Latest news with #FrancesMayes
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
As Italy tightens citizenship laws, it makes exception for American author Frances Mayes who inspired millions to love Tuscany
ROME, April 19 — The Italian government has announced it will grant citizenship to American author Frances Mayes, whose memoir Under the Tuscan Sun became a global bestseller and helped spark a romanticised fascination with life in rural Italy. The Italian Cabinet approved the proposal – submitted by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi – to confer citizenship on Mayes, 85, 'for special merits', The New York Times reported yesterday, citing an official government statement. Mayes, who was born in Georgia, the United States, splits her time between North Carolina and her longtime home in the Tuscan town of Cortona, where she famously restored a crumbling villa. 'Her lyrical descriptions of Tuscany have drawn countless readers to dream — and sometimes to follow — in her footsteps,' reported The New York Times. A general view of the Tuscany countryside in Italy, romanticised by America-born author Frances Mayes, in her bestseller 'Under the Tuscan Sun'. — Picture from Her 1996 memoir, which recounted her decision to buy and renovate an abandoned villa in the Tuscan hills, was adapted into a 2003 film starring Diane Lane. The book itself spent more than two years on The New York Times bestseller list, cementing Mayes' status as a literary ambassador of Italian culture to the English-speaking world. The decision to honour Mayes comes amid a tightening of Italy's citizenship laws. Just weeks ago, the government passed measures limiting citizenship by descent to those with an Italian parent or grandparent. Previously, applicants could claim citizenship with Italian ancestry going back four generations.
Chicago Tribune
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
One for the Books: Sometimes short and sweet is what you want when you're reading
Start the year off with a fresh, new reading challenge! The Amazing Book Challenge returns for 2025 with 12 new themes designed to take readers on an unexpected literary adventure. This year's challenge invites adult and teen readers to step outside their comfort zones and explore new topics, authors and series they may not have chosen otherwise. For each category completed, participants will earn a button or magnet. If they complete all 12 categories, they will receive a special Naperville Public Library tote bag and be entered into an end-of-year drawing. To start things off, we're highlighting the category 'Short & Sweet' — read an anthology or a collection of short stories and call it a day! Here are a few we suggest. To see a full list of recommendations and the other Challenge categories, visit 'Endless Summer: Stories from Days That Last Forever' by Elin Hilderbrand Elin Hilderbrand revisits her most treasured and iconic characters in this magical collection of stories. Collected in a single volume for the first time, 'Endless Summer' ranges from fan favorites to original, never-before-seen works. 'MatchUp' edited by Lee Child 'MatchUp' takes the bestseller pairings of its prequel 'FaceOff' and adds a delicious new twist: gender. Eleven of the world's best female thriller writers from Diana Gabaldon to Charlene Harris and 11 of the world's best male thriller writers, including John Sandford, C.J. Box and Nelson DeMille, come together for an unforgettable anthology. 'A Place in the World' by Frances Mayes Though Frances Mayes is known for her travels, she has always sought a sense of home wherever she goes. In this poetic testament to the power of place in our lives, Mayes reflects on the idea of home, from the earliest imprint of four walls to the startling discoveries of feeling the strange ease of homes abroad, friends' homes and even momentary homes that spark desires for other lives. From her travels across Italy to the American South, France and Mexico, Mayes examines the connective tissue among them through the homes she's inhabited. 'One More Thing' by B.J. Novak A boy wins a $100,000 prize in a box of Frosted Flakes — only to discover that claiming the winnings might unravel his family. We meet Sophia, the first artificially intelligent being capable of love, who falls for a man who might not be ready for it himself; a vengeance-minded hare, obsessed with scoring a rematch against the tortoise who ruined his life; and post-college friends who try to figure out how to host an intervention in the era of Facebook. Along the way, we learn why wearing a red T-shirt every day is the key to finding love, how February got its name and why the stock market is sometimes just … down. 'Florida' by Lauren Groff The stories in this collection span characters, towns, decades, even centuries, but Florida — its landscape, climate, history and state of mind — becomes its gravitational center: an energy, a mood, as much as a place of residence. Groff transports the reader, then jolts us alert with a crackle of wit, a wave of sadness, a flash of cruelty, as she writes about loneliness, rage, family and the passage of time. 'Mouthful of Birds' by Samanta Schweblin Unearthly and unexpected, the stories in 'Mouthful of Birds' burrow their way into your psyche and don't let go. Samanta Schweblin haunts and mesmerizes in this extraordinary, masterful collection. Schweblin's stories have the feel of a sleepless night, where every shadow and bump in the dark takes on huge implications, leaving your pulse racing, and the line between the real and the strange blur. 'The Way Madness Lies' by Dahlia Adler 'West Side Story.' '10 Things I Hate About You.' 'Kiss Me, Kate.' Contemporary audiences have always craved reimaginings of Shakespeare's most beloved works. Now, some of today's best teen writers take on the Bard in these 15 whip-smart and original retellings. 'Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment and Growing Up Female in America' This collection of 21 essays from major young adult authors — including award-winning and bestselling writers like Amy Reed, Ellen Hopkins, Amber Smith and more — touches on a powerful range of topics related to growing up female in today's America, and the intersection with race, religion and ethnicity. Sure to inspire hope and solidarity within anyone who reads it, 'Our Stories, Our Voices' belongs on every young woman's shelf. 'Black Love Matters' edited by Jessica P. Pryde Romantic love has been one of the most essential elements of storytelling for centuries, but for Black people in the United States, it hasn't been easy to find Black romance joyfully showcased in entertainment media. In this collection, revered authors and sparkling newcomers, librarians and academicians, and avid readers and reviewers consider the mirrors and windows into Black love as it is depicted in the novels, television shows and films that have shaped their own stories.
