Our Book Whisperer, Linda Sullivan, is recommending The Secret Society of Salzburg tied to the Reader Trip 2024 list of books and Funny You Should Ask to entertain those of us who love to chill with an entertaining chick-lit novel.

The Secret Society of Salzburg is written by Renee Ryan who grew up in a Florida beach town and is the epitome of a woman who is a jack of all trades. Although Ryan has a degree in economics and religion, she worked in a theme park, a modeling agency, multiple cosmetic companies, and then taught high school and coached cheerleading teams before settling into writing. As a writer, however, she has now published over 30 well-acclaimed books, with The Secret Society of Salzburg being one of her more recent, published in 2022.

Linda cues us to The Secret Society of Salzburg with, “What would you risk to save someone because you believe it is the right thing to do. The character Elsa Mayer-Braun is an Austrian opera diva who meets Hattie Featherstone and her sister, Vera, who work for the British civil service. The sisters’ love of opera brings about a chance meeting with the diva in Austria. Their friendship leads to the creation of a secret network that saves many Jewish lives during WWII. The author weaves historical facts into a work of fiction that challenges us to ask ourselves how far we are willing to go to save another.”

Linda says she has never been an opera lover, but after reading this story, she’s going to get tickets to the Knoxville Opera’s next show. Knoxville Opera: February 17-18 La Traviata.

Linda’s second recommendation Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman, was actually inspired by a GQ article July 2011 about Chris Evans.

Elissa Sussman is characterized as a writer, a reader and a pumpkin pie eater. I tell you those specific details, because in researching her bio, I mistyped her name as “Lissa Sussman” and got the “oops” bio of another author not quite of the genre of our current focus today.  (Lesson learned to double check spelling carefully)

This Elissa Sussman used to manage animators and organize spreadsheets at some of the most notable animation studios in the world like Disney and DreamWorks. Sussman has written five books, with Funny You Should Ask being nominated for the Goodreads Best Romance Novel of 2022.

Linda previews this chick-lit novel: “Ten years ago, a struggling writer interviews the next James Bond. Now his people want another interview. There’s been a lot of talk about what did or didn’t happen between the two 10 years earlier, so she’s leery. The story is told through flashbacks, article excerpts and present day, and I loved it.”

Linda urges us to watch The Philadelphia Story because it is part of Funny You Should Ask, so I will definitely watch it after reading this book and Linda says to read this one with your eyes, no audio versions.

Remember: Knox County Online Library to search for Linda’s recommendations each week.

Don’t forget Reader Trip 2024 with Book Whisperer on the Danube: see story Reader Trip 2024 Story.

All of us have a story and I want to tell yours! Send them to susan@knoxtntoday.com