Editor’s Note: As Californians continue to stay at home during the Coronavirus crisis, CapRadio Reads has had to postpone some of its live author interviews. Like the rest of the world, we're unsure when those events will return, but in the meantime, we know that books can provide an escape or comfort in trying times. Join Host Donna Apidone as she talks with authors and others about the books that keep us going.

Since the inception of CapRadio Reads, Vicki Lorini has had the job of selecting and booking authors for our events with a live audience. I asked Vicki to tell us about some of her favorite fiction pieces. These are her choices, in her own words. 

• “The Salt Path” by Raynor Winn -  A memoir, “The Salt Path” is the story of a couple who lose everything, including their health and their home. With nothing more to lose, they set out on a walk of The South West Coast Path of England, one step at a time. An ode to persistence, hope and nature, this book seems a perfect read for our times. Even those of us far away from the sea, in our homes, waiting for this pandemic to pass, will feel the sea breeze on our faces. 
• “Summer of 69” by Elin Hildebrand - Although I grew up and graduated from high school in 1970, I was on the west coast. This book, a novel about the summer before I went to college, is set on the east coast. It’s a wonderful story of a family, who every year, visit their grandmother’s house on Nantucket. It has all the drama of family life, the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement. The book is well written, gripping and gives a great snapshot of the time. Elin Hildebrand is a prolific writer and this is her first Historical novel.
• “When All Is Said” by Anne Griffin - “When All Is Said” tells the life story of Maurice Hannigan, now an elderly gent in a small town outside of Dublin. Over the course of one evening, Maurice raises a toast to five people, who have played important roles in his life. Heartbreaking, funny and life affirming, we fall in love with Maurice and feel a part of his life as well.
• “A Bed Of Scorpions” by Judith Flanders - The second in a series, the first being “A Murder of Magpies,” this is an English mystery of the highest caliber. This is a classic amateur detective novel, with a charming, yet not cozy, set of characters. The book takes place in the British publishing industry, and is told in a friendly easy manner. Easy to pick up and read for a bit, or stay up all night to find out who did it.