Books on the Nightstand

What "backlist" is, and why it's important for readers. Plus, don't you forget about Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield and The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti. THANK YOU to everyone who supported us for National Readathon Day! We raised over $3,600. Thanks to everyone who joined our team, donated to a team member, or raised money on their own. I read a graphic novel (Seconds) and half of a novel (Elizabeth is Missing), and loved my time reading. Due to the impending storm, Ann's husband had to work, and she ended up playing chauffeur to her kids, but will do her Readathon reading while snowed in this week! (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (05:25) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9781470331795.jpg)The Perks of Being a Wallflower (http://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower/141672) by Stephen Chbosky, narrated by Noah Galvin, is this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) It's a New Book If You Haven't Read It (08:58) What is backlist? Basically, it's an publishing term meaning books that have been out for awhile (there's no exact time-frame industry wide). Most of what you'll find on display tables in bookstores are new books, but you'll sometimes find displays of things like "all-time favorites," and in the sections, you'll often see store/staff favorites faced out. This all really highlights the joy of talking to a great librarian or bookseller; when you ask them for a recommendation, often an old favorite will be the first thing that springs to their mind. I've been going through all of my books, keeping only the books that truly matter to me, and I do so, I'm rediscovering books that I read long ago, that have been on my shelves, but haven't been "seen" in years. At this point, our discussion evolved into which books to let go of and which to keep. (Ann and I are both under the wonderful sway of Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up). Don't You Forget About Me (20:51) (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386924869l/1305.jpg)     (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320437905l/6557014.jpg) Ann recommends that you discover, or re-discover Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield, the epic tale of the Battle of Thermopylae (later dramatized in the graphic novel and movie 300) . It's a book that brought the battles to life, even for Ann, who usually has a problem envisioning battle scenes. Ann also recommends it for fans of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti is a book whose atmosphere - one of muddy, nineteenth century New England streets - is one that I'll never forget. An orphan, missing his hand, is taken in by a con artist, who uses the boy as a distraction for his thieving. Tinti is also editor-in-chief of One Story (http://www.one-story.com/index.php?page=about), a wonderful literary magazine that sends you one story every 3-4 weeks.

Picking books to read on National Readathon Day. We can't wait for you to read Mort(e) by Robert Repino and The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward. I have made a decision to alter my New Year's Reading Resolution slightly. I'm adding a collection of short stories to the current mix of one print book, and one audio book. I'll only read a story or two in between print books. So I'll still only be reading one print book at a time, but the story collection will be ongoing. Besides, Ann gave me permission! (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (04:23) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9781455105144.jpg)The Winnie the Pooh series by A.A. Milne, narrated by Peter Dennis (http://www.audiobooks.com/search/narrator/Peter%20Dennis), was recommended to us by listener Kristen, so we've chosen it for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) What to Readathon (06:59) (https://www.firstgiving.com/imaging/banner/d9407613-ddba-4fda-b815-6c1fa20a63be.jpg/1500) National Readathon Day is this Saturday, January 24 (there's still time to donate (https://www.firstgiving.com/team/282218) to - or join - the Books on the Nightstand Team (https://www.firstgiving.com/team/282218)!). What will you be reading from 12-4 on Saturday? A short book or two? Will you start something you've been meaning to read? Or, will you make progress in whatever you're currently reading? Here are some of our suggestions: Short Books: * On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan * Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill * Silence Once Begun by Jesse Ball * The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby * Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala * The Clothes They Stood Up In by Alan Bennett Long Books: * The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt * Life After Life by Kate Atkinson * War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy and a long graphic novel: * Habibi by Craig Thompson Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read (21:53) (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416178734l/22181034.jpg)     (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417985236l/22716408.jpg) So... Mort(e) by Robert Repino... Yeah. This is a tough one to describe so I'll just dive right in. Hyper-intelligent ants are waging a war against humanity, and have forced the evolution of household pets to use as soldiers. Look, just trust me, okay? It's fantastic. Ann recommends the far less-unusual, but no less riveting novel The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward. This book follows the story of thirteen-year-old Carla, trying to travel illegally from Honduras to Texas, with her younger brother, and the story of Alice, a woman whose quest to adopt a child has just been thwarted.

