Small Displays as an Interactive Scavenger Hunt

One of my favorite things to do is small displays-- clusters of books on an end cap or the end of a shelf with some room, even on the service desk. These small groupings of 3-8 books (max) draw interest on their own; in fact you don't even need a sign.

The stacks are intimidating to browse for most readers and a small cluster of face out books, no matter what is the thing uniting their appearance together, will bring people to investigate what they are. 

However, I admit, it is sometimes difficult to cone up with ideas on what to books to pull for these smaller displays and I am not one for just grabbing whatever is lying around. You can make it look that casual, but you are doing your patrons a disservice if you do not put thought into the books you are highlighting for them. 

One easy way to do small groupings of titles based loosely on genre that don't need a lot of effort to pull is to use lists from places like Goodreads. Here is a recent example, "The 104 Most Popular Fantasy and Science Fiction of the Past 3 Years." Also "Fact vs Fiction History Edition! Pick Your Reading Reality."

These lists and others genre based options are always available on the Goodreads News and Interview blog here. Visiting that page at anytime will give you easy ideas for clusters of books and they tend to do grouping by genre (with a very wide definition of said genre) and include back list. 

Now some of you will still want to put a "sign" or title on these groupings. I get it. So here are 2 ideas on how to make this easy for you to fill displays with books and fun for your patrons. I suggest doing both in tandem.

1. Pick a theme for your small cluster displays and commits to sprinkling them around the library each month. Announce said theme on your website and have a place with a sign in the building as well. So for this month you can use "Popular Fantasy and Science Fiction You May Have Missed," and you use that Goodreads list from above (and other SF/F best lists) to fill the displays. You let people know that the books with this theme will be scattered throughout the library for the month. You closer them, where you can especially on the end of shelves where there is room for a book or 2 or 3 to be placed face out. You make lists on Libby of these titles and place QR codes near the signage to have people explore the digital collections. 
2. You have can make little shelf talkers to hang from the shelves where you put the books or a small sign for your end cap slatted displays and or your service desk that say, ""Monthly Library Scavenger Hunt Titles." Or something similar. Use the phrase "Scavenger Hunt" though. Why? Well first, that is what it is. You are coming up with a topic and scattering the books around, chasing up where they are. We want patrons to visit, find good books, but also have an experience that makes them want to come back and visit again for more books. This is a fund game that will lead them to books they never would have found without your help and it is super easy for you to fill. Second, you can make the signage once and reuse it and/or move it around easily. 

Don't underestimate how much adults like a good scavenger hunt. They will come back in a new month to follow the trail to find a whole new grouping of books. And while I suggest starting with the Goodreads blog, that is not the only place you can find these ideas. Any resource that I write about here or that you like to use will work.

Also, this type of display encourages people to peruse your entire collection. Yes the stacks are intimidating to the average library user, but if they have a reason to get in there and browse the shelves, they will also stop and look at other titles. It is getting them in there that is hard. Once they are in a row and looking at your scavenger hunt display titles, some percentage of them will pull a few there titles off the shelf. Maybe it is an author they have heard of and never read, maybe it is an old favorite, whatever the reason, you are getting patrons to interact with the collection in ways they did not before.

Adults like to have fun at the library too. Too many of you forget that. This is also an idea that you can empower staff from all across the library to help with. Brainstorm ideas together. Find a list of titles from a resource to use as the pull list. Then get everyone who wants to be involved in pulling titles for readers to find. 

Give it a try. And have fun with it. Don't be too worried about signage and having all the books in one place. Once you get started, your patrons will never want you to stop. Trust me, my Trader Joe's has had a scavenger hunt to fine a monkey since they opened. It has expanded to include 2 more stuffed animals that they hide weekly and I swear the adults love it as much as the kids. And most importantly, it brings people back to the store each week. We want our patrons to be repeat visitors as well. Give them a reason more than the books or a program. Get them to plan a visit to do your scavenger hunt every month. And watch those titles you highlight fly off the shelves as a result.

Attack of the Best Lists 2026: Half Year Check-In (updated w/ NPR Books on 6/30/26)

This post is part of my year end "Attack of the Best Lists" coverage. To see every post in my "Attack of the Best Lists" coverage [and more backlist best of the year options] you can click here. 

We are past the half way point of June now and "best of the year so far" lists are coming fast and furious. I will link to a handful of them be below but first, why should you care about the "best" books of 2026 when we are only halfway there?

Well, there are many reasons from practical to patron service oriented. 

