Book Bans Affect Everybody-- Here's How You Can Help by Alex Brown via Tor.com

In my role as a leader in anti-racist training, service to leisure readers, and as a Trustee, I am trying to help all of you stay up to date on the current increase in materials challenges. To that end, I have started tagging key posts, "censorship." Please click on that tag for more information.

Also my local system, RAILS, created a "pulse page" for Materials Challenges. They create these pages on popular topics. While this is info is specific to Northern IL, anyone can access the page and the links. Also RAILS is a multi-type system so there is information for school and public libraries.

Speaking of school libraries, I wanted to share my colleague Alex Brown's recent post for Tor.com. Brown is a school librarian and an award winning author and critic. Their article entitled, "Book Bans Affect Everybody-- Here's How You Can Help," provides an actionable plan on how all people, everywhere, can best support those who are dealing with challenges as well as how to help stop challenges before they happen.

This article does not proclaim to have all the answers [and I also am clear in my coverage that I don't either], but it does give you an EXCELLENT place to begin, both begin acting, but also, begin comprehending the scope of the problem in clear language.  Brown is a very smart and thoughtful person. I trust them, have worked with them, and look to them for advice and knowledge often, especially about school libraries. 

Read the article today. And now it is part of my ongoing "censorship" coverage so you can get back to it, and more, with one click, and use what you need to help your library and your community deal with challenges or get prepared in case they come.

Library Journal's Quarterly Audios in Depth

Today I am using my blog to alert you to Library Journal's new Audio in Depth coverage. Click here to enter.

There are reviews and a Q&A with members of the ALA's Listen List team. Click here for access to the Listen List [the article does not have a link.]

This the first time LJ is doing this "Audio in Depth" report so be on the lookout in June for it to pop up again. For now, explore this new audio book resource.

Click the image to read more

Welcome to LJ’s 2022 audiobook review spotlight: a quarterly offering (editions will also publish in June, September, and December) designed to highlight the abiding pleasures of the format, showcase key narrators, and support collection building, with titles that range from recordings of best sellers to audio-only productions.

Listeners will find works that delight, inspire, terrify, charm, and surprise. Find all the reviews here and enjoy!

https://www.libraryjournal.com/page/audio-in-depth-march-2022

LibraryReads: April 2022

  It's LibraryReads day and that means four 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 LibraryReads is the compound interest it is earning. We now have hundreds and hundreds of titles worth suggesting right at our fingertips through this archive OR the sortable master list allowing you to mix and match however you want.
3. You have no excuse not to hand sell any LibraryReads 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.
4. Every upcoming book now has at least 1 readalike that is available to hand out RIGHT NOW. Book talk the upcoming book, place a hold for it, and then hand out that readalike title for while they wait. If they need more titles before their hold comes in, use the readalike title to identify more readalike titles. And then keep repeating. Seriously, it is that easy to have happy, satisfied readers.

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.

Please remember to click here for everything you need to know about how to participate. Click here to see a database of eligible diverse titles sorted by month.

And finally, here is LibraryReads' extremely helpful Resources page.

Now let's get to that list.... 

  

April 2022 LibraryReads List!

Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel 

by Bonnie Garmus

Doubleday

“In the 50s and early 60s when women were viewed as little more than chattel for men’s convenience, Elizabeth Zott had the temerity to become a chemist. With complex and wonderful characters, her story is funny, sad, enraging, hopeful, and will have readers cheering for every character and all women everywhere. For fans of Where'd You Go Bernadette?, The Rosie Project, and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.”

—Judy G. Sebastian, Eastham Public Library, Eastham, MA 
NoveList read-alike: Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen

The Good Left Undone: A Novel 

By Adriana Trigiani

Dutton

“Following the lives of various generations of the Cabrelli family, Trigiani takes readers through the 1920s, World War II, and modern day Italy and Scotland. With descriptive language and well-drawn characters, each generation's story is woven seamlessly into the next. For fans of Love and Ruin and The Guest Book. ”

—Janet Makoujy, New City Library, New City, NY 
NoveList read-alike: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

I'll Be You: A Novel 

by Janelle Brown

Random House

“Sam and Elli, identical twin sisters and former television stars, have their issues. Sam is a recovering addict, and Elli has been taken in by a cult. But they are quite likable, and the story is totally engaging, a bit suspenseful, and includes well developed plot points. Give to fans of The Good Sister and The Girl in the Mirror.”

