I had the opportunity to volunteer for my friend, Kim  (Bona Fide Books) at Valhalla's Grand Hall.  The evening showcased several local writers including Suzanne Roberts, reading from her just-released memoir, Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail; Scott Lucas, The Immersive Worlds Handbook: Designing Theme Parks and Consumer Spaces; Jared Manninen, Mega '99: Tales of an Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker; and Tim Hauserman, Tahoe Rim Trail: The Official Guide for Hikers, Mountain Bikers and Equestrians.  Tahoe-influenced writers Stefanie Freele, Surrounded by Water; and Steve Robinson, Why Stevie Can't Date evoked great laughter from their latest books.  And for an additional treat, two stories were read from my favorite, Tahoe Blues: Short Lit on Life at the Lake, which, by the way, is more fun than reading them yourself.

My job for the evening was sommelier and this was my view.  Incredible.

While I enjoyed every author's reading, Why Stevie Can't Date stands out as extra entertaining.  Steve Robinson moved to Tahoe in the early 60s as a 17 year old boy and he sure has a lot of stories to tell about the 'good old days'.  Jay Leno said of him, "Steve's life is a lot like Hugh Hefner's, but without the money, the women or the mansion. Most guys lie about sex. Steve doesn't. He makes the same mistakes we all make, but he tells you about them. A funny look at growing up on the fringes of show business."  A must read.