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Friday, April 5, 2013

Book Clubs: We Want Your Recommendations

Tell us what you're reading right now using this nifty form on Patch!

As part of our ongoing Patch Reads program, we are actively seeking input from you on what you are reading right now. Fill out this form and tell us what you and your book clubs are reading and why. Then we'll share it with others so that we can all benefit from your book club recommendations. 

Monday, March 25, 2013

Narrative Nonfiction: Five Must-Read Stories

Harrowing plane crashes, a true Bronx tale and more.

Nothing is as satisfying to me as reading a well-written, compelling true story. Which is why I love narrative nonfiction.  The genre reads like fiction — it has plot, character development, scene-setting, conflict — but it's all true. Sometimes the best stories are not the ones we make up, but the ones that make up our lives. Below, in no particular order, is a list of five of my favorite narrative nonfiction books. If you're looking for a good read, I encourage you to check out any on this list. You just may have a hard time putting these titles down.    1. Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand At times, the tale of Olympic runner and World War II prisoner of war Louis Zamperini seems ripped from the set of an adventure or war movie. But …

Saturday, February 23, 2013

What's On Your 'Must Read' List?

Here are some of the hottest books flying off bookstore shelves this month.

  What's on your "must read" list? For all you voracious readers out there, here's a look at some of the hottest books of February, according Barnes & Noble.  "Inferno," by Dan Brown: This book doesn't even hit the shelves for three more months, but pre-orders make it one of the hottest books right now. Brown, of "Da Vinci Code" fame, will likely have another movie deal on his hands: About the book: In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces…Dante’s Inferno. Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, …

Monday, January 28, 2013

Classic Books to Share with Your Children for Valentine's Day

From Charlotte's Web to Where the Wild Things Are, share these classic books with your children and encourage their love for reading.

  “Where’s Pa Going with that Axe?” The Enduring Quality of Children’s Classics By Anita Silvey Courtesy of James Patterson's Read Kiddo Read Foundation The opening line of E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web— “Where’s Pa going with that axe?”—has now been read by adults to eager young listeners for more than 60 years. Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy Day have been picked up with enthusiasm for more than 50 years. For 75 years, parents have shared The Hobbit, and this year Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are turns 50. These books and others like them (Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Virginia Lee Burton’s Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables) bring …

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Preview This Winter's Hottest Books

Bestselling authors Sue Grafton, Jodi Picoult and more are releasing books this winter.

  It might be chilly out, but book publishing is red hot right now. Several favorite bestselling authors are releasing books early in 2013. What are some of the most anticipated?

Monday, December 24, 2012

The 12 Best Children's Books of 2012

A list of the best children's books of 2012, from James Patterson's ReadKiddoRead Foundation.

Courtesy of the ReadKiddoRead Foundation: Maurice Sendak once said that one of the best things about being a maker of children’s books was that his audience kept being born. It’s true, of course: The great books from years past are brand new to today’s children and teens. But let’s take a moment at year’s end to recognize the books being published now for our young people. Here’s a quick roundup of a dozen highlights of 2012. (For more, visit ReadKiddoRead.com and check out our reviews.) Great Illustrated Books (Ages 2-5) Llama Llama Time to Share By Anna Dewdney For ages 2-5 When the doorbell rings, Mama Llama welcomes the neighbors – the Gnus. While Mama and Nelly have tea, their two toddlers are left with a boxful of toys to play with …

Saturday, December 22, 2012

What was the Best Book You Read this Year?

It's that time of year: The internet is littered with best books lists for 2012. But why let critics and publishers get the last word? What was your favorite book this year?

It's December, which is the unofficial "taking stock" month of the Internet. And one of the Internet's favorite year-end topics focuses on the best book of 2012. There are plenty of takes to choose from, like the newsy list, the most-purchased list, the best-as-voted-by-social-media-users list, the traditional list, the contrarian publication's list. We could go on. But now it's time to hear from you. What was the best book you read in 2012? And best, of course, is subjective. It can mean your favorite, the one you thought was crafted best, the one you thought was most thought-provoking. Or fun. Or important. It's up to you. Got a favorite book you read in 2012? Use the comments section below to tell us what it was and why you loved it.

Michael Fleming

10:05 pm on Saturday, December 22, 2012

"A Short History of Just About Everything" by Bill Bryson. Fantastic.   more ›

Thursday, November 29, 2012

J.K. Rowling's 'The Casual Vacancy' Turns 'Harry Potter' on its Head

The famed author takes an unflinching look at British society in her first novel for adults.

  The Harry Potter series famously opens with a chapter called "The Boy Who Lived," which any of J.K. Rowling's millions of fans would tell you refers to Harry's miraculous survival after the dark wizard Voldemort attacked and killed his parents. In Rowling's new novel for adults, the first chapter could easily be titled "The Man Who Died," since the entire novel subsequently revolves around the death of the one fairly likable character. Just as Harry's status as a miraculous survivor gives him an elevated position in the fantasy series, Barry Fairbrother's status as a revered corpse reverberates through "The Casual Vacancy." The premise of "The Casual Vacancy" is that one man's death sets into motion a series of escalating events in a …

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The 2012 Holiday Book List

Books make great holiday gifts. Give your loved ones these books as stocking stuffers this holiday season.

  When you give a child or a teen a book, you are creating a memory that will last a lifetime. What’s more, reading offers so many options. Are you trying to find a book for an early reader? Choose a picture book or a Great Beginner Read from the list below. Does your grandchild love nonfiction? Take a look at the Great Family Reads section. Has your niece read every book known to man? There are some brand new books on this list that she may not have seen yet. Do you struggle to find just the right book to entice your child to read? These selections are sure kid-pleasers that will meet any interest. The ReadKiddoRead holiday gift list has something for everyone: realistic fiction, science fiction, and nonfiction; animal stories, mythology …

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Scare Your Kids Into Reading with These Books for Halloween

Check out ReadKiddoRead's list of the best Halloween books for kids.

All of us — adults, teens and children — enjoy a scary chill.  What better time of year than Halloween to indulge in stories that make our spines tingle?  It's the perfect time for your family to share some spooky stories each evening. To get you started, here are some Halloween books filled with ghosts and ghouls, wizards and witches, haunted houses and black magic that everyone can enjoy together.  PICTURE BOOKS for ages 2-6 The youngest children love the fun of Halloween: costumes, trick-or-treating and gentle tales of ghosts and goblins. Here are some books for this age group: GHOSTS IN THE HOUSE By Kazuno Kohara For ages 1-6 There are fuzzy pumpkin costumes in sizes as small as 6 months, so why not a Halloween board book for toddlers…

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