On this edition of ST, with the holiday season just around the corner, we check in with our longtime book reviewer, Nancy Pearl, for some page-turning, gift-giving tips. A well-known librarian -- now retired -- who began appearing on our show back when she lived in Tulsa in the early 1990s, Nancy is also a bestselling author, literary critic, and book editor. She is also a former Executive Director of the Washington Center for the Book in the Seattle Public Library, and she can sometimes be heard talking about books on NPR's Morning Edition. (She was also named the 2011 Librarian of the Year by Library Journal.) Nancy has the following books to recommend, all of which she describes in detail:
Ari Berman. "Give Us the Ballot"
Dale Russakow. "The Prize: Who's In Charge of America's Schools"
Mick Herron. "Nobody Walks"
Edward Carey. "Heap House" (and sequels)
Viet Thanh Nguyen. "The Sympathizer"
Carol Ryrie Brink. "The Highly Trained Dogs of Professor Petit"
Ruth Downie. "Tabula Rasa"
Lissa Evans. "Crooked Heart"
Rinker Buck. "The Oregon Trail"