Libraries Highlight Pandemic Stories and First Responders with 2026 Book of the Year Pick

Author: Erica Thatcher
Date: 3/19/2026 8:11 AM

Countywide book club includes author talk from acclaimed California writer and UC professor

San Luis Obispo County, CA County of San Luis Obispo Public Libraries, Cuesta College, and Paso Robles City Library invite readers across San Luis Obispo County to be part of Book of the Year, an annual literary event and community reads program .

This year's Book of the Year selection, Sacrament, is award-winning author Susan Straight's new novel. Set in California during the first year of a pandemic, the novel highlights the bravery and heroism of ICU nurses.

Sacrament is a Joyce Carol Oates Award finalist, a Los Angeles Times Most Anticipated Book, and a People Book of the Week. Straight is a National Book Award finalist and Creative Writing professor at University of California Riverside. She is the author of nine novels, including 2022's critically acclaimed Mecca.

Straight discusses her novel live at the Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo on Tuesday, April 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. A book signing will follow the lecture.

Tickets are available at tickets.cuesta.edu ; students attend for free by emailing [email protected] . Attendees are encouraged to arrive early to browse the Cuesta Student Annual Art Exhibition at the adjacent Art Gallery, open until 5 p.m.

Book of the Year is now in its 17^th year. This year's program is sponsored by the San Luis Obispo County Library Foundation .

Visit SLOLibrary.org and PRCity.com to reserve a copy of Sacrament and to find additional Book of the Year events. Follow the Cuesta College Library on X at @cuestabook and on Instagram at @cuestalibrary.