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SANIBEL PUBLIC LIBRARY
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Jodi Picoult
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Kristin Harmel
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RYAN LAPLANTE
Abby Jimenez
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SANIBEL PUBLIC LIBRARY
William Kent Krueger
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The Sanibel Public Library recently announced its free 2025-26 Author Series lineup.
“For more than a decade, the library, partnering with the Sanibel Public Library Foundation, has connected local readers to award-winning authors by bringing in high-caliber writers for an intimate evening, followed by a champagne reception,” it shared.
Past guest authors have included Margaret Atwood, David Baldacci, Sue Monk Kidd, Erik Larson, Dennis Lehane, Joyce Carol Oates, Jodi Picoult, Amor Towles and more.
The next speaker in the lineup will be Jodi Picoult on Jan. 19. She received an AB in creative writing from Princeton and a master’s degree in education from Harvard. The recipient of the 2003 New England Book Award for her entire body of work, Picoult is the author of 27 novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers “House Rules,” “Handle With Care,” “Change of Heart” and “My Sister’s Keeper,” for which she received the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Award.
Ticket requests will open on Dec. 19 and close on Dec. 26.
The following speaker will be Kristin Harmel on Feb. 17. She is the New York Times bestselling, USA Today bestselling and #1 international bestselling author of “The Forest of Vanishing Stars,” “The Book of Lost Names,” “The Winemaker’s Wife” and a dozen other novels that have been translated into over 30 languages and sold all over the world. Many have been optioned for film and television. Harmel has been writing professionally since the age of 16, when she began as a sportswriter covering Major League Baseball and NHL hockey for a Tampa Bay magazine. In addition to a writing career primarily for People magazine, as well as articles published in American Baby, Men’s Health, Woman’s Day and more, Harmel was a contributor to the national television show “The Daily Buzz.” Her first novel was published in 2006. Harmel holds a degree in journalism, with a minor in Spanish, from the University of Florida. She is also the co-founder and co-host of a weekly web show and podcast.
Ticket requests will open on Jan. 10 and close on Jan. 17.
The final speaker will be Abby Jimenez on March 24. She is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of laugh-out-loud, pull-at-your-heartstrings romantic fiction. Her novels have sold over 1.5 million copies and been translated into 28 languages. Some of Jimenez’s favorite highlights include a Good Morning America Book Club pick, a BOTM’s Book of the Year Award, and the Minnesota Book Award. Before her writing career, she was in the national spotlight as a Cupcake Wars champion and founder of Nadia Cakes bakery, which has since gone on to win numerous Food Network competitions and amass an international following.
Ticket requests will open on Feb. 18 and close on Feb. 25.
This season’s series kicked off with William Kent Krueger. Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, he attended Stanford University — before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota and now writes full-time. His work has received a number of awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, Anthony Award, Barry Award, Dilys Award and Friends of American Writers Prize. Krueger’s last 13 novels were all New York Times bestsellers. “Ordinary Grace” received the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition for the best novel for that year. “This Tender Land” spent nearly six months in the top 10 of the New York Times bestseller list,” and “The River We Remember” was an instant New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today and International Bestseller.
Each event will start at 7 p.m. and doors will open at 6:15 p.m. After an intimate evening with the author, there will be a champagne reception, light hors d’oeuvres and book signing opportunity.
The library will continue to utilize a “lottery system” ticketing procedure. Requests may be made at www.sanlib.org once the tickets open. Names of those requesting tickets will be placed in a lottery and selected at random, and then be notified by email. Requests made before or after that time will not be honored. A current library card is required to request tickets; one card per person, two tickets per card. Those who are unable to access the online form or need help using the form can call the library at 239-472-2483 or come in for assistance from staff.
Major funding for the series is provided by the Sanibel Public Library Foundation and its donors.
The Sanibel Public Library is at 770 Dunlop Road, Sanibel.