Buyer’s pick
Also in the warehouse
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Shana Stowers
Assistant Buyer,
Books
That attracted me.”
While the success of The Book Thief afforded
Zusak the opportunity to watch his children, now ;;
and ;, grow up, he says that Bridge of Clay “was
always there.”
Case in point: His first deadline was in ;;;;. He
spent years working on a three-page prologue that is
no longer part of the book. He even quit it twice, in
;;;; and ;;;;.
In ;;;; his wife told him he had “one week to get
this back on track.” With those words, she made him
set it aside. After a two-month break, Zusak says he
realized he was “even more miserable without it, and
that I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t see it
through.”
Once he got back to the writing, he never ques-
tioned whether the work was good or bad; instead
he asked, “Is this alive or dead? Can it be resusci-
tated?” If not, he’d cut it. “Having [the book] taken
away was the best thing,” he adds.
Spanning the years
Because the book took so long to write, Zusak
received plenty of unsolicited advice, including that
it didn’t have to be a better book than The Book
Thief; it just needed to be different. His reply? “I’d
always want to write a better book. Otherwise, why
would [I] bother?”
Others urged him to work on something else, but
Zusak says that while in the thick of it he didn’t have
any other projects. Every idea he had he funneled
into Bridge of Clay.
Throughout our conversation, his replies are
peppered with a struggle to find balance between
relief and disbelief that his labor of love is done: “I
know I’ll miss it. I’ll miss those brothers.” “It’s nice
to have this off my shoulders.” “Even when I hated it,
I loved it.”
Settling into acceptance that it will be out of his
hands and out in the world soon, he says, “It almost
doesn’t matter how the book does or what people
think of it. Readers don’t owe me anything; I owe
readers everything.”
and fiery. Over the
years I’ve found ways
to conjure up the
spirit of these women
and of the South, no
matter where I hap-
pen to be. … I wanted
to write a book to
show how easy it is
to bring a little bit of
the South home, no
matter where you
live.”
And what would
she like Costco mem-
bers to know about
the book?
“The South is
about more than
manners and hosting.
It’s also about rowdy
backyard parties
and the kids running
around the lawn
in their pajamas
on Easter morning
and a bunch of gals
drinking wine on
the porch, laughing
loudly and telling
secrets,” she says.
“The South is about
enjoying this one life
you’ve got, and for-
tunately that feeling
is something you can
re-create anywhere.”
Whiskey in a Tea-
cup (Item #1274490)
is available now in
most Costco warehouses.
Reese Witherspoon
has many accomplishments under her
belt, including as an
actress, producer
and entrepreneur.
She’s about to add
author to that list
with the release of
Whiskey in a Teacup:
What Growing Up in
the South Taught Me
About Life, Love, and
Baking.
In this book she
takes a loving look
at her Southern
heritage and how it is
reflected in how she
entertains, decorates,
makes holidays
special for her kids
and, of course, how
she talks, dances and
does her hair.
When asked why
she wrote this book,
she says, “I grew
up in Nashville, surrounded by a diverse
group of awe-inspiring Southern women.
My grandmother
Dorothea always said
that it was a combination of beauty and
strength that made
Southern women
‘whiskey in a teacup.’
We may be delicate
and ornamental
on the outside, but
inside we’re strong
“The South is
about more than
manners and
hosting.”
—Reese Witherspoon
