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 Ken Keseys One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the classic novel inspired by the author's own observations of mental ward patients, was first published on February 1, 1962. Fifty years later, the issues presented in the book have proven timeless. Set in an Oregon asylum, it tells the story of Randle Patrick McMurphy, sent to the ward in lieu of prison camp, who rallies the other patients and rattles those in charge. The book did plenty of rattling back in 1962, when it became a defining text in the 1960s rebellion against authority. An anniversary edition of Kesey's novel has been released, but the best way to honor One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is simply by rereading it, or reading it for the first time if you've only seen the movie.
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 Black History Month is an appropriate time to explore the works of notable African-American writers, among them the award-winning author Toni Morrison. While working as an editor for Random House during the 60s and 70s, Morrison helped to promote Black literature and authors prior to publishing her first novel, The Bluest Eye, in 1970. Her novel Beloved, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988, tells the story of a slave who found freedom but killed her infant daughter to save her from a life of slavery. Another Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (1984) is Edward P. Jones' novel, The Known World, about a Black slaveholder in the antebellum South. The next generation of African-American novelists includes Colson Whitehead and ZZ Packer. Certainly, accolades must go to Oprah Winfrey whose selection of many of these writer's works as Oprah's Book Club titles helped them reach deep into mainstream America's reading lists. Find many of the best known authors and titles on this Black History Month reading list.
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 The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) announced the winners of the 2012 Pacific Northwest Book Awards earlier this month. Congratulations to Patrick deWitt (The Sisters Brothers), Jonathan Evison (West of Here), Thor Hanson (Feathers), Ismet Prcic (Shards), Craig Thompson (Habibi) and Lidia Yuknavitch (The Chronology of Water)! An awards committee of nine indie booksellers selected these titles from nearly 300 submitted books, which they winnowed to a shortlist in November. Read the original essays by winning authors on the PNBA NW Voices blog. I'd love to see the Coen brothers bring the gritty, philosophical Sisters Brothers to the big screen; West of Here is a love song to the beauty of the Olympic Peninsula and its people; and Habibi left me speechless at times and with a desire to learn Arabic. The others are on my request list - won't you join me in reading and honoring these authors?
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 Each year, a committee of librarians representing the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) select ten books published for adults in the previous year that hold special appeal for teens 12 to 18 years of age. These books tend to be real winners for adults, too, so be sure to check out this year's list, just announced on Monday (1/23/12). The settings in this year's stories range from rural New Hampshire to the robot apocalypse to Katrina-ravaged Mississippi to a magical circus. "The Alex Award winners are as diverse and eclectic as the teens who will read them,” said Karen Keys, chair of the 2012 Alex Awards Committee.
Here are the winners from the past several years, linked to the catalog for ease of requesting - enjoy!
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During the month of November 2011, members of the goodreads.com website had three opportunities to vote for their favorite books of the year, eventually whittling the selections down to the book with most votes in 22 different categories. In addition to many adult fiction and nonfiction categories, they also chose "best of" in teen and children's literature. Reserve winners in the library catalog or visit Goodreads for more information.
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Hey! I'm Lisa G - your guide to "What Do I Read Next?". Look around this page to find ideas for your next read. Many of our lists are hand-selected and linked to the catalog, making it easy to place requests. Have a blast!
