Blog Archives - Clarkston Independence District Library

The Berlin Wall & The Husband's Secret

9/29/2016

Did you know that a slice of the Berlin Wall is on display in Grand Rapids? You will find
these wall segments (see photos below) at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and the
Grand Rapids Public Museum. And if you go before Oct 9th, you enter these museums
without paying an admission price as they are hosts to ArtPrize 2016 entries. What is ArtPrize?
It is a 19 day orgy of ART! There are 1,400 pieces of art displayed in 170 different venues.
You download the Art Prize app, walk the city streets of Grand Rapids and vote for your
favorite pieces. The art is everywhere with concentrations in the downtown museums, hotels,
the police station, area businesses etc. The Grand Prize is $200,000 - chosen by popular
vote & also a second award of $200,000 chosen by a panel of judges.
And, now back to the Berlin Wall....

Did you know that author Liane Moriarty owns a piece of the Berlin Wall? The Berlin Wall is
a running symbol in our next discussion book, The Husband's Secret. What does the Berlin
Wall represent in the book? Bring your insights to our discussion on October 6th........

The Husband's Secret Book Discussion Coming Thursday!

9/29/2016

Join the discussion Thursday, October 6th in the Community Room at the
Clarkston Independence District Library, from 10 AM to 11:30 AM.
Coffee and a morning treat will be provided.
Think of a Recently Read & Would Recommend book that you enjoyed this summer. I will pass a
paper around for sharing titles that will be posted here.
We are a community of readers,
sharing our insights and recommendations with each other. Come join the discussion!

A Letter from Liane Moriarty: How She Came Up with the Idea for The Husband's Secret

9/15/2016

Dear Reader,

The Loch Ness Monster, a stolen lullaby and a foolish murderer were the inspiration for my
novel, THE HUSBAND’S SECRET.

Two years ago I stumbled upon a fascinating article about real life deathbed confession. I
learned about Christian Spurling, who confessed on his deathbed to faking a notorious photo
of the Loch Ness Monster. There was a famous songwriter who was dying of cancer and wrote
a letter admitting after years of adamant denials, that she had plagiarized a lullaby melody.
Then there was the hapless man who after suffering a stroke, confessed he’d killed his
neighbor thirty years earlier. The only problem was that he didn’t end up dying. After he
was released from hospital he went straight to jail.

The article, particularly the story of the man who didn’t die, got me thinking. I was intrigued
by that over whelming desire to share your darkest secret. That’s when I came up with the story
of a woman who finds a letter from her husband. It says: For my wife, Cecilia Fitzpatrick. To
be opened only in the event of my death. Her husband is very much alive. Should she open
it? Would YOU open it?

Although THE HUSBAND’S SECRET is very much character-driven, it’s probably the
most suspenseful of all of my novels. My fingers are very tightly crossed that you will enjoy it!

With warmest wishes,
Liane Moriarty

REMINDER: Our discussion will take place on Thursday, October 6th, 10 AM to 11:30 AM in
the Community Room at the Clarkston Independence District Library. Hope to see you there!

Liane Moriarty Recommends...

9/15/2016

Moriarty balances a creative life with family life (mother to 2). She describes her
husband as Mr. Mom, a full -time stay-at-home dad. Moriarty never re-reads her
own books as "eating something other people have cooked for you just tastes better."

Liane Moriarty Recommends:
Worlds Apart (2014) by Ber Carroll
“I enjoyed every page of this touching, authentic novel.”

All The Single Ladies (2015) byDorothea Benton Frank
“Vintage Dorothea Benton Frank – a funny, poignant read.”

Our Tiny, Useless Hearts (2016) by Toni Jordan
“A wonderful witty treat.”

Books That Followed "The Husband's Secret" by Liane Moriarty

9/15/2016

Moriarty's sixth novel (2014), "Big Little Lies," is a multiple perspective novel about bullying
at school, gossip and domestic abuse. Once again, the novel is told from the perspectives
of 3 women where secret lives are discovered and tensions mount. Reese Witherspoon and
Nicole Kidman will be staring in the HBO production which will air in 2017. David E. Kelley
(L.A. Law, Ally McBeal, Boston Legal etc.) has written the script based on the book,
changing the Australian location to Monterey, California.

This past summer Moriarty's seventh book "Truly Madly Guilty" became available. In an
interview from Book Page, Moriarty stated "We're all one step away from disaster." The first
line from the book reads: ""This is a story that begins with a barbecue," said Clementine."
This is week 7 that the book has appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List.

"Truly Madly Guilty" --
"...touches on growing up with neglectful, parents, negotiating a lifelong friendship and finding
a balance between career and family life. But mostly, it deals with guilt and the way it
affects relationships, especially the central relationship between childhood friends Clementine
and Erika."

It is always a pleasure to discover a new author. What are you reading?

Liane Moriarty Returns to Writing Adult Fiction

9/13/2016

In 2011 Moriarty began writing adult fiction
again, publishing her 3rd novel: "What
Alice Forgot". This time travel novel
found inspiration in the real life story of a
woman who suffered a memory loss of 10 years.
In "What Alice Forgot" the main character loses
10 years of memory in an accident; she thinks
she is a happy, married, & 29 year old; BUT, she
is mother of 3, nearly divorced and 39 years old.

