The Week’s Most-Clicked Book News

Barnes & Noble chooses books of the year

This year’s Barnes & Noble Book of the Year had been trickling out even before it became one of the retailer’s finalists. And Thomas Schlesser’s “Mona’s Eyes” feels a bit like a throwback. This is a novel about a girl who is losing her eyesight and her grandfather’s quest to exhibit one of her artworks a week for a year in a Parisian museum. The cover is a close-up of a painting that appeared in another crossover, and the theme of sucking the bones out of a life on the brink of loss is not unprecedented in a sensational book. And its publisher, Europe Editions, has an international bestseller with a similarly bittersweet and positive message. Intrusive Thoughts: Does the attention to this book have anything to do with people getting excited about the Louvre because of this book?

David Baldacci donates $13 million to fund civil discourse initiative

Bestselling author David Baldacci is donating $13 million to fund efforts to foster civil discussion and educate people about “how to be informed members of a democracy.” Citing the book as a “defense against bias,” Baldacci plans to partner with his alma mater, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the Library of Virginia to create a speaker series and public forum aimed at, among other things, promoting “civil, constructive, and respectful dialogue about complex issues.” Details are still being worked out, but Baldacci’s vision is clear. The idea is to get people off their phones and into each other’s rooms.

“I think when you physically bring people together and the anonymity goes away, all of a sudden there’s a responsibility on them. It’s a completely different dynamic,” he says. “Let’s bring people back together and have a good debate, civilly and peacefully, understanding that everyone deserves respect, regardless of what they think..

May he be successful in his endeavors.