1. Collection development: these are the books you should have in your collections right now. But also, check all of these authors and see if they have other books, releasing previous to these break-out titles, and make sure you have those too. These best lists are there to identify specific "right now" titles, yes, but also use the lists as a prompt to check for backlist options as well.
2. While you wait lists: you are not the only one seeing the lists. They are from major media sources. People are going to be coming in and asking for many of these books, often in larger number from when they first came out. Are you ready with suggestions while they wait on hold? Readlaikes for the specific titles and/or authors. Past titles by said authors (see point 1). Even just "best" books lists from last year-- click here to see my "Attack of the Best Lists" coverage via posts going back in reverse chronological order.
3. Displays but make them interactive: use the lists below to get those "Best of the Year So Far" displays up and then make it interactive. Click here to see how to ask questions of you staff and patrons and then pu the answers on display. The conversation starter here is "what is the best book you have read so far this year?" Don't worry about if it came out this year or not. That does not matter. We are highlighting the books that have brought people joy over the last 6 months and spreading that happiness by displaying as many of the books as possible. This is not a gatekeeping moment where you go..."but that is a 2023 book." NO ONE CARES. DON'T SQUASH THE JOY. You can start the display with the specific 2026 lists linked below, but then expand the display with your staff and patrons responses to broaden the offerings. 
4. Don't forget to bridge the physical-virtual divide and get those displays and the conversation start questions into your online spaces. Asking the questions on social media is a great option. Having a google form with whatever the current conversation starter question is on your website. Posting a picture of the display on social media and linking to a list of the books in the catalog and even making a list on Libby and linking there. Just figure out ways to make the display and conversation available in the building and in your online spaces because our patrons use all of our services and do not see them as separate. The library is a space to visit a building AND a space on their phones and computers. 
5. For fun: look, June is very busy at the library. As schools let out, people come back to the library in droves. We are running summer reading, increasing programming, and serving larger numbers of people. Celebrating all of the great titles we have already seen in 2026, if just fun. Embrace some fun. Enjoy the conversation around "best go the year so far." As I mentioned in point 3, get everyone in the community participating. It is pure innocent positivity. Everyone can have their say and you can be the one to spread the joy.

Here are a handful of those lists from across the publishing landscape to get you started:

• Amazon's Best of 2026 So Far: landing page. This page leads to MANY categories, providing a variety of options for every reader
• Barnes & Noble's Best Books of 20226 (So Far): landing page
• NPR's Books We Love So Far This Year; tabs for Fiction and Nonfiction at the top
• Audible editors offer a midyear roundup of 2026’s top listens thus far
• A few options from GoodReads which also leaves room for backlist options as they are looking at the most read books of 2026.
• Readers’ Most Read Books of the 2026 Reading Challenge (So Far)
• Readers’ Hit New Books of the Year (So Far): sorted by genre and then ranked within that.
• Book Riot breaks down the most read books on Goodreads in 2026 so far
• NYT Book Review Best Fiction and Nonfiction of 2026 So Far (Gift Link)
• 10 Best Books of 2026 So Far via the BBC

I would also direct you to the January-June 2026 LibraryReads lists as well. Those are best lists from your fellow library workers. Click here for the Archive of every year, with 2026 listed first. In general, the LibraryReads archive is an underused "best list" option. 

Soccer Novels for World Cup Fever

The World Cup is about to begin and there are more excellent novels about soccer than you would think. In fact,  the World Cup is the perfect time to take advantage of one of my RA Basics: Promote the Books Patrons Would Not Find Without Your Help, because when we help readers find books they would never find without us, that is how we make ourselves indispensable in their lives.

The World Cup is the perfect event to prove this rule. Why? Well, first off, people who never watch soccer any other time of the year will get wrapped up in the World Cup. Putting out novels that feature the sport-- in a variety of genres-- will pique their interest. Also, with the event in North America and many cities without games still hosting watch satires in their MLS stadiums, we need to jump open the bandwagon somehow.

LitHub published a great piece today entitled, "Is This the Strangest Soccer Novel Ever Written?: TOBIAS CARROLL ON CARLOS LABBÉ'S THE MURMURATION."

From the introduction:

This piece was published in collaboration with Golden Goal, a literary magazine about the intersection of politics, culture and sport at the 2026 World Cup. To read more, visit their website: goldengoal.world. 

Over the years, writers from around the world have tried their hands at using soccer as a backdrop for memorable fiction. Tonally speaking, they cover a vast terrain, including J.L. Carr’s comic How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the F.A. Cup and Leonard Gribble’s whodunit The Arsenal Stadium Mystery. Some will cut more deeply for soccer fans of a literary bent; others can be savored no matter what your feelings about the beautiful game might be. David Peace’s modernist Red or Dead, about the life of the legendary Liverpool coach Bill Shankly, left me frequently breathless despite having little emotional investment in the ups and downs of Liverpool.

If that novel—a work of precisely composed prose in which Peace uses repetition and the sheer bulk of its more than 800 pages to take the reader into Shankly’s inner life and the meticulous rhythms of his squad’s play—represents one pole of how to make a great soccer novel, standing opposite it is Carlos Labbé’s 2015 The Murmuration, translated into English by Will Vanderhyden. I feel comfortable declaring that The Murmuration is the strangest novel ever written about the game of soccer. The bulk of the novel uses a real event as its setting: the 1962 World Cup semi-final between Chile and Brazil. That part of it, at least, will be familiar to longtime soccer enthusiasts. Where things get a little weirder comes when Labbé introduces psychic powers into the mix.

Click here to read more about this awesome book. 

I see in my system, this book is on Hoopla only, so you might have to add a physical copy to your collections, but as I have said many times, you need to make your display in the building and online. This is a greta opportunity to build lists for people to access books via Hoopla and Libby as well as int he building. Please add QR codes to those digital lists to your physical displays.

Now here are trusted humans created lists of more soccer books for your World Cup displays:

• Goodreads lists tagged soccer (all genres and nonfiction included)
• Well-written books about soccer-- Reddit
• Fiction books about footballers (soccer)-- Reddit
• Books about football/soccer-- Reddit
• For the Love of the Game: Soccer Books--Chicago Public Library Staff Created List
• use your closest big city library's catalog to find more like this. 
• 23 Books All Soccer Fans Should Read -- BuzzFeed

There is overlap here, but also plenty of titles to fill out a small World Cup themed display. Also bonus points if you can get your library to allow you to make a display that uses the whole collection, media, and even allows books for all ages in one place near the front of your library. Here is a post where I help you have resources to argue for "Inter-Generational" displays.

