As before, the consortium of over 20 of the best-known literary bloggers (full disclosure: both Ron and myself are emeritus members of the LBC) have put their collective muscle behind a book they urge discerning readers to pay attention to in a particular quarter. But this time, the group's going about things a little differently. While the final pick -- Kirstin Allio's GARNER -- has been announced, the site will host various discussions of the other 4 nominated books (which will be introduced over the course of this week) before gearing up for the big one on February 20.

But that's not all, according to LBC original founder Mark Sarvas. "I'm especially excited to see how LBC readers greet the addition of podcasts for this round thanks to the tireless efforts of Ed Champion, [who] has gone 5 for 5 in rounding up our authors."

GARNER was originally nominated by Dan Wickett, the LBC's newest member (and best known for his exhaustive archive of interviews at the Emerging Writers Network.) His rationale for nominating the book boiled down to the fact that he couldn't put the book down even if he tried: "...it is rare, maybe once per quarter...I start one and find myself setting it down hours later, unaware that it had turned dark outside while I read, and that I will need to get up a mere 2 or 3 hours later."

Wickett was glad to see his enthusiasm shared by his fellow bloggers. "It was very nice to see that so many of them, whose opinions I look forward to reading each day, felt as strongly, if not even moreso than I did, about Garner."