Best Book Booker

Elvis Costello and Patti Smith. Ta-Nehisi Coates and Salman Rushdie. Sen. Cory Booker and Anthony Bourdain. FRANK REISS has brought them all to Atlanta. While many independent bookstores have run out of Benjamins and shuttered doors, A Cappella cracked open a new chapter when owner Reiss made the fortuitous decision to break beyond bookstore walls and host concert-size book events starting with Hollis Gillespie’s first book launch in 2004. His boots-on-the-ground approach to booking helps cultivate celebrations that attract all kinds of readers and keep publishers happy and invested in the Atlanta market. While getting cozy in the corner of a bookstore to hear a personal favorite author read is charming, and something Reiss also excels at organizing, communing with die-hard fans at a venue like Variety Playhouse as Elvis Costello serenades the crowd with “American Without Tears” is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 208 Haralson Ave. N.E. 404-681-5128. www.acappellabooks.com. less...