Blog
Sarah Vaughan is a former journalist who spent 11 years at the Guardian as a news reporter, health correspondent and political correspondent. Her latest novel, ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL, which releases on January 23rd, is a thriller about a scandal among Britain’s privileged elite and the women caught up in its wake. In her Holiday Blog post, Sarah explains the personal significance of Christmas 1999, when her then-boyfriend of three months gifted her with two books that she treasures to this very day: the first in the Harry Potter series and Nigella Lawson’s HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking.
Prolific author Francine Rivers returns to her romance roots with the February 6th release of THE MASTERPIECE, which the publisher describes as “a probing tale that reminds us that mercy can shape even the most broken among us into an imperfect yet stunning masterpiece.” When Francine and her husband, Rick, moved into a one-story home last year, they faced the painful task of parting with two-thirds of their book collection. But there’s one book in particular that Francine treasures above all else, as she explains in her Holiday Blog post, and is happy to give away to people who need and ask for it.
Karen Cleveland is a former CIA analyst, so it’s only fitting that the protagonist of her debut novel, NEED TO KNOW, shares the same profession. In pursuit of a Russian sleeper cell on American soil, Vivian Miller uncovers a dangerous secret that will threaten her job, her family --- and her life. Karen cherishes her childhood memories of reading books with her mom and siblings, especially holiday-themed ones during the Christmas season. These days, she carries on that important tradition for her own family, and in her Holiday Blog post, she proudly talks about her older son’s favorite holiday read --- THE POLAR EXPRESS --- which just happens to be hers as well.
Chris Fabry is an award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program "Chris Fabry Live" on Moody Radio. His upcoming novel, UNDER A CLOUDLESS SKY (which releases January 9th), is about a lush and storied coal-mining town in danger of being destroyed for the sake of profit. In 2008, Chris and his family vacated their home in Colorado due to a toxic mold problem that severely impacted their health, forcing them to leave everything behind. This unimaginable ordeal led to a memorable gift that Chris received from one of his favorite authors --- the late great Pat Conroy --- which wouldn’t have been possible without the kind and thoughtful actions of his wife.
Tayari Jones is the author of four novels, including SILVER SPARROW (a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick in 2011) and AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE (which releases on February 6th and also will be a Bets On selection). As a child, Tayari loved Judy Blume (in fact, she still does) and considered her copy of ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET to be her “most prized possession.” In her Holiday Blog post, Tayari recalls what happened when she misplaced the book one day and the valuable lessons she learned as a result, just weeks before Christmas.
We are thrilled to kick off the 10th year of our Holiday Author Blog series with New York Times bestselling author Alafair Burke, whose new novel, THE WIFE (releasing January 23rd), is a psychological thriller about a woman who must make the impossible choice between defending her husband and saving herself. Alafair was raised by a writer (legendary author James Lee Burke) and a librarian, so reading was a constant in the Burke household. But there’s one book she received from her father that she holds especially close to her heart, and in this first blog post of the holiday season, she explains why it was such a special gift.
On Thursday, November 9th, Random House invited readers to go “off the page” for their annual Open House event. While Open House is usually hosted in their Manhattan offices, this event was held in the beautiful new Tishman Auditorium at the New School, a venue that allowed for far more attendees and offered plenty of space for readers to spread out and enjoy the day.
On Saturday, October 21st, booklovers and book club members from the New York City Tri-State area convened at Hachette’s sixth annual Book Club Brunch. The event was held at the New York Society for Ethical Culture in a beautiful, spacious room with plenty of comfy seats. Lucky for me, I was able to attend with my good friends and avid readers Cheryl, Mary, Matt and Vivian.
John Shors is the internationally bestselling and award-winning author of BENEATH A MARBLE SKY and UNBOUND, among other works of historical fiction. In an effort to provide readers with an unparalleled travel experience, John launched John Shors Travel in 2014. Through his tour company, he has led small groups of travelers on adventures all over the world to the settings in his novels, including India, China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. In this piece, John talks about the origin of these unique literary tours and how wonderful it has been to travel with his readers.
Tasha Alexander is the author of the Lady Emily mystery series. The latest installment, DEATH IN ST. PETERSBURG, was partly inspired by years of ballet training at the hands of Marie Buczkowski, who, in turn, studied in Paris with Olga Preobrajenska. Preobrajenska, a prima ballerina at Imperial Ballet and a character in Alexander's new novel, fled Russia after the revolution. Madame Buczkowski would be pleased that her former pupil focused on Russian ballet and spent a great deal of time in the Mariinsky Theatre watching the masters at work.
