family

AUTHOR SQUARED
Michele Young-Stone
Cara Hoffman

Two Authors chat about writing, books, and everything in between

I'm excited to welcome Michele Young-Stone (The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors) and Cara Hoffman (So Much Pretty) to Author Squared.

Take it away, Michele and Cara!

Michele: I have some questions I’m dying to ask you.

I'm so excited to welcome Jay Varner, author of Nothing Left to Burn, to On the Bookcase! Jay's memoir eloquently tells the story of a son’s relationship with his father, the fire chief and a local hero, and his grandfather, a serial arsonist. Jay returns home after college and lands a job at the local newspaper writing the police and fire beat. Three men of the same family share a passion or obession with fire. In digging into the past, Jay's story reveals layers of family secrets, lies, and half-truths about fire-fighting and arson. It is only when he finally has the truth in hand that he comes to an understanding of the forces that drove his father, and of the fires that for all his efforts his father could never extinguish.

In this post, Jay shares his high school struggles to get a girl and be accepted.

Author On the Bookcase
Jael McHenry

I'm thrilled to welcome Jael McHenry, author of The Kitchen Daughter, to On the Bookcase. Reading and recipes -- perfect for reading groups! After the unexpected death of her parents, painfully shy and sheltered 26-year-old Ginny Selvaggio seeks comfort in cooking from family recipes. (Midnight Cry Brownies -- yummy!) She learns her cooking will lure family ghosts and these ghosts leave clues to some family secrets. As Ginny deals with her loss, she faces another challenge  -- her sister wants to sell the house Ginny has ever known.

Author On the Bookcase
Sarah Winman

I'm excited to welcome Sarah Winman, author of When God Was a Rabbit, to On the Bookcase. Sarah's novel reveals the love of a brother and a sister, unwinding over many years -- backlit by historical events and cultural references.

From Essex and Cornwall to the streets of New York, from 1968 to the events of 9/11, When God Was a Rabbit follows the evolving bond of love and secrets between Elly and her brother Joe, and her increasing concern for an unusual best friend, Jenny Penny, who has secrets of her own. When God Was a Rabbit is a love letter to true friendship and fraternal love.

Here, Sarah talks about her book and the way she tried "to stop the film.

Around the Bend
Exposure by Therese Fowler

Around the Bend is an On the Bookcase Feature bringing attention to upcoming reading group-appropriate titles.

I'm so excited! Random House sent me an ARC of Therese's new title, Exposure (May 2011). I met Therese at the Virginia Festival of Books (VABOOK) 3 or 4 years ago. (Time flies when you have having fun!) She was on the Reading Group Choices' panel. Therese is a great writer and a fun person. Her previous novels are Souvenir and Reunion - both excellent reading group picks. And, I get to see her next week in DC for the Association of Writers & Writing Progmans.  

Here's the scoop!

Publisher Summary

Amelia Wilkes’s strict father does not allow her to date, but that doesn’t stop the talented, winsome high school senior from carrying on a secret romance with her classmate Anthony Winter.

Around the Bend
Galore by Michael Crummey

Around the Bend is an On the Bookcase Feature bringing attention to upcoming reading group-appropriate titles.

Publisher Summary

When a whale beaches itself on the shore of the remote coastal town of Paradise Deep, the last thing any of the townspeople expect to find inside it is a man, silent and reeking of fish, but remarkably alive. The discovery of this mysterious person, soon christened Judah, sets the town scrambling for answers as its most prominent citizens weigh in on whether he is man or beast, blessing or curse, miracle or demon.

Though Judah is a shocking addition, the town of Paradise Deep is already full of unusual characters. King-me Sellers, self-appointed patriarch, has it in for an inscrutable woman known only as Devine’s Widow, with whom he has a decades-old feud.

Author On the Bookcase
Jennifer Vanderbes

I'm thrilled to welcome Jennifer Vanderbes, author of the new book, Strangers at the Feasts, to On the Bookcase. On Thanksgiving Day 2007, three generations of the Olson family gather. While the Olsons navigate the tensions and secrets that mark their relationships, seventeen-year-old Kijo Jackson and his best friend Spider set out from the nearby housing projects on a mysterious job. A series of tragic events bring these two worlds ever closer, exposing the dangerously thin line between suburban privilege and urban poverty, and culminating in a crime that will change everyone's life.

Jennifer writes stories that "attempt to answer certain questions." A simple "what if" question started the story that became Strangers at the Feast.

Author On the Bookcase
Cathy Lamb

I'm excited to welcome Cathy Lamb, author of Such A Pretty Face. Her book tells the story of Stevie, who two years and 170 pounds ago, was wheeled into an operating room for surgery that most likely saved her life. At thirty-five, Stevie is the one thing she never thought she'd be: thin.

Stevie realizes the most important part of her transformation may not be what she's lost, but the courage and confidence she's gathering, day by day. What fascinating reading-group topics -- identity, family, friendships.

Today, Cathy chats about her writing process. What do toilets, electricity, carpet and a chimmey have to do with her writing?

Pennie Clark Ianniciello, Costco's book buyer, has chosen Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen as her pick of the month for August. This book is a great book club pick. Lots of conversation starters -- culture differences, family, loss, personal challenges. Clark wrote:

"It's a common adage that you can't go home again, but Rhoda Janzen does just that in her memoir, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.

"Shortly after Janzen turns 43, her husband leaves her--for a man--and a car accident leaves her seriously injured. Those two events lead her to her parents' home--and the Mennonite community in which she was reared.

Do you remember the best summer of your life?

Marjorie Hart's book, Summer at Tiffany, is a charming and fun memoir about Marjorie's summer of 1945, working at Tiffany & Co in New York City. She and her roommate would become the first women to work on the sales floor at Tiffany & Co. How excitingI I would love to work there -- jewels galore! Marjorie chats about her amazing summer and how amazing about book clubs are (we know that!) Welcome, Marjorie, to On the Bookcase.