Reader's Repose

While I am relatively new to the library profession, being exposed to a world of reading and practicing readers' advisory firsthand has given me the gumption and inspiration to create new ideas for marketing our fiction at the library.  One idea is to create a program for adults and teens (separate meeting times) to share a book with the other attendees they are reading and loving, or a favorite book from the past. The club's goal is to create excitement for continued reading and allow the community to make friends with those who share similar interests. Attendees can read an excerpt, give a plot summary, or share what they liked about it within five minutes. For another five minutes, the others can ask questions about the book. Attendees are encouraged to share a book in the library collection, but it is not required. The staff member running the program will place fiction books they have read and recommend, and other staff picks on tables in the room to be available for check...

In a library collections scenario, some patrons have requested that the library separate their LGBTQ+ and Urban fiction into its own spot. This situation has made many members of the staff uncomfortable, and I understand why. By separating them, it is almost like we're saying that those books are too different to be included in the main collection. While I understand the viewpoint from some readers of those genres that it makes the books easier to find, that is not necessarily a proper argument.  A great quote I read in this article comes to mind, from diversity advocate Vernā Myers: “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” By separating the books, how are those books supposed to dance with the others? How are patrons who have yet to discover the beauty of those genres supposed to find them unless they're included with the books they normally read? If we put them in their own section, some patrons may never find them because they might nev...

  Listen to the perfect playlist while reading: Author:  Sulari Gentill Genre:  Mystery; Thriller Publication Date:  2022 Number of Pages:  267 Geographical Setting:  Boston, Massachusetts Time Period:  21st century Plot Summary:  When the Australian fellowship writer Winnifred "Freddie" Kincaid enters the Boston Public Library one day to get a start on her novel, she hardly expects a woman to die in the same building. Impossible, even, for one of her three new friends to be the murderer. But for such a puzzling mystery, anything is possible. The story's fictional author, Hannah, leads you through the weeds to the striking conclusion. Subject Headings:  Boston Public Library -- Fiction. Friendship -- Fiction. Murder -- Fiction. Boston (Mass.) -- Fiction. Appeals Storyline:  Intricately plotted An almost necessary aspect of the mystery genre, Gentill utilizes the engine of "spotting, following, and weighing each clue", choosing to "focus ...

This is a topic that I feel I can speak on from personal experience. As a new 24-year-old, I have found that most of my taste tends to be YA/NA novels. I like reading books with young protagonists and books that don't promote a lot of physical sexuality. With YA/NA, sometimes physical sexuality occurs, but with YA it rarely ventures beyond closed-door intimate scenes. And, YA/NA protagonists just get me . I don't own a house, I'm not married, I like doing "young person" things, I use young person slang, and I don't know much about life yet. In adult books, many characters are married, divorced, or have children of their own while tackling more mature topics in their homeowning, taking-kids-to-school, decades-of-dating-experience kind of lives. I find it hard to relate to those characters, which affects my enjoyment of those books. Even the characters in books who are still teenagers match closer to my current place in life than adult novel characters. Even tho...

1. Where is the book on the narrative continuum? Highly fact-based. 2. What is the subject of the book? Deng Xiaoping, the second leader of the Chinese Communist Party, from his personal life to his policies and impacts. 3. What type of book is it? A biography and history of overall Chinese politics and policies. 4. Articulate appeal -What is the pacing of the book? It is a leisurely pace. -Describe the characters of the book. It is heavily focused on Deng Xiaoping, the man who took over leadership of the Chinese Communist Party after the death of Mao Zedong. The book also mentions other politicians (Chinese and international) during Deng's leadership, figures in Deng's personal life, and other citizens of the Republic of China. -How does the story feel? Scholarly, highly detailed, politically impartial. -What is the intent of the author? To educate the reader on Deng Xiaoping. -What is the focus of the story? The life and career of Deng Xiaoping, as well as the effect his care...

Listen to the perfect playlist while reading: Author:  Erik Larson Genre:  Non-Fiction; True Crime; History Publication Date:  2003 Number of Pages:  390 Geographical Setting:  United States Time Period:  Late 19th century Plot Summary:  On the eve of the four hundredth anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World, Chicago hastily plans a fair that will put Paris' Universal Exposition of 1889 to shame. At the same time, an unknown villain puts his own plans into action that will make the Windy City, and the World's Columbian Exposition, infamous for years to come-- plans that will claim the lives of over two dozen people before he's finished. Subject Headings:   Serial murderers -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Biography. Serial murders -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Case studies. Appeals Narrative:  Moderate While true crime offers much to keep readers entertained, Larson offers a compelling story to go with it. Moderate narratives "mix...