—Evelyn Cunningham, Norwalk Public Library, Norwalk, CT 
NoveList read-alike: Until We Are Lost by Leslie Archer

Insomnia: A Novel 

by Sarah Pinborough

William Morrow

“Emma has the perfect career, husband, and family. She also has a secret that is about to catch up with her. She is turning 40 and slowly spiraling out of control as the past creeps closer. Is her insomnia touching her with insanity, or is she about to relive what she has been trying to hide all these years? For fans of The End of Her and Mrs. March. ”

—Selena Swink, Lake Public Library, Lake, MS
NoveList read-alike: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

To Marry and To Meddle: A Novel 

by Martha Waters

Atria Books

“After six seasons, Emily's only suitor is a gambling house owner whose father owes a lot of money. Fortunately, Julian wants to marry her to elevate him in society, which will lead to more respectable people coming to his theater. He proposes a marriage of convenience, and of course, love has to find its way. A fun, witty romance for fans of Bridgerton and A Rogue of One’s Own.”

—Claire Sherman, Clearwater Countryside Library, Clearwater, FL 
NoveList read-alike: Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunsmore

The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer

By Janelle Monae

Harper Voyager

“These science fiction stories are set in a universe adjacent to the one featured in acclaimed actor/musician Monáe’s concept albums and offer hope when despair is at its ripest. Tales of invented homes, found families, hard choices, and the exhausting work of imagining a better future jump off the page. For fans of Octavia Butler and Rivers Solomon.”

—Krista Feick, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, OH
NoveList read-alike: Broken Fevers by Tenea D. Johnson

Portrait of a Thief: A Novel 

by Grace D Li

Tiny Reparations Books

“Li’s debut novel is a fun heist book focusing on five Chinese-American college students recruited to steal artwork from Western museums and return them to China. The book looks at issues of diaspora, colonization, and the character’s different relationships with culture and identity. Give to readers who liked The Verifiers and Skin Deep.”

—Allie Williams, Camarillo Library, Camarillo, CA
NoveList read-alike: The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

Sister Stardust: A Novel

By Jane Green

Hanover Square Press

“Teen Claire leaves England for Marrakech and falls in with charismatic socialite Talitha Getty and her coterie of rock stars, fashion icons, and millionaires amid a buffet of sex, drugs, and alcohol. Fans of Daisy Jones and the Six will find much to love in this book, beautifully told in a manic pace that takes you down the rabbit hole of the swinging ’60s.”

—Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, TX 
NoveList read-alike: Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie

Take My Hand 

by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Berkley

ISBN: 9780593337691

“A well-paced, wrenching book about the reproductive rights of Blacks and the poor in the mid 20th century. The story moves back and forth in time with fully drawn characters, giving the reader a view of the consequences of the health care system's policies and fresh outrage at the wrongs perpetrated upon Black women. For readers of Celeste Ng and Rebecca Skloot.”

—Leona Arthen, The Worthington Library, Worthington, OH 
NoveList read-alike: Pure America: Eugenics and the Making of Modern Virginia by Elizabeth Catte

The Wedding Crasher: A Novel

by Mia Sosa

Avon

“After Solange stops Dean’s wedding of convenience, they start a mutually beneficial fake relationship: Dean can make partner at his law firm and Solange can get her meddlesome family off her case. With heart, laughs, and characters you’ll fall in love with, this follow up to The Worst Best Man is perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Talia Hibbert.”

—Jillian Hayes, Queens Public Library, Jamaica, NY
NoveList read-alike: The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

The LibraryReads Hall of Fame designation honors authors who have had multiple titles appear on the monthly LibraryReads list since 2013. When their third title places on the list via library staff votes, the author moves into our Hall of Fame.

Click here to access the Hall of Fame Archive with annotations and readalikes

 

The Children on the Hill 

by Jennifer McMahon

Gallery/Scout Press

The No-Show 

by Beth O'Leary

Berkley Jove

Part of Your World 

by Abby Jimenez

Forever

Sea of Tranquility: A Novel 

by Emily St. John Mandel

Knopf

The Younger Wife: A Novel 

by Sally Hepworth

St. Martin's Press

Resource Alert: The Morning News' Tournament of Books

Click here to enter the ToB

This is your annual reminder about the Morning New's Tournament of Books sponsored by Field Notes because it is the perfect mix of fun and useful.

Click here to see the completed tourney. 

