The Great American Read is an eight-part series 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).
It investigates how and why writers create their fictional worlds, how we as readers are affected by these stories and what these 100 different books have to say about our diverse nation and shared human experience.
The PBS television series features entertaining and informative documentary segments, with compelling testimonials from celebrities, authors, notable Americans and book lovers across the country. It is comprised of a two-hour launch episode on May 22 in which the list of 100 books is revealed, five one-hour theme episodes that examine concepts common to groups of books on the list, and a finale, in which the results are announced of a nationwide vote to choose America’s best-loved book.
The Great American Read is searching for the country’s best-loved novel. While we recognize the broad categories of books available, we chose to narrow our focus to works of fiction because it would be impossible to cover them all over the course of an eight-part series. The list contains a broad range of fictional titles, authors, time periods, countries, genres and subject matter. The list includes books from as far back as the 1600s and as recent as 2016. From beloved world literature to contemporary best sellers, many categories are represented: 20th-century American classics, thrillers, young adult novels, sci-fi/fantasy, adventure, historical fiction, romantic stories and books that represent the human experience told from a diverse range of perspectives.
The series is the centerpiece of an ambitious multi-platform digital, educational and community outreach campaign, designed to get the country reading and passionately talking about books.
Blue Ridge Public TV Website: http://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/home/
Library news:
Everyone is invited to be a Friend of the Library and join us for our annual gathering with a local speaker and refreshments. Come to the Old Brick Hotel on Tuesday, May 22, at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Mary McDonald, an energetic local veterinarian, will be speaking about her latest book, The Magnet.
Register to vote at your library! The deadline to vote in the Virginia June 12 primary is Monday, May 21.
Summer titles are available for purchase at the Book Barn! Just ask a librarian to open up the doors for you. School will be out soon everyone needs books to read!
Watch out for new developments on the Library Lot Beautification. Your ideas are welcome. Let us know what you’d like to see!
