PBS’s “The Great American Read”

PBS’s “The Great American Read”

Have you heard about “The Great American Read” yet? It’s an eight-part series airing on PBS, starting May 22, that explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through the prism of America’s 100 best-loved novels (as chosen in a national survey). Here are the Macmillan titles included: DUNE by Frank Herbert GILEAD by Marilynne […]

Know More…

Maximum Shelf: THE PLOVER

Maximum Shelf: THE PLOVER

MaxShelf-Plover

“I must have wanted to write a sea novel for years—I just adored Stevenson and Kipling and Conrad and Jack London and voyage-logs and sea stories and KON-TIKI as a boy.”
— Brian Doyle on his inspiration for THE PLOVER

Plover jacket
We're very excited about THE PLOVER by Brian Doyle, which continues the story of Declan O Donnell from one of Doyle's previous novels, MINK RIVER. It's an April Indie Next pick, and is this week's Maximum Shelf Awareness feature (we're pretty crazy about it, too).

“THE PLOVER is a fun ride with meaning and heart, lots of it, as well as jokes, scares, storms at sea, surprises, magic, absurdity—and humanity, exuberant joyful humanity.” — Shelf Awareness

See the full summary, review and interview with Brian Doyle on Shelf-Awareness.com.

DRC buttonGet whitelisted and download your e-galley on Edelweiss. 

Praise for THE PLOVER:

“Doyle has written a novel in the adventurous style of Jack London and Robert Louis Stevenson but with a gentle mocking of their valorization of the individual as absolute. Readers will enjoy this bracing and euphoric ode to the vastness of the ocean and the unexpectedness of life.”
Library Journal, starred review

“In near stream of consciousness, wave upon wave of words tumbles out in long, beautifully rendered, description-packed sentences... A rare and unusual book and a brilliant, mystical exploration of the human spirit.”
Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“A jack of all literary trades, Doyle augments his impressive oeuvre with this whimsical dreamscape of a nautical adventure about desolation and friendship. A joyous journey of discovery.” Booklist

“Every sentence Doyle writes about the ocean smacks of authenticity...”
Publishers Weekly

[...]

Know More...

Best Books of 2013!

Best Books of 2013!

We've had an amazing year in books and are thrilled to be represented on so many Best of 2013 lists. Here's a look at the highlights:
BOOKLIST

Arts & Literature
     IN THE BODY OF THE WORLD by Eve Ensler

Biography
     JACK LONDON by Earle Labor

Health & Medicine
     IN THE KINGDOM OF THE SICK by Laurie Edwards

History
     THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE by David Finkel 

Social Sciences
     EBONY AND IVY by Craig Steven Wilder
     GOSPEL OF FREEDOM by Jonathan Rieder
     HOPE AGAINST HOPE by Sarah Carr
     IN THE NAME OF GOD by Cameron Stauth
     THE UNWINDING by George Packer

Adult Books for Young Adults
  
     A CHANCE TO WIN by Jonathan Schuppe
     THE GAMAL by Ciarán Collins

Books for Youth 
     ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell
     IF YOU FIND ME by Emily Murdoch

Audio for Adults
 
     HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Louise Penny

 

KIRKUS REVIEWS 

Best Fiction
     LOOKAWAY, LOOKAWAY by Wilton Barnhardt
     BOX OFFICE POISON by Phillipa Bornikova
     GHOSTS OF BUNGO SUIDO by P.T. Deutermann
     MIDNIGHT by Kevin Egan
     JEEVES AND THE WEDDING BELLS by Sebastian Faulks
     HAVISHAM by Ronald Frame
     TRANSCENDENTAL by James Gunn
     GOOD PEOPLE by Ewart Hutton
     SOMEONE by Alice McDermott  
     THE NIGHT GUEST by Fiona McFarlane
     SOMETHING MORE THAN NIGHT by Ian Tregillis
     THE LAND ACROSS by Gene Wolfe
     QUEEN VICTORIA’S BOOK OF SPELLS by Ellen Datlow 

