It is our heartfelt pleasure to announce that News of the World by Paulette Jiles has been voted by public librarians as the #1 LibraryReads pick for October!
News of the World is a stunning work of historical fiction that follows an aging war veteran whose solitary existence traveling post-Civil War Texas reading news to the people is interrupted when he takes a job transporting an orphaned girl across Texas to her adoptive aunt and uncle. Beautiful, sparse, and heart-wrenching, this a book that will stick with you long after the last page. Just check out some of the librarian praise:
"My respect for Paulette Jiles grows with every novel she writes, and News of the World is her best work yet… She writes with great clarity, understanding, and a forgiving heart."
— Nancy Pearl, librarian, bestselling author, literary critic
"News of the World has everything. Stupendous writing, characters that get under your skin and burrow deep into your heart, great pacing, and an ending that makes you cry with joy and relief…. I feel sorry for the book I read next. News of the World is a hard act to follow."
— Janet Lockhart, Wake County Public Library, Raleigh, NC
"The language is lyrical and spare and wonderfully evocative, so that by the end of the book, readers will have a hard time returning to the contemporary world. Surely one of the best books of the year."
— Vicki Nesting, Assistant Director, St. Charles Parish Public Library
News of the World goes on sale October 4th. Download the egalley from Edelweiss here.
If you voted, thank you so much for the support you've shown this book. If you didn't vote, please visit LibraryReads.org for more details on this wonderful program! The deadline for the November list is September 20th.
-Chris