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Last year, Florida-based travel advisor and book lover Corinne Levine reached out to me with a proposition. She had recently developed a book-centered travel company, called Novel Travels, and asked if I’d be her inaugural author. Intrigued, we met in person when she came into town and immediately hit it off. I’m thrilled to report that the first-ever “Fiona Davis Books On Tour” launched on a warm weekend this past March and was a huge success, even more so than I’d ever imagined.
John Shors Travel was conceptualized and launched as a result of outreach from the readers of John Shors’ bestselling books --- which includes his 2004 debut, BENEATH A MARBLE SKY --- and their desire to visit the settings of his novels. Since 2013, this one-of-a-kind travel company has taken more than a thousand guests on small-group, high-end tours to six continents.
In this interview, John talks about the first literary tour he organized; his partnership with fellow bestselling authors, who travel with their readers to the locations of their books; and the exciting plans ahead for John Shors Travel. Click here to see photos from a few of their excursions.
Books, algorithms, civics and dragons. Oh my!
The National Book Festival, hosted by the Library of Congress, is one of my favorite days of the year. August 24th marked the festival’s 24th anniversary!
It’s been held on the mall, it’s been held at the convention center, it’s been virtual, and it’s been hybrid.
Question my devotion? Here’s some evidence.
In Linwood Barclay’s new thriller, I WILL RUIN YOU, a teacher’s act of heroism inadvertently makes him the target of a dangerous blackmailer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. The teacher, Richard Boyle, runs into trouble when he introduces his students to a novel that is not on the curriculum. This subplot inspired Linwood to share his thoughts on book banning and his experiences with it.
In the March 15th Bookreporter newsletter, Carol Fitzgerald talked about listening to Simone Gorrindo’s upcoming memoir, THE WIVES. When an author writes a memoir, she enjoys hearing it in their own words. So she was curious about how our readers have adapted audiobook listening in their lives. We received so many wonderful replies that we decided to make a blog post out of it. Many thanks to all those who told us about their audio experiences!
In the January 18th ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter, Carol Fitzgerald wrote about meeting with her book group: “We often meet at my house as I am the only one without young children, so gathering here assures that everyone has a night out --- and I love company…. I look forward to these two hours every month. Besides discussing the book, we kick back and talk about life…. What I really love is that they are women who are very supportive of one another. There is a camaraderie that I think can be rare these days.” Carol asked readers to email her about their own group and what makes it so special. We are happy to share their comments with you in this blog post.
On October 13th, readers from all over New England descended upon Brattleboro, Vermont, for the 22nd annual Brattleboro Literary Festival. Nestled between the West and Connecticut rivers, Brattleboro was the perfect setting, boasting not just the festival itself but many delicious restaurants, plentiful shopping and tons of recreational activities.
On Tuesday, July 25th, Ann Napolitano appeared at the Ramsey Free Public Library in Ramsey, NJ to talk about her latest novel, HELLO BEAUTIFUL, a New York Times bestseller and Oprah's 100th book club pick. Nancy Sharko, a reader of ours who attended the event, reports on Napolitano’s appearance and some of the insights she shared with the audience.
I’m not sure what other book festivals are like, as our group of four has only ever attended the Tucson Festival of Books, but this two-day event on the University of Arizona campus is truly outstanding. Authors present in small groups in various locations for one-hour increments, all focused on a common theme. There are 300 presentations and 250+ authors. In addition, there are a myriad of booths set up where people can buy books and children can play games, learn about science, etc. The event is definitely geared toward families.
What has your book group been up to? Are you meeting remotely? Are you still reading and emailing each other about the books you are reading? Are you postponing your discussions? We asked readers these questions in our April 30th newsletter, and we are happy to share some of their comments with you. We hope you can find ideas on how to meet virtually, as well as some book recommendations here.
