Books and Brackets

The warm weather has arrived and the action at Midsummer Madness is heating up faster than a vinyl car seat. If you haven’t come across the Midsummer Madness phenomenon on the third floor, I highly encourage you to do so as this past week has seen the most action to date. Located near the Readers’ Services desk, it’s a tournament that pits authors against one another, and the only deciding factor in this fierce competition is your vote! The ballots are at the display; all you have to do is check out the author brackets and pick the one you prefer in each match-up.

This past week saw the closest competition yet: Clive Cussler edged out W.E.B. Griffin in a highly anticipated first round match-up while Stephen King narrowly escaped an early exit at the hands of Harlan Coben. After cakewalks by James Patterson in Week 1 and Nora Roberts in Week 2, it was good to see some stiff competition. This week offers some terrific choices: Anne Rice vs. Joyce Carol Oates and Patricia Cornwell vs. Jodi Picoult, among others.

Will Jayne Ann Krentz continue her Cinderella run past the next round? Will James Patterson ever meet his match? Their fate lies in your hands. Also, at the end of Not Just Summer Reading 2008 (after July 27) we will draw a ballot at random from all those cast throughout the entirety of Midsummer Madness for a grand prize. So vote early and vote once a week. Come up to the third floor and support your favorite author!