
Roswell Reads is an organization of the Friends of the Roswell Library (FORL). To learn more about FORL and its other programs – Atlanta Authors, Mystery Book Club, and Noonday Nosh - visit www.FORL.net.

Roswell Reads is excited to announce that The Stolen Lady by Laura Morelli has been selected as its 17th annual citywide book selection. Morelli is an art historian and an award-winning, USA Today best-selling historical novelist. The Stolen Lady: A Novel of World War II and the Mona Lisa is her latest novel, based on the true story behind the biggest museum evacuation in history: the Louvre’s efforts to keep the Mona Lisa and the rest of the Louvre collection out of Nazi hands.
Roswell Reads is excited to announce that The Stolen Lady by Laura Morelli has been selected as its 17th annual citywide book selection. Morelli is an art historian and an award-winning, USA Today best-selling historical novelist. The Stolen Lady: A Novel of World War II and the Mona Lisa is her latest novel, based on the true story behind the biggest museum evacuation in history: the Louvre’s efforts to keep the Mona Lisa and the rest of the Louvre collection out of Nazi hands.
More information coming soon.
Welcome to the Roswell Reads 2022 Author Event
Laura Morelli discusses The Stolen Lady
Click on the video below to view presentation
Welcome to the Roswell Reads Writing Workshop
with Laura Morelli.
Click on the video below to view presentation

Writing Workshop with Laura Morelli.
January 31, 2022
Thanks to all the who participated in the Writing Workshop.

The 2022 Family Program book is Who Stole Mona Lisa?
By Ruthie Knapp
Activities/Actividades:
*Pick up the Mona Lisa art craft kit at the Roswell and East Roswell Libraries from 1/10/22 - 2/10/22. Decorate your Mona Lisa portrait. Or download the art kit below.
Recoja el divertido kit de manualidades de Mona Lisa en las bibliotecas de Roswell y East Roswell a partir del 10/01/22 -10/02/22. Decora tu propio retrato de Mona Lisa. Haga clic aquí para la kit de arte (vea abajo)
*Listen to the read aloud of Who Stole Mona Lisa? and enjoy the beautiful illustrations below.
Escuche una lectura y disfruta de las bellas ilustracions en voz alto en línea de ¿Quién robo a Mona Lisa? Haga clic aqui.
*Share your Mona Lisa with Roswell Reads to win a basket of art supplies. Email a photo of your finished craft to roswellreads@gmail.com. Include your name/phone number. The deadline to participate is 02/20/2022.
Comparta su Mona Lisa con Roswell Reads para ganar una canasta de artículos de arte. Envíe por correo electrónico una foto de su manualidad terminada a roswellreads@gmail.com. Incluya su nombre/número de teléfono. La fecha límite para participar es el 20/02/2022.