In 2012, Moriarty wrote her 4th novel for
adults: "The Hypnotist's Love Story." The
author once again found inspiration from
personal life events, incorporating her interest
in hypnotism and the experience of an
ex-boyfriend's ex-stalker girlfriend.
Moriarty explains she was "intrigued by her
(the ex-girlfriend) because she
was a successful career woman but she
was behaving in this mildly crazy way. I wanted
to understand her."
I read this book 2 years ago and enjoyed
it; Moriarty takes you places you don't expect to go.

In 2013, Moriarty published her 5th novel
for adults: "The Husband's Secret" reached
number one on the New York Times Best-seller List within the first 2 weeks. The book presents
a portrait on the meaning of different types of
love & how life can change based on
a misunderstanding or decisions made quickly.
Join the discussion on:
October 6th at 10 AM.......

The Petrifying Problem with Princess Petronella

9/8/2016

We continue with Liane Moriarty's writing life.
By 2007, Moriarty found love, was engaged and looking
forward to starting a family. Now the author of 2 published
adult novels, Moriarty turns her fiction writing
talents to books for children. "The Petrifying Problem
with Princess Petronella" (2007) was based on a short
story written for her younger sister Nicola, age 10.
The book turned into a series with Nicola Berry as our
female hero.

"Nicola Berry: Earthling Ambassador" was written in 2009.
In this book Nicola is an average schoolgirl who meets
extraterrestrial Georgio. Georgio, from the
planet Globagaskar, is on an Earth mission to find an
Earthling Ambassador. The Ambassador must
be close to age to Princess Petronella, the terrible
ruler of Globagaskar. The problem: the people
of Globagaskar enjoy taking vacations to earth but Princess Petronella wants to turn Earth
into a giant dump. The mission: find an Earthing to talk sense to the terrible Princess
Petronella. The meeting between our hero Nicola and the Princess goes awry; but, Nicola
comes up with a plan to save Earth!

After experimenting with girl-oriented science fiction, Moriarty returns to writing fiction for
adults. We will look at those titles next time........

The Early Liane Moriarty

9/6/2016

Liane Moriarty received a masters in creative writing
from Macquarie University in Australia. As part of
her coursework she authored "Three Wishes"
which became her first novel. The book was published
in Australia and afterwards was released in Spain,
Italy, Britain and the United States (in 2004). I read
this book a year ago and was entertained by the story of
3 sisters, all triplets, who have a public fight during
their 34th birthday celebration in a public restaurant;
the book relates their tumultuous relationships, family history, rivalry, break ups and make ups.

After the publication of her first book, her
marriage ended. Another relationship followed
and ended when she discovered her boyfriend was
not interested in having children. Her second book,
"The Last Anniversary," soon followed, inspired in part by
this relationship and the subtle truths it unearthed for the author. I recently began
reading "The Last Anniversary" but gradually lost interest, I didn't fall in love with some
of the main characters, they annoyed me; whereas, Moriarty's book "Three Wishes" consumed an entire weekend I so enjoyed the characters and plot-line.

Moriarty next turns to children's fiction before re-entering the adult fiction market...

Liane Moriarty's Sister.....(another author in the family)......

9/1/2016

Liane Moriarty's completed college in Australia,
her homeland. She was employed in advertising
and marketing, eventually founding her own
company, The Little Ad Agency. After that, she went
back to freelancing, writing copy for
television commercials, Web sites and product
packaging. During this time she continued to write
fiction and unfinished novels.

Jaclyn Moriarty, Liane's sister, published her first
novel: "Feeling Sorry for Celia" in 2000. Jaclyn's book
was nominated for Best Book of the Year by the
American Library Association in 2002 as Quick Pick
for Reluctant Young Readers. Liane did not consider
a writing career until it happened first for her
younger sister; but, her first submitted book for
children, "The Animal Olympics," was rejected by
every publisher it was submitted to. (Lucky for us, she continued to write......)

A description in the back of Jaclyn Moriarty's book reads:
"Jaclyn Moriarty grew up in Sydney with four sisters,one brother, two dogs and
twelve chickens. She has studied at Sydney University, Yale and Cambridge. She lives
in Sydney with her Canadian partner, and works as a media and entertainment lawyer."
I recently requested this young adult novel thru the library inter-loan system. It was
fun, inventive and entertaining. It is written in a series of letters from:

Her Mother (notes taped to the refrigerator)
The Manager of The Society of People Who Are Definitely Going to Fail High School
The Society of High School Runners Who Aren't Very Good at Long-Distance Running but Would Be if They Just Trained
Best Friends Club
The Association of Teenagers
The Director of Take a Deep Breath and Calm Down Society
Cold Hard Truth Association
Elizabeth herself (our main character)
Celia (her best friend who ran away & joined the circus)
Christina (her pen pal)
The Society of Beautiful People
The Young Romance Association
The Secret & Mysterious Association of All that is Secret & Mysterious
A Stranger (Who Catches Your Bus)
Society of Amateur Detectives

What are you reading this summer?