Some six-word memoirs from The News-Herald newsroom:
Jean Bonchak:
Faith + Family + Friends + Flowers + Food + Fun (and fashion….) = one happy camper.
Jeffrey L. Frischkorn:
Fish fear me; I fear God.
Robin Palmer:
Jose Mesa blew 1997 World Series
Cheryl Sadler:
Get dessert. Always get a dessert.
This post is part of a LitSoup, a monthly feature on The Book Club compiled of contributions from the newsroom. Send an e-mail or tweet with your suggestions for future LitSoup topics.
What if the Rapture happened and you were left behind?
Imagine a world in which some of your loved ones and neighbors have simply vanished without a trace and you are left behind.
That's the world Tom Perrotta has crafted in "The Leftovers" (now available in paperback).
A few months ago that's what happened when we meet the citizens (or what's left of them) of Mapleton. The Sudden Departure as it's called has left families splintered far beyond the that initial disappearance as those not taken struggle to find a way to move forward.
Some like Kevin want to pick up the pieces and move on. His wife Laurie has joined a group called the Guilty Remnant and taken a vow of silence. Their son Tom becomes one of the "Holy Wayners," followers of a prophet of sorts. Daughter Jill is an eyewitness. She was right next to one who was taken.
Whose way is right? Was the Sudden Departure an act of God? Why were only some taken?
Big questions all. But the heart of Perrotta's novel is really about the ordinary, about those relationships central to our existence.
Nora, the only member of her family not taken, says it best:
"I'm not greedy. I'm not asking for that perfect day at the beach. Just give me that horrible Saturday, all four of us sick and miserable, but alive, and together. Right now that sounds like heaven to me."
Fans of Perrotta's from "The Abstinence Teacher" and "Little Children" will not be disappointed.
What's really beging forgotten in Lisa Genova's 'Left Neglected' ?
OK, I've finally come up for air.
I've had my nose buried in a book more than usual of late. Back-to-back trips to the book sale at Euclid Library will do that. I mean, come on, $2 for a bag of books. How can I say no to that??
And I made some wonderful finds.
First on the list is "Left Neglected" by Lisa Genova. I thoroughly enjoyed her "Still Alice" and vividly remember its portrait of a 50 something college professor battling Alzheimer's. I was not disappointed with this tale of Sarah, a successful career woman who seemingly has it all left coping with a condition in which she forgets there is a left side.
(Can you tell Genova has a PhD in neuroscience?)
Aside from my fascination with the medical condition, I felt a kinship with Sarah. It wasn't all that long ago that my kids were young enough that our world was the kind of very scheduled one in which nothing can go wrong or everything will tumble down. What mom working outside the home hasn't felt that tug of wanting to be one place when she's the other? Of feeling judged by the moms who aren't dropping their child off in a mad dash to get somewhere else? Of feeling she's letting everyone down? Of neglecting someone or something?
As Sarah describes it:
"But even with all my years of training and experience, my determined work ethic, and the ability to simultaneously eat, type and talk, the hardness of it all does sometimes get overwhelming. There are days when there's no room for error, no time for lunch or to pee, no extra minutes to squeeze one more of anything out of me. On those days, I feel like a balloon blown to capacity, ready to burst."
And I know that's not an emotion unique to moms of young children!
But in Genova's skillful hands, Sarah's story is not simply an overworked mom with an unusual medical condition. It's the story of marital struggles, of mother-child relationships, of reconnecting not only with your loved ones but with yourself.
Author visits to Cuyahoga County Public Library locations
Several authors are attending meet-the-author events around Cuyahoga County throughout the rest of May and June. Few of the events are on this side of town, but all are great opportunities to meet and chat with published authors.
Information below from the Cuyahoga County Public Library:
AUTHOR EVENTS FOR MAY AND JUNE 2012 @ CUYAHOGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Registration is required for these events. You can call the branch to register or go to www.cuyahogalibrary.org and go to the “events & classes” tab to find the event.
Meet Author Cathy Maxwell
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Parma-Snow Branch: Meeting Room
2121 Snow Road – Parma, OH 44134 -- (216) 661-4240
Cathy Maxwell is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty historical romances. Her latest, Lyon's Bride, will be released in April and is the first of the Chattan Curse series.
Meet Author Dan Chaon
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Bay Village Branch: Meeting Room
502 Cahoon Road – Bay Village, OH 44140 -- (440) 871-6392
Dan Chaon is the author of the national bestselling novel, Await Your Reply. His latest collection of short stories, entitled Stay Awake, will be released this spring. Dan is a previous finalist for the National Book Award and the National Magazine Award in Fiction. He is currently a Creative Writing professor at Oberlin College. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Memoir of an Army Brat
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Brook Park Branch: Meeting Room
6155 Engle Road – Brook Park, OH 44142 -- (216) 267-5250
Like millions of other army brats, Christine Kastner grew up on military bases stateside and around the world. In her book, Soldiering On – Finding My Homes: Memoir of an Army Brat, Christine recalls memories from the 1960s and her recent trip back to Okinawa, an island her family was stationed at more than forty years ago. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Meet Author Loung Ung
Tuesday, May 29, 2012 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Solon Branch
34125 Portz Parkway – Solon, OH 44139 -- (440) 248-8777
Loung Ung is a Cambodian American human-rights activist and bestselling author of two memoirs. First They Killed My Father and Lucky Child detail her survival of Cambodia’s Pol Pot regime and its scarring aftermath. Her newest book, Lulu in the Sky, will be released in April and tells the next chapter in Loung’s life. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Meet Author James Renner
Wednesday, June 06, 2012 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Strongsville Branch: Meeting Room
18700 Westwood Drive – Strongsville, OH 44136 -- (440) 238-5530
James Renner is a Northeast Ohio native and author of the debut novel, The Man from Primrose Lane. James has previously released two books of nonfiction, Amy: My Search for Her Killer and The Serial Killer’s Apprentice. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Please register.
Meet Author Claire McMillan
Saturday, June 16, 2012 2:00 PM
Beachwood Branch
25501 Shake Blvd – Beachwood, OH 44122 -- (216) 831-6868
Meet author Claire McMillan as she discusses her novel The Guilded Age. Claire’s debut takes the stifling society depicted in Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth to contemporary Cleveland, perceptively capturing a woman’s struggles to redefine herself and her position in society after a scandalous divorce. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Meet Author Carrie Bebris
Saturday, June 16, 2012 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
North Olmsted Branch: Meeting Room
27403 Lorain Road – North Olmsted, OH 44070 -- (440) 777-6211
Meet Carrie Bebris, author of the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries. The sixth book in the series, The Deception at Lyme, was released last fall and is based on Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Local Perspectives : Author Erin O'Brien
Saturday, June 23, 2012 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Beachwood Branch
25501 Shake Blvd – Beachwood, OH 44122 -- (216) 831-6868
New! Join us from 2-3 pm for a book discussion of local author Erin O'Brien's The Irish Hungarian Guide to the Domestic Arts. Erin will visit from 3-4pm to answer questions and sign copies of her book.
RSS
You'll want to head over to Mentor Public Library at 6:30 p.m. 
