Last night Mary Pols, our former movie critic, came to Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette to talk about her new memoir, “Accidentally on Purpose:  A One-Night Stand, My Unplanned Parenthood, and Loving the Best Mistake I Ever Made”(Ecco/HarperCollins, $24.95, 288 pages). It doesn’t get much more fun than this. She’s so comfortable on stage … I didn’t realize we’d been chatting up there for more than an hour! It felt like five minutes.

First she talked about the dress she was wearing.  Apparently Anita Amirrezvani (”The Blood of Flowers”), who also used to sit next to me here at the paper, had told Mary she needed about four great outfits for her book tour. So, Mary went to Margaret O’Leary’s boutique on Berkeley’s Fourth Street, and the fabulous Margaret herself, along with her assistant (Peaches) helped her find the outfits. So, just as Mary was feeling great in one of her new outfits recently, a woman asked her when she was due. HUGE groans from the audience, probably because we’ve all been there. (Right?) It’s all about the empire waist, these days. Mary was funny about it, though. And, it makes a great story. She’s going to be fabulous on her book tour.

She read the first chapter (entitled “The condom on the floor”), to huge bursts of laughter from the audience of about 90 people. Mary and I chatted for a bit, then she took questions from the audience, thoughtfully and gracefully answering each one.

There probably won’t be a movie, because “Knocked Up” pretty much took care of that subject for a while. But there is talk of a TV series. Mary Louise Parker or Brooke Shields would be great to star as Mary herself (even though she said her friends suggested Janine Garofalo, much to her dismay), and she likes Michael Vartan (”Alias”) or Justin Chambers (”Grey’s Anatomy”) to play the baby-daddy, Matt.

If you get a chance, make sure you see Mary at an event, and definitely buy the book. As I’ve said, it’s terrific. She is one of the most honest writers I know.

My friend Marilyn here at work said a great story for the newspaper would be to have everyone write in what they are reading. In a way, we can kind of tell what people are reading just by a glance at the bestseller lists, or by what’s being sold at Target or Costco.

But, it’s a good idea. I tend to ask that of people as a matter of course, especially if I don’t know them. It’s a good conversation enhancer. For instance, if someone tells me they are reading a mystery, I ask them if they like Elizabeth George (because I still need to discuss her new one with someone!); if they are reading a romance, I ask for details; if they are reading “Guns, Germs and Steel,” I walk away. (Now you know how to get me to stop annoying you.)

I’m almost done reading a book that is mildly entertaining, and I can’t remember the name of it or the author, which says something, I guess. I’m almost done with it, and will need to choose a next book. The most intriguing books on my desk today are the paperbacks of: “New England White” by Stephen L. Carter (he wrote “The Emperor of Ocean Park” which got huge buzz and I never read); “Black and White” by Dani Shapiro (also buzzed about); “On Chesil Beach” by Ian McEwan, HUGE buzz, I’ve wanted to read it but never got around to it. (That’s a picture of Chesil Beach in England, left) I liked “Atonement” and “Enduring Love” by IM but not “Saturday” so much.

The two books on my desk I know nothing about but am intrigued despite myself are: “The Fidelity Files: A Novel” by Jessica Brody. The main character is a woman who works undercover as a “fidelity inspector,” exposing hundreds of unfaithful husbands, fiances and boyfriends. She doesn’t engage in actual hanky panky, she just tests them for an intention to cheat (and never initiates). I like the concept of this one, and hope there is some good revenge in it. I love revenge novels.

And the other one has a bright yellow cover and orange writing and is called “Murder at the Bad Girl’s Bar & Grill” by N.M. Kelby. Great title. The fly-leaf says “Take a slasher-movie actress, a Scottish circus clown, an FBI school dropout, a blind heiress, a junk-food-loving millionaire developer,  and a Buddha-quoting bluesman, add a couple of murders in a normally sedate retirement community in south Florida, and you get an irresistible tale that’s part Carl Hiaasen and part Gabriel Garcia Marquez.”

I am SO there.

In the meantime, let’s talk about what YOU are reading! Anyone?

At work we’ve all been buzzing about the review we knew was coming out in Entertainment Weekly this week for Mary Pols‘ first book, her memoir “Accidentally on Purpose.” I guess it’s like family … Mary worked side-by-side with us for so long as our movie critic, we sooooooooo wanted the review to be a good one.

And, it is. I just got my magazine a few minutes ago, and they loved it. They gave it an A-. I don’t know about you, but even if it’s a B in Entertainment Weekly, I sit up and take notice. I really trust certain publications and writers, and EW is one of them. (Plus, of course, they have the good sense to have Gillian Flynn on staff as a TV critic, and she wrote one of my favorite novels of the year, “Sharp Objects.“)

Needless to say, we’re all thrilled at the Times. The phone lines are buzzing. I left a message on Mary’s cell but she’s down at the Booksellers Expo America convention in LA, promoting her book and meeting great authors (and they are meeting HER!)

