All posts by John Valeri

John Valeri wrote the popular Hartford Books Examiner column for Examiner.com from 2009 to 2016. He regularly moderates author interviews and book discussions at bookstores, conferences, and libraries throughout Connecticut. John will make his fiction debut in Tricks and Treats, a Halloween-themed anthology due out from Books & Boos Press this fall. Visit him online at www.johnbvaleri.com.

The Poignant Pragmatism of Me, Myselfie & I

Me, Myselfie & I: A Cautionary Tale
By Jamie Lee Curtis
(Feiwel and Friends)

Me, Myselfie & I by Jamie Lee Curtis (Feiwel and Friends)

Beloved actress, activist, and author Jamie Lee Curtis—next seen in the highly anticipated horror sequel, Halloween (out October 19)—returns to children’s entertainment with a new picture book, Me, Myselfie & I: A Cautionary Tale (Feiwel and Friends), illustrated by Laura Cornell. This title marks the thirteenth collaboration between the New York Times bestselling duo, and it follows 2016’s This Is Me.

Author Interview: Jennifer Ciotta on I, Putin

Jennifer Ciotta is the author of I, Putin, which won Honorable Mentions at the New York Book Festival & Hollywood Book Festival, 2012. It is her debut novel. She holds a master’s degree in creative writing and Russian studies from the Gallatin School at New York University. Ms. Ciotta also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Estonia, a main setting of the novel, from 2000 to 2002.

Synopsis:

Vladimir Putin, the enigmatic, controversial president of Russia, is faced with a decision so harrowing, it changes him forever. It’s the year 2000. Newly elected President Putin is embattled after the Kursk submarine explodes and spirals into the abyss. 118 submariners are trapped.

Marcia Clark Remains Without a Doubt

Author’s Note: In June of 2014, Marcia Clark—O.J. Simpson prosecutor turned critically acclaimed crime novelist—granted me her only interview to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the murders of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman. We used her trial memoir, Without a Doubt (1997), as the framework for our conversation. That book, recently reissued in hardcover, paperback, digital, and audio editions, was a #1 New York Times bestseller upon initial publication; it turned 20 last week—and again reached bestseller status as an Amazon Kindle title. While Clark has since commented on the case in the wake of FX’s blockbuster mini-series, American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, and ESPN’s Academy Award-Winning documentary, O.J.: Made in America (which she participated in), this piece originally provided rare perspective on issues that would only later become part of the public’s collective consciousness. I sincerely hope that you find it worthy of revisitation.

Living in the Aftermath of the Columbine Massacre

A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy
By Sue Klebold
(Broadway Books, 336pp)

There are moments in time that come to define a generation.

For my peer group, the tragic shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado on April 20, 1999—which predated the 9/11 terrorist attacks—symbolized the end of some adolescent naivety in which we all felt a false sense of security. Despite the inevitable playground bullies, schools once represented a safe place to dream of future greatness.

Books as an Invitation to Live

Books for Living
By Will Schwalbe
(Knopf, 288pp)

Allow me to unburden myself.

As I believe I’ve told you before, I’m something of an unrepentant bibliophile. I need books like some people need food. Or water. (Or sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll.) I need to covet them. I need to own them. I need to read them. I need to hold them and smell them and fan myself with their glorious pages. Sometimes, I think it’s a problem. Other times, I’m convinced that it’s everybody else that has a problem.