Nancy Pearl (born 1945?) is a book reviewer and was, until August 2004, a Seattle public librarian. Her prolific reading and her knowledge of books and literature first made her locally famous in Seattle, Washington, where she regularly appears on public radio recommending books. She then achieved broader fame with her book Book Lust.
She founded the pioneering and much-imitated "If All Seattle Read The Same Book" project. She has had her face on American Library Association posters, has received numerous awards, and may be the only librarian in the United States to be the model for an action figure. Her book reviews appear in the Seattle Times, Booklist , Library Journal, and (in broadcast form) on KUOW Seattle, and KWGS Tulsa, Oklahoma.[1], [2], [3]
A tribute band called 'The Nancy Pearls' gave their debut bluegrass performance on the Mitchell Library rooftop (Sydney, Australia) on 17 December 2004. It was a resounding success.
Awards
- Library Journal's Fiction Reviewer of the Year (1998)
- Allie Beth Martin Award from the American Library Association (2001)
- Washington (State) Humanities Award (2003)
- Annual award from the Women's National Book Association (2004-2005)
Bibliography
- Now Read This: A Guide to Mainstream Fiction, 1978–1998
- Now Read This II: A Guide to Mainstream Fiction, 1990–2001
- Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason, Sasquatch Books, Seattle, 2003, ISBN 1570613818