Every year I repost my explanations as to why it is such a valuable and unique RA resource. This is not your average book award and not only because it is a battle between the books as judged by other writers using a bracket system. With ToB we also get the most diverse list of “best books” you will see anywhere, both diverse in authorship and genre. 

And because it happens in March each year, but the books are from 2021, there are a lot of titles that are already off the holds shelf. So it's a current "best list" option of a wide range of best books, many of which are on the shelf.

With ToB you not only learn about great books and why they are wonderful, but you also learn about the judges themselves, also a very diverse group of people throughout the publishing industry. Each “battle” has a full write up which gets to the heart of the two books’ appeal and structure. These essays give us valuable information on who would like the book and why. Readalikes are also often mentioned.

Oh and the comments. The readers who follow along religiously and have entire discussions about each pairing of books for pages and pages are THE BEST. Following just the comments is like reading a novel itself. There is even a running commentary on the battle itself by the tournament organizers.

And don’t forget the back list. 17 previous years of backlist tourneys to be exact. Each with their own full bank of the above mentioned information and more! Every single page of ToB has the links to every past year [bottom right].

In terms of actively using the ToB to help readers, you can stage the tournament at your library online through your social media by reposting to their daily battles. The graphics are all there to make an engaging post. All you have to do is add the link. You can even ask patrons to vote and then see if your results are the same. Post both results and have your own online tournament. This will drive interest in your collection and for titles that are not in high demand right now.

But also, and this is a super fun way to grab patrons' attention as they return to our buildings, you can make a daily display following the action. You can post pictures of the covers for that day and fill a display with ToB titles going back to 2005. You can also allow people to vote in person, but honestly, keeping track of your library's winners is easier online.  

Finally, ToB has become my go-to resource for "literary fiction." Why? Because the ToB takes the idea of "literary" titles, titles worthy of being deemed as worth your time [which I hate, but it is a thing], and gives it a wide berth. I especially love using the backlist titles for book discussions. 

Whether you actively use the ToB to stage a tourney at your library or you just use it as a resource or passive display idea, it is an event not to miss.

Click here for every ToB post on RA for All over the years.

New Self Guided RA Course for All Public Libraries via NoveList

By now every reader should know that I am available to provide basic RA training for your library. My rates and program examples are here. My specialty is hands on training, specifically getting everyone on staff excited to use themselves as a reader as a springboard board to helping others.

I do not help you to think strategically and create a larger RA Service plan. But my colleagues Katie Stover and Stephanie Chase have done this. I can say with full confidence that this is their speciality-- large scale planning. 

While it costs a minimum of $350 to bring me in and it would have to be at a specific time, this program, offered by Novelist, is self guided, and only $599 total.

Entitled "Strategic Readers Services: A Complete Plan." Their goal is to help staff who are so busy doing RA they sometimes need help planning for RA. 

Look, I am not making any money off promoting this, in fact, I could be losing the chance at getting new clients by promoting this program, but I don't really care. I know Stover and Chase. I have worked with them, more than once, and for many years. You should look into this for you library.

There is an introduction by Stover, with a link to the program itself below.

Please take a look at this and consider signing up. This can reach way more people than I can alone.

Readers' Advisory: Thinking and Planning Strategically

by Katie Stover

The pandemic was a learning experience for everyone. Library staff, library administration, and library users were reminded of a gratifying truth — the core of library service is a focus on books and reading. As people retreated behind closed doors, they moved through the one doorway that could never close to them — reading. Even as the world takes steps to move past the worst of the pandemic, people are taking the pleasures of reading with them. Readers look to library collections to enhance their lives with materials in all formats and they continue to look to library staff as the community experts in this field. 

Readers’ advisors have always understood the power of reading to transport, soothe, excite, entertain, educate, and inform. The quarantine was maddening but our readers continued to connect and engage with our libraries. And in some ways, readers discovered new connections to our collection, through convenient readers’ advisory (RA) services like curbside pickup and personalized RA. And that left many readers’ advisors to face an unexpected conundrum. Library administration wanted to leverage the sudden public demand for readers’ advisory. RA staff were so busy *doing* readers’ advisory, they hadn’t taken time to strategically plan in a way they could articulate to library administrators and managers.

During this critical global situation, Stephanie Chase and I began to do some deep thinking about strategic planning for readers’ advisory services. We thought about what the public was asking for; what the existing trained staff could provide; what training could benefit other staff; and how to talk to administration using their language. We thought about how to plan for readers’ services in the case of a massive change in a library’s vision or direction.

