Library Reads: April 2018

Yesterday was Library Reads day Library Reads Day 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.

And remember, every single one of you can and should be suggesting titles, especially those by marginalized voices. For example. this month I see Swanson and Wolitzer on the list. Great books to be sure, but they will have plenty of press. Instead, let’s find some titles that don’t get the recognition and show the publishers that we want these POC titles by promoting them ourselves. If we get our patrons excited about less mainstream titles before they come out, the publishers have to pay attention. 

We have more power than you think. Your choices matter. I often say this when I visit libraries in person, but it bears repeating here today-- By voting for a title for Library Reads you are not proclaiming to the world that it is THE BEST book you ever read. You might even personally enjoy the mainstream title more, but that doesn’t matter. You are not voting for your personal favorite book. Use your vote to boost a title that is wonderful but may not have as a good a chance to stand out from the crowd without your help. That is the point of this venture. No one will hold you to this being your all time favorite book. [People actually worry about this; they have told me.]

Please also reconsider how you vote. Many of you have told me that you vote for the “Big” name titles and the smaller ones. THIS DOES NOT HELP. You are simply adding to the big vote getters total and diluting your vote for the diverse title. If every single one of my readers laid off of voting for the more mainstream titles for 1 month and instead voted for a more diverse title, many of those mainstream titles would still get in, but maybe a few more marginalized voices would too. Can we try it?

Click here to for the very easy to follow directions on how to participate. You get access to unlimited eARCs.

April 2018 LibraryReads

Send email

Circe

by Madeline Miller

Published: 4/10/2018
by Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 9780316556347

“Circe follows the banished witch daughter of the Titans as she practices her powers for an inevitable conflict with one of Olympus’s most vindictive gods. I found myself pondering motherhood, mortality, and feminism. For readers of historical and mythological drama or anyone who loves a strong female lead.

McKelle George, Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake, UT

Other People’s Houses

by Abbi Waxman

Published: 4/3/2018 by Berkley
ISBN: 9780399587924

“The story follows a stay-at-home mom. There is a satisfying rhythm to the book. Crazy things happen, and the next day the kids have to get to school and soccer practice. The shifting point of view, from the mother to various people living in the town is successful in imparting a snarky tone, bringing to life the gossipy small town setting.”

Claire Sherman, Clearwater Countryside Library, Clearwater, FL

All the Beautiful Lies: A Novel

by Peter Swanson

Published: 4/3/2018 by William Morrow
ISBN: 9780062427052

“The latest from psychological thriller master Swanson is a whirlpool of darkness, taboos, and secrets. When his father commits suicide, Harry Ackerson returns home to Maine. Harry finds more questions than answers as he faces his attractive young stepmother, the attentions of a seductive stranger, and the many questions posed by the local investigators.”

Sharon Layburn, South Huntington Public Library, Huntington Station, NY

How to Be Safe: A Novel

by Tom McAllister

Published: 4/3/2018 by Liveright
ISBN: 9781631494130

“This novel uses fiction as a tool to show how guns and violence are affecting contemporary society. Anna’s fictional experiences illustrate the real-life hypocrisy, lack of leadership, and fear of expressing controversial opinions. Great fiction for readers who tend to stay in the nonfiction lane.”

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

Then She Was Gone: A Novel

by Lisa Jewell

Published: 4/17/2018 by Atria Books
ISBN: 9781501154645

“Part psychological fiction, part ghost story, both tragic and uplifting. A decade after the disappearance of her teenage daughter, Laurel Mack meets a charming single father with two daughters, the youngest of whom reminds Laurel deeply of her lost daughter Elle, and she becomes obsessed with her unanswered questions.”

Linda Quinn, Fairfield Public Library, Fairfield, CT 

Unbury Carol: A Novel

by Josh Malerman

Published: 4/10/2018 by Del Rey
ISBN: 9780399180163

“This horror novel, set in the Old West, is creepy, atmospheric, and suspenseful. A husband has nefarious plans for his comatose wife Carol. James Moxie, a legendary outlaw, sets off on The Trail to save her. Hot on James’ tail is a sinister hit man with a thirst for murder-by-fire and a supernatural entity, Rot, who wants to collect Carol.”

Sonia Reppe, Stickney-Forest View Public Library, Stickney, IL 

The Female Persuasion: A Novel

by Meg Wolitzer

Published: 4/3/2018 by Riverhead Books
ISBN: 9781594488405

“A complex coming of age story. A college student finds herself transformed by her experience with a renowned feminist and activist in the center of the women’s movement. This is a story of women finding their way and making mistakes in the world of men. This is a novel that makes you feel and think in equal measures.”

Chris Markley, Hawkins County Libraries, Rogersville, TN 

You Think It, I’ll Say It: Stories

by Curtis Sittenfeld
Published: 4/24/2018 by Random House
ISBN: 9780399592867

“A collection of ten short stories from the author of Eligible. Literary fiction with young adult appeal. Well-developed characters in fascinating circumstances. Poignant, timely, sad, funny, and cohesive. Sittenfeld shows her craft in a new form.”

Leanne Milliman, Charlevoix Public Library, Charlevoix, MI 

My Lady’s Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel

by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris

Published: 4/3/2018 by Quirk Books
ISBN: 9781683690139

“A choose-your-own-adventure romance with Jane Austen flair. You are a spirited but penniless heroine in eighteenth-century society and courtship season has begun. Go!”

Victoria Catron, Neva Lomason Memorial Library,
Carrollton, GA 

The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After

by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil

Published: 4/24/2018 by Crown
ISBN: 9780451495327

“Wamariya has written a heartbreaking account of her survival of the Rwandan genocide. In 1994, she and her sister fled Rwanda and spent the next six years migrating through Africa, looking for a safe haven. Told in alternating chapters, between her harrowing escape and her arrival in the US as a refugee.”

Janet Kowal, Connetquot Public Library, Bohemia, NY