Book art, #bookface and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

My current favorite book-related hashtag to endlessly scroll. A chance to bid on — and buy — original art by amazing authors. And a basketball great — maybe basketball’s greatest — will sign books this weekend in Los Angeles. Here’s what’s new from the literary web.

#bookface

For the uninitiated, #bookface is a hashtag for Instagrams that complete a portrait on the cover of a book with an actual human model. Confused? Don’t overthink it. Just take a look at these goofball-geniuses.

Clearly, Librairie Mollat’s #bookface game is strong — the French bookstore has almost 53,000 followers to prove it. But my new favorite underdog? Otter Books, a small independent bookstore in Nelson, Canada. (The official tourism organization for British Columbia calls Nelson “a small city with a big personality … situated on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the heart of the Selkirk Mountains,” the most adorably Canadian sentence I’ve ever read.) Otter Books tends to post on #bookfacefriday, the official weekday of #bookface fans. Their skills are truly impressive:

An auction of art by writers

A painting by Thomas McGuane. “Book Art” by Hannah Tinti. Collages by Lauren Groff. For fans who already own all of their novels, here’s a chance to own these authors’ original art. Claire Vaye Watkins is behind the Dabbler’s Ball, a charity auction of art by writers with all proceeds benefiting Planned Parenthood.

As of now, prices are eye-poppingly low — $35 will earn the highest bid on McGuane’s painting, about the price of a hardback — but there are still 13 days for the auction to get heated. Going once, going twice, sold to the most devoted reader with a commitment to reproductive health!

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

On Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at Chevalier’s books, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar discusses and signs his memoir, “Coach Wooden and Me,” an enduring and inspiring story of mentorship and friendship. The iconic basketball player recently appeared on Marc Maron’s podcast for a surprising and candid conversation. A note to Lakers fans: Abdul-Jabbar will only be signing books, but nobody said you can’t wear gold and purple.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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