The Council of Friends of Lancaster Public Libraries will present their 17th Annual Author Luncheon to benefit county public libraries on Thursday, April 27, 2016 at noon. This year’s speaker is novelist Adriana Trigiani whose stories feature family relationships spiked with humor and romance. On sale now, tickets are $45.00 and include the luncheon and a reserved copy of Trigiani’s new book, Kiss Carlo, on its June release date.
A good way to discover Adriana Trigiani is through her Big Stone Gap books. The series begins with Big Stone Gap, the story of a woman who thinks life may have passed her by, but soon realizes the best is yet to come. Set in 1978, the thirty-five-year-old, self-described town spinster is content with her life until she discovers a family secret and before long finds herself juggling two marriage proposals, conducting a family feud, helping her best friend design a half-time show to dazzle Elizabeth Taylor and planning a trip to the Old Country.
Books by Adriana Trigiani and these titles with similar themes or writing styles, are available to borrow from the Lititz Public Library.
The View from Penthouse B by Elinor Lipman
Two newly-single sisters, one a divorcee and the other a widow, become roommates with a handsome cupcake baker as they try to return to the dating world of Lower Manhattan.
The Condition by Jennifer Haigh
Three adult siblings embark on a tumultuous summer when the oldest, a successful doctor, investigates his sister’s chromosomal disorder against his mother’s wishes.
The Whole Town’s Talking by Fannie Flagg
A host of eccentric characters tell the story of a Swedish immigrant, his mail-order bride, their neighbors, and descendants from 1889 through the present day.
The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank
Struggling with ambivalent feelings towards the other members of her family, a girl makes observations about her family life over the course of twenty years.
Us by David Nicholls
A couple facing divorce takes an ill-timed, month-long tour of European capitals, a chance to experience the world’s greatest works of art with their teenaged son.
A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott
Putting aside her dreams of becoming a screenwriter, a young woman takes a job in the studio publicity office of the notoriously demanding producer David O. Selznick as he begins filming Gone with the Wind.
Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
The beautiful and ambitious Nefertiti becomes the wife of a radical new pharaoh, encouraging his plans to overturn Egypt’s state religion and making enemies in the process.
The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley
A noble but impoverished girl forms a lifelong friendship with the headstrong daughter of Indian royalty, accompanying her to England just before the outbreak of WWI.
The Kommandant’s Girl by Pam Jenoff
Married only three weeks when German tanks enter her native Poland, a young Jewish woman takes a new identity, is hired by a high-ranking Nazi official and uses her position to help the resistance.
Blue by Danielle Steel
When a car accident turns her life upside down, a woman pieces her life back together as a human rights worker in the worst areas around the globe.
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
When her perfect job disappears, a woman transforms a van into a bookmobile, driving from neighborhood to neighborhood and changing one life after another with the power of storytelling.
Julie and Romeo by Jeanne Ray
When two lonely florists, from feuding families who have hated each other for a long as anyone can remember, meet at a small business owners’ seminar, attraction blooms.
A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff
Opening a vintage clothing shop in London, a woman works to keep up with her unexpected success while struggling with her best friend’s death, a rivalry between two suitors and her mother’s cosmetic surgery fixation.
For more information about the Council of Friends’ Author Luncheon, go to www.lancasterlibraries.org or visit the Lititz Public Library.
December 30, 2016