Library Reads: August 2018

Editors note 7/16/18: Thankfully I was wrong. Ordinary People is a September Title. Mentioned below as missing out this month. Read my review,  and vote for it! 

Yesterday we got a new Library Reads list and I would like to talk about the progress all of us are making together nominating less obvious authors, but we still have some more work to do on making the list a little more inclusive.

But let me back track for those of you who may be new to this issue and have you click here to get up to speed. In that post I talk about how we need to move toward a more inclusive list how Kelly Jensen, from Book Riot was helping by creating a resource for all of us to use to help everyone identify eligible, diverse titles; books we could test drive immediately without automatically going to the big name people first.

Kelly’s resource worked very well this month as you can see with the 10th book on the list below, nominated by Abby Johnson who was one of the librarians who reached out to us and asked for more resources so she could identify diverse books that needed more attention. Abby found A River of Stars because of Kelly’s list, read it, loved it, and talked it up on her blog, on social media, and during Twitter Galley Chats. Abby used a resource like a good librarian, but then she also worked to help spread the word about a title she believed in. And, it worked. Yay.

That’s the good news, but here is the bad news. I was shocked that a book I have been championing, Ordinary People by Diana Evans [read my mini-review from ALA here], didn’t make the LR list this month. But then I realized, it wasn’t on Kelly’s list.

Not to say that if Kelly doesn’t put it on her list that no one will read it. But, since her database is currently the ONLY place for library workers to go to find the diverse eligible titles, all listed in one place, what can you expect. And in this case, I also dropped the ball by not double checking to make sure Ordinary People was there to begin with.

But, we have a solution, one that helps everyone and it gets back to basics. The Library Reads list is our list. We, the library workers are the ones who make it by nominating titles. This has always been the case. We need to own this list and take responsibility for building it. We all need to work together.  It cannot be just a couple of people making these choices. Everyone needs to own the process as well as the list if we want LR to be the best resource it can be.

So, Kelly has opened up the database she stared in response to all of you asking for a resource to allow everyone to participate. We are asking you to start helping us to build the database. As you come across titles that look interesting, you can now add them yourself here. It’s a simple Google sheet and you just have to type in what you know about the book.

So get out there and find some books, and add them here. Please try to fill in every box you can. Kelly will go in periodically and make sure everything is correct and fix any problems. 

Now you can take control of LR even more both by helping others to identify diverse titles AND with your votes each month. I can’t wait to see what we all can do together. For now though, let’s focus on the progress we are all making and see this month’s list.

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Yesterday  was  Library Reads day and that means three things here on RA for All:

1. I post the list and tag it “Library Reads” so that you can easily pull up every single list with one click.
2. I can remind you that even though the newest list is always fun to see, it is the older lists where you can find AWESOME, sure bet suggestions for patrons that will be on your shelf to actually hand to them right now. The best thing about Library Reads is the compound interest it is earning. We now have hundreds and hundreds of titles worth suggesting right at our fingertips.
3. You have no excuse not to hand sell any Library Reads titles because there is a book talk right there in the list in the form of the annotation one of your colleagues wrote for you. All you have to say to your patron is, “such and such library worker in blank state thought this was a great read,” and then you read what he or she said.

So get out there and suggest a good read to someone today. I don’t care what list or resource you use to find the suggestion, just start suggesting books.

Also, please remember to click here for my Library Reads 101 recap for everything you need to know about how to participate.

August 2018 LibraryReads

Vox

by Christina Dalcher

Published: 8/21/2018 by Berkley
ISBN: 9780440000785

“In the future world depicted in Vox, women are limited to speaking 100 words per day. Readers will want to shout every word in their heads, hoard every book in their libraries, and second guess the words of every person in their lives. A captivating, timely book that explores women’s rights in a fast-paced, compelling story.”
                                                                                                                          Jennifer Gaenzle, Fort Fairfield Public Library, Fort Fairfield, ME

Our House

by Louise Candlish

Published: 8/7/2018 by Berkley
ISBN: 9780451489111

“Full of secrets and surprises, Our House poses the question, “How well do you know the person you live with?” An attempt to co-habitate for the sake of the children leaves divorced mom Fiona alone and out in the cold. Readers will have a hard time putting down this twisty domestic suspense novel. Even after the last page is turned, the characters will linger.”

Annette Herbst, Columbia County Rural Library, Dayton, WA

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Bellewether

by Susanna Kearsley

Published: 8/7/2018 by Sourcebooks Landmark
ISBN: 9781492665274

“A character-driven story with a nice surprise twist, this gothic-style fiction, set in 1759 Long Island, will not disappoint Kearsley’s many fans. Readers who enjoy good doses of romance, history, and magic will be pleased.”

Julie Raynor, High Point Public Library, High Point, NC

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Good Luck with That

by Kristan Higgins

Published: 8/7/2018 by Berkley
ISBN: 9780451489395

“Emerson, Georgia, and Marley met as teens at a “fat camp.” When one of them dies young, the others are forced to confront their own struggles with self-esteem and acceptance. With equal measures of humor and heartbreak, this book sparks questions about society’s idea of the perfect size and explores how body image can have far-reaching effects.”

Claudia Silk, Fairfield Public Library, Fairfield, CT

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The Masterpiece: A Novel

by Fiona Davis

Published: 8/7/2018 by Dutton
ISBN: 9781524742959

“Disparate decades of New York City are capably brought to life through two strong and resourceful female characters in Davis’s latest work. At the center is the Grand Central Terminal, which served as an art school in the 1920s, is threatened with demolition in the 1970s, and connects the threads of Clara Darden’s and Virginia Clay’s lives. Well researched and captivating.”

Kelly Baroletti, Wantagh Public Library, Wantagh, NY

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The Other Woman: A Novel

by Sandie Jones

Published: 8/21/2018 by Minotaur Books
ISBN: 9781250191984

“Emily thinks she’s found the man of her dreams in Adam. But when she meets Pammie, the woman she hopes will be her future mother-in-law, things take a sinister turn. Fast-paced, gripping, and ultimately satisfying.”

Jenny Moore, Hillsboro Public Library, Hillsboro, OR 

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Rust & Stardust: A Novel

by T. Greenwood

Published: 8/7/2018 by St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 9781250164193

“Disturbing crime fiction based on real events that inspired Nabokov’s Lolita. In 1948, fifth grade Sally Horner is kidnapped by a man pretending to be a police officer.”

Ninoshka Aviles, Osceola Library, Osceola, FL 

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Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding

by Rhys Bowen

Published: 8/7/2018 by Berkley Prime Crime
ISBN: 9780425283523

“The 12th book in the Royal Spyness mystery series finds our heroine, Georgie, juggling all manner of details as she prepares for her upcoming marriage to Darcy. A fun, breezy mystery.”

Cori Dodds, Derby Public Library, Derby, KS 

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Meet Me at the Museum: A Novel

by Ann Youngson

Published: 8/7/2018 by Flatiron Books
ISBN: 9781250295163

“A touching epistolary novel about an English farmer’s wife and a museum curator who may be in for an unexpected second act.”

Marilyn Sieb, L.D. Fargo Public Library, Lake Mills, WI 

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A River of Stars: A Novel

by Vanessa Hua

Published: 8/14/2018 by Ballantine Books
ISBN: 9780399178788

“A Chinese woman makes her way to America with her unborn daughter determined to make a life for them both. For readers who enjoy modern immigration stories like Behold the Dreamers and Little Fires Everywhere.”

Abby Johnson, New Albany-Floyd County Public Library, New Albany, IN