Writing in books: good or bad? We recommend The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and Fram by Steve Himmer. Ann is just back from New York where she saw the stage version of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which was produced in a unique way to capture the flavor of the book. I'm very excited to hear that a local theater in Providence has adapted and is producing a stage version of Barry Unsworth's Morality Play, a book I love. Broadway goers can look forward to seeing Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca on the Great White Way. (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (06:49) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9781478927266.jpg)Spoiled Brats by Simon Rich, narrated by the author, is my pick for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) Notation or Desecration? (09:04) Jeff, a BOTNS listener recently started a thread on our Goodreads group about writing and underlining passages in books. He usually reads e-books where he can use the highlight or note feature, but is worried about actually writing in a physical book. Where did the stigma of writing in books come from? Can underlining sentences, or writing notes to yourself enhance your reading experience? If so, do you underline beautiful or striking sentences? Do you note how something in the story makes you feel? Do you speculate on what an event might mean? One way to highlight a passage in a book without actually marking up the book is to keep highlighted photos in Evernote (I first learned about this via this blog post (http://www.jamierubin.net/2014/01/29/going-paperless-annotating-paper-books-and-magazines-without-marking-them-up/). And, while searching for that original post, I also came upon this post: 8 Evernote Tips for Book Nerds (http://ebookfriendly.com/evernote-tips-for-booklovers/).)  You can also enter favorite quotes into Goodreads, or copy them into a commonplace book (http://ryanholiday.net/how-and-why-to-keep-a-commonplace-book/). Ann also discovered a blog post by Laura Miller, called "How to Write in a Book (http://lauramiller.typepad.com/lauramiller/2009/03/how-to-write-in-a-book.html)," which includes a very in-depth marking-up system by C.S. Lewis. Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read (25:17) (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405290163l/22557272.jpg)     (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1414241069l/20820399.jpg) Ann recommends The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, a compelling thriller she "literally couldn't put down." Rachel, the main character, is an unreliable narrator who's nearly always drunk. But, she thinks she's seen events that led up to a crime, and she can't help but insert herself into the mystery. Full disclosure: Fram is written by my friend Steve Himmer. Steve was a guest at our very first BOTNS retreat (before it was even called Booktopia!). His new book follows Oscar, an employee of the Bureau of Ice Prognostication. His job, which, to this point, has been all about fabrications, has just become all too real. He's no longer in his safe, quiet office, and he really has no idea what is happening to him. This was a fun, literary adventure that I highly recommend!

A discussion with Jynne Martin, one of the folks responsible for National Readathon Day. My New Year's resolution of reading only one book at a time has been working incredibly well. On December 31, I was currently reading six books. As of the evening of January 5, I had completed all six of those by focusing on them one at time, giving each my full attention. Now, I don't start a new book until I've finished the last one. Ann mentioned an article that suggests reading non-fiction during the day, and fiction right before bed. That's from a list by Austin Kleon (http://austinkleon.com/) called "How to Read More." (http://austinkleon.com/2014/12/29/how-to-read-more/) He also published "33 Thoughts on Reading," (http://austinkleon.com/2014/10/17/33-thoughts-on-reading/) which I love. Also, here's a link to the post (http://austinkleon.com/2014/07/22/read-a-book-instead/) where I downloaded the "Read a Book Instead" lock-screen image for my iPhone. (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (09:55) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9780698171565.jpg)Dollbaby by Laura L. McNeal, narrated by January LaVoy, is Ann's pick for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook)   A National Readathon Day Discussion with Jynne Martin (13:05) This week we present a conversation Ann had with Jynne Martin, Publicity Director and Associate Publisher at Riverhead Books, a division of Penguin Random House. Jynne was one of the people involved in creating National Readathon Day, and Ann talks with her about the genesis and reasons for NRD. Jynne's also a writer, and her first collection of poetry, We Mammals in Hospitable Times, comes out on February 3.   (http://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/NationalReadathonDayThumb2.jpg) Also, a reminder about our fundraising efforts for National Readathon Day. Go to bit.ly/botnsreadathon (https://www.firstgiving.com/team/282218) to make a donation or join our team!   Two Books Jynne Can't Wait For You to Read (25:10) As we usually do when we have a guest on the show, we asked Jynne to recommend two books she can't wait for you to read. She decided to be "mean" and tell you about books that you won't be able to get for awhile. So add these to your TBR pile and make a note in your calendar! (http://images.abovethetreeline.com/ea/PP/images/jacket_covers/original/9781594633317_bec27.jpg?width=1000) The Rocks by Peter Nichols is a novel that begins with an elderly couple having a terrible fight. Their story, and the book, is then told in reverse over the course of 80 years. On sale in June 2015 Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/690619.Lauren_Groff?from_search=true). Jynne calls this a "huge ambitious novel of family and marriage" from the author of Arcadia (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11866694-arcadia), The Monsters of Templeton (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1474628.The_Monsters_Of_Templeton), and Delicate Edible Birds (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3734317-delicate-edible-birds-and-other-stories). On sale in September 2015 (no cover or Goodreads listing yet!)    

