On April 23, 2012, something exciting will happen: one million books will be given away across the United States. Even more exciting: you can be one of the people who gives them away!
The event is called World Book Night, and the goal is to promote reading by putting books in the hands of people who seldom read. The organizers (mostly publishing and printing companies) are looking for 50,000 volunteers to each give away 20 books which will be shipped (free!) to a location near you. As a volunteer you even get to choose, from a list of 30 popular titles, which book you’d like to distribute. The idea is for the book-givers to be able to say, “You have to read this book—I loved it!” Interested? Go to worldbooknight.org to find out more about this event or to volunteer to be a book giver. The deadline for applying to be a book giver is February 1, so don’t delay.
Even if you don’t plan to be a part of World Book Night, you may want to peruse the list of books that were chosen to be given away. The committee began with a list of award-winners, best-sellers and frequently-requested books, and asked librarians and booksellers to choose from that list the books they would be most excited to give away. (For more on this process, read howwearechoosingtheusbooks). So the 30 books to be given away are a treasure trove of recommended reads. All of them can be found at the Weyenberg library. How many have you read?
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini was hugely popular several years ago. I love books that give me a glimpse into another country; in this book you’ll get an unforgettable picture of life in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Don’t miss Hosseini’s second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, which many agree is even more gripping than the first.
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult is a riveting story about a child who was conceived as a bone marrow match for her older sister, who is fighting leukemia. As always, Picoult does an amazing job of getting into the heads of each of her characters, telling the story from multiple points of view.
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo is part of the juvenile collection, but it has a protagonist who is so endearing that I’m happy to recommend this book to adults as well as children. It’s funny and charming and sweet, filled with lovable and quirky characters, and focuses on the importance of family and friends--both human and canine.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is an unforgettable memoir. The author and her siblings have parents who seem to be blissfully unaware of the fact that they are responsible for their four children, and the children are left to raise themselves. I enjoyed the adventure of their parentless childhood, was amazed at the resilience of the children, and astounded that there could be such parents in the world. You may also enjoy reading Half Broke Horses (or listening to it on CD--read by the author), which is about her incredibly independent and free-thinking grandmother.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak will grab you in the first chapter, and not let go. It’s a story of survival set in Nazi Germany, told by an unusual narrator, but it’s also a tale of how love of others makes all things bearable, and how books nourish the soul.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a mesmerizing dystopian tale. Most adults I know say they would never have chosen this book on their own, but read it because others raved about how good it was—and they were not disappointed! So if you usually avoid Young Adult books in general, and dystopian fiction in particular, try The Hunger Games. Once you start this book, you won’t be able to put it down, and after turning the last page, you’ll be hungry for more. Fortunately, there are two more titles in the series, Catching Fire and Mockingjay.
The other titles on the list are:
Adult Fiction
Little Bee by Chris Cleve
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
The Stand by Stephen King
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Just Kids by Patti Smith
Adult Genres
Kindred by Octavia Butler (Sci Fi)
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Sci Fi)
Blood Work byMichael Connelly (Mystery)
Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton (Mystery)
Adult Non Fiction
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (Biography)
Young Adult
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
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