Aging/Retirement Author Panel

The Cove was pleased to host four writers for our author panel on retirement and aging!

This well-attended event was a very interesting listen for the friends, fans, and family members that came.

Howard Massey and Marvin Tolkin spoke about their co-authored book, When I'm 64: Planning for the Best of Your Life.

Emily Upham and Linda Gravenstone read from their co-edited title, In the Fullness of Time.

Thank you to our authors and to our eventgoers for a wonderful morning! We hope to see you all again soon.

The Best Time with Joanne Bellontine!

When we first met Joanne Bellontine, we knew we were going to have a great time hosting an event here for her. And we were right!

Today Joanne came to speak and sign her memoir, Resilience Matters. This phenomenal memoir is about Joanne's "journey through the foster care system, an abusive first marriage, and the ordeal of breast cancer," and learning to hold tight to your dreams. This is a story that inspired the staff here and many other people as well!

Joanne was joined by her husband, children, and grandchildren. Many friends and family members stopped by, and Joanne made and met new fans!

A passerby said it best when she stopped, looked into the events room, and said, "That sounds like success." It definitely is, and we are so appreciative to everyone who made it so wonderful!

The Cove's 2nd Annual Blog Giveaway!

We are holding our 2nd annual blog giveaway!

The prize? A $15 gift card to the Cove!*

Interested in entering? Just leave a comment on this blog post by August 31st, 2010 telling us what your favorite book is. A step by step guide to posting is written (as a comment) on this post. You may submit as many favorite books as you would like, as we definitely understand having lots of favorites!

One winner will be chosen at random on September 1st, 2010. The winner will be announced right here, so check back to see if you won!

*Giveaway gift card regulations: valid on in-stock items only, expires 10/31/2010, excludes out of print books & special orders. In store regulations apply. Participants agree to comply with these rules.

The Red Thread of Destiny

We were lucky enough to have Ann Hood come to the Cove not once, but twice!

Ann's new novel is called The Red Thread, and she read this section from the book to her audience:

"There exists a silken red thread of destiny. It is said that this magical cord may tangle or stretch but never break. When a child is born, that invisible red thread connects the child's soul to all the people-past, present, and future-who will play a part in that child's life. Over time, that thread shortens and tightens, bringing closer and closer those people that are fated to be together."

This reading served as a great introduction to the conversation that followed. A few highlights, in no particular order: Ann said her own adoption process was so smooth, that it would not have made an interesting book, which is why The Red Thread is fictional instead of based on her experiences. When Ann adopted in the early 2000s, the wait for a baby from China was about a year; today, the wait is about 5 years.

Did you miss Ann's visit? We have signed copies of Comfort, The Knitting Circle, An Ornithologist's Guide to Life, Somewhere off the Coast of Maine, and The Red Thread on hand for you.

Plus, Ann is now on Twitter! Follow her @annhood56

Thank you to Ann and her friend Tracey for making the trek up to see us again, and thank you to our audience members!

Jim Benn and the Birth of Billy Boyle

Jim Benn, author of the "Billy Boyle" World War II mystery series, visited the Cove last weekend...and turned the Covies into instant fans! Jim was a wonderful speaker, who greeted a number of eagerly waiting readers, and also attracted passing shoppers with the passion and wit of his talk.

Of particular interest? Jim has traveled to almost all of the countries he writes about, including Ireland and England.

We have autographed stock on hand of Jim's books, in case you missed the signing, and we hope to see Jim again in the fall with the release of his fifth book, Rag and Bone!

To learn more about the author, visit http://www.jamesrbenn.com/

An Afternoon with Aimee!

Bestselling young adult author Aimee Friedman visited us today! Aimee's enchanting Sea Change just came out in paperback, and she has also written a new book in the Poison Apple Series called This Totally Bites. Aimee had a great conversation with the audience about writing for YA and pre-teens, the trends emerging in current literature, and some of the influences in her writing. Everyone really enjoyed meeting and chatting with Aimee, and we have autographed copies of her books on hand if you missed the signing and would like one. Many thanks to Aimee and to our eventgoers!

To learn more about the author, visit http://www.aimeefriedmanbooks.com/