Jennifer Crusie

Making a return visit to help celebrate Thurber House’s 25th anniversary is Jennifer Crusie. She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of twenty-one novels, one book of literary criticism, miscellaneous articles, essays, novellas, and short stories, and the editor ... (more)of three essay anthologies. She will read from her latest novel, Always Kiss Me Goodnight, her own version of The Turn of the Screw. Trouble ensues when at the behest of her ex-husband, Emmeline takes a job caring for two orphans in the middle of nowhere (also known as Southern Ohio), and ends up with a houseful of delinquents, ex-in-laws, and ghosts. Plus a haunted couch! Crusie lives near the Ohio River where she often stares at the ceiling and counts her blessings. MENU: Black forest ham wraps with glazed brie and French Dijon mustard; tri-colored orzo salad with arugula, feta cheese, toasted pine nuts and dried cranberries; triple-chocolate brownies. ***** Reading and dinner tickets are $25; Reading-only tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for children twelve and under. Individual dinner tickets must be ordered by 4:00 p.m. on the Monday before each Picnic. Reading-only tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. All tickets are available online by clicking on the Event Tickets link to the left. If you missed our 2008 Literary Picnics, click here for the podcasts courtesy of WOSU. Schedule A typical Literary Picnic evening follows this schedule: 5:20 - 6:00 p.m. – Our Young Docents offer thorough (and often thoroughly hilarious) guided tours of Thurber House. 6:15 p.m. – Picnicking begins! Guests are welcome to pack their own picnic, or order one of our festive dinners, featuring the culinary delights of Party Panache. Don't forget to bring your lawn chairs or blankets. Alcoholic beverages are permitted. 7:00 p.m. – Our guest for the evening takes the stage. Afterward, the guest signs books in the front parlor. In case of rain, join us at: State Auto Insurance, 518 East Broad Street. The rain site for the July 22, New Voices picnic is Thurber Center 91 Jefferson Ave.

Sassy heroines and clever dialogue make this joint novel a fun standout. After meeting at a local dog obedience-training session, Abby, Daisy, and Shar become fast friends. They also discover that the dog trainer is the Mesopotamian goddess Kammani, determined to rule the world like she did 4,000 years ... (more)ago.