Archives - Weekly Update

In the olden days (which is sometime before, let's say, 2010), there were lots of really fun book parties. Now they are few and far between. So when there is a big-themed book event like the one that Tom, Francesca and I went to on Wednesday night to celebrate the August 18th US publication of Raphael Montes' novel, THE SECRET DINNER, it's special. The party was hosted by Celadon Books and the author. 

Last weekend was brilliant when it came to books. I read CITY OF WIDOWS for much of the day on Saturday (taking some time out to watch that crazy England vs. France soccer match, which was such fun). Nadia Hashimi once again brought me into Afghanistan with a story of two women and a young girl whose lives hang in the balance during America's last days there in August 2021.

The novel, which releases on Tuesday and will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection, introduces readers to Marjan, who fought beside the Americans. She is desperate to escape the country that saw her given in marriage to a much older man when she was just 13. Years ago, she ran from him when she found out she was pregnant for a second time. She has worked hard to keep her daughter a secret.

Last Saturday, my husband Tom and I headed out to Lisa Scottoline's farm in Pennsylvania for a pre-publication party celebrating her latest book, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING (which will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick), as well as the paperback release of her daughter Francesca Serritella's book, FULL BLOOM.

Those in attendance were booksellers, media and influencers. Lisa is an outstanding hostess. The guests had fun exploring her home, especially the shelves of books in every room, and the rest of the farm, including some stunning gardens.

Last weekend, when the temperature hit 102 degrees, I retreated to the pool where the water was a glorious 83 degrees. I love reading in the water. I stood poolside with my book, and when I wanted to aqua jog in the deep end, I switched over to an audiobook. Occasionally I had to fight the Polaris, which sweeps the bottom of the pool and wags its tail, resulting in some wet pages. But I also got pretty adept at nudging it away over the three-day weekend.