Reader's Repose

I have one regular patron who, every month, requests the newest James Patterson. She and I know full well that James Patterson does not truly write all the books he sends out every month with his name on them. I have only noticed in recent years that Patterson has begun including the names of his ghostwriters on the covers (though never bigger than his name). Yet still, when this patron comes looking for a new book, it is always James Patterson's name she tells me. The books are still his, even if the ghostwriter is acknowledged.  While this is not exactly like the examples Louis Menand (2018) describes in his article for The New Yorker, James Patterson and other author mills could very well be described as hoaxes. By writing their name on the cover of the book, something only authors do, they are establishing themselves, if not the author, as one of them. If this isn't true, and a 2017 study by Simon Fuller and James O'Sullivan deduced that James Patterson functions more...

Listen to the perfect playlist while reading: Authors: Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows Genre: Historical Romance Publication Date: 2008 Number of Pages: 291 Geographical Setting: London, England; Guernsey, Channel Islands Time Period: January-September 1946 Plot Summary: After World War II, writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book when she receives a letter from a man named Dawsey Adams on the island of Guernsey. Dawsey tells her of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society which was formed during the island’s Nazi occupation. As letters stream into her London flat, Juliet begins to fall in love with their story and the island’s people. Subject Headings:   Women authors -- Fiction. Book clubs (Discussion groups) -- Fiction. World War, 1939-1945 -- Occupied territories -- Fiction. Military occupation -- Fiction. Appeals Heat Index: Chaste; Sensuous language For readers wanting a non-spicy read, this one is for you, though characters do speak in every-so-o...

To promote a library's collection of horror, both film and books, I propose an October-long Horror Fest! This may sound daunting, but with the right moves, it can be a fun and engaging time for the library to bring in new patrons and patrons who last visited the library long ago. Activities the library can do during "Fright Fest" include film screenings, book discussions, passive poster surveys, horror film and book displays, and a Halloween party for families.  You can find royalty-free horror films from the 1920s-1950s if you're on a tighter budget. Older films might even prove to be scarier than newer ones! Films included in your physical collection, or through the library's streaming platforms, can help promote what your library has to offer. For example, if you have Kanopy as one of your library's subscription services, you can have a film viewing of Black Sabbath (1963), Little Shop of Horrors (1960), or Dead of Night (1945). To make a film viewing more ...

In a world where reading has become more and more popular a pastime, it can feel overwhelming to keep up with all the new books hitting the shelves-- both physical and digital. Every day, the library I work at receives multiple new books to catalog, stamp, and place on the shelves for patrons to browse. In all this, patrons might ask: "How is a book chosen?" "What makes a book 'good enough' to purchase for the library?" "Why do you buy books from that author but not this one?" For my side of the operation, sitting at the reference desk, I handle requests from patrons for a variety of titles from New York Times bestselling authors to independent publishers. Regarding authors such as James Patterson and Danielle Steel, purchasing their new books is a no-brainer. Patrons will be asking for it regularly as soon as it is published, if not before. But when it comes to the hot titles from less popular authors, or books no one's heard about, how do you...

 In the Victorian era, a young woman who's different from the rest grows up entranced by Ancient Egypt and ends up marrying her childhood crush, a gentleman Egyptologist, amongst rumors of an ancient curse killing those who dare disturb one of the most tempting tombs in the Egyptian sands. Right off the first page, we learn that a man named Sir Edward Travers dies unexpectedly while on an expedition in Egypt, and the papers blame the curse of the pharaohs. The heroine of our story, the orphaned Judith Osmond, grows up playing with the children of the village nobles, Sirs Edward and Ralph, and becoming more and more enthralled by Ancient Egypt. For the first hundred pages, we learn everything about Judith who, like many historical romance heroines, is decidedly bolder, ambitious, and slightly tomboyish. Judith's love for Tybalt, the only son of Sir Edward, saturates the entire novel. When she turns eighteen and moves into Sir Ralph's household to be his wife's lady's...

 Recently I visited my local library to see how the staff would react to my asking them for a book I would like to read. When I approached and asked for a librarian's help, they asked me what I liked. Immediately I noticed the librarian's confidence, friendliness, and bubbly personality. It made me feel at ease asking for help finding a book when I at first felt nervous approaching the desk. I told them that my favorite books were Dracula and Frankenstein.  At first, I was matched with a book called Maeve Fly  by C.J. Leede. This book did not sound like something I would like; serial killer main characters are not really my thing.  After that, the librarian was trying hard to think of something up my alley. To help in the search, I told them that I read Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments in high school. As soon as I said the series title, their eyes lit up! They immediately thought of Sarah J. Maas, but when they walked me over to where her books are kept, the ...