One of the best nights of the whole summer for me was in July when I met my favorite living British mystery author, Ruth Ware, at my favorite independent bookstore, An Unlikely Story. It was such a fun evening! It was neat to see her in person and hear her answers and insights into some really good questions that were asked by the interviewer, who was Hank Phillippi Ryan, an investigative journalist who I've seen on one of the local Boston TV stations since the mid-90s. (She's a mystery author now too and I want to read her books!)
I've read all of Ruth Ware's books over the last several years. Her mysteries are well-written, gripping, and twisty, and her characters are well-developed. I really enjoy her stories and her writing style. She's similar to Agatha Christie, my favorite mystery writer of all time.
The It Girl was her new book that she was touring the U.S. promoting. Ours was her last stop before returning to England the next day. She saved the best for last!
When the interview portion of the evening was over and she was signing books, I started reading The It Girl while waiting to get in line. It was pretty surreal to be reading her new book right there in the room with her! That was a first for me for any book, ever!
Store policy made us all wear masks (boo), but Ruth wanted that too with all of her travels, which is understandable. Even though we all know how I feel about masks, it wasn't a big deal. Anything to meet Ruth! 😁
Here was my big moment of meeting Ruth Ware! 🤩
I had made up my mind beforehand not to let self-consciousness or shyness overcome me, so while she was signing my book I told her about how when I was reading The Woman in Cabin 10 five years ago, I liked it so much that I had to keep on reading it to find out what happened even though I'd gotten laser eye surgery and was supposed to rest my eyes from reading for several days. Two days after the surgery, when my eyesight was returning but still in a blurry haze, I finished reading the book with one eye shut and the other squinting in a way that made the print more clear. The book was seriously that good, and my impulse control was seriously that low. 😂 It was totally worth it! And my eyesight, by the way, turned out excellent, so fortunately I didn't damage my poor eyes in my undisciplined, overly eager quest for answers to this very thrilling mystery!
I think she appreciated the story and thought it was funny. She asked how my eyesight was, and said that she had audiobooks. 😆 Good point! But a silly thing about me is that I don't feel like I've actually "read" a book unless I read the actual book!
Meeting Ruth Ware and telling her that story was a big life highlight for me! It was one of the best things to happen to me in awhile.
I've looked into getting a part-time bookselling job at this shop, but their mask and Covid policy turned me off from applying for it. I'm not willing to wear a mask the whole time while at work, and I'm not going to get the shots in order to be able to work there. So until that changes, I'll remain a loyal patron instead. 😊
It was lovely to meet you too, Ruth! 💛📚
