topics

Author On the Bookcase
Debra Ollivier

I'm so thrilled to welcome Debra Ollivier, author of What French Women Know: About Love, Sex, and Other Matters of the Heart and Mind, to On the Bookcase. Debra writes that French women don’t give a damn. They don’t expect men to understand them. They don’t care about being liked or being like everyone else. They accept the passage of time; celebrate the immediacy of pleasure; embrace ambiguity and imperfection; and prefer having a life to making a living. American women might learn the basics of the liberating alternatives from the land that knows how to love. 

Bon Jour! Comment ca va?

Author on the Bookcase
Jillian Cantor

I'm excited to welcome Jill Cantor, author of The Transformation of Things, to On the Bookcase. Jillian has crafted a truly fantastic novel about a complicated life made even more complicated. Jennifer Levenworth's husband, a judge, is indicted on bribery charges and her "friends" aren't that supportive. Then the dreams begin. When Jennifer sleeps, she swears she can see—and hear—her friends' and family's most private moments though her dreams.

Author On the Bookcase
Kate Ledger

I'm thrilled to have Kate Ledger, author of Remedies, writing for On the Bookcase. In Remedies, Simon and Emily seem to have it all -- good jobs, nice house, a healthy thirteen year old daughter. But things are not always as they seem. There are some old scars and wounds that haven't been treated and addressed. Will the "elephant in the room" been the end of this seemingly perfect family. Kate's debut novel reveals marriage, parenthood, loss, grief, and hope.

July 11 is the 50th anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic. Featuring some of the most memorable characters in literary history—attorney Atticus Finch, his children Scout and Jem, and of course Boo Radley—To Kill a Mockingbird is the indelible story of race, class, and growing up in the Deep South of the 1930s. Great reading group discussion topics!

To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than forty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie.

I've been on vacation so my blog has been on vacation, too! Corolla, NC -- great weather and a good time.

Back to the book business. BEA(BookExpoAmerica) has afforded me some great galleys to look over. Amy from W. W. Norton gave me one that I'm excited to read -- Great House by Nicole Krauss. Krauss' previous novel, The History of Love, is one of my favorite books. Great story and lots of reading group topics to discuss.

I always like Penelope Lively's work. The Photograph, Making It Up, Family Album, Consequences, and her over 20 other fiction and nonfiction titles. She is a great children's books writer, as well, -- over 25 titles. But my favorite is Moon Tiger, winner of the Booker Prize, first released in 1987. Great characters and many lively topics to discuss in a reading group.

I love cats! I have my late cat, Amberley, on my photo image. So, when Kensington Books sent me Cleo: The Cat Who Mended a Family by Helen Brown, I knew I'd dive in.

Summary

“We’re just going to look.” Helen Brown had no intention of adopting a pet when she brought her sons, Sam and Rob, to visit a friend’s new kittens.