Livingston—Author Lisa Cocca will lead a discussion about her first published novel, Providence, on Thursday, September 15, at the Books and Bites discussion group hosted by the National Council of Jewish Women, Essex County (NCJW/Essex). Providence is the story of four generations of females forging a relationship built on need, love and respect. Often referred to as a coming-of-age tale in reverse, the story is told through the eyes of 16-year-old Becky.

Cocca, who grew up in New York and moved to New Jersey after college, works full time as a freelance writer and editor in educational publishing and in the evening writes what her heart desires. She has had a dozen books published for the school and library market and enjoys speaking at schools, libraries and community events.

Providence was published as a young-adult novel that gained a wide range of readership across the generations. It was chosen as the One Community One Book read for the Morristown Book Festival in 2014.

Books and Bites, an ongoing book discussion group exploring novels and nonfiction writing, is held multiple times each year and brings community members together to discuss thought-provoking literature. It meets for three sessions in the fall and three sessions in the spring. Registration is available online at www.ncjwessex.org. The registration fee for a single session for NCJW/Essex members is $6 and for non-members is $10. Members may also register for three sessions for a discounted fee. The discussions are from 10 a.m. to noon and are held in the NCJW/Essex Conference Room located at 70 South Orange Avenue, Suite 120, in Livingston.