AWKWARD FAMILY PHOTOS by Mike Bender & Doug Chernack (Three Rivers Press, $15, May 2010)
Barnes & Noble
97 Warren St. at Greenwich St.
Thursday, July 15, free, 7:00
212-587-5389
www.randomhouse.com
www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com
What could be more fun than looking at someone else’s family photos? Well, what used to be a chore and a bore is now something completely different thanks to Mike Bender and Doug Chernack, who established awkwardfamilyphotos.com in May 2009, becoming an instant internet sensation. The website is now a book, divided into such thematic chapters as “The Family Portrait,” “Mom and Dad,” “The Kids,” “Siblings,” “Grandma and Grandpa,” “Pets,” “Birthdays,” “Holidays,” and, yes, “Vacation” and features such classic shots as “the Pile-On,” “the Lean,” “the Kiss Off,” and “Matchy-Matchy.” But the authors have not collected these photos — and tons of thousands more on their website — merely to make fun of people. As Bender and Chernack explain in the introduction, the book “is much more than just photos and stories. It’s about celebrating the family experience and shining a light on all of those deliciously awkward moments that come with the price of membership.” Bender and Chernack, who both work in Los Angeles in the film business, will be at the TriBeCa B&N on Warren St. on July 15 at 7:00 to discuss their tome and sign copies.