Resource Alert: Reading Pathways by Book Riot

One of the secrets to providing stellar RA Service is to know where to look for information about specific authors and their appeal. This is VERY different from understanding the genre or even specific plots of their books.

Understanding WHY not WHAT is the key. I have this longer post explaining how to focus on why someone likes an author and not what they write here. 

To that end I have a great resources from Book Riot-- Reading Pathways,  a regular Book Riot feature in which they suggest a three-book reading sequence for becoming acquainted with certain authors. 

Their current entry is on Mary Roach, just in time for her latest title to drop in September. Roach is also the perfect example of an author whose appeal is best understood using the WHY not WHAT philosophy of helping readers. 

Let me explain. On the surface her nonfiction books are about things like space travel, dead bodies, or sex. The "what" is very easy to state; however, these topics are not why readers enjoy Roach. What readers like about Roach is that she uses strong research, blending current science and history, and then crafts her nonfiction from a more quirky angle, looking at her topic from an inquisitive and fun perspective. She takes readers on a journey that they never expected to begin, let alone finish feeling like they had a great time and learned something.

The Reading Pathway for March Roach, just like any in the series, introduces you to her style and then breaks down 3 titles you could try to get a sense of how she writes. This is but one example of the dozens of Reading Pathways that are available in this archive. And don't forget, Book Riot serves all ages of readers, so there are middle grade and teen options too.

As a reference there are a few ways to use these articles in our daily work with readers:

• To teach yourself about an author you are not as familiar with: Go through the archive and see what authors are there, that you don't recognize. If Book Riot wrote a pathway about them, you should probably know at least a little about that author. Why? Because Book Riot is a for profit company that wants to attract the clicks of readers. They have more time and money to focus on this than we do. Trust them to be on top of what is worth your attention. They are doing the leg work for us.
• To prepare for major authors who will have a new book coming out soon: The Roach example is one of many here. Her new book is coming, you should know a bit more about her because trust me, people will be asking. This article will remind you that there will be a run on her books soon. Make sure your copies of her backlist titles are on the shelf and in good shape. You still have time to order replacements.
• To cross post on your digital platforms: Reading Pathways are excellent and targeted content for you to use everywhere.  Not only does Book Riot support and employ librarians as part of their team, I can speak from experience that they work well with libraries [see Summer Scares]. You can cross post ANY of their articles on your website or social media as long as you cite them and link to the original article. Why reinvent the wheel? Is Mary Roach popular at your library? [The answer is yes, by the way]. Make a social media post announcing that you are taking holds for the new book and post the Reading Pathway to get people excited. This is excellent Passive Readers Advisory and only will take you a few minutes, but will make you look like a genius in the eyes of your patrons.
• To create displays: Any of the authors who have a Reading Pathway would make a good mini display, especially those from further back in the archive. The authors from a year or more ago will probably have books on the shelf. And, if Book Riot took the time to pay someone to write about said author, you can be confident they will  have a wide, general appeal. Get those hidden gems out of the shadows and into the spotlight. If you have a small space to fill [like at a service desk or at the end of a range] just pull the three books on the Pathway but if you have a larger space, you can use the author as a starting point and then find readalike authors using NoveList of Goodreads to fill it out.

Finally, consider using the Book Riot Reading Pathways series to create your own similar posts on authors, audio book narrators, or even movie directors whose items are popular and your library.