This post is part of my year end "Attack of the Best Lists" coverage. To see every post in my "Best Books 2021" series you can use the best lists tag.
Halloween is over. November has begun. And now, the attack of the year end best lists begins in earnest.
I alerted you [here] to the bellwether for all best lists, the PW Best Books portal, which came out already, but now you should expect different opinion on "the best" to be coming at you multiple times a week for the last 2 months of the year.
Today I want to alert you to the Barnes and Noble Book of the Year. They just announced the finalists.
What I enjoy about this list is that the B&N staff don't worry about categorizing titles. They don't worry about fiction, nonfiction, genre, age level. These are the booksellers on the floor at stores all over the country getting together to talk about the books that "defined" their year. From the finalist announcement:
Which books have defined 2021? As we look back on another extraordinary year, we once again turn to our amazing booksellers for the best recommendations. What stories moved us? What were the books that captured those pivotal moments? How many times did we watch that BookTok?! Connecting with a great book is more important than ever, and this year our Book of the Year finalists offer a wonderful snapshot of 2021. From epic world-building to a world-class cookbook, musical memoirs, and explorations into the origin of the American identity, this year’s finalists are as captivating as they are reflective.
This "best" list is one of your most useful as it identifies titles that have been proven to work with the broadest of readers, from all over the country. All of these books are a great "best" option to give to readers right now.
Last year's pick, World of Wonders, was one of my first reads of 2021 and it was fantastic! One of my favorite reads of this year. I would have never read [and loved it] without B&N. They know what they are talking about.
Most "best" books readers who come into the library at this time of year are asking for books from these year end lists not because the only want to read award winners. No. They ask for these titles because they have limited leisure reading time and don't want to "waste" it on something they won't like. When we expand our notion of "best," we help more readers find a book they will enjoy.
Obviously this is a conversation that I will keep having for the next few weeks with you, just as I always do this time of year.
Speaking of, you can use the "Best Lists" tag to pull up all of my Best Books coverage in reverse chronological order anytime. It will have the most current first, but it will also have the backlist of best and I have been addressing this issue for many years, so there is much to read on the topic.
No comments:
Post a Comment