Books on the Nightstand, Episode 36 (20:12)

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The rumors are true! Books on the Nightstand is now a weekly podcast! Thanks to all of you who took our poll and asked for more BOTNS, not less. We listened and we’re delivering.

However, if we’re going to keep up a grueling weekly schedule, we’re going to need your help. Use our new voicemail number (209.867.READ) to call us with a question, a book recommendation or a comment. Put the number in your cell phone and call us from a bookstore or library to tell us about that great new book you just saw. You can also share your thoughts via e-mail: comments@booksonthenightstand.com.

Summer often means road trips and Ann has found a perfect one for booklovers to start planning for. The 2009 National Book Festival takes place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on September 26. There are 71 amazing authors attending and Ann and Michael really wish they could make it. If you do go, take pictures, post them to Flickr and tag them “botns” so we can feel like we’re there.

If your summer plans do include a road trip, be sure to get yourself a copy of The Little Road Trip Handbook. It’s filled with fun facts, helpful tips, music to play, books to read. It’s a fantastic little book that’s fun to read on its own. Author Erin McHugh gave Michael her personal playlist; the one she plays at her book signings. Michael created an iMix on iTunes, so check out this great list of songs! Ann and Michael also mention a few books, both fiction and non, that feature road trips.

Michael urges us “not to judge a book by its category.” He raves about When You Reach Me, which happens to be a young adult novel. It’s a book that can be enjoyed by adults and teens alike, and it features a wonderful protagonist named Miranda, who is never without her copy of A Wrinkle in Time. We all know Ann is a fan of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (evidence here and here). Finally, the sequel is out here in America, and, believe it or not, Ann thinks this one is “even better!”

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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:
The Little Road Trip Handbook by Erin McHugh, Sterling trade paperback
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, Wendy Lamb Books hardcover
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson, Knopf hardcover

(all information is for the U.S. editions).

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