Mary Kubica

Mary Kubica is the international bestselling author of The Good Girl (2014) and Pretty Baby (2015). She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children and enjoys photography, gardening, and caring for the animals at a local shelter.

Recently I asked Kubica about what she was reading. Her reply:

I’m in the middle of two books right now, which are both quite different. Pam Jenoff’s The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach is the first one, a historical fiction novel about World War II, which releases this July. This is the second novel of Jenoff’s that I’ve read and I’m absolutely enamored with her authentic characters and riveting writing. She has this lush, evocative way of creating beautiful love stories within the ravages of war, juxtaposing the misery and deprivation of wartime Europe with the tender friendships and love stories of those who find themselves living in it.

The second book is Dog Crazy by Meg Donohue. I’m an animal fanatic, so I was at once drawn to the image of four Labrador retriever puppies on the cover. But more than this, I had the chance to meet Meg and pick up a signed copy of the novel at Chicago’s Printers Row Lit Fest, where I was able to listen as Meg described the novel: a book about a pet bereavement counselor who finds herself grieving for the loss of her own beloved dog and needs to rely on an also-grieving patient to help pull her through. Both touching and humorous, the novel is a must read for everyone, but especially those who love their animals as much as I do mine.

Visit Mary Kubica's website.

--Marshal Zeringue