Attack of The Best Lists 2025: Half Year Check-In

This post is part of my year end "Attack of the Best Lists" coverage. To see every post in my "Attack of the Best Lists 2025" coverage [and more backlist best of the year options] you can click here. 

We are a full week into June now and "best of the year so far" lists are coming fast and furious. I will link to a handful of them be below but first, why should you care about the "best" books of 2025 when we are only halfway there?

Well, there are many reasons from practical to patron service oriented. 

1. Collection development: these are the books you should have in your collections right now. But also, check all of these authors and see if they have other books, releasing previous to these break-out titles, and make sure you have those too. These best lists are there to identify specific "right now" titles, yes, but also use the lists as a prompt to check for backlist options as well.
2. While you wait lists: you are not the only one seeing the lists. They are from major media sources. People are going to be coming in and asking for many of these books, often in larger number from when they first came out. Are you ready with suggestions while they wait on hold? Readlaikes for the specific titles and/or authors. Past titles by said authors (see point 1). Even just "best" books lists from last year-- click here to see my "Attack of the Best Lists: 2024" coverage.
3. Displays but make them interactive: use the lists below to get those "Best of the Year So Far" displays up and then make it interactive. Click here to see how to ask questions of you staff and patrons and then pu the answers on display. The conversation starter here is "what is the best book you have read so far this year?" Don't worry about if it came out this year or not. That does not matter. We are highlighting the books that have brought people joy over the last 6 months and spreading that happiness by displaying as many of the books as possible. This is not a gatekeeping moment where you go..."but that is a 2022 book." NO ONE CARES. DON'T SQUASH THE JOY. You can start the display with the specific 2025 lists linked below, but then expand the display with your staff and patrons responses to broaden the offerings. 
4. Don't forget to bridge the physical-virtual divide and get those displays and the conversation start questions into your online spaces. Asking the questions on social media is a great option. Having a google form with whatever the current conversation starter question is on your website. Posting a picture of the display on social media and linking to a list of the books in the catalog and even making a list on Libby and linking there. Just figure out ways to make the display and conversation available in the building and in your online spaces because our patrons use all of our services and do not see them as separate. The library is a space to visit a building AND a space on their phones and computers. 
5. For fun: look, June is very busy at the library. As schools let out, people come back to the library in droves. We are running summer reading, increasing programming, and serving larger numbers of people. Celebrating all of the great titles we have already seen in 2025, if just fun. Embrace some fun. Enjoy the conversation around "best go the year so far." As I mentioned in point 3, get everyone in the community participating. It is pure innocent positivity. Everyone can have their say and you can be the one to spread the joy.

Here are a handful of those lists from across the publishing landscape to get you started:

• 14 Best Books of 2025 So Far via Time
• The 12 best fiction books of 2025 (so far), according to BookTok via Mashable
• lots of genre
• Best Books of the Year (So Far) via the New York Times w/ gift link
• Fiction and Nonfiction
• Best Book of 2025 (So Far) landing page via Barnes and Noble
• 17 categories!!!! 
• Best Books of 2025 (So Far) via Vulture
• Best Book of 2025 (So Far) landing page via Amazon
• individual editors have their own lists as well
• 21 Best Books of 2025 (So Far) via Esquire

I would also direct you to the January-June 2025 LibraryReads lists as well. Those are best lists from your fellow library workers. Click here for the Archive of every year, with 2025 listed first.

Be a Gate Opener: Using the The Library of Congress' National Book Festival Highlights Videos To Fight for More Patron Friendly Cataloging

The Library of Congress has been holding the National Book Festival for 25 years and they are celebrating with resources for you. Well to be fair, they always have resources for free because there are our National Book Festival and like our National Museums in DC, it is free.

This year's event is coming in September and on the LOC Blog, they started their promotion by releasing videos from EVERY YEAR in the past.

Here is the intro from that post:

The Library of Congress National Book Festival will celebrate its 25th year on September 6, 2025. For this year’s festival information, visit the 2025 National Book Festival website.

To honor the occasion, we are taking the 24 weeks leading up to this year’s festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to highlight two videos each week from past National Book Festivals, from the festival’s first year in 2001 to 2024. Each week, we’ll highlight a past festival year with a video from an adult writer and one from a children’s writer. We hope you enjoy scrolling through the past with us! Check out videos from the first 2001 festival here.

The videos they are sharing in this post are from George RR Martin and Meg Cabot.

We are always looking for author content to share with our patrons. Ways for them to connect with their favorites. Well, this is a great easy and FREE way to do that. Add these videos to your websites and socials. But today I want to focus on an even better spot to link these videos of conversations with some of our most popular authors-- YOUR CATALOG.

We do not leverage the power of the link in our catalogs. I know there is resistance in some larger systems, but this resistance has NO MERIT. Yes, even when the department in charge gives you a very good reason, I am telling you--- THEY ARE WRONG.

The number of times I have been told by those above me, especially in tech services, that something I want to do that helps my readers, that puts them first, well, it's a lot. I have said more times that one on this blog and to people in person-- the library rules you claim are intractable are not. They are arbitrary rules that we have made about how books are organized. They are not a law and changing them-- even in large shared systems -- will not take the entire library cataloging system down. And most importantly, there is no library jail. 