Five more favorite reads from 2014, and our reading plans for 2015!   It's our last episode of 2014!   Thank you to all who've joined the Books on the Nightstand team for National Readathon Day (http://www.firstgiving.com/team/282218), which is a fundraiser for the National Book Foundation! Mark your calendars now to spend a 4 hour block of time reading on January 24th.  If you'd like to make a donation to our team or raise funds yourself, you can do that here (http://www.firstgiving.com/team/282218). To find our more, visit the official National Readathon page (http://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/readathon/). We'll have much more about National Readathon Day in upcoming episodes, so stay tuned.   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402749432l/18339662.jpg)   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409595558l/18310201.jpg)    (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1384158366l/17165884.jpg) (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387701847l/18209268.jpg)    (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395000218l/18379037.jpg)   Many of you reached out to me to ask what book I left off of my Favorite Books of 2014 list. If you remember, I waited until the very last minute to commit to the final book. A few of you guessed, correctly, that the sixth book was We Were Liars (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16143347-we-were-liars?from_search=true) by E. Lockhart. This was one of my favorite novels of the year in any genre. There was also one other book that pained me to leave off, and that was The Painter (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18310201-the-painter?from_search=true) by Peter Heller. Michael would have added The Answer to the Riddle is Me: A memoir of amnesia (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17165884-the-answer-to-the-riddle-is-me?from_search=true), by David Stuart McLean. There were two other books that were favorite reads of 2014, but they were published in 2013, so they didn't make the list. So I'll add them here: Americanah (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15796700-americanah?from_search=true) by Chimimanda Adiche and The Cartographer of No Man's Land (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18379037-the-cartographer-of-no-man-s-land?from_search=true) by P.S. Duffy.   (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Michael's Audiobook of the Year (02:24) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9780698182943.jpg)    Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, narrated by the author, is Michael’s pick for Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Year. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) Thank you so much to Audiobooks.com for sponsoring Books on the Nightstand this year!   Our reading plans for 2015:   Michael has made a reading resolution for 2015: he's going to try to read just one book at a time, with the exception of audiobooks. Since I failed spectacularly in my 2014 reading resolution (to read 10 books in translation), I'm not making one for 2015. I am going to try to track the books I read for the duration of 2015. Normally, I fall out of the habit by March. This makes it very difficult to choose a list of favorites for the year, since I tend to forget about all of the books I've read. Michael and I are both committed to reading Rebecca (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17899948-rebecca?from_search=true)by Daphne DuMaurier and Swann (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/368499.Swann?from_search=true) by Carol Shields. This grew out of a pact we made with Simon and Thomas of The Readers Podcast

Ann and Michael each pick their Top 5 Favorite Books of 2014!   (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Ann's Audiobook of the Year (02:24) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9780062331878.jpg)The Miniaturist by Jesse Burton, narrated by Davina Porter, is Ann's pick for Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Year. (You'll get my Audiobook of the Year next week) Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook)   Our Favorite Books of 2014 (05:31) As always, it was incredibly tough to pick our favorite books of the year, but we managed to do it. We loved so many books this year, but here are our Top 5 each, in no particular order: Ann's Top Five Books of 2014 * Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel * The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami * The Children Act by Ian McEwan * Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413655729l/18465852.jpg)     (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409603194l/20342617.jpg) Michael's Top Five Books of 2014 * The Martian by Andy Weir * The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber * Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast * We are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas * Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson - the most important book I've ever read.

