PCLS Readers' Advisory Blog

Festival of Reading

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:33:00 +0000

The sixteenth annual St. Petersburg Times Festival of Reading will be held Saturday, October 25 in downtown St. Pete. This exciting festival will feature several big-name authors, more than 50 booksellers and exhibitors, and plenty of fun activities for the kids. Some of the featured authors include: Dennis Lehane, Richard Paul Evans, Susan Orlean, Ridley Pearson, Lisa Unger, and Jeff Shaara.

Event Details:
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Saturday, October 25, 2008, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

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Author Appearance

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 17:49:00 +0000

Mystery writer Stuart Woods will be in the Bay area next week to promote his new book Hot Mahogany. You can catch him at two different bookstores on Saturday, October 4:

Inkwood Books
216 South Armenia Ave
Tampa, FL 33609
813-253-2638
Time: 12:00 pm

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Haslam's
2025 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, FL 33713
727-822-8616
Time: 4:00 pm

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Fall Reading

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:43:00 +0000

Check out Amazon.com for new Fall titles.

National Book Festival

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:26:00 +0000

The 2008 National Book Festival will take place Saturday, September 27 on the National Mall in Washington D. C. More than 70 authors and illustrators will take part in this annual celebration of books and reading. The Library of Congress website will have downloadable podcasts of participating authors. For a listing of festival authors click here.

Villains in Literature

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:15:00 +0000

From Britain's The Daily Telegraph, the 50 Greatest Villains in Literature.

Oprah's Latest Selection

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:05:00 +0000

Oprah revealed her latest book club selection yesterday: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, a debut novel by David Wroblewski. The novel tells the story of a mute boy named Edgar who shares a special bond with dogs. This selection marks the 62nd since Oprah began her book club in 1996. For a complete list of the book club selections click here.

For more information about the author and the book, try these sites:

Author interview
Book website

Booker Prize

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:05:00 +0000

The shortlist for the Man Booker Prize was announced on September 9.

"Now in its 40th year, the prize aims to reward the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. The Man Booker judges are selected from the country's finest critics, writers and academics to maintain the consistent excellence of the prize."

This year's titles are:

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga*
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Berry
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
The Clothes on Their Backs by Linda Grant
The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz

(* available from PCLS)

The winner will be announced October 14. For a list of past winners click here.

October Releases

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:44:00 +0000

Keep an eye out for these October releases:

Grace by Richard Paul Evans (10/7)
Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession by Anne Rice (10/7)
Queen Takes King by Gigi Levangie Grazer (10/7)
Lulu in Marrakech by Diane Johnson (10/7)
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly (10/14)
A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas (10/14)
The Fire by Katherine Neville (10/14)
I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass (10/14)
Bones by Jonathan Kellerman (10/21)
Dark Summer by Iris Johansen (10/21)
Testimony by Anita Shreve (10/21)
Rough Weather by Robert B. Parker (10/21)
Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn (10/21)
The Gate House by Nelson Demille (10/28)
A Good Woman by Danielle Steel (10/28)

In Their Own Words

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:08:00 +0000

Time.com has an informative overview of the 2008 political candidates based on the candidates' memoirs:

All of the candidate memoirs mentioned are available through PCLS.

Back to School

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:22:00 +0000

In honor of the school season starting, the Times Online's 25 Best Boarding School Books.

Upcoming Books

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:59:00 +0000

Place your holds now on these September releases:

The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer (Sept. 2)
Dark Curse by Christine Feehan (Sept. 2)
Icarus at the Edge of Time by Brian Greene (Sept. 2)
Rough and Tumble by Mark Bavaro (Sept. 2)
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent (Sept. 3)
Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley (Sept. 3)
Anathem by Neal Stephenson (Sept. 9)
The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen (Sept. 9)
Fine Just the Way it Is by Annie Proulx (Sept. 9)
The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory (Sept. 16)
Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Sept. 16)
Star Wars: Order 66 by Karen Traviss (Sept. 16)
Goldengrove by Francine Prose (Sept. 16)
Indignation by Philip Roth (Sept. 16)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson (Sept. 16)
Heat Lightning by John Sanford (Sept. 23)
The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday by Alexander McCall Smith (Sept. 23)
The Lucky Ones by Nicholas Sparks (Sept. 30)

Booker Prize

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:09:00 +0000

The Booker Prize committee, which honors the best original full-length novel written in English by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations or the Republic of Ireland, announced its longlist of nominees. The shortlist will be announced on September 9 and the winner will be announced on October 14.

For more information about the prize visit the Booker website.

