A BOOKSHELF ODYSSEY: ALICE ADAMS'

A BOOKSHELF ODYSSEY: ALICE ADAMS'

We first met English author Alice Adams in real life, at a cocktail party in downtown Manhattan, where she had come to celebrate her forthcoming debut novel, Invincible Summer. We met her for the second time in space, on Skype, in mid-April.

Adams' bookshelves are located in "the snug" of her North London home, beside a large window. What is a "snug?" we query. "Oh, is that too English?" she replies, then sources a dictionary translation: "Snug 2  (snŭg). n. Chiefly British. A very small private room in a pub."

"Though obviously it’s not in a pub," she adds. "It’s a smallish room off the living room."

Read More

A BOOKSHELF ODYSSEY: SARAH GERARD'S

A BOOKSHELF ODYSSEY: SARAH GERARD'S

Sarah Gerard is an author to whom you should be paying attention. In February her hypnotic debut novel, Binary Star, was named an LA Times Book Award finalist after high praise from the likes of the New York Times, NPR and others.  

The novel is a semi-autobiographical tale that traces the dysfunctional, co-dependent relationship of an anorexic woman and her alcoholic boyfriend.

Gerard is currently working on her next book, a series of essays about Florida called Sunshine State. We paid her a visit at her Brooklyn home to talk books, writing and elephants.

Read More