Many of our rules also work against our readers and their library experience. Many of our rules are actually meant to keep books on the shelf rather than get them into the hand of our readers. And the fact that people get so mad when you demand they allow you to add things that engage readers and connect them to your collections to your catalog, shows their true colors. They would rather everything be neatly organized on the shelf than in the hands of a reader.

Let's take an example from the real world. I started talking about shelving books in series order NOT alpha order back in 2018. As I argued then, no one reads a series in alpha order, so why do we insist on shelving them that way. (I know why but again, it is a dumb librarian preference and is the opposite of getting books into readers hands more easily).

At the time, very few libraries did this and MANY people told me to be quiet and stop instigating, that it could not be done. Well, guess what? It could. And these days MANY libraries shelve their books in series order. What did it take? It was not some huge software upgrade. It was simply those of us serving readers working with our catalogers to improve discovery and come up with a solution.

Never take NO for an answer when your goal is to put the reader and their experiences first.

So, the people who tell you that you cannot add local information to your OPACs are also wrong. I have talked to people at a few large consortia and while they agreed that the first instinct is to say no, they are 100% ways to add reader focused info like links to author interviews or to locally made readalike lists and more.

Ask why they are saying no. Is it because you will ruin the record or make it messy? That reason is not valid. Fields can be created in all OPACs for links to be added. Is it because they don't want to go back and worry about fixing dead links? Again, not valid. Records need to one edited all of the time. Arguing to not use the technological advantages of an OPAC to engage with your readers because some time in the future the link will be bad is not valid. Here is your counter-- that is like saying we should not add any new books because one day they will be weeded.

Yes it is that simple. 

I am using this post today as the start of a new series I am calling "Be a Gate Opener." I will have a longer post describing what I mean by the term "Gate Opener" soon, but today I am beginning the conversation with you so that you can start the conversation at your library. The ultimate goal is to create a new program on this topic as well. But baby steps. Start with these excellent, free videos that we, as citizens of this country, own so they can be shared without copyright worries.

Click here for more information any time of the year via the homepage for the National Book Festival. But use this as a great chance to fight for adding more discovery power to your OPAC.

Steal This Idea: NPR Book of the Day Podcast As an Easy and Timely Book Display Prompt via Passively Recommending Books

Today to round out the week I am posting a great idea from my colleague Lila Denning (with her permission), from over on her blog-- Passively Recommending Books.

This is an evergreen idea that you can use for a display that is swapped out every day  or weekly by showcasing the previous weeks titles. But the best part is, it will be timely AND you are using resources to give you your display ideas and content. 

Side note-- to be announced soon, but Denning will be appearing on a panel with me and Robin Bradford and others at ALA Annual. It is sponsored by Booklist and moderated by Susan Maguire. Once it is officially added to the schedule, I will post the details on the blog.

In the meantime, see below for more details and ideas from Denning on this specific topic.

Unshelving Your Collection Idea- NPR Book of the Day

One quick and easy way to get some readers advisory information about recently published books is to listen to NPR's podcast Book of the Day. From their website: 

In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone's talking about? NPR's Book of the Day gives you today's very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized podcast. Whether you're looking to engage with the big questions of our times – or temporarily escape from them – we've got an author who will speak to you, all genres, mood and writing styles included. Catch today's great books in 15 minutes or less.

 While this is certainly something that library staff should be encouraged to listen to when not at a public service desk, it's also an opportunity for a quick and easy book display that will be small enough that it can be fit in almost anywhere in a library. 

If you don't own that book, you can skip a day. Remember to check your eBook and eAudiobook collections as well. A book display in your library can also reference those collections to remind patrons that you are a source of digital materials as well. It's also a great readers advisory post for social media. 

Here is an example of a sign that could be posted on a public service desk: 

'Adventures in the Louvre' will teach you how to fall in love with the famous museum

Scan this code to check out this book from our eBook collection!

April 15, 2025

From NPR.org: 

Elaine Sciolino has one mantra: "Never go to the Louvre on an empty stomach or with a full bladder." The former Paris bureau chief of The New York Times has written a guide filled with her best advice for enjoying the world's most-visited museum. Her new book, Adventures in the Louvre, is part journalism, part memoir and part art history. In today's episode, Sciolino speaks with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about the contested origins of the museum's name, the staff's love-hate relationship with the Mona Lisa, and why some Louvre visitors might feel underwhelmed.

To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

Support our local NPR station! [Name of station] [website]

W. W. Norton & Company

Be certain to credit NPR and the publishers when you use their text and images. I would reference your local NPR station in case patrons want to listen as well as NPR.org

Trend Alert: Non-Human Love Interests

Rule 5 of my 10 Rules of RA Service is:

5.   Read ABOUT books widely, so you can suggest widely

• Reading ABOUT books is MORE important than reading a book.
• Becky’s newsletters of choice: LJ, PW, Shelf Awareness, Book Riot
• Make sure you are reading with an equity, diversity, and inclusion lens as well as a diversity of genres

When I tell you to read about books it is so that you are aware of the conversations happening around books out in the larger world.

It is also one of the best ways to identify trends. Trends appear organically if you reading about books in a variety of locations and you see things overlap. In fact, when you start seeing something everywhere and in non book places, it is time to start promoting it to your readers.

It is also VERY important to put out small, rapid response trending displays whenever you can, to show your patrons you know what they are looking for before they even have to ask. I cannot underestimate how important it is for us to have these trending lists and displays up and highly visible both in the library and online. Even if a patron is not interested in the trending topic, when they see the things they are hearing and reading about outside of the library, they feel like we get it. We are showing them that the library has what people are looking for. That we understand what people want. That goes a very long way toward them knowing that the library is there for everyone. 

