Water Street Bookstore to host Talk and Signing with Roland Merullo

EXETER — Water Street Bookstore is hosting award-winning author Roland Merullo for a talk and release of his latest book, “Dessert with Buddha”. The event will take place at the Exeter Town Hall on Thursday, May 18 at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public with no registration required.

Merullo, a 1971 graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, is the author of 24 books, including 17 works of fiction. His latest book, “Dessert with Buddha”, takes the eccentric, sort-of-Buddhist monk, Volya Rinpoche, and his skeptical, middle-of-the-road brother-in-law, Otto Ringling, on another enlightening road trip filled with meals, humor, social commentary, and good times.

The two have previously appeared in Merullo’s books “Breakfast with Buddha”, “Lunch with Buddha”, and “Dinner with Buddha”.

"I wrote Dessert," Merullo says "so that it can be enjoyed as a standalone, or after having read the other three novels. I wanted this one to be a testament to the kind of generosity I grew up with, a full-souled selflessness, an antidote to greed."

On the latest journey, Rinpoche and Otto head down the Eastern Seaboard from Boston to points south. Along the way, they meet an array of intriguing characters-from a former NBA star to a Holocaust survivor, from an A.M.E. preacher to a hedge fund executive, from a Syrian refugee to a homeless North Carolinian-tour some famous American sights and enjoy the kinds of conversations about spirituality that have engrossed hundreds of thousands of readers from China to Turkey to Croatia, and in every U.S. state. Otto's sister, Cecelia, his daughter Natasha, son Anthony, and niece Shelsa, all have small but important roles in the story, as the famous duo pilots a hybrid pickup along back roads and superhighways, toward the series' climactic finish.

The book has received praise from reviewers, including Diane Donovan at Midwest Book Review who wrote, “Dessert with Buddha's special flavor of spiritual and social examination will leave readers hungry for more." Kirkus Reviews said the book offered an insightful and playful journey. "Merullo delivers a spirituality-themed road novel set in modern-day America. Rinpoche proves a thoroughly pleasant companion and Otto is engaging. "

Merullo is a nominee for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, now in its 20th printing; The Talk-Funny Girl, a 2012 ALEX Award Winner and named a "Must Read" by the Massachusetts Library Association and the Massachusetts Center for the Book; Vatican Waltz named one of the Best Books of 2013 by Publishers Weekly; Lunch with Buddha selected as one of the Best Books of 2013 by Kirkus Reviews; American Savior, a 2008 Massachusetts Center for the Book, "Honor Award" winner; Revere Beach Boulevard named one of the "Top 100 Essential Books of New England" by the Boston Globe; A Little Love Story chosen as one of "Ten Wonderful Romance Novels" by Good Housekeeping and Revere Beach Elegy winner of the Massachusetts Book Award for nonfiction.

A former writer in residence at North Shore Community College and Miami Dade Colleges, and professor of Creative Writing at Bennington, Amherst and Lesley Colleges, Merullo has been a guest speaker at many literary events and venues and a faculty member at MFA programs and several writers' conferences. His essays have appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, Yankee Magazine, Newsweek, the Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Magazine, Reader's Digest, Good Housekeeping, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Merullo's books have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, German, Chinese, Turkish, Bulgarian, Croatian, Slovenian, and Czech.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Water Street Bookstore to host Talk and Signing with Roland Merullo