The highly anticipated novel by Harper Lee, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," hit shelves Tuesday, but those in the Chicago area may have a tough time locating a copy — at least at a library.
Fortunately, there are still a few places book readers can go to buy "Go Set a Watchman."
Anderson's Bookshop, which has locations in Naperville, Downers Grove and Elmhurst, held a midnight release party Monday, where the lucky ticketholders walked home with a copy of the book. The book store received a new order of the novel Tuesday morning, and they expect them to be available at least through the day for anyone who did not reserve a copy.
Book lovers can also find available copies at Barnes and Noble in the Loop (1 E. Jackson Blvd.) and in Lincoln Park (1441 W. Webster Ave.).
Smaller bookstores in Chicago carrying the novel include Unabridged Bookstore (3251 N. Broadway), Women and Children First (5233 N. Clark St.) and The Book Cellar Cafe (4736 N. Lincoln Ave.). Copies will likely still be available throughout the day Tuesday, but they are limited.
Libraries in Chicago and the suburbs have ordered hundreds of copies of the book, but the people on the wait lists outnumber the copies.
The Chicago Public Library ordered 220 physical copies of "Go Set a Watchman," but the library owns about 400 copies total, including large print, Spanish, audio, e-book and Spanish e-book formats, which may be easier to snag.
Local
"From our perspective, we gauge the demand and make sure we are prepared," said Patrick Molloy, the director of government and public affairs at the Chicago Public Library. "With any bestseller, there is a hold and we can't accommodate everyone when it hits the shelves. With any book we monitor demand and are always willing to adjust accordingly."
At suburban libraries, the waits may be even longer. The Naperville Public Library ordered 115 copies of "Go Set a Watchman," but as of July 7, there were already 256 holds on the book.
In Wheaton, there are 12 copies of the regular print book on the shelf and 5 copies of the e-book available for download, but 67 people have requested holds. An additional two copies in large print are available, but even these copies have a wait list of 24.
In anticipation of the release of "Go Set a Watchman," many libraries also ordered extra copies of "To Kill a Mockingbird," including the Chicago Public Library.
The "new" novel was written before "To Kill a Mockingbird." Lee wrote the bestseller after her editor advised her to focus on main character Scout's childhood instead of her adult life, which is the focus of "Go Set a Watchman."
