Community Reading Program

One of the last titles we’re highlighting is “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr. Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, this ambitious and beautiful novel weaves the stories of a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths finally collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

The reader writes “It was a captivating fictional story about a young blind girl (Marie-Laure) whose father built a model of buildings for their neighborhood for her to memorize by touching order for her to find her way. When she is 12, they flee their home as Nazis occupy Paris. Her path crosses with a German orphan whose talent wins him a place at a academy for Hitler Youth. Their paths cross as they try to survive the devastation of World War II in France.”

See other readers’ nominations for One Read 2018.

Though the nomination period has ended, throughout the month of December we are continuing to highlight a few of the many books nominated for One Read 2018.

“Mudbound” By Hillary Jordan has recently been adapted into a movie, and so it’s no surprise to see it has been nominated this year. The nominator writes that “Mudbound” is “a beautifully layered story that explores the relationship between two families, one white and one black in post-WWII Mississippi. The story captures (not surprisingly) the racism of the day, but also looks at how the war lead to changing world views that helped usher in changes to the racial divide in the country. The story is ultimately a fascinating portrait of friendship, family relationships and betrayal as experienced by the novel’s various characters. It was also a compelling read that was hard to put down.”

See other readers’ nominations for One Read 2018.

Today is the final day the Daniel Boone Regional Library will be accepting nominations for the 2018 One Read book! Make your suggestion at any of our branches, on the bookmobile or online.

In January, a reading panel will consider all of the books nominated. In the meantime, we are highlighting some of your suggestions here at oneread.org.

Often, books that take place in or around Missouri are nominated for One Read. This trend continues with “Days Without End.” The local nominator states: “This is a gorgeous and heartbreaking novel, set partially in Missouri during the American Civil War. The narrator is an Irishman with an unforgettable narrative voice, who offers an important perspective on American immigrant experiences.”

What one book tells a story you think the whole community should know and discuss? Today is your final chance to let us know!

We continue to share some of the books nominated by local readers for One Read 2017.

Books that have ties to Missouri are often suggested for our community-wide reading program, but occasionally some are sneaky in that their relationship to our state is not immediately apparent. “Mrs. Hemingway” by Naomi Wood is one such novel.

The story of Ernest Hemingway is interesting, but perhaps not quite as interesting as his four wives. As the nominator explains, “the narrative is told in the voices of the four wives, and the settings include the United States, Europe and the Caribbean.” With one wife having been a St. Louis native, another wife a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and a son having been born in Kansas City, Hemingway did seem to have an unusual number of Missouri connections.

Remember to take a look at some of the other titles nominated for One Read 2017.