For the first time in several years, Roswell Reads has an entry, Count Voracious Reader (#67), in this season’s BOO Y’aLL Scarecrows event. An annual Roswell Woman’s Club fundraiser, 85 organizations – from businesses and nonprofits to schools and individuals – have created scarecrows to place along Canton Street this year. Voracious readers (and others) are invited to cast votes for $1 each as often as they like.The Count is located in front of Ipp's Pastaria and Bar, 980 Canton Street, with a sign that reads, "Sink Your Teeth into a Good Book." His cape encircles some of Roswell Reads’ recent authors and selections, including “The Dutch House,” “Where the Crawdads Sing” and “All Over But the Shoutin’.”To vote for Count Voracious Reader (#67), go to: https://www.roswellwomansclub.org/product/scarecrow-67/
Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred, Lexington, who became America's greatest stud sire,
“Horse”
is a gripping multilayered novel of
art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism.
Tickets for the Geraldine Brooks Oct. 1 talk are $20 and are available either online at roswellcac.com, by calling 770-594-6232, or at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center.
To purchase books prior to the event, visit bookmiser.net. Books purchased in advance can be autographed and picked up in-store, at the event, or mailed. Bookmiser will also sell copies of "Horse" at the event which Brooks can sign and personalize. For questions regarding book purchases, contact Bookmiser at 770-509-5611.
The First Ladies
by
Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Click here to register for the free online book discussion
Roswell Reads, in partnership with the City of Roswell and Bookmiser, is featuring bestselling author Ron Rash in an inspirational, instructional and entertaining weekend Friday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 19.
Called “one of the best living American writers” by Janet Maslin of The New York Times, Rash is the author of 20 books of poetry and fiction, including his most recent novel, The Caretaker. A two-time PEN/Faulkner finalist, three-time O. Henry Short Story Prize winner, and Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award winner, he teaches at Western Carolina University.
The weekend will kick off with a Writer to Writer event Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Roswell Adult Recreation Center, 830 Grimes Bridge Road, Roswell. Rash will discuss his creative process and approach to writing and publishing with Atlanta Writers Club Executive Director George Weinstein. Audience questions will be welcomed and refreshments will be served. Writer to Writer tickets are available here.
Then, on Oct. 19, the 2024 Roswell Reads author presentation will begin at 10:30 a.m., also at the Roswell Adult Recreation Center. Rash will discuss The Caretaker in conversation with Robert Gwaltney, winner of the 2023 Georgia Author of the Year Award in the First Novel category for his debut novel, The Cicada Tree. Refreshments will be served and VIP seating will be available for the first 80 patrons to purchase the book + ticket bundle. Ticket options and details are available here.
We’re starting off the year early with Jennifer Coburn, author of “The Girls of the Glimmer Factory,” a heartfelt story of courage, where two women filmmakers use their talents to take their destinies and the lives of millions of innocents into their own hands.
Our conversation with Coburn will be Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, at 2 p.m. at the Roswell Library, 115 Norcross Street in Roswell. The event is free but registration is appreciated below.
Coburn’s other titles include “Cradles of the Reich,” another historical novel about the strength of women’s friendship and the connections that can be forged during even the most harrowing of times. She has also published a mother-daughter travel memoir, “We’ll Always Have Paris,” as well as six contemporary women’s novels. Additionally, Coburn has contributed to five literary anthologies, including “A Paris All Your Own.”
Book Review:
“’The Girls of The Glimmer Factory’ was well-written, well-researched and intriguing. I love books about World War II but I had never heard of The Glimmer Factory. I can’t wait to meet the author and learn more about this fascinating subject.” – Marilyn Baron, Member, Roswell Reads Committee
Roswell Reads, in partnership with the City of Roswell and Bookmiser, will feature Fredrik Backman, the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of “A Man Called Ove,” “Beartown,” “Anxious People” and several other works, May 14 in Roswell.
Backman will discuss his new novel, “My Friends,” which will be released just eight days earlier. He will be in conversation with Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of 32 novels, including “Summers at the Saint” and “Bright Lights, Big Christmas.”
Roswell will be one of only 12 stops on Backman’s U.S. tour.
The event will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Roswell Presbyterian Church, 755 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell, GA. Two ticket prices are offered: $25 for general admission; or a $45 bundle that includes an autographed and/or personalized hardcover copy of “My Friends” and priority seating for the first 100 purchasers.
Backman’s appearance will kick off Roswell Reads’ 20th anniversary celebration with attendees invited to “Save a bundle, buy a bundle.” Priority seating is limited, so purchase tickets now by clicking here.
Backman is a Swedish author, blogger and columnist whose other titles include “My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry,” “Britt-Marie was Here,” “Us Against You,” “The Winners,” two novellas and one work of nonfiction, “Things My Son Needs to Know About the World.”
Several of his novels have been adapted for big and small screens. “A Man Called Ove” inspired a 2015 Swedish film of the same name as well as a 2022 American movie titled “A Man Called Otto” starring Tom Hanks. In 2019, a Swedish film of “Britt-Marie Was Here” was released. “Beartown” became a five-episode HBO miniseries in 2020, and a Netflix miniseries was based on “Anxious People” in 2021.
Backman’s new book, “My Friends,” is an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life 25 years later. A stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art, Backman’s latest work is a reminder that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect.
"A Man Called Ove" Author to Headline May 14
Our Roswell Reads 20th anniversary Fredrik Backman event May 14 is SOLD OUT. Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets and helped us set a Roswell Reads record: All seats sold in just five days! Signed copies of “My Friends,” however, will still be available through Bookmiser. Order by calling 770-509-5611 or by visiting Bookmiser at 3822 Roswell Road, Marietta, after May 14. Also, videos of Backman’s appearance and other former Roswell Reads authors will be offered later this year during our annual Roswell Reads Rewind event, a continuation of our milestone 20th anniversary celebration. Make sure you receive our exclusive Rewind invitation by clicking this link: http://eepurl.com/icwcZn
Roswell Reads, in partnership with the City of Roswell and Bookmiser, will feature Fredrik Backman, the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of “A Man Called Ove,” “Beartown,” “Anxious People” and several other works, May 14 in Roswell. Backman will discuss his new novel, “My Friends,” which will be released just eight days earlier. He will be in conversation with Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of 32 novels, including “Summers at the Saint” and “Bright Lights, Big Christmas.”
Roswell will be one of only 12 stops on Backman’s U.S. tour.
The event will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Roswell Presbyterian Church, 755 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell, GA. Two ticket prices are offered: $25 for general admission; or a $45 bundle that includes an autographed and/or personalized hardcover copy of “My Friends.” Backman’s appearance will kick off Roswell Reads’ 20th anniversary celebration with attendees invited to “Save a bundle, buy a bundle.” Backman and Andrews will be happy to sign books purchased at the event, which will include Backman's "My Friends" and Andrews' "Summers at the Saint" as well as their previously published titles. In consideration of the authors' schedules, books from home to be signed will be limited to one per person. No exceptions. Thank you for your understanding.
To purchase tickets click here.
Backman is a Swedish author, blogger and columnist whose other titles include “My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry,” “Britt-Marie was Here,” “Us Against You,” “The Winners,” two novellas and one work of nonfiction, “Things My Son Needs to Know About the World.”
Several of his novels have been adapted for big and small screens. “A Man Called Ove” inspired a 2015 Swedish film of the same name as well as a 2022 American movie titled “A Man Called Otto” starring Tom Hanks. In 2019, a Swedish film of “Britt-Marie Was Here” was released. “Beartown” became a five-episode HBO miniseries in 2020, and a Netflix miniseries was based on “Anxious People” in 2021.
Backman’s new book, “My Friends,” is an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life 25 years later. A stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art, Backman’s latest work is a reminder that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect.

