Lamorinda Reads will celebrate its grand finale event for the year with well known San Francisco author Glen David Gold discussing his book, Carter Beats the Devil, on November 1. Senior Community Library Manager Susan Weaver anticipates a big turnout in the spacious Community Hall of the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, "We know that people outside our area also read our Lamorinda Reads choices every year so we've developed a following. Plus, I'd like a nickel for the number of times people have raved about the book to me."
Weaver explains that they try to choose a title that both men and women will enjoy, ideally with a local angle. "This book was easy for us because it has absolutely everything most readers would delight in - a thriller, a mystery, and tantalizing historical fiction to make people wonder what part's true and what the author has simply made up. In terms of check outs, I did a rough count and as of today, the book has been checked out around 1,300 times," she says.
Indeed Carter Beats the Devil has gotten glowing reviews since its publication in 2001, even The New Yorker called it, "the most entertaining appearing acts of recent years." The tale includes an eccentric cast of characters including President Harding, real-life prize fighter Benny Leonard, Philo Farnsworth and ghosts at Lake Merritt along with hardship and heartbreak.
From the initial "cold-call" e-mail from Caroline Glick, Orinda Library's Senior Community Library Manager, Gold responded enthusiastically. Glick had read the book when it came out, Googled the author, and sent her request. Look for Glen David Gold at The Lafayette Library and Learning Center on Tuesday November 1st at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Hall. Although the event is free, books will be available for purchase courtesy of Orinda Books and can be autographed. Readers may also be familiar with Gold's wife, Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones and The Almost Moon.
Weaver explains that they try to choose a title that both men and women will enjoy, ideally with a local angle. "This book was easy for us because it has absolutely everything most readers would delight in - a thriller, a mystery, and tantalizing historical fiction to make people wonder what part's true and what the author has simply made up. In terms of check outs, I did a rough count and as of today, the book has been checked out around 1,300 times," she says.
Indeed Carter Beats the Devil has gotten glowing reviews since its publication in 2001, even The New Yorker called it, "the most entertaining appearing acts of recent years." The tale includes an eccentric cast of characters including President Harding, real-life prize fighter Benny Leonard, Philo Farnsworth and ghosts at Lake Merritt along with hardship and heartbreak.
From the initial "cold-call" e-mail from Caroline Glick, Orinda Library's Senior Community Library Manager, Gold responded enthusiastically. Glick had read the book when it came out, Googled the author, and sent her request. Look for Glen David Gold at The Lafayette Library and Learning Center on Tuesday November 1st at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Hall. Although the event is free, books will be available for purchase courtesy of Orinda Books and can be autographed. Readers may also be familiar with Gold's wife, Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones and The Almost Moon.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA