If you are waiting for your copy of John Grisham's The Appeal, you might enjoy watching Bill Moyers interview with John Grisham on the January 25 edition of Bill Moyers Journal. Grisham talked about The Appeal, his nonfiction bestseller The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, the autobiographical novel A Painted House, the gift of Southern storytellers, his Baptist faith, and social justice.

You can watch this fascinating interview from your computer free, courtesy of PBS. Click on this link to January 25 Bill Moyers Journal to watch the 25 minute interview. Visit Bill Moyers Journal web site to read about other viewing, listening, or transcript options, and/or visit the Official John Grisham web site for all things Grisham.

JHL

I recently discovered the free videos offered through Borders Book Club online. The latest selection is Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea, one of my favorite reads in 2007. The online discussion of the book features Mortenson talking about his experiences building schools in Pakistan.

Other titles featured on Borders Book Club include Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, Loving Frank by Nancy Horan, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Why check out the Borders Book Club? For each book there are a number of video interview segments. You can watch all of the segments at once or as you get to them. This book club offers a more in-depth author interview than what you might see on a TV talk show. Check it out and decide for yourself.

JHL

Nancy Pearl is a nationally recognized librarian, best-selling author, and frequent contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition. Based on her knowledge of books and love for reading, her suggestions for titles to try have been very popular, resulting in several books and even a "Librarian Action Figure" modeled in her likeness. As Director of Library Programming and the Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library, her project entitled "If All Seattle Read the Same Book,” has been imitated by libraries throughout the world.

Now, each month you can explore twelve different titles recommended by Nancy for your reading pleasure by visiting Pearl's Picks. Her picks will include classics, new titles, and some you just may have missed. Look for the link each month on our Recommended Reading page. And as always, we'd be interested in your feedback about this new online database from your Readers Services Department.

While surviving the latest arctic blast I was reminded how wonderful it was to sit and knit the hours away under a toasty blanket. Indeed, many of you must feel the same way, given the veritable knitting revolution taking place. This is well represented by the numbers of new knitting books coming in each month. Many are well-illustrated to encourage the newest knitter with simple projects, while others feature designs so intricate most of us can only admire them from afar.Kaffe Knits Again: 24 Original Designs Updated for Today's Knitters by Kaffe Fassett falls into this second category. Some titles tackle the special relationship between spirituality and knitting such as The Knitting Way: A Guide to Spiritual Self-Discovery or Compassionate Knitting: Finding Basic Goodness in the Work of Our Hands Whatever your level of interest or ability, do come check some of these titles out. Are you especially proud of a project you completed using one of our books? Let us know. Even fiction books are affected by this new found passion for knitting, and these anyone can enjoy. The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber appeared in 2004, and now there are 2 more titles in this popular series. The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood features knitting as grief therapy. And last year Kate Jackson's The Friday Night Knitting Club entered the field. All of these are heartwarming books celebrating women's friendships.

TS

Fiction:

The Reluctant Fundamentalist Mohsin Jamid
Great novel for discussion groups ~ Princeton educated Pakistani (Changez) has embraced American culture ~ Though a highly successful business man, he finds himself under intense scrutiny in the wake of 9/11 ~ Honest and thoughtful portrayal of his heartbreak and disillusionment.

Odd Thomas Dean R. Koontz
Compelling tale about a short-order cook who is able to see the dead and realizes something evil is gathering in his small town ~ Written as a first-person "memoir" of events, it is filled with tension and an unexpected twist at the end.

Iron Lake William Kent Krueger
First title in the ex-sheriff Cork O'Connor series ~ Cork's Irish and Native American roots add to the richness of his character ~ Also a powerful and beautiful portrayal of the Lake Superior woodlands.

Hood Steve Lawhead
Interesting Celtic lore with an unusual slant on the Robin Hood theme ~ Story's plotline is laborious and uneven in tone ~ First in the new King Raven Trilogy.

Out Stealing Horses Per Peterson
Trond Sandler has lived a life of self-imposed exile in a small cabin in Norway ~ Slow paced narrative blends a tragic past event with present needs in this highly reviewed, bleak story ~ Reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy.

Last Bite Nancy Barr Verde
Verde was Julia Child's executive chef and culinary producer for Good Morning America ~ A light, humorous story with a touch of romance set in the world of culinary arts.

Nonfiction:

Enrique's Journey Sonia Nazario
305.2308968 NAZ
Heart-rending story of a child's journey(by riding the rails) from Honduras to the United States in search of his mother. The horrors Enrique endures as well as a discussion of immigration issues are painfully revealed in this Pulitzer Prize winning Los Angeles Times series.

The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century Alex Ross
780.904 ROS
Ross explores the cultural, political world of sound from pre-World War I Vienna to New York in the sixties and seventies ~ Information is presented in interesting snippets with some fascinating facts about the music world's diverse personalities ~ A highly readable treat for all.

Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the World Anthony Doerr
813.54 DOE
Year-long chronicle of Doerr's life with his wife and newborn twins while a Fellow at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in Rome ~ Memorable passages about New and Old Rome and first-time parenting are lovingly portrayed. Interesting, especially for those who have already visited the Eternal City.

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story Diane Ackerman
940.5318 ACK
Using the diary of Antonian Zabinski and other historical sources, Diane Ackerman explores the world of the "zookeeper's wife" who sheltered and saved over three hundred people from the Warsaw ghetto during World War II ~ Ackerman is a scientist, and her recognition of the beauty and savagery of nature set in juxtaposition to the horrors of Hitler's regime is powerfully revealed.

MC