Meet the Author Series
Amy Bloom (Will Hang Out) at Darien Library
Written by Barbara T. on 12/30/2009
On Thursday, January 21 at 7 p.m., Amy Bloom, author of Away, and the just-released Where the God of Love Hangs Out, will be hanging out with us right here at Darien Library! She is a New York Times bestselling author, a National Book Award Finalist, and a National Book Critics Circle Nominee. Where the God of Love Hangs Out , which comes out on January 12th, is an interconnected story collection focusing on two pairs of people, and radiating out from there to all the complexities of love, family, and friendship.
Amy Bloom is a beloved short story writer, whose writing has been praised by The New York Times as “alive with incident and unforgettable characters.” The Boston Globe comments that “it’s not easy to be lyrical, funny, and brilliant all at once, and Bloom is.”
Bloom’s trademark wry humor, dazzling prose, strong voice, and lively particulars can be found throughout Where the God of Love Hangs Out, as a student comes to terms with her roommate’s murder, a mother and stepson share a dark secret, and two married middle-aged friends begin an affair, among other complicated entanglements.
“Amy Bloom’s new stories are heartbreaking marvels of concision.” – Elle Magazine
Amy Bloom's training and long experience as a psychotherapist bring an insightfulness and an understanding of complex emotions to her writing. She is the author two collections of prize-winning and acclaimed story collections, Come to Me and A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You. She has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Vogue, Slate, and Salon. She teaches creative writing at Yale University.
A book signing will follow the presentation. Books will be available for sale. Refreshments will be served.
This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library's contributions to our Annual Campaign, and the author's appearance is made possible by Barrett Bookstore.
Tonight at the Library: Norb Vonnegut - Author of "Top Producer"
Written by Barbara T. on 12/17/2009
Coming to Darien Library on Thursday, December 17th at 7 p.m.!
NORB VONNEGUT
Author of Top Producer
Norb Vonnegut built an extensive career in private wealth management, most recently as Managing Director with a finance boutique in New York City and previously with Morgan Stanley, Paine Webber, and Kidder, Peabody. Now he brings the reader into the world of Top Producer, a sharp and twisted thriller that moves at breakneck pace.
Click here for all the details.
"Top Producer" Production
Written by Barbara T. on 11/25/2009
Coming to Darien Library on Thursday, December 17th at 7 p.m.!
NORB VONNEGUT
Author of Top Producer
Norb Vonnegut built an extensive career in private wealth management, most recently as Managing Director with a finance boutique in New York City and previously with Morgan Stanley, Paine Webber, and Kidder, Peabody. Now he brings the reader into the world of Top Producer, a sharp and twisted thriller that moves at breakneck pace.
Let's set the scene:
TOP PRODUCER takes readers into the world of Grove O’Rourke, a rising star at the brokerage firm of Sachs, Kidder, and Carnegie, who has buried his recent personal losses in an adrenaline-fueled pursuit of wealth for his clients. Grove is no stranger to rough patches, but now his life appears to be heading into a real tailspin. After he—along with several hundred other people—witnesses his close friend Charlie Keleman die in the most gruesome way imaginable, Grove sets out to help Charlie’s widow. And help is just what she needs; Charlie was a financial wiz and the genius behind a fantastic hedge fund, but the money he was managing seems to have vanished. And Alex Romanov, a friendly competitor on Wall Street (as if there could possibly be such a thing), has expressed a very keen interest in any information on Charlie’s assets that Grove can turn up—information that, as Grove starts to piece it together, makes him a much-sought-after man in certain homicidal circles.
