Book+of+the+Day+-+Sept

Sept slide show __Frankenstein__ by Mary Shelley (BOTD Aug 30)

Mary Shelley was born on Aug 30, 1797. The idea for the story came to her while competing with a group of friends and family to tell the scariest campfire story. She was only 18 years old at the time. Because of the prevailing anti-female biases of the time it was originally published anonymously.



__The Journals of Lewis and Clark__ by Bernard DeVoto (BOTD Aug 31)

When Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 it doubled the size of the U.S. He commissioned Lewis and Clark to explore the new territory. On Aug 31, 1804, Lewis made the first entry in his journal. “Left Pittsburgh this day at 11 o’clock with a party of 11 hands.” __Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone__ by J.K. Rowling (BOTD Sept 1)

On Sept 1, 1998, the first Harry Potter book was released in the U.S. Introducing Harry, Ron, Hermione, Malfoy, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Snape, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, this initial foray into the world of wizards and muggles reached the #1 spot on the New York Times Best Seller list the following year and has gone on to sell over 100 million copies world-wide.

__A Night to Remember__ by Walter Lord (BOTD Sept 2)

On Sept 2, 1985, it was announced that the wreck of the Titanic had been found. Ever since it’s sinking in 1912, the Titanic has been a source of fascination to many people. When writing this book in 1955, Walter Lord interviewed more than 60 survivors of the wreck of the Titanic who described in detail the events of that fateful night.

__Founding Brothers__ by Joseph Ellis (BOTD Sept 3)

On Sept 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed marking an official end to the Revolutionary War. In this book, Joseph Ellis explains the personal, face-to-face nature of early American politics and notes that members of the revolutionary generation were conscious of the fact that they were establishing precedents on which future generations would rely.

__Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada__ by Colin Hynson (BOTD Sept 7)

Queen Elizabeth I was born on Sept 7, 1533. This book tells the story of one of the most important events during her reign as Queen of England. In 1588, England defeated the powerful Spanish Armada, a great fleet of ships that was on a mission to overthrow her and remove her from the throne.



__First Space Encyclopedia__ by Caroline Bingham (BOTD Sept 8)

Star Trek debuted on Sept 8, 1966. Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise crew began a mission “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” Their adventures have had a major influence on the field of science fiction and spawned numerous television and movie spin-offs. This book is an excellent introduction to the Final Frontier.

__Brian’s Song__ by William Blinn (BOTD Sept 9)

The Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints play tonight in the opening game of the 2010 NFL season. Brian’s Song is one of the most famous football books ever written. It tells the true story of the friendship forged between Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, teammates on the Chicago Bears, as Piccolo is forced to struggle with cancer.

__The Lightning Thief__ by Rick Riordan (BOTD Sept 10)

Movie director Chris Columbus, famous for such films as Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and the first two Harry Potter movies, was born on Sept 10, 1958. He directed the movie adaptation of this fantasy book based on Greek mythology. The book follows the adventures of 12-year-old Percy Jackson as he discovers he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and the Greek god Poseidon.

__Twilight__ by Stephenie Meyer (BOTD Sept 13)

In the first installment of the incredibly popular Twilight series, protagonist Bella Swan moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father. She doesn’t expect much. What could possibly happen in a small town where it never stops raining? But when she meets Edward Cullen her life is changed forever. Bella’s birthday is Sept 13, 1987.

__Shoeless Joe__ by W.P. Kinsella (BOTD Sept 14)

On Sept 14, 1994 major league baseball went on strike and the rest of the season was cancelled. It was the first time in over a century that the World Series was not played. This book begins with a ghostlike whisper to a farmer in an Iowa cornfield, “If you build he will come…” Adapted into the popular movie __Field of Dreams__, it serves as a reminder of why baseball is America’s pastime.

__Murder on the Orient Express__ by Agatha Christie (BOTD Sept 15)

Born on Sept 15, 1890, Agatha Christie is one of the best-selling authors of all-time, and this is her most famous murder mystery. Just after midnight a snowdrift stops a luxurious train in its tracks. By morning an American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. A murderer is loose and it’s up to detective Hercule Poirot to save the day.