A TV show that we're both hooked on, National Readathon Day, and two books we can't wait for you to read.   Michael and I are now hooked on a TV show, Black Mirror, which is a UK show that has just come to Netflix (it's also on YouTube, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVIVoDEgfhs) and Not Safe for Work or for children) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVIVoDEgfhs). To keep this book-related, Michael says it reminds him of the work of George Saunders, especially the second episode, Fifteen Million Merits, which reminds him of "Escape from Spider Head" that is in  Tenth of December. (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (06:42)   (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9780698182943.jpg)Michael's pick for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week is  the National Book Award-winning Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodsoon, read by the author. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook)     National Readathon Day -- Join our team!   (http://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ReadathonLogo_1062x596crop.jpg)   Need time to read? We have a proposal for you! National Readathon Day (http://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/readathon/) is Saturday, January 24th, 2015. This is a new initiative put together by Penguin Random House (our employers), The National Book Foundation, Goodreads and Mashable. On that day, all are being encouraged to read from 12noon - 4pm (in your own time zone). Schools, libraries and other community places are encouraged to host reading parties and other events. We'd like Books on the Nightstand to come together as a community and participate. Are you in? National Readathon Day is also a fundraiser for the National Book Foundation (https://www.firstgiving.com/10658), a nonprofit organization with the mission to expand the audience for literature in America. The NBF is dedicated to promoting literacy and reading through programs like the National Book Awards, BookUp, 5 Under 35, and the Innovations in Reading Prize. We've put together a team on the National Readathon Day Fundraising page, and we're asking you to join our team. If you can make a donation, great! But there are other ways you can participate, too. The easiest thing is to block off the time on your calendar and spend the four hours reading. But if you want to do more, reach out to your local bookstore, school, library, coffee shop or other venue to see if they want to host a Reading Party. Or host a party for your friends and family. Whatever you choose to do, if you are reading or helping to get others to read, you're automatically part of our team. For more information on National Readathon Day, see the official website. (http://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/readathon/) If you'd like to make a donation as part of the Books on the Nightstand team, you can do that at bit.ly/botnsreadathon (https://www.firstgiving.com/team/282218) -- the money that you donate or raise will be aggregated together under our team and it will show on the leaderboard. Any questions? Leave them in the comments or send us an email. We'll be talking more about our plans for National Readathon Day in upcoming episodes.   Two books we can't wait for you to read   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409522324l/18775391.jpg)   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409729768l/23128304.jpg)     Michael recommends Masterful Marks: Cartoonists who Changed the World by Monte Beauchamp,

