.

Dogs are welcome.

The author of the New York Times bestseller Nowhere for Very Long continues her story with
this deeply honest, moving account of a woman walking the line between independence and
isolation when she moves to the Southwest desert with nothing and no one but her four dogs.
In her debut memoir, Nowhere for Very Long, Brianna Madia reflected on her life as a nomad,
free to roam some of the most beautiful land in America. Now, in NEVER LEAVE THE DOGS
BEHIND (on sale April 2, 2024; HarperOne; $28.99), the van life adherent faces the
unfathomable darkness that comes from a life blown apart, her only solace the support of her
dogs.

Moving from her pared-down van into a pared-down trailer, Brianna reckons with her decision
to be alone in the desert, living on a nine-acre plot of undeveloped land on the dusty outskirts
of a small town in Utah, accompanied only by her four precious dogs: Bucket, Dagwood, Birdie,
and Banjo. As she grapples with the anger, despair, and delicious freedom that comes from
being wholly on her own, Brianna wonders where, exactly, the road less traveled has led her.
A powerful and poignant portrait of rebuilding and surviving, Never Leave the Dogs Behind is
about finding the courage to start over when the dream life you thought you were living
collapses around your feet.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brianna Madia has lived a life of relentless intention, traveling the
deserts of the American West in an old Ford van. She made a name for
herself on social media with her inspiring captions-cum-essays about
bravery, identity, nature, and subverting expectations. She lives in
Utah with her four dogs. Her first book, Nowhere for Very Long, was
a New York Times bestseller. Never Leave the Dogs Behind is her
second book.

Back to All Happenings

Vegas: A Memoir of a Dark Season by John Gregory Dunne was originally published in 1974 and had been out of print for years before it was republished this summer. The book blurs the line between autobiography and fiction, as Dunne recounts a “time both real and imagined” that he spent wallowing on the Vegas Strip. The narrative begins when the mortality-obsessed Dunne has a nervous breakdown and decides to leave his wife (acclaimed author Joan Didion) and their three-year old child to “look for salvation without commitment.”

Dunne is not in Las Vegas to gamble, he is instead searching for struggling people he can observe to make himself feel better about his own life. He meets a colorful cast of oddballs and outcasts, and ends up spending most of the book profiling a fame-seeking comedian, a sex worker trying to put herself through cosmetology school, and a private detective who specializes in tracking down errant husbands. Voyeuristic and grotesque, funny and poignant, empathetic and startlingly explicit, Dunne’s Vegas is certainly dated in many ways, yet I still found it to be a fascinating and disturbing depiction of Sin City. It’s a fever dream of a book that probably won’t inspire you to plan a trip to Nevada, but it’s an engrossing read that reminds you things could definitely be going worse.

▪ Review by Nat ▪

Check out more of his favorites and purchase your copy from us by using our links in bio!!

WWW.BACKOFBEYONDBOOKS.COM

#reading #books #desert #moab #backofbeyondbooks #booksbooksbooks #Utah #BackofBeyondBooks #indiebookstore #moabutah #readers

8 1
Open
Vegas: A Memoir of a Dark Season by John Gregory Dunne was originally published in 1974 and had been out of print for years before it was republished this summer. The book blurs the line between autobiography and fiction, as Dunne recounts a “time both real and imagined” that he spent wallowing on the Vegas Strip. The narrative begins when the mortality-obsessed Dunne has a nervous breakdown and decides to leave his wife (acclaimed author Joan Didion) and their three-year old child to “look for salvation without commitment.” Dunne is not in Las Vegas to gamble, he is instead searching for struggling people he can observe to make himself feel better about his own life. He meets a colorful cast of oddballs and outcasts, and ends up spending most of the book profiling a fame-seeking comedian, a sex worker trying to put herself through cosmetology school, and a private detective who specializes in tracking down errant husbands. Voyeuristic and grotesque, funny and poignant, empathetic and startlingly explicit, Dunne’s Vegas is certainly dated in many ways, yet I still found it to be a fascinating and disturbing depiction of Sin City. It’s a fever dream of a book that probably won’t inspire you to plan a trip to Nevada, but it’s an engrossing read that reminds you things could definitely be going worse. ▪ Review by Nat ▪ Check out more of his favorites and purchase your copy from us by using our links in bio!! WWW.BACKOFBEYONDBOOKS.COM #reading #books #desert #moab #backofbeyondbooks #booksbooksbooks #Utah #BackofBeyondBooks #indiebookstore #moabutah #readers

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett is a madcap ragtag road trip across the U.S. led by an unforgettable character named PJ Halliday. PJ feels modeled after the beloved "Dude" of Big Lebowski fame, an aging some-time heavy drinking (trying to quit) three-time heart-attack survivor and Vietnam vet whose ex-wife cuts out the bad news from the newspaper before he reads it at her breakfast table along with his best-friend, her new fiance. The couple however has gone on vacation, spurring PJ into the scheme of marrying an ancient flame of his who now lives in Arizona - PJ lives in Massachusetts. Joining him for the long drive are two orphaned children, a cat who predicts deaths, and one of his own daughters. Like a Fredrik Backman book, but apply more continuous dark humor, a heavy dose of sarcasm, and more laughs. Trigger warning for PTSD/trauma & suicide, but chock-full of catharsis. This was impossible to put down, I absolutely loved it!

💛 Review by Julia 💛
reddirtpainter
See all her reviews and purchase your copy from our store online using our links in bio!

WWW.BACKOFBEYONDBOOKS.COM

#moab #MoabUtah #desert #books #bookstore #booksbooksbooks #backofbeyondbooks #reading #bookstoread

14 0
Open
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett is a madcap ragtag road trip across the U.S. led by an unforgettable character named PJ Halliday. PJ feels modeled after the beloved "Dude" of Big Lebowski fame, an aging some-time heavy drinking (trying to quit) three-time heart-attack survivor and Vietnam vet whose ex-wife cuts out the bad news from the newspaper before he reads it at her breakfast table along with his best-friend, her new fiance. The couple however has gone on vacation, spurring PJ into the scheme of marrying an ancient flame of his who now lives in Arizona - PJ lives in Massachusetts. Joining him for the long drive are two orphaned children, a cat who predicts deaths, and one of his own daughters. Like a Fredrik Backman book, but apply more continuous dark humor, a heavy dose of sarcasm, and more laughs. Trigger warning for PTSD/trauma & suicide, but chock-full of catharsis. This was impossible to put down, I absolutely loved it! 💛 Review by Julia 💛 reddirtpainter See all her reviews and purchase your copy from our store online using our links in bio! WWW.BACKOFBEYONDBOOKS.COM #moab #MoabUtah #desert #books #bookstore #booksbooksbooks #backofbeyondbooks #reading #bookstoread