Here's what people are saying:
"The Gold Standard for financial thrillers." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Norb Vonnegut's Top Producer begins where Liar’s Poker and The Bonfire of the Vanities left off and puts an electrifying spin on the winner-take-all culture of Wall Street. Turn to the first page and plunge into the shark-infested waters of high finance and greed." - Brent Ghelfi, ITW Award-nominated author of Volk’s Game and The Venona Cable
Here's what Norb is saying:
"A funny thing happened during my 60-hour weeks as a wealth adviser. I discovered the joy of writing. For years I wrote about investment decisions, why we bought this stock or sold that one. I loved the wordplay, but the letters never quite sated my appetite. I addressed stiff, technical issues like free cash flow or capital adequacy. Frankly, the ratios made my teeth hurt. I longed to write stories about Wall Street's people, the crazy things that percolate through trading floors and broker bullpens. So I wroteTop Producer. My debut Wall Street thriller was published [in] September 2009. My characters hail from the trenches of finance. Brokers. Traders. Sales assistants. There is the occasional CEO, or the bigger-than-life hedgie. But I care most about the rank and file, the everyday Joes that come with warts and canker sores. In Top Producer they find themselves thrust into uncomfortable worlds by forces far beyond their control."
Here's what we're saying:
Please join us for this fun and fabulous author event!
A book signing will follow the presentation. Books will be available for purchase.
Refreshments will be served.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
Videocasts for "Just in Case"
Just in case you missed one of our Meet the Author events...or want to watch it again...and/or wish to share the experience with a friend, you'll be head-over-heels happy that our videocasts for some recent authors are now on our website. Click on the images below to watch Chris Welles Feder, David Baldacci, A.J. Jacobs, and Jayanti Tamm. To see all available videocasts from Darien Library, click here.
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A new angle on Orson Welles
Written by Barbara T. on 11/16/2009
Last night, we had the honor and the pleasure of meeting and hearing from Chris Welles Feder, the oldest daughter of Orson Welles. Her new book is called In My Father's Shadow: A Daughter Remembers Orson Welles and we filled the house with an audience eager to learn more about her father, the icon, and the man. What a thrill it was to listen to her talk about this great man. We have seen Orson Welles through many angles - mostly brilliant camera angles of his own accord, but to be able to share in the personal reminiscences of his darling Christopher (yes, he named his daughter Christopher Welles...because he liked the sound of it) was a joyous and meaningful event.
Her life in the unreal world of Hollywood (and Europe and South Africa and...) is well...bigger than life...just like her father. We learned how William Randolph Hearst tried to destroy Orson Welles because of Citizen Kane, that Welles loved Croatia and Spain, that though he said he hated acting, she believed otherwise, and she described their banter - warm, cozy, comfortable, and fun. She talked about his character and how his beliefs and his actions helped, not only to shape her, but to make a difference in the world.
Her story about her father taking her to see The Third Man when she was 11 was fun and endearing, and we love that he howled with laughter at her response to his villainous character. When you read the book, you'll note that she often makes her father laugh. Do not assume that it was simply a father's indulgent laugh; this woman is smart and funny and fascinating and we are delighted that we got to spend time with her!
Click here to see photos from the event and check back soon to see the video.
Today at 5:30 p.m.: Meet the Author - Chris Welles Feder
Did you catch the great story about our next author visit in The Advocate? Click here to read all about it!
CHRIS WELLES FEDER - Author of In My Father's Shadow: A Daughter Remembers Orson Welles
Sunday, November 15, 5:30 p.m.
Orson Welles's oldest daughter, Chris Welles Feder, has written a revealing book about one of cinema's greatest icons. Click here for all the details.
A book signing and wine and cheese reception will follow the presentation. Books will be available for purchase.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
True blue fans for "True Blue" and Baldacci
Last night, we continued our Fall Author Series with a visit from international bestselling novelist David Baldacci. His new book, True Blue, came out just last week and as expected, is already heading full-speed ahead to the top of the bestseller lists.
Anyone who's read his books knows that he is smart, creative, and has a wonderful ability to create intriguing characters and page-turning plots. What our audience found out last night was that he's funny, very entertaining, thoughtful, and philanthropic. His presentation was wonderful and fun and inspiring. He talked about his family, his life as an attorney in D.C., and of course, his life as a writer. His stories of his encounters with fans, the mayor of Barga, Italy, his daughter's classroom, former bosses, and Amtrak police brought smiles and laughs to our audience in this great shared experience.
If you missed last night's program, we'll have the full event available online as a videocast next week, but in the meantime, here's the smallest snippet from the presentation taken from my little (shaky) camera:
Thank you, thank you, thank you David Baldacci for a most memorable evening! (Truly.)
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