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—Outstanding Creator Awards – 2nd Place, Science (2024)

—OnlineBookClub.org

—Readers’ Favorite – 5 Stars

Brisa Carleton

Brisa Carleton grew up in the Pacific Northwest before moving to Midtown Manhattan to turn her passion for musicals and “flare for the dramatic” into an award-winning career as a Broadway producer. Three Tonys later, she’s worked on numerous productions, including Hamilton, Beautiful and Moulin Rouge. In 2019, at the request of HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, Brisa joined his foundation to lead philanthropy efforts in theater, dance and film on behalf of his mother, Princess Grace Kelly.

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January 2026 Bookaccino Signup

Links to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vKyFspXgTX6I51wjbi2imQ.

Erin O. White, author of Like Family

Ruth and her wife, Wyn, are living with their four children on their small farm in Radclyffe, New York. It’s a sweet life, but there’s a secret at its center, one that not even Ruth’s best friend, Caroline, knows. What Caroline does know is that she loves and depends on Ruth, and on the bond between their families. More than anything, she wants her tenderhearted son not to grow up lonely the way she did. Unfortunately, no one can assure her of that, especially not her husband. He just wants things to be easy and drama-free --- which is impossible, as he has donated his sperm to his cousin, Tobi, and her wife so that they could have kids of their own. Now those children are asking unanswerable questions. After an unexpected death in their community, all three couples are forced to confront the tensions that have long been buried beneath the surfaces of their lives.

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November 22, 2025

My book group had a terrific discussion this week about HEART THE LOVER by Lily King, which is a recent Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. As I mentioned in the last newsletter, we were happy to have a short book to read this month, as we knew we were meeting early because of the holiday. It was a page-turning read, and we all flew through it. One of the things that we honed in on was how, when we were in college, everything seemed so important and worthy of much discussion, especially relationships. There was lots of reminiscing. Sometimes book group brings out those moments.

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Clare Leslie Hall Book Group Event

Links to https://tbrnetwork.com/podcasts/bookreporter-talks-to/bookaccino-live-book-group-with-clare-leslie-hall/.

Thomas Schlesser, author of Mona's Eyes

While the doctors can find no explanation for Mona's brief episode of blindness, they agree that the threat of permanent vision loss cannot be ruled out. The girl's grandfather, Henry, may not be able to stop his granddaughter from losing her sight, but he can fill the encroaching darkness with beauty. Every Wednesday for a year, the pair abscond together and visit a single masterpiece in one of Paris's renowned museums. From Botticelli to Basquiat, Mona learns how each artist's work shaped the world around them. In turn, the young girl's world is changed forever by the power of their art. Under the kind and careful tutelage of her grandfather, Mona learns the true meaning of generosity, melancholy, love, loss and revolution.

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Brisa Carleton, author of Last Call at the Savoy

Six years ago, Cinnamon Scott was a young writer on the rise in New York City. But since the sudden loss of her parents, she's been stuck in place. Despite their tragic loss, she and her older sister, Rosemary, have always had each other to lean on. But now, with Rosie living in London and about to give birth to twins, Cinnamon feels more lost than ever. When Rosie is put on bed rest, Cinnamon flies to her sister's side, where she's temporarily living at The Savoy. She’s immediately swept away by the beauty and history of the legendary hotel and its famed American Bar. When the late-shift bartender tells her the story of Ada Coleman, the woman who crafted the cocktail recipes The Savoy popularized in its famous handbook a century ago, Cinnamon is inspired by the bartender's vivid stories of Ada's fearlessness and can't understand why Ada's name is nowhere to be found.

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