40 Comments
User's avatar
Beth's avatar

I would have brought you a Laurie Colwin novel and inscribed it with: Happy Birthday, Emma, and thank you for putting smart and beautiful novels into the world! Xo, Beth

Expand full comment
Hetty Lui McKinnon's avatar

Magical evening, thank you for a perfect Brooklyn evening. You are loved Emma, thank you for bringing such light to our community. Also, how wonderful you shared your stack. So fun to see all the books!

Expand full comment
Lara's avatar

Happy birthday! Today is my 44th birthday party and I am so stealing this idea for next year (this year I’m watching 10 Things I Hate About You with lots of cocktails and my university friends).

Expand full comment
Monica Miller's avatar

What a wonderful idea! I am now considering doing something like this for my birthday, which is next month. For my birthday, I mostly prefer meeting friends at the park to have snacks and cake. Last year, I turned 50, and I copied what my favorite aunt did when she turned 50: I asked everyone to give me a charm for a charm bracelet that would remind me of them. It was wonderful!

Expand full comment
Viktoriya Filippova's avatar

Happy birthday! Sounds like the best celebration! Did you bring enough books for each guest to take home? Was this at home or restaurant? Trying to collect ideas for a future party for myself and love yours! Thank you!

Expand full comment
Wendy's avatar

What a glorious idea for a party! Also, "Love, Nina" is a such a perfect treat of a book, I recommend it all the time for someone looking for a funny, cozy, "let's just spend the afternoon reading" kind of mood.

Expand full comment
Hannah Adjei's avatar

This was glorious to read. Love, Nina is wonderful. Happy birthday!

Expand full comment
Amie McGraham's avatar

I’m totally stealing this idea! Also in search of Miao, because how perfect

Expand full comment
Megan C's avatar

What an extremely excellent idea! Happy birthday!

Expand full comment
Linda Montague's avatar

Oh, Emma, happy, happy birthday! What a wonderful idea for gifts. No one can have too many books. You actually share a birthday with my husband and my daughter. He is now 73 and she is now 41. Amanda and I have, for quite a while now, made books our focus for gift-giving. She has done the book-a-month gift from Loganberry for me several times (Do you offer that type of subscription?). Recently, we have both requested books that the other has read and enjoyed. I did that for her when she and her family were here for Easter weekend and we celebrated both birthdays.

This Time Tomorrow was the first of yours that we shared and I honestly cannot remember who gifted it to the other. In any case, we both loved it and became big fans of your writing. We then, as we often do, went on to read everything else you've written! :) We are both anxiously awaiting your next book.

Amanda will love hearing that she shares a birthday with you, she is 41 this year. She is a Labor and Employment/Human Rights lawyer in Ottawa. She is finishing a Masters in Environmental Sustainability this summer. At the moment, she, along with many other Ottawa lawyers are involved in The Lawyer Play which is a fundraiser for the Great Canadian Theatre Company and a chosen charity in the city each year. This will be her 10th year participating and volunteering hundreds of hours. She is Rosalind in As You Like It. The tech rehearsal is today and her husband is taking their 7 year old son and 4 year old daughter to see their mom on stage for the first time. My husband and I will travel to Ottawa on Thursday to see the show which runs until Saturday. I honestly do not know how she fits so much into her busy life, which includes always having a book on the go!

If I had been able to give you a birthday gift, I would have chosen the book I am currently reading, The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, one of my Christmas books this year from Amanda. It is one of the most interesting, and disturbing, novels I've ever read. It is from 2007 and, strangely, or perhaps not strangely, in the U.S., the title was Someone Knows My Name.

Again, a very happy, belated, birthday to you and i hope you have a wonderful year to come!

All the best,

Linda Montague

Expand full comment
Shal's avatar

What a great idea for a party! Happy birthday! I’m definitely stealing this idea for my 50th!

Expand full comment
Keris Fox's avatar

Happy Birthday! This is such a gorgeous idea, which I may steal for my next big birthday. And the photos with the balloons are GLORIOUS!

Expand full comment
Sarah Wright's avatar

Happy birthday Emma!! I love this party idea, I’m turning 45 in August. Also, great wrapping inspiration. And lastly, I love love love “who will run the frog hospital”! Deserves a re-read after all these years 💘

Expand full comment
Lisa Jones's avatar

Happy birthday Emma, what a fab idea! 💜

Expand full comment
Ida Santana MD's avatar

What a glorious birthday 🎂 cheers 🥂 to all your new reads and treasure trove of friends.

Expand full comment
Meredith's avatar

Love this so much! I may have to do this for my next birthday! Best wishes!💗💐

Expand full comment