__The Eye of the World__ by Robert Jordan (BOTD Sept 16)

When Robert Jordan died on Sept 16, 2007, he was in the process of writing the 12th and final book in his mega-popular fantasy series called The Wheel of Time. Fans wondered if there would ever be closure to the series. Eventually another author was chosen to complete the project. This is the 1st book in the series which is famous for its intricate plots, sub-plots, and fascinating characters. __The Story of My Life__ by Helen Keller (BOTD Sept 17)

On Sept 17, 1994, Heather Whitestone from Alabama became the 1st deaf person to wear the Miss America crown. Another famous person from Alabama with a disability was Helen Keller who became the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. This inspirational story tells how she overcame a near complete lack of language to become a successful author and political activist.

__The Jungle__ by Upton Sinclair (BOTD Sept 20)

Upton Sinclair was born on Sept 20, 1878. He was a Pulitzer Prize winning American author who wrote over 90 books in many different genres. He is most famous for this 1906 muckraking novel that exposed unsanitary conditions in U.S. meatpacking plants. The novel caused an uproar that led to many of our modern food and drug safety legislation.

__Misery__ by Stephen King (BOTD Sept 21)

One of the most popular horror writers of all-time, Stephen King was born on Sept 21, 1947. In this book the main character is an author who has just finished the manuscript for a book. He gets in a wreck during a snowstorm and is rescued by a nurse who turns out to be a psychotic fan. She doesn’t like how the manuscript ends so she keeps him prisoner and forces him to rewrite the book.



__Amos Fortune, Free Man__ by Elizabeth Yates (BOTD Sept 22)

On Sept 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation stating that slaves in areas still in rebellion would be free within 100 days. This is a biographical novel that won the1951 Newberry Medal. It is about a young African prince who is captured and taken to America as a slave. He masters a trade, frees himself, and dies a respected citizen.



__Stranger in a Strange Land__ by Robert Heinlein (BOTD Sept 23)

On Sept 23, 1999, NASA lost contact with the Mars Climate Observer. People wondered if Martians had caused the malfunction. This science fiction novel tells the story of Valentine Smith, a human raised by Martians. He returns to Earth and leads a cultural transformation. The story was very popular during the 1960’s, a time when the U.S. was undergoing its own cultural shift.

__Where the Red Fern Grows__ by Wilson Rawls (BOTD Sept 24)

Wilson Rawls was born on Sept 24, 1913. Due to his lack of formal education his manuscripts had many spelling and grammar mistakes and eventually he burned all his works out of embarrassment. Confiding in his wife years later, she encouraged him to rewrite some of his works and helped him edit them. This story of a young boy and his dogs is one of the books he rewrote.

__The Kite Runner__ by Khaled Hosseini (BOTD Sept 27)

On Sept 27, 1996, a group of Islamic fundamentalists known as the Taliban took control of Kabul, Afghanistan. This story of friendship and forgiveness is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events from the fall of Afghanistan’s monarchy through the Soviet invasion culminating in rise of the Taliban.

__My Brother Sam Is Dead__ by James Collier (BOTD Sept 28)

The Battle of Yorktown began on Sept 28, 1781. It was the last major land battle of the Revolutionary War ending with the surrender of Lord Cornwallis to George Washington. This book is a young adult historical fiction about a high teenager who joins the Continental Army against the wishes of his father and brother. __A Study in Scarlet__ by Arthur Conan Doyle (BOTD Sept 29)

Sept 29, 1829, marks the 1st appearance of police from the famous London detective agency known as Scotland Yard. This 1887 book marks the 1st appearance of Sherlock Holmes and his faithful sidekick Dr. Watson, beginning a run of 4 novels and 56 short stories documenting the exploits of the world’s most famous fictional detective. __20,000 Leagues Under the Sea__ by Jules Verne (BOTD Sept 30)

On Sept 30, 1954, the world’s 1st nuclear submarine was commissioned. It was named the USS Nautilus after Captain Nemo’s famous submarine from this 1869 science fiction classic. Proving to be even more durable that its namesake, the USS Nautilus traveled over 500,000 miles before it was retired in 1980.