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Barnes & Noble stores host a 'To Kill a Mock­ing­bird' read-a-thon

 
Published July 13, 2015

TAMPA — To celebrate the anticipated release of Harper Lee's second novel Go Set a Watchman, Barnes & Noble stores in the Tampa Bay area and around the country will host read-a-thons of Lee's first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, on Monday.

Starting at 9 a.m. the South Tampa store at 213 N Dale Mabry will have guest readers including authors, teachers, journalists, Florida Poet Laureate Peter Meinke and Tampa Poet Laureate James Tokley. Meinke will read at 11:30 and Tokley will read at 5:30 p.m.

Lee's first novel tells the story of small-town lawyer Atticus Finch who agrees to defend a black man accused of raping a 19-year-old white woman in fictional Maycomb, Ala. The book focuses on young Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, Atticus' daughter. Watchman follows Scout as a adult coming back to Maycomb to visit her ailing father.

Beth Gaffney, Barnes & Noble Community Business Development Manager for the South Tampa store said the stores and their communities are excited for the read-a-thon and book release. She said she has many high school teachers, who teach Mockingbird in their classes, are signed up to be readers.

On Tuesday, stores will open at 7 a.m. for the release of Watchman. The first 20 customers to buy the book will get a free To Kill a Mockingbird tote bag. From 7 to 10 a.m. customers will get a free tall hot coffee with their purchase of the new book.