Carly Schwartz & Juliet Izon - I'll Try Anything Twice & The Encore

Join us at Book Passage for an upcoming author event celebrating Carly Schwartz and her new book, I'll Try Anything Twice: Misadventures of a Self-Medicated Life, and Juliet Izon and her new book, The Encore: A Novel.

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ABOUT THIS EVENT

• This event will be hosted by Book Passage at our SF Ferry Building store.
• Free Admission / Open Seating
• Following the presentation, there will be a signing line or a meet-and-greet.
• If you are unable to attend the event, you can still get your copy by clicking their book titles above. If you would like a signed or personalized book, please note that in the order comment field.
• For any questions regarding our events, please contact us at books@bookpassage.com.

Book Cover ISBN

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For readers who wish “Eat, Pray, Love” had a cynical streak comes this propulsive, fiercely original memoir about a journalist’s quest to conquer depression and addiction, set against the backdrop of international adventures and modern communal living.

Through the eyes of others, Carly Schwartz seems to have everything going for her: top editor at the world’s biggest news site, fancy college degree, a seemingly endless parade of friends and parties. But she’s been struggling with crippling, suicidal depression since she was a teenager, and by her late twenties she has learned to cope with a steady diet of drugs, alcohol, and unavailable men.

Then she meets a charismatic guy who invites her to move to the mysterious “sustainable town” he’s building in the Panamanian jungle. As Carly chases her appetite for adventure down to the equator, she ends up consumed by a darkness she can no longer hide from. And when she finally conjures the courage to confront her demons, she finds help where she least expects it.

Equal parts hilarious and heart-wrenching, I’ll Try Anything Twice is a vivid and vulnerable portrayal of the search for belonging, the definition of success, and the risks we’re willing to take in order to learn how to love ourselves.

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Carly Schwartz is the former editor in chief of the San Francisco Examiner and founding editor of HuffPost’s San Francisco bureau. Editor & Publisher magazine named her one of 10 “Women to Watch,” and her writing has appeared in the San Francisco Standard, ELLE magazine, MSNBC, and more. As an advocate for suicide prevention and addiction recovery, Carly has been a spokesperson for the Jed Foundation and Google’s Recovery Month. She’s also the founder of Mindwriters, a workshop series designed to help people transform their lives through storytelling. She lives in San Francisco’s Mission District. For more, visit carly.ink.

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“A compelling and compulsively readable tale told in a funny, deeply human voice…Schwartz guides readers through a page-turning journey that will be all too relatable to anyone who’s struggled with mental health issues.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Sharp, lively, evocative prose, laced with wit and powered by rare candor, immerses readers in each moment...Schwartz’s dedication to the truth is inspiring.” – Publishers Weekly BookLife

“The author's unflinching self-awareness made this book stand out from others in the genre. The tone balances dark humor with accountability, which is hard to pull off but powerful when done well.” – Readers' Favorite, five-star review

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Book Cover ISBN

A captivating journey of love, sacrifice, and destiny playing out in the world of music.

In 2003, at the prestigious Brookfield Conservatory in Boston, a chance encounter sparks an inimitable friendship between driven pianist and singer Anna Buckley and composer wunderkind Will Pendleton. As they strive toward careers as professional musicians, their bond deepens both from shared skill and the inexplicable sense that they’re kindred souls. But soon after graduation, one night forever alters the trajectory of their lives, destroying their relationship in the process.

Twenty years later in New York, sixteen-year-old piano virtuoso Lottie Thomas is grappling with the rigors of her elite prep school and the confounding disappearance of the woman who gave her up at birth. When Lottie suddenly discovers the startling truth of her identity, the revelation catalyzes a chain of events that not only reunites Lottie with her birth parents, but forces them together on a rock tour-bus for a careening cross-country journey. It is there, trapped in these tight confines, that the three must finally reconcile with irrevocable choices from the past.

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Juliet Izon is a journalist and author who has written for publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, and Architectural Digest. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two Ragdoll cats, splitting her time between New York City and the Hudson Valley. When she's not writing, you can usually find her at a show: Broadway, ballet, art, or (naturally) a concert. The Encore is her debut novel.

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“The Encore is a debut whose voice soars like a rock star from the first note and never lets go. Read this book now so you can be the person in your book club who gets to say you discovered Juliet Izon ‘first.’ Her writing will stop you in your tracks.”—Ali Rosen, bestselling author of Unlikely Story and James Beard and Emmy nominated journalist

"If you love romance, music (and lots of it), drama, and an unforgettable road trip, journalist Juliet Izon’s debut novel The Encore is right up your alley. Izon’s writing truly shines as she deftly weaves together the lives of three characters in a way that will have you sacrificing sleep just to read one more chapter."—Glamour

“A beautifully written story about music, missed chances, and a reunion two decades in the making that pairs perfectly with a cozy night in.”—Esquire

Deftly examining how ambition, creativity, and love intersect, this moving novel will appeal to fans of Talyor Jenkins Reid's Daisy Jones & the Six (2019) and Holly Brickley's Deep Cuts (2025).—Booklist

Carly Schwartz - photo courtesy of the publicist ; Juliet Izon - photo credit Katie Ward