With the help of NoveList’s outstanding and innovative team of RA experts, we created a course for practitioners of readers’ advisory, Strategic Readers Services: A Complete Plan. The goal is to help staff who are so busy doing RA they sometimes need help planning for RA. 

This course is designed to help practitioners think strategically about the RA work they already do and how to show administration why it’s important this work continues. The course helps library staff and administrators envision how this work fits into an overall library strategic plan. Strategic Readers Services: A Complete Plan will help RA staff see how to support their library’s mission, work with other departments, provide a frank assessment of what is already being done in RA services, and decide on which services can be added (or removed). 

Stephanie and I are excited to see this idea borne of the pandemic’s need for library services come to fruition through NoveList. While it may have taken a national crisis for us to think about readers’ advisory services in this way, we know there are many reasons a library may engage in a reevaluation of mission, goals, and vision. 

NoveList, Stephanie Chase, and I want you and readers’ advisory to be at the top of your library’s agenda, and we hope this course can help you get there.

Reach Readers

Strategic Readers’ Services: A Complete Plan: This course is for anyone who is a practitioner of readers’ advisory, or RA. Use this self-guided toolkit to develop your own finished readers’ advisory strategic plan, which you can share with your administration. Become an RA advocate and guide your own work in these uncertain times.

Learn more

Kaite Stover is the Director of Readers' Services for the Kansas City Public Library. Currently, she is reading tarot cards, take-out menus, and An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo.

Core Collections: Facing Climate Change via Booklist

I have given my Demystifying Genre talk 4 times over the last month, and one of the updates I have made to this program is including notes where popular trends in fiction genres overlap with their narrative nonfiction counterpart. For example, True Adventure for Adrenaline fans and True Crime for Mystery readers. 

In Science Fiction Climate Science Fiction, or Cli-Fi, is still a trend. [In 2019 I did this post explaining it in detail.  I also have a tag for cli-fi.] And narrative nonfiction that addresses climate change is also becoming more popular. 

Booklist's lastest issue [3/1/22] they address this important nonfiction area with a newly updated Core Collection list on nonfiction about facing climate change. While this is an important list for you to update your shelves, I would also urge you to use this list to suggest to leisure readers who are seeking Cli-Fi as well. 

Below is the introduction to the core collections list with a link to read the details.

And please note: I am working toward incorporating more nonfiction RA coverage and advice into this blog.

Core Collection: Facing Climate Change By Donna Seaman.
		FEATURE. First published March 1, 2022 (Booklist). Booklist published its first core collection on climate change in 2006, and all of the books listed there are still urgently important because the reality of global warming is still being denied in spite of ever-rising planetary temperatures and the ever-worsening impacts of climate change. Once again, we offer a list of exceptional books explicating the state of the climate, the biosphere, and humankind, books calling for action and offering paths forward. We continue to hope that clearly presented facts and persuasive discussions will help guide us toward solutions. For more outstanding titles addressing climate change, see the Top 10 Books on the Environment and Sustainability. Click here to read the full annotated list with links to reviews for each book.

Using Awards Lists As a RA Tool: The Audies

This is part of my ongoing series on using Awards Lists as a RA tool. Click here for all posts in the series in reverse chronological order. Click here for the first post which outlines the details how to use awards lists as a RA tool.  

Today I am posting the 2022 Audie Award winners in 25 [!] categories with the finalists listed as well. Since these are the only awards for the audio version of books specifically, these are a great resource.

For each winner and finalist, you can also look up the review on AudioFile magazine to read more specifics about the narration. 

For example, here is the full review on the overall winner, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. 

In terms of past winners, it was not intuitive on the APA website to find them, but I did it for you. Here is the link to 26 years of winners for you backlist perusal.

With audiobooks reaching new heights of popularity each of the last 5 years, there are many listeners who missed some of the very best titles from just a few years ago. This is your chance to highlight "great lists for may have missed." 

The Joy of Long Audiobooks via Book Riot and Me

When I give my "Flip the Script and Think Like a Reader" signature talk, I focus on helping each participant to connect with themselves as a reader. I want each person to start to understand why they like to read what they like to read, regardless of the plot or genre. We work on connecting what they find most appealing about their favorite stories and use that as a springboard to begin thinking about how we suggest books to all readers.

My training of others has allowed me to work on myself as well. Over the years, I have realized that when it comes to audio books, I have a few specific appeal factors that are different from how I choose print titles to read. For example:

1. I tend to prefer nonfiction on audio rather than print.
2. If a book is set somewhere not English speaking, I tend to prefer the audio because someone else is doing the pronunciation for me.

