Authors Ann Patchett and James Patterson have been named honorary national chairpeople for World Book Night U.S., which also announced the WBN 2013 U.S. book picks and opened the online application process for those wishing to become volunteer book givers next spring.
"In my experience, when people like what they are doing, they do more of it," said Patterson. "This is the genius of World Book Night--it gets people reading by connecting them with amazing, enjoyable books. I'm honored to be a part of it."
Patchett, who also owns Parnassus Books, Nashville, Tenn., observed: "I'm very proud to be a part of World Book Night. As both a writer and a bookseller, I'm all in favor of getting books into the hands of people who might not otherwise have access to them."
Regarding the book picks, WBN U.S. executive director Carl Lennertz said he was "over the moon with happiness that Jim and Ann have agreed to join our wonderful cause! I know that booksellers, librarians, and our volunteer book givers will be thrilled to have these two beloved authors support our reading and literacy effort in the United States in our second year."
The books were chosen by an independent panel of booksellers and librarians. Thousands of copies of each title will be printed as special, not-for-resale paperbacks. Lennertz noted that this is not meant to be "a best-books-of-all-time list; these are contemporary or classic books that appeal to a wide range of new readers. We looked for diversity and variety in all things: subject matter, age level, gender, as well as ethnic and geographic considerations. Last year's givers also got to nominate books. This is a beautiful mix with, I hope, some old friends and nice surprises! And we thank the authors, who have agreed to waive royalties on the World Book Night editions."
One notable title this year is a classic SF novel. The Ray Bradbury Estate told WBN organizers the because the late author "always encouraged and promoted reading books, his family is honored that Fahrenheit 451 will be part of such a wonderful event as World Book Night."
The 30 World Book Night U.S. titles for 2013, alphabetical by author, are:
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Anchor)
City of Thieves by David Benioff (Plume)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (S&S)
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (Plume)
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (Vintage)--also in Spanish
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperOne)--also in Spanish
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (Ballantine)
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan (Mariner)
Bossypants by Tina Fey (Reagan Arthur)
Still Alice by Lisa Genova (Gallery Books)
Looking for Alaska by John Green (Speak/Penguin)
Playing for Pizza by John Grisham (Dell)
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan (Algonquin)
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (Yearling)
Moneyball by Michael Lewis (Norton)
The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer (Hyperion)
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (Washington Square Press)
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Population: 485 by Michael Perry (HarperPerennial)
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (HarperTorch)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Disney)
Montana Sky by Nora Roberts (Jove/Penguin)
Look Again by Lisa Scottoline (St. Martin's)
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (Back Bay)
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (Anchor)
Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith (Tin House)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (Bloomsbury)
Favorite American Poems, large print edition (Dover)