Again, even if someone comes in and does NOT want what you have on display, if it is something they have heard about other places, this shows them that we know what people are talking about. Again, do not underestimate how important that is. 

Today's case in point is Non-Human Love Interests in Fiction.

Now, I know this is NOT a new trend. In fact, the 2013 Netflix documentary "Animism: People Who Love Objects" made a wider audience aware of this concept.

In libraries we have had books that fester people falling in love with non-human objects and creatures for a while, but it was always a fringe topic. With the mainstream popularity of Romantasy and titles like The Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su, more people want to know about this trend.

So you know what that means--- let's start promoting all of those titles we already have that fit this now trending theme. Pull those books out of the stacks where they have been patiently waiting for their moment in the spotlight. It is here. No longer languishing, it is time to make them shine. We have these titles in our collections right now. We are ready for the readers who are interested. But without us pulling them out of the stacks to showcase them-- no one will ever know.

Today I have gathered resources for you to make those lists and displays.

• Alien Pleasures via Defector
• Genre Alert: Women Who Are Sexually Attracted to Airplanes...And Other Non-Sentient Objects via Lit Hub
• And as will come as no surprise, Reddit has MANY threads on this topic in various forums. Click here to see them all in a Google search.

This is a display you can have a lot of fun with. Embrace the trend and pull out those books. Show your patrons you know what they are looking for before they even have to ask.

Micro-Genre Alert: Bog Gothic

I have started a new tag to capture the proliferation of micro-genre trends. Click on micro-genre here, at the end of this post, or in the right gutter where the tags all appear in alpha order.

The thing about micro-genres isn't that they are new, rather it is the trend that is worth noting. Romantasy is the best example not only because of how popular it is, but rather, because if you look at the lists of books that fall into this trending genre, they have always been there (yes more are coming out because it is popular). All we are doing now is giving this particular type of book, with a specific appeal or trope a name.

As I wrote in my first "Micro-Genre Alert" post here, when something is trending in the larger world, we should take advantage and make a display-- show people that we both know about the trend and have books to satisfy their curiosity.

But we should not worry about identifying those trends and making the lists from scratch. Nope. That is what are resources are for. As I say in Rule 7 of my 10 Rules of RA Service-- we need to use resources to help readers, just like we do for reference questions. You are not better at your job o helping readers if you only use your own brain. In fact, quite the opposite, using resources shows what a better RA professional you are.

So back to the topic at hand. Using my resources, I noticed this piece in CrimeReads all about Bog Gothic. From the article:

Bog Gothic or Bogothic?

Although bogs are not as popular a setting for thrillers and horror novels as, say, a crumbling estate or a city crippled by corruption, there have definitely been some authors who have drawn inspiration from this type of wetland, myself included. We might call this subgenre ‘Bog Gothic’ if it were not for the fact that this term already exists: it was coined by Patrick McCabe to describe his gothic stories set in rural Ireland, the most famous of which is The Butcher Boy (1992). Having a bog is not required for a novel to be considered ‘Bog Gothic’, because ‘bog’ here refers to Ireland and Ireland’s dark past rather than the actual wetland. To avoid confusion and because people on social media love a good portmanteau, I suggest that we use bogothic (from bog and gothic, as coined by my wife) to refer to gothic books that incorporate bogs and bog bodies.

What follows now is a list of bogothic books provided with their score on the bog-o-meter (a highly-accurate, totally objective tool). Let’s see which ones really put the ‘bog’ into bogothic!

Click through to see the annotated reading list with that bog-o-meter score.

Not only is this a great idea for a display that will feature books from across your collection, old and new, it is fun. You could use these books and the author's scores to make you own display in the building or online.

But let's find some more "Bogothic" suggestions as well, especially lists of books as suggested by fans of the micro-genre.

• As I have mentioned many times before, I love using Reddit to find book suggestions. Real people who care about a topic, suggesting to those looking for reading recs. Here are some examples with the reddit area in which they appeared:
•  Suggest Me A Book: "Gothic books set on craggy, windswept coasts of the British Isles that will make me feel melancholy in a romantic way and/or unsettled"
• Books That Feel Like This (with a picture): "Marshes, bogs, spooky nature in general and mystery with a hint of the paranormal? (I've already read Wuthering Heights!)"
• Horror Lit: "Horror about bogs, swamps, marshes and similarly wet, muddy places"
• Horror Lit: "Novel set in a cold moorish/wet/foggy place"
• From Goodreads:
• Wetlands, Swamps, Marshes and Bogs
• Bog Bodies
• Did you know NoveList has a tag for "Bogs?" Well they do. Look up "The Bog Wife" by Kay Chronister and click on "bogs" to pull up a bunch of titles. You can also see my review of that title here.

Now there's a bunch of books to make for a fun display. Attached a "bog-o-meter" score to each book if you want-- just do it on a post-it. And get your patrons involved as well. 

Post the list of books and a photo of your display online and ask people to add their own books and or bog-o-meter scores.  Use my conversation starter to display post to ask all of your patrons to share their favorite titles for this micro-genre.

