Tag: Great American Read

Heroes voting bracket

Heroes

Voting for the Great Berryville Read continues this week with a new category!

Welcome to Bracket #2 – Great Berryville Read Heroes Edition. Next week on Tuesday, September 25th, the Great American Read episode about literary heroes will air.

This episode will focus on some of literature’s most memorable protagonists. We’ve assembled a bracket that requires you, gentle reader, to pick your favorites and decide which of these 16 books should advance to the next round of the Great Berryville Read voting.

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Exploring “Who am I” in Literature

Who am I bracket

Next Tuesday, September 18, the first of the themed Great American Read episodes will air. Titled “Who am I?” it focuses on books about self-identity and characters’ journeys. These themes are the classic catalysts of coming-of-age stories, which are admittedly one of my favorite genres. One of the ideas broached in the episode is that of reading a book at the right time.

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Who Am I? voting bracket

Who am I bracket

Voting for the Great Berryville Read starts today!

Welcome to Bracket #1 – Great Berryville Read Who Am I? Edition. Next week on Tuesday, September 18th, the Great American Read episode “Who am I?” will air. This episode will explore some of the books on the list that examine themes of identity and personal growth. We’ve assembled a bracket that requires you, gentle reader, to pick your favorites and decide which of these 16 books should advance to the next round of the Great Berryville Read voting.

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The Great American Read is Back!

TGBRcolor

We’re very excited that the Great American Read is coming back to PBS this month!

Just a quick recap: The Great American Read debuted back in May and introduced its quest to discover America’s favorite novel from a list of 100 books. People have had the summer to read and vote, and on Tuesday, September 11, the Great American Read will be back on PBS. In the weeks that follow, the show will feature episodes that explore themes in the books, including those of identity/personal growth, heroes, villains and monsters, love, and other worlds.

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Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

At the Berryville Library this summer, we’re all busy reading the books on the Great American Read list and pondering which ones we’ll vote for in the Great Berryville Read. When I mentioned the Great American Read to my friend and one of my former English professors Elise Bishop, she mentioned really enjoying A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Well, that was one I hadn’t read, so I was determined to make it one of my selections. I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed it! (Thanks again for the great suggestion, Mrs. B!)

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Great Berryville Read: Catalog Card Reviews

The 4th of July is upon us, and it’s a great chance to take some time to read one of the books on the Great American Read list and write a card catalog review for the library’s summer program and the Great Berryville Read Facebook page. 🙂

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Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove

lonesome-dove

We’ve been chatting a lot about our “first favorites” for the Great American Read and Great Berryville Read. Those are the first books on the list of 100 books that jump out at you as automatic favorites.

I had 3 instant picks, and the one I have been leaning toward the most is Larry McMurtry’s modern classic Western Lonesome Dove. I’ve discussed my love of Westerns before, but I really don’t think you can get much better than this one. (As far as Westerns go, the only thing that I think ties with it is possibly Ron Hansen’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, another personal favorite. But it didn’t make the list!)

Trying to summarize the plot doesn’t do this novel, which is rich in characters and themes, justice. But at its heart, it’s the story of two former Texas Rangers, bored and burnt out with retired life, setting off on a cattle drive from South Texas to Montana. Along the way, they encounter psychopathic killers, stampedes, storms, snakes, sorrow, and more.

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