Durham
Katy Munger
The Regulator BookshopDurham novelist Katy Munger has published not one but two new mystery novels in the past month. Bad Moon on the Rise, which came out Sept.1, is the latest tale in her Casey Jones series, sending Casey to the N.C. mountains for a story involving terrible fears, a 15-year-old boy and a 6-foot fiberglass hot dog. Desolate Angel is the first in a new series called “Dead Detectives,” which is published under Munger’s pseudonym, Chaz McGee. In the new series, a ghost must look back at the mistakes he made in his life and somehow find a way to move on. Meet Munger at tonight’s reading and signing at 7. For more information, call 286-2700 or visit www.regulatorbookshop.com. Zack Smith
Raleigh
Celia Rivenbark
Quail Ridge Books & MusicHometown honey Celia Rivenbark is comin’ back, y’all! After a quintessential Southern upbringing, Rivenbark worked for North Carolina newspapers before she started writing weekly humor columns. USA Today compared her to “Dave Barry with a female point of view” (albeit without his trademark phrase “I swear I am not making this up”). The event starts at 7:30 p.m., and Rivenbark will be reading from her latest book, You Can’t Drink All Day If You Don’t Start in the Morning. This outing considers such topics as cat whispering, Jesus action figures and Gwyneth Paltrow as a lifestyle guru. For more information, visit www.quailridgebooks.com. Sarah Ewald
Chapel Hill
Graveyard Fields
NightlightAs the lead singer of Graveyard Fields. Andrea Connolly has the perfect voice for summer nights. Based in Carrboro, Andrea and her husband, Pete Connolly, along with Brian Risk, Carol Bales and Jon D create a blend of sounds that could be likened to rustic trip-hop. In “Carnival,” Connolly’s voice swells over a sultry accompaniment, suggesting the smoky lounges in film noir. Elsewhere, the vocals are soaring and romantic, hints of the climbing ascent in a gospel chorus sweeping through. The band plays with Gray Young and Sea Gaps tonight at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $5. See www.nightlightclub.com for more info.
This is the second of two recent projects from the Connollys, who record as the excellent Birds & Arrows. Andrea’s voice is as velvety as ever, and it lies over the crisp plucking of Pete’s guitar. Birds & Arrows plays Billy Sugarfix’s CD release party with Schooner at Cat’s Cradle Saturday, Sept. 12. For more on that $8 show, which begins at 9:30 p.m., see www.catscradle.com. Whitney Kenerly
