So You Want a Good Book... I Have Just the One.

First, how have reading and books changed since you were a child, for you specifically?   My personal reading habits have certainly changed, because of course I have less free time, and I have obligatory tasks that must be done without book in hand. So I listen to audiobooks—while driving, doing dishes, exercising, gardening, etc.—and read on my phone while waiting in offices or lines or in crowded spaces. Honest-to-goodness physical books are a treat, but I do usually have one in my purse, just in case. Audiobooks used to be a treat only indulged in while traveling or during hurricane season. E-books did not exist when I was a child. Physical books were what I usually read.   Reading has also changed in that I used to read “the classics” and try to get to the point where I would have a workable knowledge of “western” culture because I did not grow up solely in America and I wished to belong (I didn’t get jokes from ‘The Simpsons’ until I was maybe 15 years o...

I think the best way to market anything is by word of mouth. Personal recommendations, tailored by someone who knows you and how you go about furnishing the inside of your brain, are the way to go. A dedicated reader’s advisory librarian who is allowed to spend time talking to people and keeping up with what people like to read would fit the bill. Before I began to think of taking classes in library science, a friend of mine who was a librarian often magically found me books I loved and it was such a godsend, and a gift. Saricks’ idea of the signs pointing to the desk of a librarian with RA duties (Saricks 2005, p. 139) is a cheerful idea to me. However, I sincerely doubt this to be practical. Having moved so often during my lifetime, I dislike having to do all the groundwork of getting to know staff before I find the book I’m looking for, and often staff has no time to spend with me as a reader. Sometimes librarians are quite simply not approachable people even though th...

Respectfully, I would not shelve them outside of the general collection unless they were being displayed for a specific, temporary function such as a topical or seasonal display. Of course, it would depend on the reasons why the patrons requested the separation: if it was to make the books more easily found by those who would read them, I could suggest an alternate method (making up an annotated bibliography, doing a few blog posts of “So you’re interested in…”, a passive display, etc.). If it was for the purpose of censorship, I could provide the concerned party with a copy of library policy and explain that libraries (and other services subsidized by the federal government) must serve a diverse community.   If the collection is not separated by genre, starting a new system for one subset of books is not appropriate to the organization of the library. We probably—to be perfectly honest—do not have the space to set up a completely different set of shelves for a small su...

I think the opinions of the general population to graphic novels will change just as they have towards comics and cartoons and animation—as well as romance and detective fiction before them. It may take a few years but it will happen.   In the mean time, we can add them to our collection development plan. We can put them on display and facing outwards on the shelf so people see them and add them to the background of their memories. We can do programming for children on drawing their favorite cartoon characters, if they seem interested. Teens can learn the difference between lettering, coloring, drawing, and writing. Adults can attend talks with the artists and writers of these works. We can add them to our annotated bibliography lists and “read-alike” lists for popular novels if they’re applicable. We can read them and be seen reading them. While we’re waiting for the world to change gears we can also provide links and digital collections of comics so people can view t...

The change from printed book to ebook or audiobook does imply some shift in appeal factors; an ebook is no longer subject to possible restrictions on length because of the heaviness of the book (or portability, whether or not it will fit into a purse), and an audiobook may be limited in its appeal to readers because of the style of the narrator.   This change affects our knowledge of the genre because we can no longer make snap judgments based on the publishing company’s dustjackets, blurbs, or the physical attributes of the book (font, paper type, cover material, etc.) and does not allow for browsing a shelf as easily as has been done in the past. We must learn to browse electronically and make connections through online networks (GoodReads, YouTube, various bloggers, NoveList—just for a few examples!).   The fact that readers are able to change font, line spacing, color, etc. of an ebook could have an effect on the reader’s appeal but I think individual rea...

This experience is best described as an emergency book club. We are scattered across the globe and not all of us are well-acquainted, but when Emily Wilson’s translation of ‘The Odyssey’ came out, we were all having lively but disparate conversations across several social media platforms until two of the most networked mutual friends decided to invite us to a Facebook group where we could all meet and discuss things in a more organized way. One of them I have known for many years; she has organized friend-groups very successfully before (knitting, amateur fencing, protest marching, bridesmaid activities) and is an excellent host so I accepted her invitation immediately even though I knew a decided minority of the other members and the idea of a formal online book club was initially not appealing. We had considered using Facebook as a touchstone and moving to a video group chat but meeting hours would be difficult since we are so scattered and busy, and when we di...

Science fiction is, at heart, speculative fiction; it explores what could be rather than what is. Rather than rely on magic to explain advances in societal progress it sees them gained through a logical process (Saricks 2009, p. 93). These stories are powerful and the characters in them can be inspiring to people outside their fictional setting—so much so that Nichelle Nichols of the original Star Trek series was later employed by NASA to recruit women and members of ethnic minorities to their astronaut program (NASA Archives 2014). Nichelle Nichols has since worked hard to make that element of her sci-fi world a reality. However, without an inspiring speech at the right time, this might never have happened. Nichelle Nichols remembers telling Gene Roddenbery that she was going to quit the show after one season, then going to a banquet where she met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and broke the news to him—to his dismay: “You have the first important non-traditional role, non-stereotypical...

Fake memoirs, author mills, and celebrity inspired book clubs are nothing new—there used to be a running gag in our medieval literature classes about John Mandeville’s ‘Travels’; there are so many different sources, perspectives, and entire books masquerading as this single titled memoir (Moseley 1974), it’s a joy to read the absurdity that went on under one name. The ‘Travels of John Mandeville’ were read when reading was a communal activity and not a silent, solitary act. We might even approximate an evening’s read to an informal book club experience.   The research that goes on concerning the subject now is much more discerning about the different perspectives about foreign nations, the methods of travel and glimpses of material culture—not to mention views on religion and contemporary politics—in order to gain an idea of what kind of a story captivated a great number of people during a certain period of time.   In other words: the fact that these stories ...

