Blog
Heather Gudenkauf is the author of the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling novels THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE, THESE THINGS HIDDEN and ONE BREATH AWAY. Her latest book, LITTLE MERCIES, is a searing portrait of the tenuous grasp we have on the things we love the most, and of the ties that unexpectedly bring us together. This Father’s Day, Heather is celebrating her own father’s love --- for his family and also for books. She learned from her dad to enjoy a good mystery, and also to know the importance of being able to put a good book down and spend time with family.
Kicking off this year's Father’s Day Blog series is Lorenzo Carcaterra, a former journalist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of SLEEPERS, GANGSTER and MIDNIGHT ANGELS. In his latest novel, THE WOLF (out July 29th), organized crime goes to war with international terrorism in the name of one man’s quest for revenge. Carcaterra’s fascination with true crime --- organized and otherwise --- started early, when he and his father indulged in their “ritual of the papers” after a long day of work. His dad preferred tabloid and boxing stories, but Carcaterra couldn’t resist exploring the rest of the newspaper. His dream, he admitted when pressed, was to write stories. A serendipitous appearance by Truman Capote on “The Merv Griffin Show” and his father’s understated, unwavering encouragement inspired Carcaterra to achieve just that.
As you may have guessed, Lynn Cullen --- the award-winning author of numerous books, most recently the fan-favorite MRS. POE --- is all about books. Although she tends to write sweeping historical fiction, here she shares a story from more recent history about reading to her now-grown kids when they were children. She admits that after a long day, she was often exhausted and not entirely thrilled by the prospect of the bedtime story. It was never a choice, though; reading to her kids was as essential as feeding them dinner, and looking back on it now, she wouldn’t have it any other way. Happy Mother's Day!
Bestselling author Sarah Jio’s latest book, GOODNIGHT JUNE, is about a dissatisfied young woman who finds meaning in letters from her late great-aunt and GOODNIGHT MOON author Margaret Wise Brown. So it’s not surprising that some of Sarah’s fondest childhood memories are of her mother reading to her. It is to her mother that Sarah owes her love of storytelling --- and her ambition to tell stories of her own someday.
Lacy Crawford doesn’t remember her mother reading bedtime stories to her; that job seemed to have been appropriated by her father at some point between the time she was an infant and the time she could read to herself. But she does remember her mother’s keenly detailed recipe cards --- and the stories they told indirectly. From her mother, Lacy learned to observe and record, and to find the story off the page. Her book, EARLY DECISION: Based on a True Frenzy, was published last year.
With her signature blend of self-deprecating and irreverent humor, Karen Alpert --- author of I HEART MY LITTLE A-HOLES and the popular Baby Sideburns blog --- shares a less-than-sentimental story about reading bedtime stories to her daughter. Never afraid to tell it like it is, Karen wonders how a book could possibly have no author, why they don't make 'em like they used to, and gives herself credit for an important mommy milestone: being able to read princess stories to her daughter while her mind wanders to a land far, far away.
At last week’s Random House event, I had the nice opportunity to meet three of our readers --- Augusta from Glendale, NY; Diana from Staten Island, NY; and Erika from the Township of Washington, NJ. After the event, I sent them some questions to answer so they could share their thoughts on the day. Here is what they had to say.
Holly Peterson’s latest book, THE IDEA OF HIM, is about a woman who starts to question her comfortable life choices in order to find real happiness. In Holly’s own life, she finds happiness by connecting to her tween and teen kids through books. Amid all our daily chaos and buzzing technology, it’s important to carve out some quiet, cozy time to share a good story.
Christa Allan, whose latest book is TEST OF FAITH, is a true Southern woman who knows that any cook worth her gumbo always starts with a roux. She is also aware of the importance of reading books to her children, teaching them from an early age to love a good story. Now grown, her children make their own choices when it comes to reading material, and their tastes are as diverse as they are insatiable. Here, Christa talks about how stories have the power to transcend even physical obstacles.
THE QUAKER CAFÉ, Brenda Bevan Remmes's debut novel, is brimming with Southern charm. With charm to spare, Brenda shares here the story of her family's tradition of replacing hard-to-pronounce words with a simpler, handier phrase: "Skip-it." The unconventional practice was started by a nanny who would not be cowed by words she'd never learned, and evolved into a lesson about reading between the lines --- which still proves useful today.
