Sally Koslow, author of the acclaimed international bestseller The Late, Lamented Molly Marx, has a new novel releasing May 29th that is sure to delight lovers of literature and historical fiction alike. Another Side of Paradise brings to life the affair of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his longtime lover, Sheilah Graham. David Gillham, New York Times bestselling author of City of Women says, "In Another Side of Paradise, Sally Koslow gives us an intimate portrait of a tumultuous love affair that defies tragedy. You will not want to put it down."
Today, we are thrilled to welcome Sally for a guest post that details her love of libraries!
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If I hadn’t become a writer and editor, I’d have loved to be a librarian, helping readers discover new authors and dig deep into research. My motive is partly selfish. To work in a library would give me an excuse to be surrounded by books, which is how I imagine heaven.
Some of my earliest memories are stopping by the old brick library in my hometown—Fargo, North Dakota—along with my mother to pick up her weekly batch of books, since she was possibly the library’s best customer. As I got older, I began to check out books myself, though my mom ix-nayed Nancy Drews. She thought they weren’t sufficiently well-written, a point which I’m sure most successful mystery writers would vehemently debate, since many credit those mysteries to jumpstarting their passion.
My childhood favorite was The Secret Garden, which I read countless times, and launched my fondness for contemporary British writers—with Margaret Drabble, Edward St. Aubyn, Penelope Lively, Tessa Hadley, Jane Gardam at the top of my list, partly for their dry humor. When my seventh grade English teacher asked us to review a book, Frances Hodgeson Burnett’s classic was the title I picked, though when I turned in the assignment she embarrassed me in front of the class by saying was my choice for younger children. I got the message. Since the YA genre hadn’t yet emerged, with my mother’s guidance I began reading books meant for adults: Rebecca, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Marjorie Morningstar, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, Exodus, Mila 18, Sybil... The week of my Bat Mitzvah, when I should have been practicing my Torah portion, I was deeply into Gone with the Wind, which, I do not regret. F. Scott Fitzgerald, whom I attempt to bring to life in my forthcoming novel, Another Side of Paradise, may not have had a high regard for Margaret Mitchell’s talent, but on this point, Mr. Fitzgerald and I disagree. The storytelling! The characters!
Just as my mother’s idea of fun was reading, I can say the same for myself. If I’m not involved with a current book, I feel incomplete. Reading is my reward after a long day of writing, as well as my detox before I turn the lights out at night. I belong to two book clubs—one with other writers and another with former magazine editors (career #1 for me.) As soon as our groups choose a book, I either buy it or request it from my local library. I live in Manhattan now, and in a city where the subways are falling apart and snow removal takes days, one thing that works shockingly well is the library system, to which I give regular charitable donations. I love that as soon as a friend recommends a book or I read a promising review, I can run to my laptop to place a title on reserve, and that when the book lands at my branch, I have ten days to retrieve it. I wish our Presidential voting went this smoothly.
I’m at my local library about twice a week. Even if the librarians and I don’t know each other by name, we recognize one another and exchange friendly hellos. Today I need to return The Wife Between Us and pick up Pachinko. At any given time, I have two or three books checked out and, say, ten waiting in the wings. My current queue includes Meg Wolitzer’s latest novel and several books related to World War II spies, a subject I’m researching for a potential new novel of my own.
"My" library also has a terrific children’s room. Every Wednesday when I care for my two-year-old granddaughter, that’s where we head. I followed the same routine with her brother, hoping he’d be infected by our family’s love of books; his dad, my son, was an English major, as was I. My grandson is now in kindergarten, and wrote his first poem, which his class voted as their favorite.
Those library visits are already paying off.
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Thanks, Sally! Another Side of Paradise goes on sale May 29th, so head on over to Edelweiss to download the egalley and get an advanced read. This is one your literature-loving patrons simply should not miss.
-Chris
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