Nancy Pearl on NPR
Librarian Nancy Pearl appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition today to offer six “under-the-radar” reading suggestions.
She recommends one of her “all-time favorite novels,” Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie (HMH/Mariner Books; OverDrive Sample, 2005), a story of mothers and daughters and of political persecution in Pakistan, adding “More people need to read this remarkable Pakistani author,” who lives in England, and has written six novels and one book of nonfiction.
Pearl also suggests the first in a spy series that she says gets better with each book in the run: Slow Horses, Mick Herron (PRH/Soho Crime; Blackstone Audio; OverDrive Sample), saying she loves the characters and that “It’s just great fun.”
She also mentions two titles which are recent discoveries:
Revolver, Duane Swierczynski (Hachette/Mulholland Books; Hachette Audio; OverDrive Sample) –“This is the first novel I’ve read by [him] and as soon as I finished it I went back and read three more.”
A Twist of the Knife, Becky Masterman (Macmillan/ Minotaur) — This one is set to be published in March. “The main character is a woman named Brigid Quinn, who is a former FBI agent now retired. Brigid is 60. I love that. When have we last seen the hero of a thriller age 60?”
The final two suggestions, not included in the on air discussion, are:
Please Do Not Disturb, Robert Glancy Bloomsbury USA (Macmillan/ Bloomsbury USA; OverDrive Sample)
The Turner House, Angela Flournoy (HMH/Mariner Books; Blackstone Audio; OverDrive Sample).