Monday, August 25, 2014

Westhampton, Atlanta

That's where An Italian Wife and I are headed this week. I'm already in NYC, about to teach my first class at The New School for this semester. (starting before Labor Day!?) Tomorrow I head to Westhampton, where Books and Books is hosting its Summer Book Bash with Jason Mott and me:


Summer Book Bash with Authors Ann Hood and Jason Mott

Tue, 8/26/2014 - 5:00pm
Join bestselling authors Ann Hood (The Knitting CircleThe Obituary Writer) andJason Mott (The Returned) at the Westhampton Library for a Summer Book Bash! Ann Hood will talk about her newest book An Italian Wife and Jason Mott will talk about The Returned. Both will be on hand for autographing. Attendees will have an opportunity to purchase and have signed An Italian Wife a week ahead of its official publication date.
Following the authors' talk, the festivities begin with a "shout & share" in which all are welcome to talk about their favorite summer reads as well as vote for their favorite book of the summer. Food, raffles, prizes and more prizes will add to the celebration of books and reading.
Ann Hood's new novel An Italian Wife spans the course of three wars and almost a century. It is a multi-generational saga chronicling the story of the Rimaldi family; from the first generation who immigrated to the United States from Italy on the cusp of the twentieth century, to their great grandchildren. This is the American experience writ small, explored through the lens of one immigrant family.
"I loved Ann Hood's An Italian Wife in the same way I loved Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge - and for the same reason. The interconnected stories that fan out from a central character - in this case, matriarch Josephine Rimaldi - illuminate important truths about the ways in which our families, our ancestry, and the era into which we're born shape who we become. An Italian Wife is a multi-generational masterpiece." (Wally Lamb, author of She's Come Undone)
"An Italian Wife is glorious. The life of Josephine Rimaldi is the heart of this multi-generational family saga with deep, fertile roots in southern Italy.  Reading this novel was like taking a luscious train ride through the last century.  Full of surprise and wonder, the writing is at turns poetic and sensitive, then dynamic and wise.  Ann Hood is a master craftsman.  This resplendent novel is a grand crescendo in a pitch-perfect career." (Adriana Trigiani, author of The Shoemaker's Wife)
Last year when the poet Jason Mott tried his hand as a novelist, he took the book world by storm with his dazzling, New York Times bestselling debut novel, The Returned.  This disquieting and wholly original story about the dead returning to live once more among their loved ones struck a collective nerve among readers. Praised for its "emotional delicacy" (People) and "singularly eloquent voice" (Booklist), the novel was routinely called "breathtaking" (Kirkus), "masterly" (Library Journal), "exceptional...[and] riveting" (Publishers Weekly). The Returned attracted an even broader audience when it became the basis for ABC television's biggest new hit series, Resurrection.
Registration for this event is required and space is limited.  To register, please call the library at 631-288-3335. 
Wednesday I'll be back home in RI, hosting a welcome party for our new nanny and friend the following night, and celebrating Friday and Monday of Labor Day Weekend.
Saturday finds me at the Decatur Book Festival:
Ann Hood AJC Decatur Book Festival at 1:30 p.m. August 30 at the Decatur Presbyterian Sanctuary Stage. Drawing on her latest novel, she will present “The Weight of History,” addressing such themes as the ways one person’s choices can shape subsequent generations. - See more at: http://www.artsatl.com/2014/08/qa-dbf-author-ann-hood-an-italian-wife/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=qa-dbf-author-ann-hood-an-italian-wife#sthash.CRP7VJy4.dpuf

I hope to see you at one of these events, or at one of the dozens throughout the autumn, all listed on my brand new website www.annhood.us