Download the Books on the Nightstand Holiday Gift Guide! Revisiting the concept of book polygamy. We recommend Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers and How to be both by Ali Smith   A reminder that the 2014 Books on the Nightstand Holiday Gift Guide is available now. It's sure to make your holiday shopping easier, and your gift recipients more appreciative! You can download it by clicking here (http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/a/1/9/a19b2667a1590ffd/BOTNS_Holiday_Gift_Guide_2014.pdf?c_id=7953979&expiration=1417553104&hwt=f4cd47253ed63d9938ee2fd62fbad0dd), or on the image below. (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/BOTNS-Holiday-Gift-Guide-2014-1024x682.jpg) (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (03:48) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9781442374973.jpg)You by Caroline Kepnes, narrated by Santino Fontana, is Ann's pick for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook)   Revisiting Book Polygamy (08:49) Way back in episode 114 (http://booksonthenightstand.com/2011/02/botns-podcast-114-snow-books-for-snow-days.html) I discussed the concept of book polygamy and how I was really enjoying reading multiple books at a time. These days, I've been reading six or more at a time. I'm enjoying them all, but I still seem to be jumping around between them, and seemingly not giving each enough time to hook me. Ann plays "book therapist" and diagnoses several possible reasons why I'm having this first-world problem. During this conversation we mention that the New York Times has announced their 100 Notable Books of 2014 (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2014.html). It turns out that they do choose their Top 10 from the 100 Notable, which does not seem to bode well for Station Eleven, which makes us angry...   Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read (23:56) (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1414280937l/20821124.jpg)     (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1411680370l/23164913.jpg) This week I recommend a book from the Holiday Gift Guide (http://ec.libsyn.com/p/a/1/9/a19b2667a1590ffd/BOTNS_Holiday_Gift_Guide_2014.pdf?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d06c98032d4cc557b9e&c_id=7953979): Once Upon An Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers. Many first learned about Oliver Jeffers when he illustrated The Day the Crayons Quit. In Jeffers' new book, each letter of the alphabet gets a story filled with alliteration and crazy antics. Other Oliver Jeffers books we love (and that I mention) are Stuck and The Incredible Book Eating Boy. Ann has been dying to tell you about How to be both by Ali Smith. It's a book with two seemingly-disparate narratives presented one after another. However, which order you read them in will be entirely up to fate, as the publisher is printing two versions of the text, so each half of the story gets a chance to go first. The two versions will be indistinguishable from each other. Ann recommends this as a great book group discussion, allowing members to talk about how their perceptions of the story differ based on the sequence of the story.  

Lots of book recommendations in this episode geared toward gift-giving!  #GiveABook   (https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR7XQLG76Ry57T3uNOhHqCC2xRqfJcnvaJDGejC_Q-6p4LnHxfW)   Our employer is ready to donate books to children in need. Can you help us? Simply use the hashtag #GiveABook on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest, and for each post using that hashtag, Penguin Random House will donate one book to Save the Children, up to 25,000 books and through December 25th, 2014. We'd love it if you used the post to share a book you are giving as a gift, or a book you'd love to receive as a gift. Many authors have created videos -- maybe you'll want to create a video about the best book you ever received as a gift. Whatever you choose to do with your post, don't forget to include the #GiveABook hashtag. Thank you!     (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (05:27) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9780062350879.jpg) Michael has chosen Yes, Please (http://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/yes-please/221714) by Amy Poehler, narrated By: Patrick Stewart, Kathleen Turner, Carol Burnett, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Mike Schur, Eileen Poehler, and William Poehler,  for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook)     Books to Give (08:11):   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416776795l/22318578.jpg)(http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/PGCM5-penguin-christmas-set-covers-1200-300x300.jpg)   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396229785l/20890483.jpg)     (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400841477l/20906815.jpg)   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395943544l/20587888.jpg)   (https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcTIGZ5BhVx3JH5kK3Kdk0QcFVxGPYN5nSca0s6yu0ebEVe6ptTt&usqp=CAY)(https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409522479l/21412218.jpg)   Our Annual BOTNS Holiday Gift Guide (http://traffic.libsyn.com/booksonthenightstand/BOTNS_Holiday_Gift_Guide_2014.pdf) went live at 12:01am on Friday, November 28th. We hope you'll enjoy our new format, where we each hand-picked twelve titles. Of course, that meant that we couldn't include everything. So in this episode, we talk about a few that we left off for one reason or another. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22318578-the-life-changing-magic-of-tidying-up?from_search=true) by Marie Kondo Penguin's set of Christmas Classics (http://www.penguin.com/read/series/penguin-christmas-classics/3911) Handmade Gifts from the Kitchen (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20890483-handmade-gifts-from-the-kitchen?from_search=true) by Alison Walker Ed Emberley (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20906814-ed-emberley) by Todd Oldham Here (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20587888-here?from_search=true) by Richard McGuire The Battlestar Galactica Vault (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20695084-battlestar-galactica-vault?from_search=true) by Paul Ruditis Saveur The New Classics (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409522479l/21412218.jpg)   Don't You Forget About Me (30:54):   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392519458l/3092143.jpg)   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347664054l/914950.jpg) Michael chose A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote, an autobiographical tale that is a touching look at the important things that should be focused on during the holidays: family, friendship, and caring. I chose All About Me,

