“The Liz Taylor Ring is a gorgeously written multigenerational novel, tracing the path of a diamond ring across decades, through the ups and down in the lives of one family. Brenda Janowitz beautifully weaves stories of love, of motherhood, and of the unbreakable bonds between siblings. I absolutely devoured this dazzling book!” - Jillian Cantor, USA Today bestselling author of Beautiful Little Fools

Picked as one of the “must read” picks for 2022 by everyone from Town and Country magazine to Katie Couric Media, Brenda’s latest amusing romp is part love story, part family saga.

Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler, and today on Binge Reading Brenda talks about building a mystery and a family story across generations, built around a famous memento like the ring Richard Burton bought Elizabeth Taylor, or Grace Kelly’s wedding dress.

Beach Reads Books Giveaway

 We’ve got our usual book giveaway. This week it’s Best Beach Reads. You can find the link to download those on the show notes for this episode at www.thejoysofbingereading.com. OR HERE https://books.bookfunnel.com/pka-beach-read-mysteries/17c2mks8na

DOWNLOAD BEST BEACH READS

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Links in this episode:

The Elizabeth Taylor Ring (formerly known as the Krupp Diamond):  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Taylor_Diamond

Princess Margaret and Elizabeth Taylor:  https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/02/princess-margaret-elizabeth-taylor-hollywood

Elizabeth Taylor’s double eyelashes:  https://www.news18.com/news/india/elizabeth-taylor-born-with-two-sets-of-eyelashes-364781.html

Lesson in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58065033-lessons-in-chemistry

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58532615-the-summer-place

Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close:  https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/58537243-marrying-the-ketchups

Mustique Island by Sarah McCoy:  https://www.amazon.com/Mustique-Island-Novel-Sarah-McCoy/dp/0063252201

Where to find Brenda Janowitz:

Website:  www.brendajanowitz.comFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BrendaJanowitz/Email:  [email protected]:  @brendajanowitzwriter

What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to the show notes in The Joys of Binge Reading.com for important mentions.

Introducing author Brenda Janowitz

Jenny Wheeler: Welcome to the show, Brenda. It's fantastic to have you with us.

Author Brenda Janowitz

Brenda Janowitz: Thank you so much for having me. I'm thrilled to be here.

Jenny Wheeler: Your latest book, The Liz Taylor Ring, has got a wonderful title for starters, but it's your seventh novel and it's received a great series of accolades. It's been welcomed by many publications people would listen to. It was one of Town and Country’s best books for February, the Katie Couric people thought it was one of the best books of 2022 and Pop Sugar’s most anticipated reads of 2022. Did that give you a bit of a lift to start?

Brenda Janowitz: My goodness yes. It was so incredibly exciting. Certainly by book seven, you think you'd be used to it and everything would be old hat, but it feels like with every book you're starting fresh and you're starting over, so it's always a miracle when anyone likes your book. It feels like, okay, it’s not terrible. We've got something here.

Jenny Wheeler: I know you've had a lot of success in the past, but would you consider that this was almost a breakthrough book for you? Is it that good?

Brenda Janowitz: I do think each book is reaching a little higher for me. The Grace Kelly Dress was a breakout for me because I was on one path and The Grace Kelly Dress put me out there a little more. Certainly with the follow up being The Liz Taylor Ring,