AND

    3. Anything 500 pages or over, I prefer in audio.

This final preference has allowed me to read long books that I might have skipped if they weren't in audio. Recently, I saw this post in Book Riot about the joy of long audiobooks and the author captured much of why I love them as well.

I went back to look at some of my favorite books in this long audiobook category and realized some of them are among my all time favorite audio experiences. Below I have linked to some of them with the run time of the audiobook noted. In these reviews, I write about the audio experience as well, and how for me it enhanced my enjoyment.

• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee [18 hours, 16 minutes]
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt [32 hours, 30 minutes]
• The Witch Elm by Tana French [22 hours, 7 minutes]
• Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James [24 hours, 2 minutes]
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King [30 hours, 40 mins]
• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami [46  hours, 45 mins]

And my absolute favorite long audio book reading experience ever....

• Seveneves by Neal Stephenson [31 hours, 55 minutes]--  I still remember parts of the book when I am watering my plants, to this day!

While I hope this post allows you to see why people love long audio books, even if you do not yourself, I also hope it gets you to start thinking  about your own reading preferences and person preferred appeal factors a little more deeply.

Using Awards Lists As a RA Tool: Thriller Awards Edition

This is part of my ongoing series on using Awards Lists as a RA tool. Click here for all posts in the series in reverse chronological order. Click here for the first post which outlines the details how to use awards lists as a RA tool.  

Click here to see the current nominees

Last week the International Thriller Writers announced thee nominees for their annual awards. From their about page:

ITW represents professional thriller authors from around the world. 

The International Thriller Writers is an honorary society of authors, both fiction and nonfiction, who write books broadly classified as “thrillers.” This would include (but isn’t limited to) such subjects as murder mystery, detective, suspense, horror, supernatural, action, espionage, true crime, war, adventure, and myriad similar subject areas. [emphasis by Becky]

ITW’s mission is “To bestow recognition and promote the thriller genre at an innovative and superior level for and through our Active members; to provide opportunities for mentoring, education and collegiality among thriller authors and industry professionals; and to grant awards for excellence in the thriller genre.”

I highly recommend the ITW as a resource because as you can see in the section I bolded, this writers association  represents a huge swath of popular authors and genres.

As a result, their awards lists are very helpful. Here is the current crop of nominees in 7 categories.

There also have a nice archive page linking to past nominees and winners here.

I have reposted the first 4 categories below, to help you see how immediately useful these awards are as a way to understand a wide swath of books that are popular with a wide swath of readers across many genre preferences:

 BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL

Megan Abbott – THE TURNOUT (Penguin/Putnam)
S. A. Cosby – RAZORBLADE TEARS (Flatiron Books)
Alice Feeney – ROCK PAPER SCISSORS (Flatiron Books)
Rachel Howzell Hall – THESE TOXIC THINGS (Thomas & Mercer)
Alma Katsu – RED WIDOW (Penguin/Putnam)
Eric Rickstad – I AM NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM (Blackstone Publishing)

BEST AUDIOBOOK

S. A. Cosby – RAZORBLADE TEARS (Macmillan)
Narrated by Adam Lazarre-White
Samantha Downing – SLEEPING DOG LIE (Audible Originals)
Narrated by Melanie Nicholls-King and Lindsey Dorcus
Rachel Howzell Hall – HOW IT ENDS (Audible Originals)
Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Gregg Hurwitz – PRODIGAL SON (Macmillan)
Narrated by Scott Brick
Nadine Matheson – THE JIGSAW MAN (HarperCollins)
Narrated by Davine Henry

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Abigail Dean – GIRL A (HarperCollins)
Eloísa Díaz – REPENTANCE (Agora Books)
Amanda Jayatissa – MY SWEET GIRL (Berkley)
David McCloskey – DAMASCUS STATION (W.W. Norton & Company)
Eric Redman – BONES OF HILO (Crooked Lane Books)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL

Joy Castro – FLIGHT RISK (Lake Union)
Aaron Philip Clark – UNDER COLOR OF LAW (Thomas & Mercer)
C. J. Cooke – THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES (Berkley)
Jess Lourey – BLOODLINE (Thomas & Mercer)
Terry Roberts – MY MISTRESS’ EYES ARE RAVEN BLACK (Turner Publishing Company)

Click here to see all of the nominees for 2022.