I think promoting classic horror at my local library would be fun; integrated advisory would be a snap! It would be possible to do this close to Halloween and make it a seasonal event as well.   We could host a movie night with films already in the public domain; there are several starring Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and Orson Welles on The Internet Archive alone, let alone the more obscure films which might be just as enjoyable. Popcorn and retro candy from the period (Smarties, Necco wafers, Dots etc.) could be serves as refreshments along with rootbeer floats; it could be done fairly cheaply but we could expand it depending on our budget (if we really want to spend money, we could show some of the Universal Classic Monsters films, or do a costume contest with prizes!). If there’s an audience for it, we could talk about the local history of cinema in our town (my town has a *new* drive-in movie theater just this year, but lots of folks remember the old historic movie the...

I have posted two more documents in the week five files. One is two reviews of an ebook only romantic suspense novel, one from a blog and one from amazon. Look over the reviews - do you feel they are both reliable? How likely would you be to buy this book for your library? Looking over the romantic suspense novel reviews, I think they are both good and bad for different reasons. The Amazon interview has a brief synopsis and some descriptions of how the book is written but it is entirely positive (I tend to not trust these kinds of reviews for a book’s quality, maybe that’s just me?). The blog review was not professionally written nor did it have any literary criticism to impart, but it was honest, and it sounds like a review from someone who read the book and is talking to someone else about it frankly and informally, without a stake in the book or the writing of the review.   If it seems like something my patron base would be interested in, sure! I would buy it f...

Newly orphaned Harriet met and married Guy Pringle over the span of one summer, then moved back to Romania with him. It was 1938 and she didn’t speak the language… This first volume of ‘The Balkan Trilogy’ follows the couple’s minor relationship problems, major moral issues, and constant drama between friends and native residents of the country they've chosen to live in. Olivia Manning is ruthless with her racism and misandry; anything Romanian is at once morally corrupt and physically grotesque, and men! Oh, faithless! Uncomprehending!  Harriet pretends to be an intellectual liberal but really is only pleased to be passé about extramarital affairs, to mention menstruation in casual conversation at a fancy restaurant, and loudly refusing to be quiet when a drunk colleague of her husband’s tells her to “shut up”. The book was published in 1960, but was it a shocking epic of love and deceit and the banner of intellectual freedom even then? The pace of the novel ...

I chose a rather large library away from my usual setting (besides, the librarians know me in our surrounding areas because this assignment is similar to other observations and interviews I’ve done), and felt a bit out of place. I must have come at an odd moment when the other librarians were taking their break or helping other patrons because I could only find the one librarian at the desk.   She was kind and professional (exhibiting RUSA-touted listening behaviors) as she listened to my question, then followed up with some of her own. “Just any type of book?” Perhaps, one that would be relaxing, or help me get out of my own skin for awhile. “Fiction or non-fiction? Well, probably fiction.” I agreed. She then pointed me to a section of shelving marked “Staff Picks”, and said I should look around there. I asked her if she could recommend anything in particular, but she said she hadn’t had much time recently for reading, though the reviewing librarians usua...

Answer the following questions using Novelist (or another RA site) as much as you can - just to familiarize yourself with it if you aren't already using it.  Explain why you chose the books you did. 1. I am looking for a book by Laurell K. Hamilton. I just read the third book in the Anita Blake series and I can’t figure out which one comes next! I searched for ‘Anita Blake’ and chose the series from the dropdown menu. From there, I looked for the fourth book in the series (‘The Lunatic Cafe’). It could be that the patron was looking for the graphic novel series, though—in which case it would be a different book altogether. 2. What have I read recently? Well, I just finished this great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. I really liked the way it was written, you know, the way she used language. I wouldn't mind something a bit faster paced though. I searched for ‘Prodigal Summer’, then scrolled down to the ‘Search for More’ section and selected...

For my five choices I'd like: Adventure (week 5): 'The Thirty-Nine Steps' by John Buchan Romance (week 6): 'Lucky Suit' by Lauren Blakely Mysteries (week 7): 'Maisie Dobbs' by Jacqueline Winspear Fantasy (week 11): 'Trail of Lightning' by Rebecca Roanhorse Non-fiction (week 12) I already have ideas for which books I'd like to read. Mysteries and Fantasy I know tolerably well but none of them do I consider myself an expert on--Romance is completely out of my league and I've generally avoided it.

I deliberately try to read widely, and I do take recommendations. Last year I finally finished ‘War and Peace’; I adored ‘H is for Hawk’, ‘A Shepherd’s Life’, and Naomi Novik’s ‘Spinning Silver’ & ‘Uprooted’. I read other things, too, but those are books I really enjoyed. I tend to shy away from most modern bestselling authors; not sure why they just don’t spark my interest.  Here are the books I end up rereading every year: Gaudy Night (Dorothy Sayers) Persuasion (Jane Austen) Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke) Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien) Sunshine (Robin McKinley) Gawain and the Green Knight (Anonymous) Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë) None of the books I love are perfect. I know. Fight me. I like books in which there are rich inner lives of dynamic characters, a well-told story even if I see what’s coming next, a good eye for the description of landscape/place, and, where possible, dragons.  I’m usually somewhere in a tra...