Books/Authors

All books or writers posted on the website are in this category. Other tabs are effectively subsets or other connections. (Word & Film, musicians or artists who also write, etc.) The authors shown are a growing selection of what might be called the Roaming the Arts Reading List. It is what we read. Some a growing interest and others their entire output. The arts are a passion. Who you, the browser, choose to read, or listen to the music of, depends on your interest and passion.

Mother’s Day and Other Stories

Mother’s Day and Other Stories

A book of short stories written by Roaming the Arts webmaster. 

Mother’s Day and Other Stories is comprised of six short stories. The first three take place on Mother’s Day weekend. As in modern life, cell phones play a role. The stories weave family, growing up with and without, and the role of chance in life. Filled with seriousness and humor, they are quick reads with memorable characters and events.

from Kirkus Review:

Schwartz thoughtfully addresses real life dilemmas that other writers may overlook, such as the question of deleting a parent as a cell phone contact after the loved one’s death: “There at the top of her favorites list was the name ‘Mom.’ She had not had the will to delete the contact. Would anyone?” His use of a question is particularly effective here, provoking uncomfortable reflections from readers. It is also compelling to learn how each of the tales is interlinked–which the author reveals incrementally.

And in the Life Imitates Art category — check out this related story:

A bittersweet Thanksgiving for the grandmother and teenager who met via an accidental text in 2016
Four years ago, a grandmother accidentally invited a stranger to her Thanksgiving dinner via text message. Ever since, they’ve celebrated the holiday together and despite the pandemic, this year was no exception. Watch VIDEO

See Kirkus Review

Michael Oberman

Michael Oberman

Author and Photographer

Michael Oberman’s photographs are on permanent display in U.S. National Parks including Steigerwald and Modoc and in museums including the Utah Museum of Natural History and the Ontario Science Centre (Toronto).

Six photos are on a five year tour of U.S. and Canadian museums in an exhibit called “Imaginate”…under the auspices of the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto (where the same six photos are on permanent display).

Before photography, he spent his life in the “music business.”  Michael started as a music columnist for the Washington Star and a six year period interviewed more than 300 major recording artists…including David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, James Brown…the list is too long for this page.  He later worked for a record company and managed artists.  Now he is back to his true love: Photography.

In 2019, Oberman was signed to a publishing contract for a book about his life in the music business.  He spent eight months writing “Fast Forward, Play, and Rewind.”  It will be out on October 15, 2020 in the U.S. and December 1 in Great Britain. (adapted from web site)

 

Lisa Unger

Lisa Unger

Latest Book – Last Girl Ghosted

In development at Netflix – Confessions on the 7:45

Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of seventeen novels, including THE STRANGER INSIDE. With millions of readers worldwide and books published in twenty-six languages, Lisa Unger is widely regarded as a master of suspense. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations, an honor held by only a few writers including Ruth Rendell and Agatha Christie. The Edgar-nominated UNDER MY SKIN is also a finalist for the prestigious Hammett Prize, and the Macavity Award for Best Novel. And the original short story THE SLEEP TIGHT MOTEL is a #1 bestselling single.

Unger’s critically acclaimed books have been voted “Best of the Year” or top picks by the Today showGood Morning AmericaEntertainment WeeklyAmazonIndieBound and many others. Her writing has appeared in The New York TimesWall Street JournalNPR, and Travel+Leisure. She lives on the west coast of Florida with her family.

 

T.C. Boyle

T.C. Boyle

T.Coraghessan Boyle is the author of twenty-eight books of fiction, including, most recently, After the Plague (2001), Drop City (2003), The Inner Circle (2004), Tooth and Claw (2005), The Human Fly (2005), Talk Talk (2006), The Women (2009), Wild Child (2010), When the Killing’s Done (2011), San Miguel (2012), T.C. Boyle Stories II (2013), The Harder They Come (2015), The Terranauts (2016), The Relive Box (2017) and Outside Looking In (2019). He received a Ph.D. degree in Nineteenth Century British Literature from the University of Iowa in 1977, his M.F.A. from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1974, and his B.A. in English and History from SUNY Potsdam in 1968. He has been a member of the English Department at the University of Southern California since 1978, where he is Distinguished Professor of English. 

