May 2011
For many groups that select books just once a year, ‘tis the season to be making selections. This is the time for book club members to hone their pitch skills. Why? Well, the difference between the book you want to have your group read being selected --- or not --- could be the way it is pitched to other members of the group.
Editorial content for The Summer of Us
Book
Teaser
The little beach house has a rickety porch and no closets, but the location is unbeatable --- close to a gorgeous shoreline and the best nightlife on Martha's Vineyard.
Promo
The little beach house has a rickety porch and no closets, but the location is unbeatable --- close to a gorgeous shoreline and the best nightlife on Martha's Vineyard.
About the Book
The little beach house has a rickety porch and no closets, but the location is unbeatable --- close to a gorgeous shoreline and the best nightlife on Martha's Vineyard. All in all, more than enough to entice three total strangers into a house share for the summer…
At first, the only thing Gincy, Danielle, and Clare have in common is a desire to spend weekends away from the city. No-nonsense Gincy has worked hard to leave her small-town childhood behind. Danielle grew up with every advantage and is looking for a husband who'll fit neatly into her pampered life, while Clare is enjoying a last burst of independence before marrying her ambitious fiancé. Yet lazy beach days and warm, conversation-filled nights forge an unexpected connection. And over the course of one eventful summer, Gincy, Danielle, and Clare will discover that friendship isn't always measured in how well you know a person's past --- but in opening each other's eyes to everything the future could hold…
Siri Hustvedt is the internationally bestselling author of WHAT I LOVED and THE SUMMER WITHOUT MEN. Below, she reflects on the influence of her mother, Esther Vegan Hustvedt --- and how the bond between mother and child affects all of us.
Robert Frost
Poets are like baseball pitchers. Both have their moments. The intervals are the tough things.
Attribution
Robert Frost
The author of several bestsellers, Sandra Dallas knows not to give up when the writing doesn’t flow. She learned this, first and foremost, from her mother --- “giving up wasn’t part of Mom’s makeup.” Though her mother is no longer here to place copies of THE BRIDE’S HOUSE face out on bookstore shelves, Sandra knows that she’s still her biggest fan.
As the author of SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER, Jacqueline Luckett has established herself as a writer to watch. In the touching post below, she reflects on the strong influence of her mother, who, while not an avid fiction reader herself, cherished Jacqueline’s first novel.
Photo: Jacqueline with her mother, Bernice.
Richard Horan zig-zagged across the country, tracking down author's homes and the trees that were a source of reference and inspiration to link literature with nature like never before. The result is SEEDS: One Writer's Serendipitous Journey to Find the Trees That Inspired Famous American Writers, from Faulkner to Kerouac, Welty to Wharton. Richard discusses his fond tree-climbing and tree houses memmories in this essay.
