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Nearly everyone in town will be talking about the apprentice by mid-April—not the one who was chosen to run one of Donald Trump's multimillionaire companies, but the 15-year-old English native who worked with renowned detective Sherlock Holmes in cracking tough cases.
Her name is Mary Russell, and if this doesn't ring a bell, perhaps it's time to pick up a copy of Laurie R. King's The Beekeeper's Apprentice. While you're at it, try discussing the mystery novel with a neighbor or a co-worker or even the next person standing in a line at a coffee shop.
A room full of people buzzing about the book is exactly what the Friends of the Los Gatos Public Library say they hope to see during their third annual town-wide read, which starts on April 5 and wraps up on May 14 with a forum featuring King herself. Martha Alderson, a published writer and a member of the Friends of the Los Gatos Public Library, will be facilitating the forum.
Close to 250 free paperback copies of the book will be available at Peet's Coffee & Tea, 798 Blossom Hill Road, and the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company, 101 W. Main St. Readers can also check out books at the Los Gatos Public Library, 110 E. Main St.
Nominated for the Agatha Best Novel and the Notable Young Adult Book awards by the American Library Association, The Beekeeper's Apprentice is about a young girl who challenges Holmes with her detective skills, deductive reasoning and witty character.
Together they successfully unravel several mysteries. But there's one case that may cost them their lives.
"We chose this book because we wanted something lighter than what we've read in the past," says Peggy Conaway, the library's director. "The first year we read a Steinbeck novel and last year we read Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. These were pretty serious and heavy-duty reads, whereas The Bee Keeper's Apprentice is a fun piece."
Born in Seattle, the program has grown to be quite popular among book lovers in Los Gatos, according to Conaway.
"We've gotten a lot of positive response from the community," Conaway says. "The forums have been very well attended so far, and we're expecting to see the same turnout this year."
Rita Baum, one of the organizers of the event, says she is thrilled to have King, a Santa Cruz resident, as a guest speaker.
"It's always nice to meet not only writers from California, but local ones as well," Baum says.
Baum adds that she plans on doing some direct publicity with high school libraries to introduce younger age groups to the program.
"The program fosters a nice town spirit," she says. "It's one more thing that brings people together."
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