Cannes Can

Film critic turned novelist Sara Voorhees honed her love of cinema in these parts, as she notes in quirky fashion at the conclusion of The Lumiere Affair: A Novel of Cannes, which she'll spotlight at a book signing event today. The tome's acknowledgement section features her thank you to "the #8 bus in Denver, which took me to more movies than my parents ever knew about."

Affair focuses upon Natalie Conway, a freelancer who's given the chance to cover Cannes for a Los Angeles daily. Conway lived in France as a child, until a lightning strike permanently altered her life, and the lives of family and friends close to her — and she makes several significant discoveries about her past between glittering premieres and frantic press conferences. This blend of elements makes for an uneasy mix that often relegates the fest to background status, and as the plot becomes more melodramatic, it grows in predictability, too. Fortunately, Voorhees's obvious love of the milieu and her highly polished prose help offset at least some of these weaknesses. Guess all those bus rides paid off.

Voorhees takes to the podium at 7:30 p.m. at the Tattered Cover, 2526 East Colfax Avenue. Attendance is free. Get details at www.tatteredcover.com or 303 322 7727.