Even better idea-- make the conversation starter question not just to add a book to the display but also, include a space where patrons can suggest the next micro-genre for you to feature. Yes our resources can alert us to trends, but our patrons are also a resource. Show them that you want to know what they want. Encourage them to speak up about the types of books they are most interested in. Not only will this help you to have the collection and services they want, it will make your job easier as they will be coming up with the display ideas for you. 

Finding the books will be fun. Try reddit as described above and a general search for whatever micro-genre they mention to get started.

Display Idea: Historical Fiction is Popular, Consider Displaying Titles That Are NOT Set During WWII

Look, we all know readers love Historical Fiction. There are many reasons why. The most common appeal factor for readers who seek out historical fiction is that it is a way to learn something about history while reading. These readers know their books are not the absolute truth, but they enjoy how they can immerse themselves in a real time and place and learn about it through a story.

I include myself in this. In fact, I go even further in understanding the personal appeal of Historical Fiction. For me, I most enjoy historical fiction that is set in times and places that I don't know much about already. As a Gen Xer, WWII is not one of those topics.

All of this is leading up to the fact that we know there is a glut of Historical Fiction about WWII. We know people like it, but I would argue that they would like other settings if they were available.

And I have proof. Kristin Hannah, the best selling Historical Fiction author right now, who has written MANY WWII set novels, has had one of the biggest books of the year in any genre-- The Women-- this year and it is set during....The Vietnam War.

One of my mantras about displays is: Promote the books patrons will not find on their own. When we remind people of the books we have that they did not know about, that is when our worth is noticed and appreciated.

In this vein, do we need lists and displays of Historical Fiction dominated by WWII titles? No. One or two are probably enough. And the titles you pick should be by a marginalized voices and not only on the topic of Japanese Internment-- which quite honestly is the only way we get "diverse titles" into the WWII category. (I suggest this and this) 

But, I digress. There are so many other times and places to promote and recently, the AARP had this post entitled-- "10 Historical Novels NOT Set During WWII." 

Steal this idea! Make your own online lists and displays using that title. Then make it interactive by asking your patrons to share their favorite Historical Fiction titles that are not set during WWII. [Reminder: use my conversation starter to display post to help you do this.]

Look, this is why I tell people to read about books every day. I was alerted to this list via recent Book Pulse from LJ. We need to know what our patrons are seeing about books out there in the non-book world. If AARP (which does an excellent job covering books here FYI) of out there proclaiming that people want Historical Fiction from other time periods, I am confident others will love it if you acknowledge this as well. 

Get those displays up. Any time you are looking for an idea, Historical Fiction is evergreen. And make it interactive. Ask your patrons to share their favs as well.

FREE Hybrid Event with Rachel Harrison and Emily Hughes August 21st!

Click here to register for the Zoom

I am posting this on both blogs today because the event is next week and it is available to every one, every where. You don't want to miss it. This is an event for both authors and their latest releases BUT ALSO it is an official Summer Scares event as well.

Please, signup even if you cannot make it. They will be sending a recording. This is a great event to let your patrons know about as well. Again, all can signup no matter where you live.

While this will be a great event on its own, on a selfish note, as one of the people in charge of Summer Scares, I'd love to get a report of HUGE numbers in support of Summer Scares.

Please use the link here or see the text from their website below. 

Maybe I will see you there.

Hybrid: Summer Scares First Bite: SUCH SHARP TEETH & HORROR FOR WEENIES

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21

7:00—8:00 PM 

Meeting RoomSargent Memorial Library

427 Massachusetts Ave

Boxborough, MA 01719

Join us in person at the library or online via Zoom for this special discussion!

As part of this year’s Summer Scares, we welcome authors Rachel Harrison and Emily C. Hughes for a discussion about gateways to the horror genre and how entwined horror is in popular culture. Harrison’s novel Such Sharp Teeth is a selection for the Horror Writers Association 2024 Summer Scares program. Harrison’s work is known for the relatable women protagonists, sense of humor, and feminist twists on tropes. Hughes first book, Horror For Weenies, is forthcoming in September with detailed information on 25 of the most popular horror movies written in an accessible and approachable manner 'for people who love getting the reference but hate being scared.' 

NOTE: This is a HYBRID event. If you'd like to join us online (where we will be taking questions!), please register for the Zoom.

If you'd like to join us in person, just show up.

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

We are proud to be partnering with Silver Unicorn Bookstore for book purchases. You can pre-order signed copies (by bookplate) of the participating authors forthcoming titles, So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison and Horror For Weenies by Emily C. Hughes. Additionally, you can place orders for any of the Summer Scares titles(copies of Rachel Harrison’s Such Sharp Teeth will also be signed). If you are attending in person, our authors will be happy to sign books that you bring from home, too. Please limit them to 3 per author.

About the authors:

Rachel Harrison is the national bestselling author of BLACK SHEEP, SUCH SHARP TEETH, CACKLE, and THE RETURN, which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in Guernica, Electric Literature's Recommended Reading, as an Audible Original, and in her debut story collection BAD DOLLS. Her next novel, SO THIRSTY, is out September 10th from Berkley.

Emily C. Hughes wants to scare you. Formerly the editor of Unbound Worlds and TorNightfire.com, she writes about horror and curates a list of the year’s new scary books. Her first book, Horror For Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films You’re Too Scared to Watch, will hit shelves in September 2024 from Quirk Books. You can find her writing elsewhere in The New York Times, Vulture, Tor.com, Electric Literature, Thrillist, and more. Emily lives in crunchy western Massachusetts with her husband and four idiot cats.

