Readers' Books

Sonoma, the first “slow city” in the United States, knows the value of taking our time. Author Patricia Hampl, who has had a lifelong fascination with contemplation, solitude, and silence, explores these values in her newest book, The Art of the Wasted Day. “Life conceived—and lived—as a to-do list. This is the problem,” writes Patricia Hampl before diving into a celebration of daydreaming and letting go. In the book, Hampl takes us along on her own travels from Bordeaux, to rural Wales, to taking a retreat at a Benedictine monastery, and to a boat trip down the Mississippi River to showcase the power of repose and seclusion. Hampl will be at Readers’ Books on Friday, 8/17, with a 6:30 reception and 7:00 reading.
 

Local Joanell Serra has written her debut novel and our Sonoma audience will best recognize the truth behind this romantic tale of wine, family, and family history. Uriel Macon, winemaker and widower, is content to live his life quietly with his vines and horses until the past comes to meet him in the form of Amanda Scanlon, an ex-lover who left Sonoma years ago. Amanda returns because of a family crisis, including finding out hard truths about her parentage. The complex ties of family, love, and grapes planted long ago will hook you in.