As you know, I’ll be in conversation with Mary at Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette at 7 p.m. Monday June 9. It’s a small theater, as I’ve said, so we can all be in on the conversation. (And, as I’ve also said, you can buy a drink at the bar downstairs and take it to your seat.) Mary’s book, which goes on sale June 3, will be sold at Town Hall at a discount by Kathleen Caldwell, owner of A Great Good Place For Books, who says “Accidentally on Purpose” is one of her favorite books this year.

And by the way … I would like this book even if I didn’t know Mary. Obviously I’m not alone!

I just finished a book called “The Ten Best Days of My Life” by Adena Halpern.  I’d started reading it at work when I first got it, and was intrigued. The narrator, a 29-year-old woman, gets hit by a Mini-Cooper while walking her dog and dies. She spots a really cute guy while in line at the pearly gates, gets through and hooks up with her grandparents and uncle Morris, who take her to her new home which is the house she always lusted after when she was growing up. There’s an entire room full of her favorite designer clothes and shoes (which never pinch) and it just gets better and better. Her dog is there with her, and the cute guy moves next door.

Turns out this is Seventh Heaven, but to stay there, she has to write an essay on the 10 best days of her life, because the powers that be think she’s a little shallow and wasn’t going to amount to anything. She needs to prove herself. She doesn’t want to end up in, say, Fourth Heaven, even though that’s where all the rock stars are.

Anyway, it’s one of those books that actually is a good read, perfect for a plane ride or beach, or Memorial Day weekend when the weather stinks (like this past one).

But, one of the reasons I almost didn’t read it is because I’m so uncomfortable reading books narrated by dead people. (And don’t get me started on “Defending Your Life,” the Albert Brooks movie, which I despised.)

It took me about a year to finally read “The Lovely Bones,” and that only happened because I was in a Vermont farmhouse on vacation and was too hot to sleep. In fact, my copy of the book has sweat drops on all the pages. But that one turned out to be good, even comforting in a way. This one is the same, although this one has a lot more designer clothes in it. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could just imagine our own heaven, and that’s where you end up?  Mine would have LOTS of books in it.

One of the great things about my job is the people I get to work with. And one of my favorite people was Mary Pols, who I sat next to for a few years. Mary was our movie critic, and she was so darn smart about movies, it was always a joy to read her reviews.

The bad news is, Mary left the paper a few months ago. The good news is, she left because she’s now an author and her first book comes out on June 3. It’s a memoir: “Accidentally on Purpose: A One-Night Stand, My Unplanned Parenthood, and Loving the Best Mistake I Ever Made.” 

Yep, it’s the old cute-guy-in-a-bar scenario. Mary was 39 and single, and it was starting to look like she’d never have the children she so desperately craved (she came from a family of five kids). When she got pregnant, she was in a quandary. She was single. She was a journalist, which means she was not exactly rolling in money. She wasn’t sure about the baby’s father, or even if she wanted him in her life, much less her baby’s life. She wanted a girl. The baby was a boy.

The book is beautifully-written: witty, often poignant, and always brutally honest. Publisher’s Weekly says “Candid and unaffected, Pols provides an important lesson about not being willing to compromise herself, and that being brave can bring the richest rewards.”

I was so entranced reading Mary’s book, I forgot I was reading about a friend.  It’s already being considered for a movie and TV series, and rightfully so. And, Mary is going to start on a novel after she finishes her book tour for this one. 

And here’s the really fun part. Mary and I will be in conversation at the intimate Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette at 7 p.m. Monday June 9. This theater works great for author events … I did one with Candace Bushnell there a few years ago and it was a blast. This one will be, too, because Mary and I know each other, so who knows what will come out! Also, Town Hall has a full bar, and you can bring your drinks to your seats, unlike other venues.

Because the theater is small (180 seats), the audience will be able to participate as well. And, her books will be sold at the event by my friend Kathleen Caldwell, who owns A Great Good Place for Books in Oakland.

Tickets are a bargain; $8 (cheaper than a movie, and much better for your mind!)  Call 925-283-1557. Town Hall Theatre is on the corner of School Street and Moraga Road in Lafayette.

I hope to see you there!

I just finished “Careless in Red” by Elizabeth George, one of my favorite mystery writers. It’s huge, 640 pages. I was so engrossed, I completely forgot about reading the book for my Lafayette book club (The Barefoot Book Club).

Inspector Lynley is backin this one, which takes place on the coast of Cornwall. He is in mourning, and those of you who are fans know why. Havers is back, too, thank goodness. She’s one of my favorite characters in literature.

I’m not giving anything away, but would like to know what you Elizabeth George fans think of this one. I have questions about the whodunit parts of it, and also the title. And, regarding the way I try to guess the killer and hate it when I guess too soon, this one kept me on my toes.

But seriously. If you read it, let me know and I’ll ask you what you think about certain aspects of it. Such as … well, paternity. That’s all I’m saying, don’t want to spoil it. I’m handing it off in the next day or so to my friend Lori, who is great at picking apart books and all the hidden meanings.

I just heard that Lolly Winston (”Good Grief”) can’t make this weekend’s big author festival, put on by the Contra Costa County library system. Instead, someone very intriguing to me has graciously stepped up to the plate. She’s Michelle Richmond, author of “The Year of Fog.” (That’s her, below, at a reading.)

