Nancy Pearl
Nancy Pearl is a regular commentator about books on NPR's Morning Edition and NPR affiliate stations KUOW in Seattle and KWGS in Tulsa.
The New York Times calls her "the talk of librarian circles." Readers can't get enough of her recommendations while bookstores and libraries offer standing room only whenever she visits. Since the release of the best-selling Book Lust in 2003 and the Librarian Action Figure modeled in her likeness, Nancy Pearl has become a rock star among readers and the tastemaker people turn to when deciding what to read next.
Having worked as a librarian and bookseller in Detroit, Tulsa, and Seattle, Pearl's knowledge of and love for books is unmatched. In 1998, she developed the program "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book," which spread across the country. The former Executive Director of the Washington Center for the Book, Pearl celebrates the written word by speaking at bookstores and libraries across the country and on her monthly television program Book Lust with Nancy Pearl on the Seattle Channel.
In 2004, Pearl became the 50th winner of the Women's National Book Association Award for her extraordinary contribution to the world of books. In the moments when Pearl finds herself without a book, she is an avid bicyclist and happy grandmother of two. She lives in Seattle with her husband Joe.
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History buffs are accustomed to their favorite books having a certain heft to them. But the trend of micro-histories, books that explore specific subjects in depth, is changing that. Librarian Nancy Pearl lists her favorites. -
For a secretive industry, the business of espionage is one many readers feel they understand — especially if they happen to be fans of spy thrillers. Nancy Pearl, a Seattle librarian and author, offers a list of her favorites. -
Librarian Nancy Pearl gets a jump on the winter solstice and Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD), that period of the year when many readers fall into a rut of ill humor. She shares her picks for books that beat the winter-weather blues with NPR's Steve Inskeep. -
You can't judge a book by its cover, but librarian Nancy Pearl thinks the first line can tell you a lot. Pearl shares some of her favorite literary opening lines with NPR's Steve Inskeep. -
Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl offers some summer reading recommendations, with the proviso that they're not exactly literature. Hear Pearl and NPR's Steve Inskeep. -
To prepare us for the long election season ahead, librarian Nancy Pearl has compiled a list of reading material for people who are interested in politics, but disgusted with today's political rhetoric. She discusses her suggestions with NPR's Steve Inskeep.
