It’s a pretty good and humbling day when you top a list that includes Primo Levi as an honorable mention:

http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2016/01/book-aron-novel-named-2016-sophie-brody-medal-achievement-jewish-literature

For those of you sick of seeing Jim Shepard without Karen…come celebrate The Common’s fifth anniversary with us and many, more interesting, others.

http://www.thecommononline.org/news/discovery-new-writers-new-places—-common-celebrates-5-years

Maybe the Carnegie Medal folks can teach the National Book Award folks a thing or two: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ala-unveils-shortlist-for-2016-andrew-carnegie-medals-for-excellence-in-fiction-and-nonfiction-300161427.html

http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-kirkus-prize-finalists-20150929-story.html

According to Jeff Goodell’s article on Obama in Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/obama-takes-on-climate-change-the-rolling-stone-interview-20150923), President Obama did some summer reading, and here’s what he said about Elizabeth Kolbert’s book: “One of the books I read during vacation was The Sixth Extinction, by Elizabeth Kolbert. And it’s a wonderful book, and it makes very clear that big, abrupt changes can happen; they’re not outside the realm of possibility. They have happened before, they can happen again.”

I always knew I loved librarians: http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/carnegieadult/longlists

For your listening pleasure: http://wlrn.org/post/asteemed-novelist-and-short-story-writer-jim-shepard

at the Literary Sojourn in Steamboat Springs, CO on Saturday October 10.  Sadly, this event is sold out.  Perhaps you can bribe someone…

http://www.literarysojourn.org

Saturday October 3rd, 11:15-12:30 at the Brattleboro Literary Festival, Centre Congregational Church.

http://brattleboroliteraryfestival.org

Tuesday September 29th 4:30 pm.  Jim in Fairfax, VA:

http://fallforthebook.org/event/novelist-jim-shepard/