Danielle Girard

Danielle Girard

Danielle Girard is the author of Chasing Darkness, the Rookie Club series, and Exhume, Excise, Expose, and Expire featuring San Francisco medical examiner Dr. Annabelle Schwartzman. Girard’s books have won the Barry Award and the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, and two of her titles have been optioned for movies. A graduate of Cornell University, Girard received her MFA at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. She, her husband, and their two children split their time between San Francisco and the northern Rockies. White Out, book one of her new Badlands Thriller Series, is available now. Amazon

 

Book Club Reads – 20 for 20

Book Club Reads – 20 for 20

Culled from the favorites of three east coast book clubs.

Please write with your book club favorites – info@roamingthearts.com

It is time to compile a 2021 list. Tell us what you loved. #bookclub

 

American Dirt- Jeannine Cummins
Apeirogon-Colum McCann
Ask Again, Yes –Mary Beth Keane
Behold The Dreamers –Imbolo Mbue
Bel Canto –Ann Patchett
Born A Crime- Trevor Noah
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
Fates and Furfies – Lauren Groff
In The Midst of Winter – Isabel Allende
Mrs. Hemingway – Naomi Wood
Pachinko –Min Jin Lee
Tattooist Artist of Auschwitz – Heather Morris
The Extraordinary life of Sam Hell- Robert Dugoni
The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah
The Great Believers –Rebecca Makkai
The Inn At Lake Devine –Elinor Lipman
The Man with a Load of Mischief –Martha Grimes
The Snow Child – Eowyn Ivey
The Storyteller’s Secret – Sejal Badani
This Tender Land-William Kent Krueger

Lisa Gardner

Lisa Gardner

Lisa Gardner, a #1 New York Times bestselling thriller novelist, began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, she has transformed her interest in police procedure and criminal minds into a streak of internationally acclaimed novels, published across 30 countries. She’s also had four books become TV movies (At the Midnight Hour; The Perfect Husband; The Survivors Club; Hide) and has made personal appearances on TruTV and CNN.

Lisa’s books have received awards from across the globe. Her novel, The Neighbor, won Best Hardcover Novel from the International Thriller Writers, while also receiving the Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle in France. She was also recognized with the Daphne du Maurier Award in 2000 for The Other Daughter. Finally, Lisa received the Silver Bullet Award from the International Thriller Writers in 2017 for her work on behalf of at-risk children and the Humane Society.

For a bit of fun, Lisa invites her readers to enter the annual “Kill a Friend, Maim a Buddy” Sweepstakes at LisaGardner.com. Every year, one Lucky Stiff is selected to meet a grand end in Lisa’s latest novel. Past winners have nominated spouses, best friends and even themselves.

Lisa lives in New Hampshire where she spends her time with an assortment of canine companions. When not writing, she loves to hike, garden, snowshoe and play cribbage. (LisaGardner.com)

 

Caleb Carr

Caleb Carr 

is the critically acclaimed author of The Alienist, The Angel of Darkness, The Lessons of Terror, Killing Time, The Devil Soldier, The Italian Secretary, The Legend of Broken, and Surrender, New York. He has taught military history at Bard College, and worked extensively in film, television, and the theater. His military and political writings have appeared in numerous magazines and periodicals, among them The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He lives in upstate New York. (Penguin/Random House)

The Alienist – Season 2 now streaming

 

Craig Johnson

Location – Wyoming

Craig Johnson/Longmire

Craig Allen Johnson is an American author who writes mystery novels. He is best known for his Sheriff Walt Longmire novel series. The books are set in northern Wyoming, where Longmire is sheriff of the fictional county of Absaroka. Wikipedia

For fans of the Netflix series (Longmire,) if you have watched the six seasons, grab a book. Walt, Vicki, Ruby and the gang live on…

Matt Coyle

Location: Southern California/La Jolla/San Diego/Santa Barbara

Matt Coyle

is the author of the best-selling Rick Cahill crime novels. He knew he wanted to be a crime writer when he was fourteen and his father gave him the simple art of murder by Raymond Chandler. He graduated with a degree in English from University of California at Santa Barbara. His foray into crime fiction was delayed for thirty years as he spent time managing a restaurant, selling golf clubs for various golf companies, and in national sales for a sports licensing company.

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