november2011

McBeth is already at work planning a

“Springtime in Paris” trip for 2013.

Not all of McBeth’s Adventures By the

Book are overseas, though. She has organized

literary events at an organic apple orchard in

Julian, an equestrian center in Huntington

Beach, and the Mission Inn in Riverside.

On her home turf of San Diego, Mc-

Beth recently created a literary event for

One Book, One San Diego winner Zohreh

Ghahremani, who wrote Sky of Red Poppies,

a fi ctional work based on her experiences

growing up under the Shah of Iran’s regime

in the 1960s. “We hosted this luncheon at

an authentic Persian restaurant that Zohreh

picked out so we were surrounded by all

things Persian—from food to staff —for a

talk about this Persian book,” says McBeth.

“It is such a joy to see both readers and au-

thors connect in this way. That’s why I love

what I do. // JENNIFER COBURN

46 SanDiegoMagazine.comNovember2011

❯❯ CITYFILES | Second Acts

PAUL BODY

A Novel Idea

AS THE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

AND EVENTS for Warwick’s in La Jolla

from 2006 until this past February, Susan

McBeth knew that a good book could trans-

port readers to another world. She wanted to

take this idea a step further, though, so Mc-

Beth le her job to begin Adventures By the

Book, a company that off ers literary tours

and events.

The seed was planted when McBeth met

Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan

Sun. McBeth told Mayes how much she ap-

preciated her books, especially since she’d

never been to Tuscany herself. “She invited

me to come and visit,” McBeth recalls. That

got her thinking about how much fun a trip

like that would be—not just for her, but for

other readers.

“I was bursting at the seams to escape from

the confi nes of a retail environment and create

experiential events that would connect readers

and authors in a more intimate way than the

traditional lecture format,” says McBeth.

This past summer, McBeth led a group

of 10 on a weeklong journey to Tuscany

where they attended Festival del Sole in

Cortona. This annual art and music festival

was co-founded by Mayes who had lunch

with McBeth and her group. The literary ad-

venturers then toured author Ferenc Máté’s

vineyard, where his son, Buster, hosted a

wine tasting. They got an insider’s tour of

Tuscany from author Dario Castagno, and

dined with radio personality and author

Annalisa Coppolaro-Nowell. Travelers also

got to develop their culinary skills with

Marlane Miriello, author and founder of Il

Campo Cucina cooking school.

While dozens of travel companies offer

Shakespeare and Mark Twain tours, McBeth

incorporates writers who are still living. “It’s

fun to have an opportunity to interact one-on-

one with an author whose book you have read.

Customers can ask questions and not have to

interpret [the writing].” And the concept works.

“I can honestly say this is the happiest I

have ever been in my career,” says McBeth.

“Organizing events at a bookstore is where

my compulsive organizational skills met my

passion for literature. The only thing that

was missing was my passion for travel. Now

I’m able to combine all three into a fulfi lling,

rewarding, and fun endeavor.”

Next June, McBeth will off er the “Magi-

cal Mystery Literary History Tour,” a 10-day

European sleuthing adventure to the Czech

Republic, Poland, and Germany. Leading the

group will be Kathi Diamant, author of Kaf-

ka’s Last Love, and director of the Kafka Proj-

ect at San Diego State University.

It’s true that books can

take you anywhere—

just ask Susan McBeth,

a bookstore marketing

director turned literary

tour guide

“I was bursting at the seams

to escape from the confi nes

of a retail environment...”