This hybrid program is brought to you by Sargent Memorial Library in partnership with Ashland Public Library and Framingham Public Library, and several other Massachusetts and New Hampshire libraries.  

This program is part of Summer Scares, an annual reading program from The Horror Writers Association, in partnership with United for Libraries, Book Riot, Booklist, and NoveList, which provides titles selected by a panel of authors and library workers and is designed to promote Horror as a great reading option for all ages, during any time of the year.

Register through Zoom for online access.

Matching Books to Your Mood via GoodReads

In general we match books based on why someone wants to read a book and not centered around what happens in the book. This is something I write about a lot. It is in my 10 Rules of Basic RA Service which links to this longer post on the topic. 

There are many ways to match books based on why someone would like a book, and their current mood is a great example. We see this overall with Gentle Reads and Horror having an increase in readership during these unprecedented times that we have been living through. Why? Because of mood.

As we live through this tumult many have turned to leisure experiences that either are more calming than real life for consolation OR to events that are way worse to make them feel better about the real world. Both are a reaction to real life "moods;" every different reactions but a mood based read is just what these readers are looking for.

There are a few ways to find mood based reads and I was reminded of one recently when Goodreads had this article on their blog:

84 New Mood-Based Reading Recommendations (Across Genres)

Those of us with serious reading habits are already aware of this basic truism: The books we choose to read are often dictated by mood.
 
As in: Sometimes you’re in the mood for a comforting read. Or a love story, or a funny story, or a story that will sweep you away. And sometimes you might be looking for all of the above! In fact, lots of dedicated readers keep multiple books on the nightstand, actual or virtual, for just this reason. 
 
Today’s specially curated collection is dedicated to this concept of mood-based reading recommendations. Our editors have personally sorted through the stacks to create 21 categories featuring specific reading moods and hankerings. It’s highly informal, extremely genre-agnostic, deeply unscientific, and a lot of fun. Scroll down and see for yourself.

Click here to read it in full. It is mostly focused on newish books, but you can also include backlist titles by searching for a specific mood on Goodreads and pull up user generated lists or use NoveList or Reddit to find more titles. 

Go to NoveList and use the appeal mixer to find titles or take a book your patrons really liked (with similar mood) and click on the appeal terms which best fit the mood for which they are searching. 

And for Reddit result, just use a search engine and do a natural language search the mood the patrons is looking for and add the word "books." So into Google type "books for a reader that want to be swept away reddit" and then use the lists to find a title.

However you do this, use it as a remind to ask people what kind o feeling they want from their next read rather than asking them about genre or plot elements. See also this post from last week when I wrote about this in more depth and use the connection between two books in completely different genres to prove a similar point.

Conversation Starter: Reading Recommendations for Characters in Other Media

We already know that TV and Movies are a great conversation starter at our libraries. Because we carry books and offer ways to access TV and Movies, doing displays that offer readalikes for visual media and watchalikes for books is something we have done for years.

However, a fun twist on this "old standby" has been popping up recently, one that is not only a great conversation starter, but also something that reminds our users that we are always here to give anyone a reading rec at any time-- Reading Recommendations for characters.

My colleague Alex Brown has written a couple of these for Tor.com. Their lists include:

• SFF Reading Recommendations for the Characters of Ted Lasso
• SFF Reading Recommendations for the Characters of Good Omens

Current Summer Scares author Maggie Tokuda-Hall has "Buzz Buzz! Recommended Reading for the Characters of Yellowjackets" on the same site. 

I love this idea because you can get the entire staff involved. Send out an all staff email and ask for people to nominate their favorite TV shows and movies to turn into one of these lists. Start with the media with the most nominations and then send out a google form with the main characters and ask people to recommend a read for the fiction characters. They can do one or all. But here's the think, when you ask everyone to help, you are bound to get suggestions for every character because working together is your best resource.

Build lists and displays from the answers. Put them online, on website, social media, and in the building on display and print lists.

Then ask your patrons to suggest titles for the lists you post and/or they can nominate TV shows and Movies that you can tackle next. Add this interactive element to get more conversations started about your entire collection.

I also think this is a wonderful multi-generational opportunity. So for example, you take a popular kids show like Bluey and ask the kids and the grownups to suggest books for the main characters. Then make a display that showcases their suggestions. When kids are obsessed with something, it also takes over the parents lives. I would have loved a reading rec list for the characters in Cars when my son was young-- for him and me. At the very least, it would have given us another talking point connected to the movie which he talked about about day and night.

Here's the is the thing about creating conversation starter displays and lists-- they start conversations about your entire collection. And conversations by default are interactive.

This is a wonderful chance to get the entire staff (and eventually, your patrons) involved in suggesting books. Use your best resource-- each other. Crowdsource idea and lists. Get everyone involved who wants to. Engage them in your brand-- Books. 

It also announces that you care about what other types of stories people in your community are consuming even when they are not checking it out of the library. You want to help them make connections across all of their leisure story consumption, regardless of the format. They do not know that you do this automatically. But if you show them you are thinking about it for one show or movies, I promise you they will ask about more, especially if you have a display or online list that asks them to leave a note or a comment with what you should tackle next.

This will not only engage staff and patrons to participate but it also shows that you are always thinking about suggesting books to people to read for fun-- no matter whether they are living and breathing humans in front of you or beloved fictional characters. 

Bonus: if you do the first one, guess what? You can start with one of your favorite TV shows or movies. 

If you give this a try, let me know and I can share your displays and lists with my readers. Click on the RA for All logo any time for my contact information.

