BOTNS #340: Much ado about A Watchman

An out-of-order episode this week, so sorry if we confuse you! Don Winslow's timely The Cartel, Ta-Nehisi Coates' very important Between The World And Me, and we talk at length about Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman.

Two books we can't wait for you to read (05:32):

(https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429552939l/23602561.jpg)   (https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1433799467l/25147754.jpg)

I haven't had a chance to read the book yet, but since it relates to a topic in the news, I couldn't wait to tell you about The Cartel (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23602561-the-cartel?from_search=true&search_version=service) by Don Winslow. This is a crime thriller set in the high-stakes, violent world of the Mexican drug cartels. Interestingly, just yesterday, the media reported on the prison escape of El Chapo (http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-el-chapo-escape-real-life-mimics-fiction-20150713-story.html), the man who has been called Mexico's most important and high-ranking drug lord.  Winslow's novel, while fiction, delves deep into this world, and is based on real, solid research.

Michael recommends the very important Between the World and Me (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25147754-between-the-world-and-me?from_search=true&search_version=service) by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Written as a letter to his adolescent son, Coates examines the idea of race in society and in an individual's very personal experiences. This is an incredibly powerful book that should be read and discussed on a grand scale.

(http://booksonthenightstand.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/audiobooks.jpg)Audiobook of the week (18:27)

(http://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/the-mapmakers-children-a-novel/231436)

(http://645e533e2058e72657e9-f9758a43fb7c33cc8adda0fd36101899.r45.cf2.rackcdn.com/s/1/1429802518/harpercollins_us_frontbookcovers_648H/9780062409904.jpg)Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee, narrated by Reese Witherspoon, is my pick for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week.

Special thanks to Audiobooks.com (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook) for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand.

Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 60,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook (http://www.audiobooks.com/freebook)

Much ado about Watchman (22:54):

On the eve of the release of Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24817626-go-set-a-watchman), the media and social media are abuzz with talk about the book. Can it compare to To Kill A Mockingbird? Should it have been published at all? And how should the reader approach it? Jean Louise is 26 in Go Set A Watchman, and Atticus is, well, different from the man we all know and love. Though neither Michael nor I has read the book, we still have opinions--and we'd love to hear yours as well.

Read or listen to the first chapter of Go Set A Watchman (http://www.wsj.com/articles/harper-lees-go-set-a-watchman-read-the-first-chapter-1436500861)

New York Times Book Review by Michiko Kakutani (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/books/review-harper-lees-go-set-a-watchman-gives-atticus-finch-a-dark-side.html?_r=0)

Washington Post review (http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/book-world-in-harper-lees-go-set-a-watchman-a-less-noble-atticus-finch/2015/07/11/f72b078a-2756-11e5-b72c-2b7d516e1e0e_story.html)

From the New Republic, "The Suspicious Story Behind Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman (http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122290/suspicious-story-behind-publication-go-set-watchman)"

"How I Found the Harper Lee Manuscript (http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-i-found-the-harper-lee-manuscript-1436740810)" by Tonja B. Carter