LOS ANGELES TIMES FESTIVAL OF BOOKS | THE LARGEST LITERARY GATHERING IN THE COUNTRY. WHERE 500+ VOICES SHARE ONE STAGE. STORIES, CELEBRITIES, AND CONVERSATIONS IN ONE PLACE. A FREE FESTIVAL OPEN TO EVERY KIND OF READER. PANELS, SIGNINGS, AND IDEAS ACROSS AN ENTIRE CAMPUS. WHERE BOOK LOVERS AND STORYTELLERS COLLIDE. A WEEKEND BUILT ON DISCOVERY, COMMUNITY, AND CREATIVITY. WHERE STORIES DON’T JUST LIVE, THEY CONNECT PEOPLE.
When the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books first began in 1996, it was built on a simple but powerful idea: bring books, authors, and readers together in a way that feels open, accessible, and alive. What started as a local literary gathering quickly grew into one of the largest and most celebrated book festivals in the United States. Over the years, LATFOB has become a cultural landmark, where storytelling goes beyond pages and becomes part of a shared, public experience.
Each year, the University of Southern California transforms into a vibrant literary space filled with energy, creativity, and conversation. Walk through the festival and you’ll find author panels, live discussions, book signings, performances, and interactive exhibits happening all at once. It’s not just about selling books. It’s about connecting people through ideas, perspectives, and stories that matter.
The 2026 festival continues that tradition, bringing together a diverse range of voices across genres, backgrounds, and styles. From emerging writers to established authors, the event celebrates storytelling in all its forms. It reflects a literary world that is constantly evolving, shaped by new ideas, cultural shifts, and the voices that dare to be heard.
Thousands of exhibitors take part in the festival, representing publishers, independent presses, educational institutions, and creative communities. The entire space becomes a living network of storytelling, where discovery happens naturally and every corner offers something new to explore.
Amid this dynamic and welcoming environment, Kravitz and Sons is proud to be part of the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books 2026. We’re excited to exhibit Mam and Chase – Forgotten Stories (The Band 4 Trilogy Book 3) by Marguerite Nardone Gruen, a heartfelt conclusion to a story built on decades of love, family, and shared memories. It brings readers into the final chapter of a life filled with both joy and hardship, where reflection becomes just as important as the moments themselves.
This work carries its own voice, perspective, and purpose, offering readers something both meaningful and memorable. As it steps into a space built for connection and discovery, it stands ready to meet readers who are looking for stories that stay with them long after the final page.
A Storyteller Who Stayed With the Journey
Marguerite Nardone Gruen did not just write a story and move on. She stayed with it. What started as a single book turned into a full trilogy because the characters and their journey demanded more space, more time, and more depth.
Her inspiration came from something as simple and unexpected as a dream, but she followed it all the way through. That says a lot about how she writes. She listens to the story, lets it grow, and gives it room to become what it needs to be.
Living in Northeastern Pennsylvania with her husband of many years, she brings that sense of long-term commitment into her writing. You can feel that she understands relationships, time, and what it means to build something that lasts.
A Lifetime Told Through Love and Memory
This final book centers on Mam and Chase, a couple who have spent nearly seven decades together. Their story is not just about romance. It is about endurance, sacrifice, and the kind of bond that only time can build.
The setting moves through different phases of their life, from raising five children to dealing with the challenges that come with Chase’s time away on tour. Those absences created tension, and even fear, especially with threats that affected the whole family. But through it all, their connection never completely broke.
Now in their nineties, surrounded by children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren, they look back on everything they have lived through. The story revisits moments that are both beautiful and painful, uncovering truths that were once hidden and finally bringing them to light.
A Reflection on Life, Loss, and What Remains
What makes this book stand out is how it handles time. It does not rush. It slows down and lets the characters reflect, process, and understand their own story before it reaches its end.
Each role in the family matters. Mam as the one holding things together, Chase balancing love and distance, and the generations that followed, shaped by everything that came before them. It shows how one life can affect many others.
At its core, the book is about coming to terms with the end while holding onto everything that made the journey worth it. It is emotional, honest, and grounded in the reality that every story, no matter how strong, eventually reaches its final chapter.
A Closing Chapter Worth Experiencing
If you have ever thought about what it means to look back on your life and truly understand it, this book gives you that perspective. It is not just an ending, it is a reflection of everything that came before.
Mam and Chase - Forgotten Stories
(The Band 4 Trilogy Book 3)
Step into the final chapter and experience a story that stays with you