About Books for Lunch
For 38 years, Books for Lunch has been a cornerstone of literary engagement, bringing renowned authors to the Hillsdale Campus for insightful mornings with Upper School students and memorable luncheons with educators, parents, and the wider Cincinnati community.
Colm Tóibín Was The 2025 Books for Lunch Author
Photo Credit: Reynaldo Rivera
The Irish writer Colm Tóibín grew up in a home where, he once said, there was “a great deal of silence.” He has since made a career of talking to the world through his many volumes of fiction and non-fiction, drama, and poetry.
Tóibín has been honored with the E. M. Forster Award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Irish PEN Award for contribution to Irish literature, Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award, Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement, Premio Malaparte (Italy), Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award, David Cohen Prize for Literature, and the Bodley Medal. In 2022, the Arts Council of Ireland appointed him Laureate for Irish Fiction 2022-2024. In 2024, he received the Medal of Honor for Achievement in Literature from the National Arts Club.
About the book
“long Island”
The newest of Tóibín’s 11 novels is “Long Island,” a sequel to “Brooklyn.” The New York Times bestseller and Oprah’s Book Club pick revisits the life of Eilis Lacey, now in her 40s and a mother of two teenagers.
Eilis lives with her husband, Tony, in a Long Island community of private homes, all built by and for Tony’s family. While the setting represents Tony’s fulfillment of the American Dream, Eilis questions whether it truly fulfills her own aspirations.
Although her marriage to Tony has had its ups and downs, Eilis considers it stable — until a shocking revelation threatens to upend her life. She decides to return to Ireland to celebrate her mother’s 80th birthday, with her children — who have never met their Irish grandmother — joining later.
In “Long Island,” Eilis’s journey is a reversal of her initial immigration, as she returns to a homeland she left many years before. As she navigates this personal crisis, Tóibín subtly steps back from her perspective, allowing other characters’ stories to emerge in rich, intricate detail.
Thank you to our 2025 sponsors
Presenting Sponsor
Elizabeth Warner & Laurent Huguenin
Bestseller
Ginger Warner
Anonymous
Final Draft
Leesa Pruett Ceron & Ramon Ceron
Nancy & Jay Clark
Kelli & Richard Stein
Liz & Chris Stock
First Draft
Sue & Steve Baggott
Asher & Kelsey Lanier
Christa & Mark McAndrew
Friends
Karen Brown
Lindsay & Colin Cassady
Bre Gaffney
Amber & Syed Hassan
Melissa Lounsbury & James Osher
Susan Marrs
Jane Terrill
Ann & Andy Thompson
Past Events and Authors
Books For Lunch has built a strong legacy by featuring notable and thought-provoking voices in literature. From acclaimed novelists to celebrated poets, the event consistently highlights authors whose works challenge, inspire, and spark meaningful conversation. Over the years, this tradition has included visits from literary luminaries such as Min Jin Lee, Barbara Kingsolver, Andrew Sean Greer, Tom Wolfe, Christina Baker Kline, Jennifer Egan, and Curtis Sittenfeld (a former Seven Hills student through eighth grade), among many others.
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Books For Lunch would not be possible without the generous support of the many sponsors that we have had over the years. We are grateful for the support of our community!
The 2025 Books for Lunch Co-chairs are Leesa Pruett Ceron and Elizabeth Stock.
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