 I  blogged about this book a long time ago … it arrived on my desk and I did the first page test (if it grabs me, I keep reading) and it DID grab me, and I kept reading it for most of the afternoon. (Yep, I sometimes get to read on the job. I love my job.) The reason I may not have been able to put it down is because it involves a missing child, and I really really really hate books about missing or ill (or dead) children. I think I wanted to find out if the child ever got found. And I’m not telling.

But the book so perfectly captures San Francisco. It’s fun to read a book that takes place where you live (or lived, in my case). It’s hard for an author because someone is always sure to complain that they got the name of the barbershop wrong, or the restaurant is on the OTHER side of the street. (Once I read a book about San Francisco that had the characters paying the Bay Bridge toll on the city side, instead of the Oakland side, and I felt I couldn’t trust another word of the rest of the book.)  

But Michelle lives in the area, so she’s pretty sure of what she is writing about. And I lived in The City for  15 years, and didn’t find anything wrong. “The Year of Fog” is now is paperback, and Michelle is writing a new book, “No One You Know.”

For the Contra Costa County Library Reading Festival, Michelle will be at Ygnacio Valley Library at 1 p.m. I can’t be there (my daughter’s Senior Ball is that day, I’ll be taking pictures like a madwoman) but I have a feeling Michelle and I will be meeting someday soon. She’s good.

Watch where you step this weekend. Chances are you’ll step on an author, if you are in Contra Costa County. The library is is holding its first ever reading festival from May 16 to 18, with events in almost all the libraries. Fifty amazing writers are participating, and all genres and ages will be addressed.

A quick glimpse at the first page on the website shows me Anita Amirrezvani, my friend who used to sit next to me here at the paper. Her book, “Blood of Flowers,” is a tale of a feisty young girl in 17th-century Persia. Anita will be at the El Sobrante Library on Saturday morning at 11. Also at 11, but at the Crockett Library, is Cara Black, whose mysteries are all set in Paris.

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There was a time when all I read were mysteries. As a child, it was all the Bobbsey Twins, the Happy Hollisters, Enid Blyton’s “Famous Five” and “Secret Seven” series, then all the Nancy Drews. As a teen I devoured Mary Stewart and Phyllis  A. Whitney (who wrote books for 80 years until she died this past February). My all-time favorite was “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier. More recently my favorite has been (almost) anything by Elizabeth George although I am so furious at what happened in the last Inspector Lynley mystery, I have refused to read her most recent novel (which wasn’t an Inspector Lynley novel, and when the new Lynley comes out this summer, I am sure I will read it).

I still like mysteries, but find that I can usually guess the ending. I definitely guessed the ending of the one I read over the weekend, but kept reading anyway. It’s “The Sonnet Lover” by Carol Goodman. I really like this author.  I’ve read two of her other books, “The Drowning Tree” and “The Lake of Dead Languages.” In this new one — which really does have a lot of sonnets in it, and I am NOT a sonnet lover — she has all kinds of great characters and locations, including two of my very favorite: Greenwich Village and Florence (to me, this book would have been almost perfect had the Italian location been in Venice, which I prefer to Florence, but perhaps Carol Goodman feels she’s already written too much about water!).

But, I guessed “who did it” pretty early on. Still, the book was so captivating, and it got me to thinking. We probably often guess whodunit early on, but — especially in this case — we are so interested in the characters and ultimately the reactions once everyone in the story finds out whodunit, it keeps us going. The only books I truly am surprised at are the Elizabeth George novels.

So, given that, I am going to unearth my other  Carol Goodman novels and devour them, once I’m done reading a really fluffy book that takes place in London, another of my favorite places. For SURE I know what’s happening in the end of this one, but am intrigued by the shallowness of the main character. Sometimes we all just need a good beach read. I wish I was on a beach, though.

This was a first. As I was finishing reading a book, getting nearer to the end with every page, I actually started crying. Not because it was sad. No, it’s because I was almost done reading one of my favorite books ever.

It’s called “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows. It’s not coming out until July 29, but it’s going to be huge. It’s written in letter form, like another of my favorites, “Daddy Long Legs.”

It takes place in 1946, in England. The main character is an author who receives a letter from someone in Guernsey,” (an island in the English Channel) who somehow ended up with a book that had belonged to her. He was asking for help in finding more books by the same person (Charles Lamb, who was fascinating, as it turns out). Correspondence ensues, and the author becomes interested in Guernsey, which was overtaken by Germans during the war.

I’m not doing this book justice; there are so many layers and interesting people. And, romance! After I dried my eyes, I immediately gave it to my friend Lori, who is equally enamored and we have decided we must visit Guernsey on a future trip. ( The island is about 30 miles from the north coast of France and 70 miles from the south coast of England.) My British friend Caroline didn’t sound too enthusiastic about Guernsey, saying only that sweaters come from there, but another British friend, Edward, said Guernsey is now quite the jet-setting place.

Anyway, I can’t wait for everyone to read it.  The rumors in the publishing world are that bookstores are already forming their own equivalents to the Society. I’m sure recipes for potato peel pie will be next.