Club Book

Literary dynamo Garth Stein is best known by many for 2008’s The Art of Racing in the Rain, a runaway hit that spent a consecutive 156 weeks on The New York Times bestsellers list. In addition to penning several other well received novels, Stein is also an accomplished playwright and film producer, whose credits include a 1991 Academy Award win in the short film category. His newest book, A Sudden Light, is a masterful blend of ghost tale and coming-of-age story, centered around a 14-year-old desperate to uncover the dark secrets hidden in his ancestral estate. Random House calls it “a triumphant work of a master storyteller at the height of his power,” and Booklist lauds it as simply “haunting in all the right ways.”

The post Club Book Episode 26 Garth Stein first appeared on Club Book.

Jon Ronson is among Britain’s most prolific journalists and documentarians, and a household name throughout that country. He first came to the attention of most Americans with the publication of Them: Adventures with Extremists in 2001 and the even more successful The Men Who Stare At Goats in 2004. In the latter, Ronson investigated the strange but true experiments conducted until just recently by a secret department within the U.S. Army. It was the basis for a 2009 movie of the same name starring and produced by George Clooney. Ronson’s most recent book, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, offers a witty but eye-opening look at the widespread but little studied social phenomenon of public shaming.

The post Club Book Episode 25 Jon Ronson first appeared on Club Book.

Over the last eight years, Marisa de los Santos has penned three consecutive New York Times bestsellers: Love Walked In in 2006, Belong to Me in 2011, and Falling Together in 2012. She is also an award-winning poet, with published work in a number of prominent journals to her credit, plus a collection all her own called From the Bones Out. In addition, de los Santos is co-writer (with her husband) of the young adult time-traveling odyssey Saving Lucas Biggs. De los Santos’ latest novel, The Precious One, promises to please old fans as well as new. It is “a satisfying novel about friends rediscovering one another — and confronting unwelcome truths — at their college reunion,” according to People.

The post Club Book Episode 24 Marisa de los Santos first appeared on Club Book.

Anthony Marra’s 2013 opus, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, takes place against the backdrop of occupation and insurgency in war-torn Chechnya. NPR called it “one of the most accomplished and affecting books in a very long time.” It was a contender for the National Book Award, and won the author a number of awards and accolades – including the National Book Critics Circle’s inaugural John Leonard Prize for emerging authors. Marra is a frequent contributor to publications ranging from The Atlantic to Narrative Magazine and MAKE Magazine. His other honors to date include a Whiting Writers’ Award and the prestigious Pushcart Prize.

The post Club Book Episode 23 Anthony Marra first appeared on Club Book.

Jonathan Odell’s popular books draw from and explore racial divisions that continue to define his native Mississippi. His second novel, 2012’s The Healing, garnered praise for its candid look at plantation life in the antebellum South, and was an American Booksellers Association (ABA) ‘Indie Next’ pick for that year. His most recent title, Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League, is the story of two Civil Rights era mothers – one wealthy and white and the other poor and black – bound together in unexpected ways. In addition to his novels, Odell is both a short story and essayist and a corporate leadership coach. In the latter role, he has published a number of titles on diversity and training in the workplace.

The post Club Book Episode 22 Jonathan Odell first appeared on Club Book.