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Summer Reading Adventure featuring NYT bestseller Kristy Woodson Harvey, USA Today bestseller Meg Donohue, and Desi Arnaz’s Granddaughter Kate Luckinbill
Event Update: Kate Luckinbill is unable to join this event due to unforeseen circumstances. We look forward to welcoming Kristy Woodson Harvey and Meg Donohue for a wonderful evening of conversation and storytelling.
About the Live, In-Person, Adventure
“A good summer read is as essential as sunscreen.” — Joan Didion
Adventures by the Book® invites you to join us for a joyful Summer Reading Adventure featuring beloved New York Times bestselling author Kristy Woodson Harvey, USA Today bestselling novelist Meg Donohue, and special guest Kate Luckinbill, granddaughter of iconic television legend Desi Arnaz. From sun-soaked coastal fiction to emotionally rich, thought-provoking storytelling — along with a unique perspective on storytelling legacy and Hollywood history — this special evening celebrates the books you’ll be packing in your bag all summer long.
As part of our ABTB signature event series, this Summer Reading Panel brings readers face-to-face with the authors behind Summer State of Mind and The Memory Gardener, offering an inside look at the inspiration, themes, and creative spark that make a story the perfect seasonal escape. Kate Luckinbill will also share reflections on growing up connected to one of television’s most beloved pioneers, adding a special multigenerational perspective on creativity, storytelling, and legacy. in A Book By Desi Arnaz.
Whether you’re a devoted Kristy Woodson Harvey reader, a fan of Meg Donohue’s emotionally resonant fiction, intrigued by Kate Luckinbill’s connection to entertainment history, a book club looking to plan ahead, or simply a reader eager to discover what you should be reading this summer, this evening is designed for you. Come with friends, bring your book club, or join us solo — everyone is welcome in our community of passionate, curious readers.
Your Adventure includes a lively author conversation, audience Q&A, book signing, and the chance to connect with fellow readers who know that summer is always better with a great book in hand.
Registration
This event is FREE and open to the public, with general seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.
For readers who prefer a little peace of mind and want to show their early support of our authors, our VIP option includes guaranteed event admission and reserved seating with the pre-order of Summer State of Mind, A Book by Desi Arnaz, or The Memory Gardener below.
And since we’re officially in a summer state of mind, we’re delighted to offer a discounted three-book bundle—the perfect pairing to kick off your summer reading season.
About the Authors and Books
Kristy Woodson Harvey is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of a dozen novels including Beach House Rules and The Peachtree Bluff Series. A Happier Life is in development for film with MGM/Amazon, The Summer of Songbirds is in development for television with Hulu, and many of her other projects are in various stages of option or development for film and television. Her work has received numerous accolades, including Good Morning America’s Buzz Pick.
Kristy is the co-creator and co-host of the hit weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction with fellow New York Times bestselling authors Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, and Patti Callahan Henry, which boasts more than three hundred thousand members. She is also the co-founder of the award-winning interiors site Design Chic, with her mom, Beth Woodson..
Her new novel, Summer State of Mind, proves that “Kristy Woodson Harvey is (the) go-to for elevated beach reads,” (People) when we learn that with love, understanding – and a community theater production of Hello, Dolly! – sometimes life conspires to bring us just exactly where we belong.
Kate Luckinbill has spent her life surrounded by show business and that guided her initial foray into acting. She graduated from the University of Miami Theater Conservatory and wrote and performed her own one-woman show, before retiring from the stage and entering the corporate world as a creative recruiter for the Fortune 50. She has since found the balance of both worlds, working with her mother Lucie while also creating media.
A Book by Desi Arnaz is an expanded edition of the New York Times bestselling memoir and now features exclusive new material including excerpts from Desi Arnaz’s uncompleted and unpublished second memoir, a Foreword by granddaughter Kate Luckinbill, a new Afterword by daughter Lucie Arnaz, as well as new photos throughout.
Meg Donohue is the USA Today bestselling author of You, Me, and the Sea, Every Wild Heart, Dog Crazy, All the Summer Girls, and How to Eat a Cupcake. Her novels have been translated into Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish. Meg has an MFA from Columbia University and a BA from Dartmouth College.
Her debut novel, How to Eat a Cupcake hit number 1 on the NookBook bestseller list and was a Boston Globe bestseller. Her second novel, All the Summer Girls, was a USA Today, Amazon, and Apple Books bestseller and was hailed as a great summer read by People magazine. Her third novel, Dog Crazy, was an Amazon bestseller, and her fourth novel, Every Wild Heart, was named a Top 10 Women’s Fiction Novel of 2017 by the American Library Association. Publishers Weekly called Meg’s fifth novel, You, Me, and the Sea, “first-rate women’s fiction” and Parade magazine hailed it as 1 of 12 Big Fiction Reads Every Book Club Will Love.
Meg writes with warmth and humor about love, hope, family, friendship, loss, and forgiveness. She has a deep affinity for animals, especially dogs and horses, and she’s never stepped into a garden or onto a beach she doesn’t love. The Memory Gardener is a cozy tale of the power of memory and the nourishing magic of gardens.
To schedule a book club visit with Meg or any of our authors on Adventures by the Book®:
About the Coronado Public Library
The mission of the Coronado Public Library is to meet the informational, recreational, and cultural needs of the community and to actively promote reading, life-long learning, and the pursuit of knowledge.
