(Hood, Ann) Ann Hood is the author of the best-selling novels The Knitting Circle, The Red Thread, The Obituary Writer, and Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine. Her memoir, Comfort: A Journey Through Grief, in which she shares her personal story of losing her 5 year old daughter Grace in 2002, was a New York Times Editor’s Choice and named one of the top 10 non-fiction books of 2008 by Entertainment Weekly. Her latest novel, The Book That Matters Most (W.W. Norton) is an enthralling story of love, loss, secrets, friendship, and the healing power of literature. When Ava joins a book group, not only for her love of reading but also out of sheer desperation for companionship, little does she know that a mysterious book from her childhood will propel her on a quest that will unravel the secrets of her past and offer her the chance to remake her life. In her memoir, Morningstar: Growing Up with Books (W.W. Norton), Hood explores firsthand the transformative power of literature. Growing up in a mill town in Rhode Island, in a household that didn’t foster a love of literature, Hood learned to channel her imagination, ambitions, and curiosity by devouring ever-growing stacks of books. With characteristic insight and charm, Hood showcases the ways in which books gave her life and can transform―even save―our own lives.
