Reading With Robin: Paperback Writers
Robin Kall, GoLocalProv Book Columnist
Reading With Robin: Paperback Writers
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
I have been a fan of NY Times Bestselling author Jodi Picoult ever since I read The Pact. I’ve read and loved so many of her novels since then and Leaving Time was no exception. A gorgeous mother/daughter story set against the backdrop of an Elephant Sanctuary the reader follows three-year-old Jenna whose mother mysteriously disappears after a tragic accident. Jenna never gives up hope of finding out what truly happened and along the way she enlists the help of a detective and a psychic. True to Picoult form there is a twist at the end that had me thinking about this story long after I had finished this memorable novel.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
A quintessential summer read, The Vacationers, was one of the hottest books last summer. The story takes place over two weeks as we follow the Post family to the Balearic island of Mallorca to celebrate their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. Joining the couple is their daughter, Sylvia as well as extended family and a few friends. This setting is ripe for family issues, secrets, and a few life-altering awakenings. Not exactly a day at the beach!
This debut novel about four young women who are thrown together as roommates during their freshman year in college is a real page turner. Seemingly quite different from one another, each arrives with their own set of matching (or not matching) luggage as the case may be. As their stories unfold their friendships deepen and the stakes are raised as life intervenes in the way it always does. As their stories and appetites collide the women make a pact to maintain their friendships no matter what.
I have been reading Bohjalian’s novels since before Oprah selected Midwives as one of her picks. To say I am a fan is a huge understatement. His latest, Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is a haunting story about a character you will not soon forget – Emily Shepard.
Emily is on the run after the nuclear plant where her father worked has suffered a meltdown and all signs point to him at the one who is responsible. Shepard’s journey takes her to places where no young girl should ever find herself and it’s her spirit, wit and sense of humor that move the story along and Emily as well.
The second debut on this list is a family saga that spans decades and continents and has been called an “…effortlessly gorgeous and rich book…” by author Jonathan Ames. Mira will be joining us for dinner and conversation on Monday, June 8th at Rasa Restaurant in East Greenwich. Please click HERE for ticket information.
This debut novel by Ted Thompson is in a word, perfect. Upon Anders Hill’s midlife awakening, he tasks himself with reevaluating everything in his life, including his seemingly idyllic forty-year marriage. This book is for fans of thoughtful commuter town commentary. Ted Thompson will be joining us for An Evening with Authors in October!
Coming up this Friday, May 29thth Robin’s guests will be: debut novelists Mira Jacob, The Sleepwalker’s Guide To Dancing and Patricia Park, Re Jane.
Well-Read: Reading with Robin- Books I’m looking forward to This Year - Part One.
In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
Judy Blume is the first author I ever fell in love with. Like so many others of a certain age, reading Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, made me a reader. I read every Judy Blume book that was out there and eagerly awaited whatever was to come next. When I found out that Blume had a new adult book coming out this summer I immediately emailed her publicist and started a campaign to bring her here to Rhode Island. Not sure how that’s going to work out but I know we will set up an interview. I’m just that persistent. In The Unlikely Event is based on the true story of a series of passenger planes that crashed in Elizabeth, New Jersey within a three month period when Blume was a teenager. Not surprisingly, this left a big impression on the author who uses this as a backdrop in telling the story of three generations of family, friends and strangers who will be forever changed by these events. (June 2nd)
Girl in the Moonlight by Charles Dubow
I love reading the kind of book whose hero desperately wants to be part of a world that he is just not from. (think Miranda Beverly-Whittemore’s Bittersweet) This is the perfect set-up for all sorts of trouble and undesirable behavior by colorful characters. Meet Wylie Rose who, since childhood, has been drawn to the charming, close-knit Bonet siblings. Growing up, Wylie’s friendship with Aurelio allowed him access to the “love of his life” Cesca who is not the sort of girl to be in a relationship for very long. Cesca toys with Wylie’s affections ultimately ruining the possibility of a relationship with any other woman. Sounds bewitching. (May 12th)
The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward
I first met Amanda when I had her as a guest on Reading With Robin to discuss her then new novel, How To Be Lost. I have been a fan ever since from Forgive Me and Close Your Eyes to Love Stories in this Town. Amanda is an Evening With Authors alum and whenever a new book comes out, I want to read it without knowing anything about it. After reading a little bit about The Same Sky I am even more excited to read it , especially when Jodi Picout says “..this one’s going to haunt me for a long time…” The Same Sky is about finding courage through struggle and hope and gathering the strength—no matter what—to find the place where you belong. (0ut now)
The Precious One by Marisa de los Santos
From the author of Belong To Me (you’ll all remember the brightly colored rain boots on the cover) comes the highly anticipated novel, The Precious One. Told in alternating voices this is an unforgettable story of family secrets, obsession and filled with heartfelt insights which are present in all of de los Santos’ writing. In her life, Eustacia “Taisy” Cleary has given her heart to only three men: her first love, her twin brother and her father.
