Get Lit April Book Club: Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney with Musical Guests Ida (Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton) featuring Storey Littleton

Join WNYC's Alison Stewart and Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney for a live conversation about her newest book Lake Effect, followed by a special musical performance from Ida (Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton) featuring Storey Littleton.

The New York Public Library and WNYC—two indispensable New York institutions—are partnering to host a book club that brings New Yorkers together and fosters community.

The April title is Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's Lake Effect - a wry and tender portrait of two families forever changed by one lovestruck decision that will reverberate for decades.

It’s 1977 and an air of restlessness has settled on the residents of Cambridge Road in Rochester, New York, a place long fueled by the booming fortunes of Kodak and Xerox and, for some, the mores of the Catholic church. When Nina Larkin is given a copy of The Joy of Sex by her newly divorced friend, she can no longer dismiss the nearly nonexistent intimacy of her marriage. Just as her oldest child, Clara, is falling in love for the first time, Nina finds herself longing for the forbidden: a midlife awakening. An intoxicating fling with a prominent neighbor brings Nina a freedom she never thought possible—but also risks the reputations of both families and unravels Clara’s world, just as she stands on the threshold of adulthood.

Years later, Clara, now a successful food stylist in New York City, has never been able to move past the long-ago scandal. Drawn back home by the pull of a family wedding and wrestling with her own demons, she makes a pivotal decision that turns her life upside down. Written with Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s signature humor and insight, Lake Effect is a wise and probing look at love and desire, mothers and daughters, loss and grief, and what we owe the people we love most.Throughout the month, All of It host Alison Stewart and the Library will accompany readers, providing touchpoints on-air and on social media at @allofitwnyc and @nypl. Borrow the book (and more than 300,000 others) for free through the Library on your preferred device. Learn more: nypl.org/ebookhelp

Join Stewart, the author, and readers everywhere for a live conversation, in-person or online, on Monday, April 27 at 6 PM. The conversation will be followed by a special musical performance from Ida (Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton) featuring Storey Littleton.

To join in person | Please be sure to register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open 30 minutes before the program. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

To join the livestream | A livestream of this event will be available on the NYPL event page. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register!

ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person | Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue. ASL interpretation and real-time captioning (CART) are available upon request. Please submit your request via this form or contact the hosting library at least two weeks in advance.

Livestream | Captions and a transcript will be provided. Please submit your request via this form or contact the hosting library at least two weeks in advance to equest a free ASL (American Sign Language).

GET THE BOOK

• Borrow: NYPL Catalog


• E-Books: Check out this title—and even more NYPL e-books—on your favorite device. Learn more: nypl.org/ebookhelp

Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!

To see all of our previous WNYC Get Lit titles check out our book club page here!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is the author of the instant New York Times bestselling novels The Nest (named a best book of the year by People, the Washington Post, and NPR) and Good Company (a Read with Jenna selection) and the highly acclaimed novel Lake Effect (on-sale March 3; Ecco). She has been a guest on Today, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and NPR’s All Things Considered. Her work has been translated into more than 28 languages, and The Nest is in development as a limited series with AMC Studios. Sweeney holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars. She and her husband live in New York City.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton founded the band Ida in Brooklyn in 1993, releasing several albums and EPs on independent labels, the last was their collaboration with Michael Hurley, Ida Con Snock, released in 2009. Since then, Elizabeth and Daniel have pursued musical projects outside of Ida. Daniel played guitar in Amy Helm's band for many years, touring heavily and sharing stages with Levon Helm, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Donald Fagen and many more. Elizabeth and Daniel have together released several Grammy-nominated children's music albums on Smithsonian Folkways, collaborating with Natalie Merchant, Susie Ibarra, Dan Zanes and others. Their 24-year-old daughter, Storey Littleton, grew up singing and playing recorder in the family band at dive bars and public libraries around the world. This year she released her first solo album, At a Diner, on Don Giovanni Records.

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