A book to read if you're obsessed with the Serial podcast; we answer several of your questions; and two (uh, three) books we can't wait for you to read.   As a follow-up to our recent discussion of the Serial podcast, I want to call your attention to The Journalist and the Murder (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55563.The_Journalist_and_the_Murderer?from_search=true) by Janet Malcolm. This book should appeal to Serial listeners, as it looks at the ethical issues of journalists and writers covering true crime cases and, in many cases, getting close with suspects.   (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (05:13) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9780698162235.jpg) The Organized Mind (http://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/organized-mind-how-to-put-things-in-place-focus-on-what-matters-and-livewell/217936) by Daniel J. Levitin, narrated by Luke Daniels, is my pick for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook)   The Crowd-sourced episode (10:21):   This week, we tackle some of our questions, including "can I spam you?" (No.) Please feel free to submit your own questions (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ZvVSya--Ur1cM_251OfPiafFHpyidI5XLzkfRZE0Bg0/viewform), and listen for our answers on a future episode. Thanks to all who sent in questions! Other topics include bookstores' staff recommendations sections; publishers and imprints we follow (list below); books with too little information on the jacket; sequels, trilogies and series; what to read for a readathon, and how to find time to read when you have young children.   Small presses mentioned: * Parallax Press (http://www.parallax.org/) * Dzanc Books (http://www.dzancbooks.org/) * Engine Books (http://enginebooks.org/) and their new Young Adult imprint, Lacewing Books (http://lacewingbooks.org/) * Rose Metal Press for flash fiction (more on flash fiction in an upcoming episode). E-short prequels to Jodi Picolut's Leaving Time (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18816603-leaving-time?from_search=true); currently, these are in ebook only: * Larger Than Life (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22839919-larger-than-life) * Where There's Smoke (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22131009-where-there-s-smoke)       Two Three books we can't wait for you to read (32:54):   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410804071l/21487659.jpg)     (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413130075l/21487660.jpg)     (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1411335340l/20819683.jpg) Michael continues his journey into mindfulness and meditation with two recommendations (he justifies it because they are small):  Sit Like A Buddha by Lodro Rinzler and Mindfulness on the Go by Jan Chozen Bays. My recommendation this week is Family Furnishings: Selected Stories, 1995-2014  by Alice Munro, a collection of 24 selected stories from Munro's past six collections.  

Getting ready for the holidays. Ambiguous and unresolved ending. We recommend The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore, and The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber. The Holidays are Here! Ann and I spent much of last week traveling ar...

