Mother's Day Author Blogs 2024
We wrap up this year’s Mother’s Day Author Blog series with Ann Hood, whose books include the novels THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST and THE KNITTING CIRCLE, and the memoir FLY GIRL. In her latest work of fiction, THE STOLEN CHILD (an upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On pick), an unlikely duo ventures through France and Italy to solve the mystery of a child’s fate. Ann loved reading with her children, Sam and Grace, as they bonded over Babar, Madeline and every Roald Dahl book. But sadly, there was one story that they were never able to finish.
THE WIVES, a recent Bookreporter.com Bets On selection, is a captivating memoir that tells the story of Simone Gorrindo’s experience of joining a community of army wives after leaving her New York City job. Simone has fond memories of her mother reading her bedtime stories each evening. In fact, she loved this part of the day so much that, at the age of six, she came up with an ingenious way of extending the time they spent together right before calling it a night. Simone’s daughter, who is now seven, has adopted this same strategy, and Simone wouldn’t have it any other way.
In her new memoir, BREAKING GLASS: Tales from the Witch of Wall Street, Patricia Walsh Chadwick explains how, after getting kicked out of a cult at the age of 17, she started on the bottom rung of the ladder in the world of business and worked her way to the top --- breaking through the glass ceiling to become a global partner at Invesco. The apple clearly didn’t fall far from the tree, as her mother and grandmother were go-getters whose intelligence, drive and determination to succeed knew no bounds. In her Mother’s Day blog post, Patricia pays loving tribute to these two extraordinary women.
Inspired by her own family story, DAUGHTERS OF SHANDONG is Eve J. Chung’s propulsive debut novel about a mother and her daughters’ harrowing escape to Taiwan as the Communist revolution sweeps through China. For the longest time, Eve was under the impression that her mom didn’t like to read, even though she made sure that Eve made frequent trips to the library. It wasn’t until later in life that Eve, a voracious reader, realized she had so much more in common with her mom than she ever thought, which has made their relationship even stronger.
Holly Gramazio’s recently released novel, THE HUSBANDS, is an instant New York Times bestseller and a “Read with Jenna” Today Show Book Club pick. This exuberant debut delights in asking: How do we navigate life, love and choice in a world of never-ending options? As a child, Holly had plenty of options when it came to books. And for a few years, her mum would read to her almost every night. It was only when Holly was 9 or 10, and she began reading to her brothers, that she gained a greater appreciation for everything her mum did to foster her love of reading at a young age.
We are kicking off this year’s Mother’s Day Author Blog series with Janet Skeslien Charles, the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of THE PARIS LIBRARY. Her latest novel, MISS MORGAN’S BOOK BRIGADE, is based on the true story of Jessie Carson --- the American librarian who changed the literary landscape of France. Janet credits her mother and grandmother for her love of reading at an early age and her desire to write. She and her mom, along with her sister, bonded over countless books, which also helped them cope with some of the most difficult times of their lives. As Janet says, “[r]eading was both a connection and an escape.”
