@Nancy West I will check again my stacks. I receive a lot of books!

@Rolade Berthier the criteria is it has to be well written. The book must tell a story I have not heard before, or from a different perspective. My bar is set high. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee sets my standard. The books can be all genres except erotica as I have members and readers under age. I live to feature first time/ first author books, do note also books that may be regional books that have not been read by an International audience. And I must add I favor authors who participate in all we do. We are building a platform and bridges of understanding that in order to get an authors books read and read well, they must do the hard work. Millions and millions of books are being published and like all the arts, no matter how much you work on a book, you must have a following who will or has purchased your books. When my first publisher, Grand Central Publishing was chosen from a bidding war on my book, I received a five figure advance, a fully paid for month and a half book tour, and even got to take four of my book club members with me. I had nearly 1,000 book clubs running who were reading the books I selected. Times have certainly changed as we all met in person and I arranged for the authors to come visit my charter chapter, the largest membership or had them attend my live convention and authors cam from all over the country and beyond to attend. Covid changed all of that, we had to go online and readers lost interest. Authors did not as they all knew who I brought to the rooms and reading table. That has even all changed as a publisher who had dozens of editors is now down to one. You thing I get a thousand books a year is big how about thousands a day. Easier to win the lottery than get a book published. The tide is turning. Independent bookstores are on the rise. Here in East Texas I won the best Bookstore every year as it was just me and a few chain stores. No longer, we are having an East Texas Bookstore crawl with over a dozen bookstores. Like the ocean that ebbs and flows, we must stay the course. How in the world did a small town rural Kansas book deal, and be on my debut book panel with Lee Childs, Debbie MacCromber, and Adrian Trigiani, I worked with a stellar literary agent in New York and we together met with all the biggest house in person in New York City. I was in my 40’s and now at 70, I am still going as I never give up! If you read any book like Devon Rodriguez’s, “ Work in Progress” Memoir that will be again on my 2027 list. He found a way to get the followers and attention for readers in a very unique way. He is my favorite artist. What you will find is he got famous by drawing and painting people, every day people on subways and giving away his art. Now he gets commissions everyday from celebrities. Oprah loves him. His book is exactly the perfect book for anybody to read to be inspired to think outside of the box. His childhood and upbringing, he is a genius in my opinion! More later. Finishing up my 2027 list this week as I will officially announce in November before the holidays to get those holiday gift giving sales. I pick the books and the awards to for Best Books of the Year. Normally I let all members vote but I have not seen one review of any of the books I suggested or one true conversation or discussion on reading all our authors books. We all must participate in the readings to understand when those I select get to be my authors next. Every year at least six or more of my authors get book to film deals. Stay tuned as more will be announced!

@Tommy Ray I like to read books of stories that have not heard before, perhaps a different perspective. Example: I loved “ The Velveteen Rabbit as a child and author, Laurel Huber Davis wrote the non-fiction book, “The Velveteen Daughter” . The true story of author Margery Williams art prodigy daughter that gave the reading audience a whole new night to that story. I also loved Dr. Abraham Versgese’s fiction book, “The Covenant of Water” about a doctor in India, absolutely one of the best books I have read in my life. This coming years books are as I always say the best list I have ever done and it is, stay tuned.

@Tommy Ray mostly the books are sent to me by authors I have selected in the last 26 years. I read my authors books in the order they come in first then attack the slush pile. Paul Roberson has added a new way to get you up to the very top of the stack to read. You have no idea how many books I receive as I have been in the book promoting business all my life. You may not know me but they do in NewYork City and spoke as a Keynote at Book Expo and book festivals around the country and state library conventions. Read my book and you will understand.

@Fred Oliver give them your email like I’d and you can read it free! The Washington Post is a must read to me!

And I loved the article as a former President of my local chapter of Rotary International, we all worked very hard to irradiate polio. As a child I caught all the childhood diseases , measles, mumps, whooping cough but thanks to vaccines I never got small pox, diphtheria, or polio. I took all the Covid shots, get flu shots and never had Covid. My family and friends refused and some of them have now had Covid four times and many died. I did my homework. Read, read, read!

All books that I receive are read in order of receding them with authors who paid the author membership first. By the end of fall I make my official announcements for 2027. We all will be voting first for our favorite books of 2026 on our reading list towards the end of October so everybody get to reading and reviewing this years books. Onward and upward to getting all our author members books known! Reading today!

Hope you all will join our next live book club meeting the last Sunday of the month. Check Calendar of events..

Where do I go to view the full list Jim?