"A Man Called Ove" Author to Headline May 14
Our Roswell Reads 20th anniversary Fredrik Backman event May 14 is SOLD OUT. Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets and helped us set a Roswell Reads record: All seats sold in just five days! Signed copies of “My Friends,” however, will still be available through Bookmiser. Order by calling 770-509-5611 or by visiting Bookmiser at 3822 Roswell Road, Marietta, after May 14. Also, videos of Backman’s appearance and other former Roswell Reads authors will be offered later this year during our annual Roswell Reads Rewind event, a continuation of our milestone 20th anniversary celebration. Make sure you receive our exclusive Rewind invitation by clicking this link: http://eepurl.com/icwcZn
MARY KAY ANDREWS is the New York Times bestselling author of 32 novels, the first of which, “Every Crooked Nanny,” was published in 1992 by HarperCollins. She went on to write 10 critically acclaimed mysteries under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. In 2002, she assumed the pen name Mary Kay Andrews with the publication of “Savannah Blues.” In 2006, “Hissy Fit” became her first New York Times bestseller, followed by 15 more New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. To date, her novels have been published in German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Dutch, Czech and Japanese.
She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, Ga., where they cook up new recipes in three restored beach homes, The Breeze Inn, Ebbtide, and Coquina Cottage—all named after fictional places in Mary Kay’s novels, and all available to rent through Tybee Vacation Rentals. In between cooking, spoiling her grandkids, and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.