Her latest novel, Huguette, is set in post-Libération France with seventeen-year-old Huguette Faure fighting to survive danger, trauma, and poverty while seeking refuge and a future for herself and her newborn child. Her journey from the black market to a Paris film studio becomes a final bid to rebuild her life and escape the shadows of her violent past.
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Reading Between the Vines: a Holiday Book & Wine Pairing Adventure featuring New York Times Bestselling Authors Alka Joshi and Cara Black
December 13, 2025 @ 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
$4.50 – $29.95
About the In-Person Adventure
“Wine is bottled poetry.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Because Stevenson understood the beauty of both language and wine, we’re taking a page from his book and dedicating an entire Adventures by the Book® series to the artful pairing of wine and literature. Voila! We invite you to our next Reading Between the Vines event, hosted once again at the stunning estate producer Hook & Ladder Winery (2134 Olivet Rd., Santa Rosa), as part of their vibrant new Book & Ladder Club.
In partnership with Melier, prepare to indulge in a curated wine-and-book experience set beneath California’s brilliant trademark sunshine. While you savor a specially selected glass of Hook & Ladder wine, you’ll have the chance to meet New York Times bestselling authors Alka Joshi and Cara Black, and even get a jump start on your holiday shopping with wine perfectly paired to their books.
Your Adventure includes:
• A glass of Hook & Ladder wine chosen to complement the authors’ works
• Meet-and-greet with Alka Joshi and Cara Black
• Q&A and personal book signing
• Time to mingle in an intimate, relaxed setting among the beautiful vineyards
About the Authors
Alka Joshi is the internationally bestselling author of the Jaipur Trilogy: The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur and The Perfumist of Paris. She was born in India and came to the U.S. with her family at the age of nine. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts.
Her debut novel, The Henna Artist, immediately became a New York Times bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub Pick, an LA Times bestseller, a Toronto Star and Globe & Mail bestseller, an Indie Bookstores bestseller, a Cosmopolitan Best Audiobook, and an Amazon and Goodreads favorite. It was Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, has been translated into 29 languages and optioned as an episodic series.
Six Days in Bombay is her fourth novel and is a sweeping tale of identity and self-discovery that takes readers from Bombay to Prague, Florence, Paris and London, to uncover the mystery behind a famous painter’s death.
To schedule a book club visit with Alka or any of our authors on Adventures by the Book® :
Cara Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 20 books in the Private Investigator Aimée Leduc series, and two World War II-set novels featuring American markswoman Kate Rees.
Cara has received multiple nominations for the Anthony and Macavity Awards, a Washington Post Book World Book of the Year citation, the Médaille de la Ville de Paris—the Paris City Medal, which is awarded in recognition of contribution to international culture—and invitations to be the Guest of Honor at conferences such as the Paris Polar Crime Festival and Left Coast Crime. With more than 400,000 books in print, the Aimée Leduc series has been translated into German, Norwegian, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, and Hebrew.
To schedule a book club visit with Cara or any of our authors on Adventures by the Book:
Event Registration
Free registration is not required and is open to the general public. Books and wine will be available for sale and signing at the event. Only books purchased at the event are eligible for signing.
About Hook & Ladder Winery
Hook & Ladder is an “estate” producer, specializing in small bottlings of Pinot Noir, “Old Vine” Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux-style blends sourced from the family’s sustainably-farmed vineyards in Russian River Valley and its sub-appellation, Chalk Hill. The winery also produces and sells estate-grown Olive Oil from trees grown at their Los Amigos Ranch.
About Melier
Luxury tastes shouldn’t be confined to luxury resorts. Book a Melier experience and enjoy private wine & culinary experiences from your home, office, or vacation rental. And when you book with Melier, you’re directly supporting the tastemakers who are bringing their creations to life.
