Well-Read: Reading With Robin - (It really is) All About That Book..and a few giveaways!*
Robin Kall, GoLocalProv Book Columnist
Well-Read: Reading With Robin - (It really is) All About That Book..and a few giveaways!*
Norwegian by Night highlights important themes of returning from war and growing older. The main character, Sheldon Horowitz, an ex-marine, eighty-two year old retired watch repairman warily agrees to immigrate to Norway from New York City to live with his granddaughter and her husband. Sheldon’s world is turns upside down when he witnesses a heinous crime and goes on the lam with a five-year-old child. Miller also talks about themes such as: what the role of Humanities is in our national life right now and how our own identity changes through time and is in negotiation with the places that we live.
Having lived in Barrington for several years, Miller identifies with New England and lives in Oslo, Norway with his family. He is the director the The Policy Lab and senior fellow with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Reasearch. He has a PHD in international relations from the University of Geneva, and an MA in national security studies from Georgetown University, in cooperation with St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. We are looking forward to hosting him here in Rhode Island when he joins us for the very popular May Breakfast, which will be held on May 16th. (click on link to order tickets- this event tends to sell out)
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAs Chair of several of the May Breakfasts, I have enjoyed working with Kate Lentz since she first joined the Rhode Island Center For The Book as its new director in the fall of 2012. Kate was formerly a librarian at the Lincoln School and has been a longtime supporter of the Rhode Island Center for the Book. Kate has been instrumental in helping the RI Center for the Book continue to evolve as it enters its second decade spreading the love of reading and writing across the Ocean State.
The 2015 Read Across Rhode Island kickoff event was held at the end of January with The Rhode Island Humanities Council. Jim Ludes, Executive Director of the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University was the moderator for this sold-out event. Here is our virtual chat:
Robin- I hear you did a fabulous job at the RARI kick-off event. Can you please tell me a little about what was discussed, how many attended and what people were saying about Norwegian by Night?
Jim M. Ludes- We had a full house--about 100 book lovers--at the Pell Center at Salve Regina University for the kick-off of Read Across Rhode Island. The day featured a video greeting from the author, Derek Miller, who asked some terrific questions about some of the themes in the book and conversation with two of the discussion leaders--Bob Hackey from Providence College and Marta Martinez of RI Latino Arts who are helping the Center for the Book facilitate conversation across the state. There was also a terrific dramatic reading of an excerpt from the novel performed by Living Literature. It was really a great day.
Not everyone there had read Norwegian by Night, yet, and we tried to avoid any spoilers. But I've read it, and I can tell you--it's a great read: thoughtful, funny, moving. People are going to enjoy it.
Jim M. Ludes- It's funny, in his video greeting, Derek Miller joked about all the things that Rhode Island has in common with Norway. He came up with two: it's cold and there are trees. But even at the kick-off we didn't have a clue about what February was going to hold for us weather-wise. I hope everyone took advantage of the opportunity to cozy-up with Norwegian by Night. There were a lot less entertaining things to do--like shoveling.
But the best news is--if you were too busy digging out to read the book, there's still plenty of time. The book is a fast and enjoyable read.
Robin- Which of the books' themes were highlighted at the kick-off event?
Jim M. Ludes -The kick-off was really an opportunity to showcase the work of Bob Hackey from Providence College and Marta Martinez of RI Latino Arts. They will be facilitating conversations across Rhode Island around Norwegian by Night. Bob--who is also a visiting fellow at the Pell Center--is interested in the depiction of veterans and the way we honor veterans in our society. Sheldon, the main character in the novel, is a combat veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and his experiences in Korea play a central role in the novel.
Marta is focused on issues of identity--and those issues run throughout the novel. Sheldon is Jewish, living in Oslo with his granddaughter, who has married a Norwegian man. They live in a neighborhood with different ethnic communities--a reflection on the changing demographics of Europe since the end of the Cold War and the rise of globalization. It’s a really rich tapestry that Derek Miller wove. And all of these issues of identity are essential to the novel.
Robin- Did anything surprising come out of the panel discussion? Sometimes themes that were more background receive a surprising amount of attention.
Jim M. Ludes- Honestly, I was mostly surprised that we didn’t give anything away! The novel is a thriller so we could have ruined the book for everyone. But we didn't. And I promised Kate Lentz I wouldn't do that today, either.
Robin- If there is anything you'd like to add….
Jim M. Ludes- It was such a pleasure to work with the RI Center for the Book, especially Kate Lentz whose generosity of spirit and passion for Read Across Rhode Island is inspiring. She and her colleagues at the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities do a remarkable job to keep us grappling with big human issues. We at the Pell Center were simply glad to be involved with them.
*As promised there are (three) copies of Norwegian By Night to give away. To enter please send an email to me, [email protected], and you will be entered to win a copy. Winners will be announced on Thursday, March 5th. Please tune in to Reading With Robin radio AM790 on Friday, April 10th to hear my interview with Derek Miller.
Coming up this Friday, March 6th Robin’s guests are: authors Cynthia Swanson author of the debut novel, The Bookseller and Tom Santopietro celebrating 50 years with The Sound of Music Story.
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)
