CA Recommends: Three Books Featuring NYC

I moved to New York City on one of the hottest days of summer in 2013. At the time, my husband (who is also the co-founder of Creative Authors) and I had decided that we wanted to relocate to the Big Apple to further our agency’s prospects. Now, three years later, we are seeing the hard graft pay off with award winning books and the magic of seeing our clients’ works proudly on display in some of the most wonderful books stores in the City, such as Books of Wonder and The Strand, to name just two. We value all their support as well, as the support of all the other book stores across the world that keep doing a fantastic job in tough times.

Moving countries is never an easy thing to do, especially when you are practically starting from scratch building up your publishing network in one of the most competitive cities in the world. I have found the US publishing industry incredibly welcoming. I raise my pumpkin spiced latte to all those fine industry folk who have welcomed us.

On that note, having just walked through a fall day in September in Greenwich Village with my pug, Rosie, I started thinking about those New York City based books I have enjoyed. I thought I would share a work of non-fiction, a novel and a children’s picture book which pay homage to this wonderful and ever changing city.

Here is New York by EB White.

Publisher: The Little Bookroom.

When I was a child I was completely obsessed with ‘Charlotte’s Web’ by EB White. So I was delighted when a renowned children’s book publisher kindly gave me a copy of this magical book. Published in 1949, EB White’s essay is set during a visit to New York in a “hot spell.” Having moved to the island during one of these hot spells this book really resonated with me. The more time I live in New York City the more the book makes sense to me. To quote EB White: “The reader will find certain observations to be no longer true of the city,” White stated, “owing to the passage of time and the swing of the pendulum. I wrote not only during a heat wave, but during a boom. The heat has broken, the boom has broken, and New York is not quite so feverish now as when the piece was written.”

For an interesting blog post on the book, see here: http://americanpast.blogspot.com/2012/01/eb-whites-new-york.html

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Publisher: Little Brown.

I’ve always been a big fan of Tartt ever since I read her brilliant novel ‘The Secret History.’ What I love more than anything about this book is Tartt’s fictionalised description of Greenwich Village. The antique restoration store that Theodore Decker goes to live and work in reminds me of a number of similar establishments still visible in the Village today. Sadly, with rising rents these are fast disappearing.

To read more about vanishing New York. I can recommend this wonderful blog:  http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/

This is New York by Miroslav Sasek

Publisher: Universe

My wonderful client Ged Adamson of ‘Douglas you Need, Glasses!’ gave me this book just before my relocation to NYC. I have had it placed on my mantelpiece ever since. With its bright colour palette I was instantly captivated. This picture of Times Square shows just how beautiful the book is.

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