This week we catch up on questions from our inbox. Have a question for us? Use our Google Form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ZvVSya--Ur1cM_251OfPiafFHpyidI5XLzkfRZE0Bg0/viewform) to ask. But first... (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (10:25) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9781483033303.jpg)   The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson, narrated by the four different readers,  is my pick for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook)       Questions and Answers Jeffrey asks when the next book in Justin Cronin's trilogy that started with The Passage (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6690798-the-passage) would be coming out. There's no announced date yet, but we'll let you know as soon as we can. Jeffrey also asked for recommendations of other books that he might enjoy, either similar to Justin Cronin,  The Strain (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6065215-the-strain?from_search=true) series by Guillermo del Torro and Chuck Hogan, Victor LaValle's The Devil in Silver (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13030260-the-devil-in-silver?from_search=true), or young adult dystopian. Michael and I came up with the following: * The Last Werewolf (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9532302-the-last-werewolf?from_search=true) by Glenn Duncan and other books in the trilogy. * Anne Rice's Interview With a Vampire (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43763.Interview_with_the_Vampire?from_search=true) and the other books in the series. * World War Z (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8908.World_War_Z?from_search=true) by Max Brooks * Zone One (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10365343-zone-one?from_search=true) by Colson Whitehead * The Maze Runner (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6186357-the-maze-runner?from_search=true) series by James Dashner * Feed (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/169756.Feed?from_search=true) by M.T. Anderson * Red Rising (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15839976-red-rising?from_search=true) by Pierce Brown We know there are many, many more recommendations for Jeffrey out there. Have some? Leave them in the comments so that he can see. Thanks!   Other questions asked include: * Have we ever recommended books that we haven't quite finished and then been disappointed in the ending? * Is there such a thing as a "book hangover?" (Yes, and for some strategies to get over it, see BOTNS episode #209 (http://booksonthenightstand.com/2012/12/botns-209-how-to-break-a-reading-slump.html).) * What are some ways to read and understand short stories? * Is it helpful to read an author's books in the order that he or she wrote them, in order to better get to know the author? * How do you ensure that you accurately rate a book? Do you go back and adjust if your feelings change over time? * What is the value of introductions, and if they contain spoilerish information, why are they printed at the beginning of the book? * How do you read a graphic novel? What do the images provide that the text does not? (Check out this pdf from Getgraphic.org (http://www.getgraphic.org/): http://www.getgraphic.org/resources/HowtoReadaGraphicNovel.pdf). In answering this question, Michael recommends Shaun Tan's The Arrival (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/920607.The_Arrival?from_search=true), which is a graphic novel with no words.    

Creepy book recommendations for October. Hardcovers and paperbacks. And we love Some Luck by Jane Smiley and Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. Note: Apologies to those on our mailing list who received an e-mail containing several podcasts. It was a glitch that shouldn't be repeated. Creepy Reads for October Emily from Los Angeles, asked, back in September (sorry for the delayed response!), for a creepy read for her book club to read in October. Here are some suggestions for books we loved and a book I'm planning to read in October:(https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1287589949l/9542538.jpg)   * The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson * The Woman in Black by Susan Hill * The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon * The Tooth Fairy by Graham Joyce * World War Z by Max Brooks * Fragment by Warren Fahy   (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (10:25) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9781490657585.jpg)Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty, narrated by the author,  is my pick for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook)   Hardcover, Paperback, When Does It Matter? (15:14) This week, we have a discussion about the differences in hardcovers and paperbacks. Last week I referred to a book as a "trade paperback original." That means a book that was published first as a paperback; something that didn't have a hardcover release. Trade paperbacks are the larger size of paperbacks, and tend to be of a higher physical quality than mass market paperbacks which are the smaller paperbacks you're likely to find at a supermarket or newsstand. There are many promotional reasons for publishers to choose to do a book as a paperback original, and recent statistics from the Nielsen company show that paperbacks still outsell hardcovers, and we can point to several book success stories that can possibly be attributed to the fact that they were released as paper originals.   Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read (30:14) (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413128987l/20587777.jpg)     (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394487223l/18816603.jpg) Ann recommends Jane Smiley's Some Luck, the first in a trilogy that will cover 100 years in the Langdon family of Denby, Iowa. This book spans 1920-1953 (each chapter covers one year) and features the voices of several of the family members. Jodi Picoult's new book Leaving Time was the first of hers that I've read, but it certainly won't be the last. The story of thirteen-year-old Jenna Metcalf and her search for her missing mother is wonderful on its own, but is enhanced even more by all of the incredible background on elephant emotions, specifically grief. For further non-fiction reading on elephant emotions, check out When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, and Elephant Memories by Cynthia Moss.

