Meg Waite Clayton and her creation. For anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming an author, Meg Waite Clayton’s website is a delightful and inspiring place to visit. Meg is the author of the bestselling novel, The Wednesday Sisters, a book about a group of women friends. They meet at a park in Palo Alto,…
Read MoreTwo kings: Ian Holm as Lear and Robert Mondavi. Photo of Holm from the University of London; photo of Mondavi by Mike Kepka/SFGate.com What can Shakespeare teach us about a troubled family business? That’s a question I’ll try to answer at a discussion hosted by a long-lasting and large book group in Burlingame, Calif., this…
Read MoreBook lover Liz Epstein guides groups through the classics; below, at Book Group Expo, panelists Sara Davidson, Po Bronson and Elizabeth Gilbert interact with moderator Sam Barry — and the book group community. Top photo from bookpassage.com; bottom photo from fora.tv If there is a modern American equivalent to the French salons of the 17th…
Read MoreAbove, the Cipriani 42nd Street was the elegant venue for the Loeb awards; below left, the author and sister Jennifer Flynn Israel enjoy the Cipriani’s trademark Bellini cocktails; below right, The House of Mondavi is showcased during the awards ceremony. Photos courtesy UCLA Anderson School of Management The Gerald Loeb Awards are the Oscars of…
Read MoreDavid Schargel, in blue, offers “epicurean excursion” participants a sampling of Portland’s culinary prowess; below, a sampling of the single-source chocolates from Sweet Masterpiece, one of the excursion’s ports of call. (Photos by Aaron Rabideau) The last stop on my paperback tour for The House of Mondavi was Portland, Oregon, where I can truthfully, if…
Read MoreThese lucky few at the George Town club were the first on the East coast to sip the latest Mondavi creation — the coveted Continuum. A few months ago, I received a politely-worded invitation to visit the George Town Club in Washington, D.C., to speak about my book, The House of Mondavi. The organizer of…
Read MoreAbove, the author (center), her sister and her husband celebrate in style at the James Beard Awards ceremony. Below, Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson of Tartine Bakery share the award with the sweetest of their creations. (Tartine photo from Gothamist.com) It was hard to escape “Sex and the City” even at the black-tie 2008 James…
Read MoreWho knew such a dainty garden setting would occasion talk of “the two Ls”? I’ve met a lot of wonderful people while touring to promote the paperback release of The House of Mondavi, but surely one of the most memorable was Helen Dufficy. Helen, a lively 91-year-old who lives in a retirement community called The…
Read MoreAbove, Margaret Mitchell at the typewriter she used to write the masterpiece that became one of the most beloved novels — and movies — of the 20th century. Photo of Mitchell from Wikipedia.org; poster image from Jamd.com One of the most uplifting stories I’ve come across recently is that of Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone…
Read MoreAlthough on this visit there were no San Francisco mayors at Allegro Romano, there were plenty of people to meet and greet. Photo from Allegro Romano Allegro Romano, a small Italian restaurant on San Francisco’s Russian Hill, is the setting for a key scene in The House of Mondavi. The restaurant was where Timothy Mondavi…
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