Best Teen 
     ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell 

Best Nonfiction  
     THE GUNS AT LAST LIGHT by Rick Atkinson
     REPORT FROM THE INTERIOR by Paul Auster
     SHOUTING WON'T HELP by Katherine Bouton
     MORTAL SINS by Michael D'Antonio
     THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE by David Finkel
     THE SEARCHERS by Glenn Frankel
     THE GREAT DISSENT by Thomas Healy
     THE BOOK OF MY LIVES by Aleksandar Hemon
     THE BROTHERS by Stephen Kinzer
     A FORT OF NINE TOWERS by Qais Akbar Omar
     THE UNWINDING by George Packer
     MEN WE REAPED by Jesmyn Ward
     EBONY AND IVY by Craig Steven Wilder

 

LIBRARY JOURNAL

Top 10 Best Books of 2013   
     THE SEARCHERS by Glenn Frankel 

More of the Best 
     JACK LONDON by Earle Labor
     OWNING THE EARTH by Andro Linklater

Best Books 2013: Memoir 
     HER by Christa Parravani

Best Books 2013: Consumer Health 
     MIDLIFE EATING DISORDERS by Cynthia M. Bulik 

Best Books 2013: Sci-Tech  
     BUG MUSIC by David Rothenberg

Best Books 2013: Audio  
     LOOKAWAY, LOOKAWAY by Wilton Barnhardt
     HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Louise Penny

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Top 10 Best Books of 2013  
     MEN WE REAPED by Jesmyn Ward  

Best Fiction  
     PERCIVAL EVERETT BY VIRGINIA RUSSELL by Virgil Russell
     SOMEONE by Alice McDermott

Best Mystery  
     HOUR OF THE RED GOD by Richard Crompton
     HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Louise Penny
     ENIGMA OF CHINA by Qiu Xiaolong

Best Poetry  
     METAPHYSICAL DOG by Frank Bidart
     INCARNADINE by Mary Szybist

Best SF/Fantasy/Horror  
     TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SCIENCE FICTION, edited by David G. Hartwell and Patrick Nielsen Hayden
     VICIOUS by V.E. Schwab

Best Comics
     THE PROPERTY by Rutu Modan

Best Nonfiction  
     MEN WE REAPED by Jesmyn Ward
     MORTAL SINS by Michael D'Antonio
     THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE by David Finkel
     FORTY-ONE FALSE STARTS by Janet Malcolm
     SCARCITY by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir
     THE UNWINDING by George Packer

Best Children's Fiction  
     ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell

Best Religion  
     MY BRIGHT ABYSS by Christian Wiman


SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL  

Best Fiction
     ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell
     FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell

LibraryReads logoAnd here are all of our LibraryReads’ selections from 2013:

September list 
     #1: FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell
     #2: HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Louise Penny

November list
     #2: THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS by Julia Spencer-Fleming
     #8: THE RAVEN'S EYE by Barry Maitland

December list 
     #7: DANGEROUS WOMEN, edited by George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois
     #9: THE TRIP TO ECHO SPRING by Olivia Laing

While it's not technically a "Best of 2013" list, NPR's Book Concierge is definitely a collection of favorites throughout the year. 

[...]

Know More...

Banned Books Week 2013!

Banned Books Week 2013!


Banned Books Week
(Sept. 22-28) is upon us once again librarian friends!

This is the week to read and re-read all your favorite banned and challenged books.

If you're feeling inspired to read aloud, we highly recommend that you submit a banned book reading video on the Virtual Read-Out page on YouTube. And don't forget to join the conversation on Twitter today (Monday) 9/23 from 10 am - Noon and Wednesday 9/25 from Noon - 2 pm using the hashtag #BannedBooksWeek2013.

Let's keep fighting for our FREADOM!

Banned Books Week 2013

[...]

Know More...

Banned Books Week 2011!

Banned Books Week 2011!

Welcome to Banned Books Week, librarian friends!

This is the week to re-read and recommend all your favorite banned and challenged books. And if you're feeling inspired to read aloud, we highly recommend that you submit a banned book reading video the the Virtual Read-Out page on YouTube. 

If you finish all of your favorite banned books before Friday, we recommend two excellent author biographies that uphold the spirit of the week: AND SO IT GOES, the first authoritative biography of Kurt Vonnegut Jr., and JUST ONE CATCH, an illuminating biography of Joseph Heller. 

[...]

Know More...

css.php The owner of this website has made a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.