Carole's taking off! Now that the plume from that Icelandic volcano has blown away, she's about to leave for Italy for a couple of weeks of la dolce vita...but before she takes a vacation -- hands up, all of you who've ever had a crush on a rock star! Lucretia Smith's fun story of teenage infatuation flies sky-high into never-never-land. This week's great read is a Irene Guilford's novel The Embrace, which exlores the life of a Lithuanian family split apart by politics and war. Next podcast: May 20th, when Carole reads from her new novella, A Gardener On The Moon. Toronto-area listeners, you're invited to the book launch -- listen up for details and check the WORDS TO GO PODCAST fan page on Facebook for more info.

Spring's here with a Gaelic flavour on WORDS TO GO, as Carole reads "Carving The Air" by Sara Cassidy, a story set in the Scottish highlands. And if you haven't yet caught up with the fantastic Irish writer Claire Keegan, stay tuned for an intro to her most recent collection of short stories, Walk The Blue Fields. Spring also brings grateful thoughts, new books and a chance for Carole to share her stockpile of anecdotes on gracious and grumpy writers and readers she's known. Why not share your stories and book picks with us? Follow us on Facebook at WORDS TO GO PODCAST and visit Carole's website at www.carolegiangrande.com.