National Public Radio Program Sends Listeners to Bookstores

Public radio listeners are among the heaviest book buyers (according to a recent analysis by Mediamark Research), so when notable public radio personality Susan Stamberg hosts a segment devoted to bookseller picks for summer reading, stores can expect a significant response. Stamberg, who serves as a National Public Radio (NPR) special correspondent, periodically devotes segments on news programs to brief interviews with independent booksellers around the country. During the June 30 Morning Edition program, Stamberg hosted "Books for the Beach," and booksellers with Book Sense from the South, Midwest, and West were represented.

Lucia Silva, manager of Portrait of a Bookstore in Studio City, California; Jim Harris, owner of Prairie Lights in Iowa City, Iowa; and Rona Brinlee, owner of the Book Mark in Atlantic City, Florida, were asked to provide a single summer reading pick and describe it. The three were also asked to contribute several more titles to be posted on the NPR Web site (npr.org). All three top choices were also on recent Book Sense 76 lists, confirming Brinlee's comment to BTW that the 76 list reflects her customers' interests more than any other: "People are looking for it now and taking the recommendations very seriously."

Brinlee's choice -- The Clearing: A Novel, by Tim Gautreaux (Knopf), the story of two brothers, brought together after a long separation, in a remote logging camp in the Louisiana swamps -- was number one on the July/August 76 list. Brinlee told Stamberg, "It has got all the elements of good Southern literature: beautiful language, amazingly interesting characters and a strong sense of place, and that redemption at the end that's so important."

Prairie Lights' owner Jim Harris, who just celebrated the store's 25th anniversary, selected Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford (Scribners). "As honest as it can be," Harris informed listeners. "It has the sounds and tastes of the desert and what it's like being a marine." (To read about Prairie Lights' anniversary, click here.)

In Studio City, at Portrait of a Bookstore, manager Lucia Silva selected Haven Kimmel's The Solace of Leaving Early (Anchor Books), for "its lyrical prose," and "some of the fullest characters that I've read in a long time." (For a profile of Portrait of a Bookstore, click here.)

Brinlee told BTW that she looks forward to her appearances with Stamberg, "It's great, but I do need to prepare -- a rethinking about each book. I feel it's my responsibility to pick good southern literature -- fortunately that's not difficult…. The results are always wonderful -- sales go up, we hear from people all over the country who want to get the books. So many customers say 'I heard you on NPR.' Their audience is ours."

Stamberg is aware of the impact of these programs on reading and purchasing books. That's why she does them. She discussed her viewpoint with BTW via e-mail. "As a lifetime reader (and onetime English major!), I regularly do stories on good reading -- in advance of summer vacations and Christmas gift-giving. And I make it a habit to turn to independent booksellers for guidance. They have always read the books, have lively opinions on them, and are in touch with both the latest and the longest-lasting offerings. Unlike the big chain stores, they don't take out expensive ads to sell their wares. And they can't offer the mega-discounts the chains can. But they won my heart years ago for their genuine love of books, and the personal attention they bring to reading."

To listen to the "Books for the Beach" segment and to see the complete list of title selections, click here. --Nomi Schwartz