I have rarely listened to audiobooks because my brain travels to different places all the time and I cannot pay attention. Most of my time spent listening to audiobooks is pressing the rewind button! However, my dad is an avid audiobook listener because his office is a two-trailer semi-truck, and it helps him to pass the time while expanding his mind. He loves to tell us all about what he's reading, whether it's a piece of classic literature, a thriller, a mystery, or a history book. One regular patron at the library is blind, so he comes in to check out over ten audiobooks at a time. He keeps a binder of all the authors and books he's read and marks all the authors he and his wife (who is also blind) do not like so that we no longer give them that author. He and his wife love thrillers and mysteries and know practically every author publishing in that genre. Those two patrons and my father are a fantastic example of the power and necessity of the audiobook, and how despite...

 Listen to the perfect playlist while reading: Author: Loren D. Estleman Genre: Western Publication Date: 2005 Number of Pages: 284 Geographical Setting: Continental United States Time Period: 19th century Plot Summary: After a powerful New England businessman commits suicide, Richard Connable is called in by the businessman's ring of powerful associates to hide the cause of his death through his gifted art of undertaking. While he is away, his wife Lucy reflects on their decades of marriage as she makes arrangements for the arrival of her own death-- unbeknownst to her loving husband. Subject Headings:   Man-woman relationships -- Fiction. Undertakers -- Fiction. Historical -- Fiction. Appeals Characters:  Flawed While many of the main characters in the Western genre are stereotypical "champion[s] of justice" who spring into fights blazing their guns, Richard Connable is a quiet man whose fight for justice is won in the mortuary, where he gives grieving relatives ...

 I hardly have any book club experience, so I was unsure of what to expect when I arrived at the Greenwood Public Library and attended their Primetime Book Club. The club meets on the first Tuesday of every month, with Executive Director Cheryl Dobbs leading the group. I was the second person to arrive in the board room, which is a room almost entirely encased in glass walls with adjoining administrative offices and a private bathroom. While there were no snacks available, the conversations were so lively that no one would have had time to finish their food. The rest of the group soon joined. Before the starting time of six-thirty, a few of the ladies took out their personal books and exchanged them with each other as a casual session of readers’ advisory. It was clear to me rather quickly that all of them are very avid readers. By six-thirty, Cheryl had everyone introduce themselves so I could get to know them. During the introductions, I learned that a few of the ladies had been ...

 For my special topics paper, I wrote about the current state of AI and its usage in a readers' advisory context. To start, I wrote about Talpa , an AI that is built to find the book title and author for those who have forgotten what the book is called. While it is still in its experimental phase, the AI is built in such a way that it is limited to just a few sources and the catalog of the library that hosts it. Thus, there are thousands, perhaps millions, of books that Talpa will never be able to identify. To remedy this, I recommended that people wishing to identify a book turn to the Reddit page r/whatsthatbook whose 239,000 members (238,000 at the time of writing my paper) help to identify books with the advantage of being able to write a much longer description. Their success rate is commendable and a fantastic resource for people who have scoured the internet to no avail. I also discussed ChatGPT , developed by OpenAI, that many librarians are already using for readers' ...

Listen to the perfect playlist while reading: Author:  Karen Kingsbury Genre:  Christian Romance Publication Date:  2013 Number of Pages: 320 Geographical Setting:  Georgia and California Time Period:  Modern day (2013) Plot Summary:  After her parents separate, teenager Ellie moves away to California with her father. Before she leaves, she and her best friend Nolan write each other letters and bury them in a box under their favorite tree, promising to return in eleven years to dig it back up. As the years pass, Ellie loses her faith in God while Nolan becomes a famous NBA star known for his faith. As the date approaches for them to dig up their box of letters, can Ellie’s long-repressed love for Nolan be enough to face him after eleven years, and will Nolan’s long-cherished love of the one who got away be enough to make her stay? Subject Headings:   Man-woman relationships -- Fiction. Friendship -- Fiction. Faith -- Fiction. Appeals Heat Index:  ...

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...