Coming-of-age novels for adults; October is National Reading Group Month, a new mystery, and a new Lee Child novel!  Coming of Age Books, when you've already come of age Anne Valente wrote an article for the Huffington Post entitled 10 Essential Coming-of-Age Novels for Adults (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-valente/10-essential-comingofage-_b_5909846.html). Michael was struck by the fact that they were all contemporary novels. We have a discussion about what makes a novel a "coming-of-age" novel, and why they might appeal to adult readers.   (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (09:31) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9781442372474.jpg) Afterworlds (http://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/afterworlds/218417)by Scott Westerfeld, narrated by Sheetal Sheth and Heather Lind is my pick for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook)         October is National Reading Group Month (13:48) The Women's National Book Associate (http://www.wnba-books.org/) has dubbed October "National Reading Group Month (http://www.nationalreadinggroupmonth.org/index.html)," to honor, thank, and draw attention to reading groups around the US. Many local chapters of the WNBA program special events around National Reading Group month, and they publish a list of  "Great Group Reads. (http://www.nationalreadinggroupmonth.org/ggr_selections.html)" At Books on the Nightstand, we are big fans of "shared reading,' and we explore some other forms beyond reading groups in this discussion.    Two books we can't wait for you to read (25:38)   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395001548l/20758175.jpg)     (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393296855l/19186417.jpg)   Michael talks about The Life We Bury by Alan Eskens, a mystery that goes on sale October 14th. The main character is assigned to interview someone for an English class, and ends up talking to a dying man who has been released from prison on compassionate leave. My pick this week is Lee Child's Personal (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19186417-personal), which is the 19th book in Child's Jack Reacher series. Despite the long-running success of this series, Lee Child is still innovating -- this book is a bit of a departure from other Reacher novels, including its London setting.

Booktopia 2015 announcements, Many graphic novel recommendations, and a new segment, "Don't You Forget About Me." It's our 300th episode! We can hardly believe it ourselves. Booktopia 2015! Finally, the announcement so many of you have been waiting for... Booktopia 2015 dates and places: * May 1-2     Manchester, VT with Northshire Bookstore (http://northshire.com/) * September 21-22     Petoskey, MI with McLean & Eakin Booksellers (http://www.mcleanandeakin.com/) A few notes about those dates. You'll notice these Booktopia events only span 2 days, not the usual 3. Right now, these are the days we are sure there will be programming. For Vermont, events may be added on April 30 and May 3. For Petoskey, events may be added on September 20. Also, you'll notice Booktopia Petoskey runs on a Monday and a Tuesday. This was done to dramatically reduce the hotel prices we secured for Booktopia guests. Registration for both of these events will occur early in 2015. Be sure to join the Booktopia mailing list (http://booksonthenightstand.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8333a0f98c97441e276db0914&id=8e60f4559f) to find out when those dates will be. And now, the bad news: Our two Booktopia events in 2015 will be the final Booktopia events for the foreseeable future. We do hope that some of you out there will continue to gather together to talk and celebrate books, and we'd love to see book stores adopt the model of bookish weekends featuring multiple authors. But, for us, the simple fact is that there aren't enough hours in the day. That's the short answer; please listen to the podcast for our full discussion of why we're ending Booktopia. (http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (12:25) (http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9781442369993.jpg)We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas, narrated by Mare Winningham,  is my pick for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week. Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand. Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 40,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook)   A Whole Mess of Graphic Novels (16:15) (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396228594l/19288089.jpg)   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404486023l/20726481.jpg)   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404606845l/20906789.jpg)   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386983960l/18594409.jpg) I seem to have read a ton of graphic novels over the past few months (and will be reading more because of the Coursera course (https://class.coursera.org/comics-002) I'm taking). Here are some of the titles I've loved recently. The first and last titles are perfect for people who haven't graphic novels before. * Shoplifter by Michael Cho * Manifest Destiny Vol. 1: Flora and Fauna by Chris Dingess, Matthew Roberts, and Owen Gieni * Trillium by Jeff Lemire * Letter 44 Vol 1: Escape Velocity by Charles Soule and Alberto Alburquerque * The Superior Spider-Man by Dan Slott * Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast Don't You Forget About Me (31:17) It's the debut of a new, monthly segment where we look back, sometimes way back, at books that have been out for awhile, what in the industry is termed "backlist." Once a month, we'll each highlight a book we love that you might have missed the first time around, or might have completely forgotten about. (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388256626l/40024.jpg)  (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388864272l/367337.jpg) I recommend The Alienist by Caleb Carr. These days, historical thrillers with real-life figures of the past solving mysteries seem a dime a dozen. But,