Book Club Crashers: The Authors
The Sudbury Town Crier
“Having an author drop in to your meeting takes your gathering to a new level: It allows you to get answers and insights to very specific questions, and hey, it might give you the extra nudge to make sure you actually finish the book..”
June 2, 2021, Amy Wilson Sheldon, Special to the Crier —
As of this writing, we are in this bizarre place between “normal” and “hello Zoom, my old friend.” How’s your book club meeting these days? Outside? Inside? Virtual? Maybe your book club has lost its motivation and evaporated like all this summer rain. Although everyone has to choose what level of “togetherness” they are comfortable with, let’s agree on one thing: Having the author of your book club selection at your gathering is an amazing bonus.
Have you not done that before? Well you should, because the Boston area is absolutely teeming with published novelists, and many of them are more than happy to join your group. Having an author drop in to your meeting takes your gathering to a new level: It allows you to get answers and insights to very specific questions, and hey, it might give you the extra nudge to make sure you actually finish the book!
Here are a handful of local authors who are very amenable to turning up at book clubs. Depending on everyone’s comfort level, maybe this is a virtual drop-in, but definitely keep this handy for future in-person meetings.
Marjan Kamali, author of “The Stationery Shop”
Marjan’s second novel, “The Stationery Shop,” was one of NPR’s Best Books of 2019, a Real Simple Top Editor Pick, and is now being adapted for television by HBO. “The Stationery Shop” is a love story about missed connections and fate, but because it takes place partially during the of the 1953 Iranian coup, it’s also a book about political and cultural upheaval. Marjan has been to 83 book clubs for “The Stationery Shop” (she keeps a meticulous spreadsheet), and you can contact her via her website: http://MarjanKamali.com.
Katherine A. Sherbrooke, author of “Leaving Coy’s Hill”
We all know that Massachusetts is brimming with history. Sherbrooke’s historical novel about abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone, the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree, shines a light on an individual often relegated to the shadow of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Leaving Coy’s Hill was named a NYT 2021 Summer Reading Pick, and you can get in touch with Katherine via her website: http://KaSherbrooke.com.
Elizabeth Ames, author of “The Other’s Gold”
Does your book club also double as “friend time”? Then Elizabeth Ames’ debut novel, “The Other’s Gold,” may be perfect for your next selection. Pre-pandemic, Elizabeth’s “book club MO” was to join the gathering after everyone had the opportunity to hash out her book without her presence — but with enough time allowed for her to get a snack! “The Other’s Gold” will definitely get people talking, and Elizabeth will still gladly join in to answer readers’ questions—with or without snacks. Contact Elizabeth through her website: http://ElizabethAmes.com.
Susan Bernhard, author of “Winter Loon”
How’s this for a jaw-dropping opening? “Winter Loon” begins with a mother dying by falling through a frozen lake while her son tries to save her. (Hey, it’s not a spoiler; it’s in the back blurb!) Bernhard’s debut novel explores questions of why some people “escape” bad situations while others can’t, and what happens when a child harbors complicated feelings toward a parent. P.S.: Susan also has tons of experience as a bookseller at Belmont Books, so she’s a great in-the-know resource as you explore future book club picks! Susan has a contact form for book clubs on her website: http://SusanBerhnard.com.
Jennifer De Leon
Jennifer De Leon, author of “White Space: Essays on Culture, Race, & Writing and Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From”
This has been one of my favorite reads of 2021, and that’s not just because MetroWest Readers Fest has selected it as the “signature title” of ONE, our region-wide community read. “White Space,” published in March 2021 and the recipient of the Juniper Prize for Creative Nonfiction, takes readers from Guatemala, to Connecticut College, to the Bay Area, to right here in MetroWest: Framingham, where De Leon was raised and now teaches at Framingham State University. De Leon is also the author of the YA novel “Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From,” which Celeste Ng calls “A funny, perceptive, and much-needed book telling a much-needed story.”
Speaking of book clubs, the board of MetroWest Readers Fest and I would like to invite you to what we’re calling ONE Big Community Book Club Meeting at 7 p.m. Sept. 30 at Goodnow Library. And, yes, the author will be there! Although we encourage you to read one of Jennifer De Leon’s books, we know how book clubs (and busy lives) go, so please attend even if you can’t finish, or start for that matter! For more information, visit http://MetroWestReadersFest.org.
Amy Wilson Sheldon is a writer, editor, and communications consultant – with a dash of literary event production. You can visit her online at ALifelyRead.com as well as on Instagram (@alifelyread) where she shares about books and reading culture.