World Book Night U.S. Announces 2014 Book Picks

Giver application process opens

Following Wednesday night’s announcement of the titles for the April 23, 2014, celebration of World Book Night in the U.S., the application process has opened for those who would like to be part of the event’s army of 25,000 volunteer book givers.

The 35 World Book Night U.S. titles for 2014 were chosen by an independent panel of booksellers and librarians, with input from last year’s givers. The book announcement was presented as a video chat event by Shindig Productions.

“This year’s book selection is the most diverse ever, and we’ve increased the total number of picks this year to 35 in order to welcome in more authors and publishers,” said Carl Lennertz, World Book Night U.S. executive director. “We have our first graphic novel, our first university press pick, and the first Asian-American authors. As before, we have a book in English and Spanish, and two of the picks will also be available in Large Print editions. In early 2014, we will announce a proprietary e-book in partnership with e-book technology company Livrada, with original content that all givers can offer to everyone. We are in talks about a digital audio download, as well.”  

Lennertz also promised a dramatic increase in media coverage for the event, with local news coverage supplemented by a 150-plus market pro bono radio and TV campaign from Entertainment Marketing Group.

In other initiatives, World Book Night said that it would also seek more recipient feedback, introduce a digital aspect for the givers, and expand social media engagement to a year-round calendar. In addition, almost every WBN-pick author will participate in pre-WBN launch events on April 22, 2014.

World Book Night U.S. also announced United Parcel Services (UPS) as the official shipping sponsor.

The online application process for volunteer book givers continues through January 5, 2014. Applicants must state where and to whom they intend to give out their 20 WBN special paperbacks. Givers can sign up now on the WBN U.S. website.

The 35 World Book Night U.S. titles for 2014, alphabetical by author, are:

• The Zookeeper’s Wife, Diane Ackerman (W.W. Norton)
• Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain (Ecco)
• The Weird Sisters, Eleanor Brown (Berkley)
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky (Simon & Schuster)
• After the Funeral, Agatha Christie (William Morrow Paperbacks)
• The Ruins of Gorlan: Ranger’s Apprentice Book 1, John Flanagan (Puffin Books)
• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Jamie Ford (Ballantine Books)
• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet in Large Print (Thorndike/Gale; Cengage Learning)
• The Lighthouse Road, Peter Geye (Unbridled Books)
• The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay Books)
• Wait Till Next Year, Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster)
• Catch-22, Joseph Heller (Simon & Schuster)
• The Dog Stars, Peter Heller (Vintage)
• Hoot, Carl Hiaasen (Knopf)
• Pontoon: A Novel of Lake Wobegon, Garrison Keillor (Penguin Books)
• Same Difference, Derek Kirk Kim (First Second Books)
• Enchanted, Alethea Kontis (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
• Miss Darcy Falls in Love, Sharon Lathan (Sourcebooks)
• Bobcat and Other Stories, Rebecca Lee (Algonquin Books)
• Young Men and Fire, Norman Maclean (University of Chicago Press)
• Tales of the City, Armistead Maupin  (HarperPerennial)
• Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (New American Library)
• Sunrise Over Fallujah, Walter Dean Myers (Scholastic)
• Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson (HarperTrophy)
• The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan (Random House)
• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs (Quirk Books)
• When I Was Puerto Rican, Esmeralda Santiago (Da Capo)
• Cuando Era Puertorriqueña, Esmeralda Santiago (Vintage Español)
• Where’d You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple (Back Bay Books)
• Where’d You Go, Bernadette in Large Print (Thorndike/Gale; Cengage Learning)
• Wild, Cheryl Strayed (Vintage)
• Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (Grand Central Publishing)
• Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein (Disney Hyperion)
• This Boy’s Life, Tobias Wolff (Grove Atlantic)
• 100 Best-Loved Poems, Philip Smith, ed. (Dover)

Booksellers and librarians can download the list with ISBNs from the WBN website.