Seventeen years ago, Taisy’s father left his first family for Caroline, a beautiful young sculptor. In all that time, Taisy’s family seen Wilson and his family only once. Now Wilson is initing Taisy for an extended visit. Why, all of the sudden does he want Taisy to help him write his memoir? Curious, indeed. (March 24th)
At The Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen
From the beloved author of Water For Elephants, which was the 2008 Reading Across Rhode Island pick, comes Gruen’s latest tale about a privileged young woman’s personal awakening as she experiences the horrors of World War II in a Scottish Highlands village. Madeline Hyde, a young socialite from Philadelphia, reluctantly follows her husband and their best friend to the tiny village of Drumnadrochit in search of the Loch Ness
Monster. What Maddie finds out about herself and the larger world through the most unlikely friendships with the villagers opens her up to the beauty in the world as well as the very dark places all around her. (March 31st)
The Half Brother by Holly LeCraw
Brought to us by the author of The Swimming Pool which I read years ago and still remember well (which says a lot). The Half Brother is another book with a favorite premise at its center, school-set novels. What better time of a character’s life to throw all sorts of situations at them than school age? A New England boarding school, no less. LeCraw is a master at drawing memorable characters who have curious ways of navigating through their lives and will have you wanting to know more and more.
(Feb 17th) Holly LeCraw will be in Rhode Island March 5th at 7pm for a book talk& signing at The Willet Free Library.
*Bonus giveaway. I have 10 copies of The Half Brother to give away. You can enter your book club to win or enter individually by emailing me at [email protected]
My Sunshine Away by M.O.Walsh
Books arrive at my home each and every day. Books that are being published in the next few months, the next year and sometimes books that are already on the shelves. It is an embarrassment of riches. I cannot possibly get to all of them so I surprise myself when I pluck one from the pile and sit right down to read it. This was the case when My Sunshine Away arrived. I’m not sure if it was the gorgeous cover that sucked me in as great covers have a tendency to do. Or if it was the little bit I read about the story –set in the summer of 1989 in a lovely Baton Rouge neighborhood where the “belle of the block” type fifteen-year-old girl is the target of a horrific crime and the dark side of suburbia is revealed. (Feb 10th)
The House of Hawthorne by Erick Robuck
From one of my favorite historical fiction writers, The House of Hawthorne, is the much-anticipated novel about a literary couple. (What better subject for a book lover?) It’s the story of the unlikely marriage between Nathaniel Hawthorne, the novelist, and Sophia Peabody, the invalid artist. As in all of her novels, Robuck does a thorough job of her research and brings us a story that is both historically factual and creatively told with well-rounded characters. The House of Hawthorne spans the years from the 1830s to the Civil War and takes us from Massachusetts to England, Portugal, and Italy. The tension within a famous marriage of two strong-willed and deeply artistic people is something I’m very interested to read about. Look for Erika’s book tour this spring, as it will take her to New England. Let’s hope we can snag a stop in Rhode Island! (May 5th)
