We are rapidly heading into the gift-giving season, and books are always a great gift for your friends and family who are readers! The PBS Books Readers Club is an amazing place for you to get information on books to give to those you love this holiday season – or to find something to read for yourself!
Favorite Books of the Year
The PBS Book Readers Club will livestream its season finale, “Our Favorite Books of the Year,” on Monday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. Hosts Lauren Smith, Fred Nahhat, Princess Weeks and Heather-Marie Mantilla reminisce on the exciting first season of the PBS Books Readers Club and highlight the most incredible author moments and fascinating reads from the series this year that were heartfelt, funny and inspiring.
Plus, the hosts discuss their favorite book picks for 2024 – providing readers with an ultimate gift guide for the holiday season!
What is the PBS Books Readers Club?
The PBS Book Readers Club is a monthly, digital-first series that brings its members into conversations behind the stories of your favorite books and shows. You can watch the series on Facebook, YouTube or the PBS app with extended interviews available for PBS members on PBS Passport.
How to Become a PBS Books Readers Club Member
Become a PBS Books Readers Club member by signing up for the PBS Books e-newsletter and joining the PBS Books Readers Club Facebook Group. You’ll gain access to exclusive content from many of the world's greatest authors, be able to engage in discussions with other book club members, have an opportunity to share book suggestions and much more.
Your support Benefits Arkansas PBS
By making a qualifying donation of $120 to Arkansas PBS (or becoming a sustainer at an ongoing donation of $10 per month) you can receive a special code to download one of the featured e-books or audio books from the PBS Books Readers Club digital bookshelf at glose.com. You’ll also receive a set of PBS Books stickers to show off your love for reading and Arkansas PBS!
Digital Series Connects You to Today’s Top Authors
The “Readers Club” digital series gives readers in-depth conversations with some of today’s most prolific and thought-provoking authors and PBS personalities. New episodes release on the last Wednesday of every month on PBS Books Facebook, PBS Books YouTube Channel and in the PBS app on your smart TV or device! There will be extended interviews with your favorite authors available on Arkansas PBS Passport, the members-only section of the free PBS app.
Books and Episodes
Books, which have relation to current PBS shows, accompany each episode of the digital series. October’s book “The Marlow Murder Club,” by author, screenwriter and producer Robert Thorogood, has a “MASTERPIECE” adaptation on PBS.
“The Marlow Murder Club” follows the adventures of unlikely amateur sleuth Judith Potts, a 77-year-old crossword puzzle setter living happily on her own in the town of Marlow. When Potts witnesses a murder, she goes to the local police, but they don’t believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself along with two others who are known as the Marlow Murder Club.
Coming up Nov. 20, bestselling author and professor Walter Isaacson joins the PBS Books Readers Club to share his vision behind his biography of Leonard da Vinci and how research into the famous artist changed him.
The conversation continues as filmmaker Sarah Burns also joins the digital series to discuss “Leonardo da Vinci,” a new two-part, four-hour documentary directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon.
This book and many more have been featured monthly alongside a virtual library, reading lists, toolkits and webinars.
Catch up on episodes you missed!
- Episode 1, “Horse” with Geraldine Brooks
- Episode 2, “The Black Church” with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
- Episode 3, “Finding Margaret Fuller” with Allison Pataki
- Episode 4, “The Other Valley” with Scott Alexander Howard
- Episode 5, “Real Americans” by Rachel Khong
- Episode 6, “Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame” with Olivia Ford
- Episode 7, “James” with Percival Everett
- Episode 8, “The Hunter” with Tana French
- Episode 9, “The Cemetery of Untold Stories” with Julia Alvarez
- Episode 10, “The Marlow Murder Club” with Robert Thorogood
- Episode 11, "Leonardo da Vinci” with Walter Isaacson and Sarah Burns
- Episode 12, “Favorite Books of the Year”
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