50 Best Mystery Novels of All Time by Gabino Iglesias for Esquire

Recently, author Gabino Iglesias, who you have heard about many times on this blog, had this EXCELLENT list in Esquire, "50 Best Mystery Books of All Time."

This list is useful to you for 4 reasons.

1. The short essay that introduces the list is a must read because Iglesias takes a wide view of "Mystery" without sacrificing the key elements of the genre. In it he talks about how authors craft a mystery but also how reading one makes you feel. 
2. The list itself is not your cookie cutter list of mysteries. In fact, it starts with Dracula. Again, wide view of "Mystery" based on a reader's opinion.
3. It appeared in Esquire. It was not part of the traditional book media, but rather a more general popular media. This means a wider range of your patrons saw the list, and in fact, some people who don't generally come to the library may be drawn to us to seek out one of these titles because of the list.
4. As a person of color, Iglesias did not submit an all white, male, straight list of books. So it is one of the few-- "Best of All Time" lists that you will find that is diversified. It also serves as an example to all of you excuse makers that this kind of diverse list is possible.

Okay, so that's why you need to click through and look at the list. But then what? Well build a display of course, make lists for your social media and online platforms using these titles. Double check that you own all of these books, in multiple formats, and that the print ones don't need replacing. For example, my copies of Dracula needed to be retired and replaced a few times in my 15 years at the public library.

But those are the obvious things. What you really have to do is use this list as a conversation starter because that is exactly what it is. Iglesias put this list together to start the conversation about Mystery, to broaden the definition, bring both more books and more readers into its genre fold. Embrace that mission and use it to your advantage with a genre that is already among our most popular.

So yes, post the list, but also, allow people to add their books to the conversation. Encourage them to use comments on social media to add to the list, but also, add those titles that you get suggested virtually on to your physical displays and online lists. Let your virtual commenters participate and show them you are listing by including their choices in physical displays. 

And with your in building display, ask people to leave a post-it note on a board or a slip in a box suggesting their "Best Mystery Book of All Time." Cross reference that with the online comments and make it all into a "Our Readers Favorite Mystery Books of All Time" display or online list.

Keep the conversation going. And keep it a wide as possible. Do not gatekeeper people and tell them their title does not fit the definition of "Mystery." Who cares? Do they think it is a mystery? Are they coming to the library to find more reads? You are there to help them. Show that you are listening, not gatekeeping.

And this list is a great place to start.

Resource Alert: Center for the Book-- Online and In Person

Recently, the LoC blog ran an article entitled, "What is the Center for the Book, and Where Can I Find One?" It drew my attention because I have been hired by the Center for the Book for two different states in the past and even I am not that well versed in what they are and what they offer. 

Well, apparently, I am not alone because the Center for the Book also realized they need to do more outreach, and created a brand new website here.

One of the things I love about the Center for the Book is that it also embraces one of my 10 Rules of Basic RA Service-- Bridge the Physical Virtual Divide -- as they offer online and in person access.

But, I am getting ahead of myself here. Read the blog post BEFORE going directly to the landing page for the Center for the Book. That post frames what you will see on the landing page. and gives you an overview of the Center for the Book in general. 

I will let them explain here and below. But give it a click and find you local Center for the Book and see how you can partner with them for programs and services to offer to your patrons.

What’s the Center for the Book, and Where Can I Find One?

This is a guest post by Guy Lamolinara, Head of Center for the Book

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress has a new website, one that will help connect you to the Library’s Affiliate in your state or territory.

What’s the Center for the Book?

The Center for the Book is a community of 56 Affiliated Centers that promotes books, reading, libraries and literacy across the country. These Centers also elevate and advocate for their state’s unique literary heritage, developed by writers whose works reflect distinctively American places. Their stories, novels, essays, poems and other written works, rooted in the nation’s extraordinary diversity of people and geography, are often featured in the programs supported by the Affiliated Centers for the Book.

All Americans are connected to the Library of Congress.

The Library’s vision is aspirational and speaks to the tangible and intangible connections that are possible with the nation we serve. Through our unequaled collections, services, events and products, users can connect with the Library in meaningful ways throughout their life journey.

One of the ways we achieve this vision is through the Affiliated Centers for the Book. No matter where you live, there is a Center for the Book that works to promote books, reading, libraries and literacy in your area.

There is an Affiliate Center for the Book in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and Northern Marianas.

These Centers engage, inspire and inform diverse audiences through author talks, web-based events, podcasts, book festivals and more, designed to advance appreciation of the written word. Some examples of what our Affiliates are doing:

• The Ohio Center for the Book has created “Page Count,” an interview-format podcast that celebrates authors, librarians, booksellers, illustrators, publishing professionals and literary advocates in and from the state of Ohio.
• The Alaska Center for the Book offers a “reading challenge” in which you can win books written by Native Alaska authors.
• The Massachusetts Center for the Book and the Oklahoma Center for the Book both sponsor long-running book awards that honor writers from their states.
• Many sponsor their state’s own book festival.

The Affiliates also play a role in the annual Library of Congress National Book Festival by naming a book to the Great Reads from Great Places project, and they send representatives to the festival to promote their state’s literary heritage to thousands of festivalgoers.

In addition, they help to promote the activities and initiatives of the Library of Congress, the Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement, as well as those of the other Affiliated Centers for the Book.

Check out what your state or territory is doing by visiting our new website. You may want to participate in one of their programs or get to know a new literary community near you.