Julian Barnes was awarded the Man Booker prize this week for his recent short novel, The Sense of an Ending. Reviews of the book include key words like "compelling", "memorable" and "dexterously crafted".
Barnes is well known in Britain, and has made the Booker short list three times in the past. He was the front runner going into the final days of the Booker, a prize awarded to British authors and authors from the Commonwealth. Usually considered one of the more prestigious literary awards, the Booker prize wasn't without it's own controversy this year. Critics complained that the short list was less literary in an effort to be more accessible and reward popular titles.
Can a book be accessible and popular while also being literary? Color me intrigued - I've just added this to my to-read list.
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What if everyone in our local community all read and discussed the same book? This year we read the excellent 
Part of offering library services is asking for, listening and responding to feedback from the community. One comment we hear often is that the wait is long for the new and popular materials.
I admit to being a streaky reader and will often go through several books on the same subject over the course of a month or so. While not as exotic as reading books about bananas (What? Not exotic either? Well you get the point), I have lately been reading some excellent literary fiction.
Both a British comedy of errors and a sweet love story, 
It's hard to believe we will soon be entering the dog days of August. And speaking of dogs, our book for discussion this month features a lab-terrier mix, the very lovable Enzo, who does all that he can to pull a family together during a custody battle. And what can be more interesting than a philosophical dog? In The Art of Racing in the Rain Enzo is sure that next time around, he will return as a human being. But is he already human enough? Come join Elizabeth next Sunday in discussing this wonderful dog and his great love for his family.
14 years ago, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was published in the United States. Kids who started reading that book in elementary school are now onto college, or have even graduated from college. So Harry Potter and his wizardly friends mark the end of an era on Friday, with the opening of the final film.
The 2011