SILICON VALLEY READS

Riveting novel selected for Silicon Valley Reads 2011

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond
will be read by thousands in Santa Clara County

A walk on foggy Ocean Beach in San Francisco is the starting point for the page-turner novel selected for Silicon Valley Reads 2011. The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond follows the journey of a young woman through the mysteries of memory and guilt after her fiance’s six-year-old daughter disappears while in her care.

“Ultimately, this is a story of perseverance and love,” said Jane Light, Library Director for the City of San Jose and Co-chair of Silicon Valley Reads along with Linda Aceves, Chief Academic Officer for the Santa Clara County Office of Education and Melinda Cervantes, Santa Clara County Librarian. “We believe the community will enjoy reading this beautifully-written book and discussing its themes. But be aware – once you start reading it, you won’t want to put it down.”

Silicon Valley Reads 2011 will kick off on Jan. 26, 2011, with an on-stage interview of the author by Mercury News columnist Mike Cassidy. The free event starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Heritage Theatre in Campbell. Other free Silicon Valley Reads events will be scheduled throughout Santa Clara County in February and March.

“I am deeply honored to be a part of Silicon Valley Reads,” said Richmond. “The Year of Fog was written as a love letter to the Bay Area, as well as an exploration of memory, persistence, and familial love. I believe that everyone, at some point in his or her life, embarks upon a search, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to share Abby's search with this wonderful community of readers.”

The Year of Fog was published in 2007 and has been translated into 10 languages. It is being developed for the big screen by Newmarket Films. Richmond is the author of two other novels, Dream of the Blue Room and No One You Know and a story collection, The Girl in the Fall-away Dress.

2011 is the ninth year of the Silicon Valley Reads program which is presented by the Santa Clara County Library, the Santa Clara County Office of Education, and the San Jose Public Library Foundation. Companion books for children with themes similar to the selected book will be announced later this fall.

For more information on the book and Silicon Valley Reads, visit the website www.siliconvalleyreads.org.