Life in Beijing

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:41:00 +0000

In honor of next month's Olympics in Beijing, the Guardian presents ten books offering insight into life in Beijing.

Spotlight on Barbara Ehrenreich

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:15:00 +0000

Barbara Ehrenreich, author of the New York Times bestselling Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, released a new book last month. This Land is Their Land: Reports from a Divided Nation is Ehrenreich's satirical social commentary on the state of the nation.

Other Barbara Ehrenreich titles available from PCLS:

Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War
Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy
Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class
Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers
The Worst Years of Our Lives: Irreverent Notes from a Decade of Greed

For more information on Ehrenreich and her works:
Author website
Author interview

New Releases for August

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:58:00 +0000

Place your holds on these upcoming August titles:

Foreign Body by Robin Cook (Aug. 5)
Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown (Aug. 12)
The Assassin by Stephen Coonts (Aug. 19)
Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs (Aug. 26)

NPR's Summer Books

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:25:00 +0000

The summer is already well under way, but check out NPR's Summer Books 2008 website. The site offers critics' lists, Book Tour podcasts, excerpts from books, and much more. Also available, a printable list of summer book recommendations.

In addition to its summer reading website, NPR is expanding its online coverage of books. For more information click here.

The New Classics

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:14:00 +0000

Entertainment Weekly offers the 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008.

Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:17:00 +0000

George Carlin will be the recipient of the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The prize "recognizes an artist who has made a significant contribution to the world of American comedy". Previous recipients include: Billy Crystal, Neil Simon, Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg, and Richard Pryor. For background information on the prize and a list of previous recipients click here.

Summer Reading

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:28:00 +0000

From the Los Angeles Times: 2008 Summer Reading List

Beach Reads

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:42:00 +0000

Summer is here! Dip into some of these new books that are perfect for the beach or pool:

The Beach House by Jane Green
Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger
Dirty Girls on Top by Alisa Valdos-Rodriguez
Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin
Plague Ship by Clive Cussler
Sail by James Patterson
Swine Not? by Jimmy Buffett
Undead and Unworthy by MaryJanice Davidson
The Whole Truth by David Baldacci

Travel Literature

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:51:00 +0000

From the National Geographic Traveler website: Trip Lit: New Books that Transport Us

Audies Winners

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:58:00 +0000

The winners of the Audies, which recognize excellence audiobook publishing, were recently announced. PCLS has the following winning audiobooks:

Solo Narration--Male:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J. K. Rowling) narrated by Jim Dale

Mystery:
Tin Roof Blowdown (James Lee Burke) narrated by Will Patton

Romance:
Natural Born Charmer (Susan Elizabeth Phillips) narrated by Anna Fields

D-Day: June 6, 1944

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:15:00 +0000

In honor of D-Day (June 6), read up on the historic invasion of Normandy with these PCLS titles:

The Americans at D-Day by John C. McManus
The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-Day Sacrifice by Alex Kershaw
D-Day: The Greatest Invasion by Dan Van der Vat
D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II by Stephen E. Ambrose
D-Day with the Screaming Eagles by George E. Koskimaki
June 6, 1944: The Voices of D-Day by Gerald Astor
Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich by David Webster

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum website offers a wealth of historical documents, including journal entries, operation orders, reports, maps, and photographs.

The Library of Congress Veterans History project includes personal stories from veterans involved in the D-Day invasion. You can listen to the audio interviews from veterans of D-Day here.

June Releases

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:28:00 +0000

Place your holds on the following June releases:

June 3:
The Broken Window: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel by Jeffery Deaver
Death and Honor: An Honor Bound Novel by W. E. B. Griffin
Nothing to Lose by Lee Child
The Other by David Guterson
Plague Ship by Clive Cussler
Resolution by Robert B. Parker

June 10:
Married Lovers by Joan Collins
Sail by James Patterson

June 17:
The Beach House by Jane Green
No Choice but Seduction by Johannah Lindsey
One in a Million by Kimberla Lawson Roby

June 24:
America, America by Ethan Canin
Hit and Run by Lawrence Block
The Last Oracle by James Rollins
Letter to a New President: Essential Lessons for Our Next Leader by Senator Robert C. Byrd
Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot
Rogue by Danielle Steel
Tailspin: An FBI Thriller by Catherine Coulter
This Land is Their Land by Barbara Ehrenreich

The Essential Man's Library

noreply@blogger.com (PCLS) — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:20:00 +0000

The Art of Manliness website presents "the top 100 books that have shaped the lives of individual men while also helping define broader cultural ideas of what it means to be a man".