Each semester I have my students read a section from Paco Underhill's best selling book Why We Buy. Libraries and librarians are not known for putting customer service first. I spend time with my librarians in training making sure they understand that we are there to help and serve our patrons. I do many exercises and stress this point throughout the semester. Surprisingly, my RA class seems to be the only place in the curriculum where customer service is addressed.
My two main customer service mantras for librarians are 1, to go the extra mile and 2, do behind the scenes work to make each patron's experience more enjoyable. I have many suggestions on how to do this. But most importantly, librarians need to remember that the books do not belong to them, we are simply the caretakers. The books in the library belong to the patrons, and should go out. We should not limit access. Who does that serve?
Also, libraries (in general) have too many rules that also limit access. Librarians (in general) do not trust the public and make rules to "protect" our collections. I say, let people have access and trust them until they prove themselves unworthy of this trust.
All of this is my opinion and it is fairly controversial in the library field. But I am not alone. In order to help my personal cause of turning out librarians who are eager and willing to help patrons, limit the overwhelming history of too many library rules, and simply make each patron's experience more pleasant, I have received a great deal of help from Paco Underhill's company Enviornsell.
My local library system, MLS, received a grant to have Environsell come in to 4 libraries and apply their expertise in the retail world to 3 public and 1 academic library. The results are here. The 4 libraries will be presenting their experiences at the ILA conference next week in Chicago and probably again here in Chicago at the annual ALA conference in June 2009.
Anyone who works in or uses their public library should take a look at this page and especially the pdf for the final report.
Libraries who are interested in my complete customer service program should contact me at the Berwyn Public Library so I can talk to you about coming to your library.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Book Discussion: The Thirteenth Tale
This month my group read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I read this book last year when it first came out and wrote this annotation for one of my displays:
"Vida Winter is England’s most popular and most mysterious author. As she faces her own mortality, Winter is finally willing to divulge her biggest secrets and chooses Margaret Lea, a rare bookseller, to be her biographer. As Winter’s life story is slowly unraveled, Lea gets caught up in the tale of ghosts, lies, and half-truths and is forced to come to terms with some of her own family secrets. The Thirteenth Tale is a modern take on the Gothic ghost stories of yore."
This novel is in the tradition of Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and Rebecca. It has all of the elements of a Gothic tale, including some incredible coincidences, outrageous family situations, and lots and lots of secrets.
Our discussion was lively. In fact, when we finished one of the participants mentioned how we should have taped the conversation as an example of what a great book discussion is.
Despite the shift in genre for us as a group, all but three people really liked the book, and the three hold outs, were mixed. Comments made at the start included a few people noting how "clever" the book was, how much thought went into it, and how "different" it was. One person talked about how she felt that it had the feel of an updated version of an older book. Still another said it almost felt like it was spoofing the Gothic genre. And finally, another person said that it had so many twists and turns, secrets and lies, details and over the top characters, that if it had not been so well done, it could have just as easily been a disaster.
The beautiful writing, especially those passages which talk about reading and storytelling were commented upon. In fact, I think we read from this novel, sharing our favorite lines, more than usual. We talked about the role of books and stories in this novel, the "dangers" of reading, and how all of the houses in this novel reflect their inhabitants.
Everyone loved the book within a book, within a book, storyline. We talked a lot about that category of books and compared this novel to Atonement by Ian McEwan, which this group had read previously. We spent a good deal of time playing around with the idea that there was Vida's story and Margaret's story, and then the overall biography that Margaret ended up producing, but not publishing, which also happened to be the book in our hands now (published), and finally, how all of it is simply a single book written by Setterfield. You can see how this led to much discussion. It was fun though. So fun in fact, that one participant noted how this illustrated how Setterfield told this entire tale in such a playful way. This woman felt that Setterfield was writing more for herself than for her audience and this woman appreciated this as a reader.
The novel also lends itself to a discussion of biography versus storytelling. Margaret insists they are different, Vida claims they are one and the same. We discussed how different and surprisingly similar the two pursuits are, especially as illustrated in this novel. Margaret wants Vida to tell her life story with the beginning at the beginning, the middle in the middle, and the end at the end. However, it cannot be told that way. Our life stories do not begin with our births. Setterfield does a nice job setting up this discussion by having the most important piece of Vida's life story, the fire at Angelfield, which happened when she was a young girl, finally revealed near the end of the book. To further underscore this point, one of my participants pointed out that Margaret then titles one of the last chapters of her biography of Ms. Winter, "Beginnings." This revealed much about Margaret's own transformation throughout the book too.
Another discussion thread I want to point out here has a SPOILER ALERT attached to it so I left it for last. Please skip to the readalikes if you do not want to know about a major plot twist. The fire at Angelfield reveals the truth, that there were three girls, not two, and only two survive the fire. Although Vida tried to save Emmeline and leave Adeline to perish, it is not ever clear which of the two girls actually survived. We had a spirited conversation debating this point and people were able to use the text to back their claims. In the end we were satisfied that Setterfield left enough clues for either answer to be correct and we can think what we want.
Readalikes: There are many suggestions one could make for readers who enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale. People who like the book, within a book, within a book frame can try Atonement (as mentioned above), Snow by Orhan Pamuk and The History of Love by Nicole Krauss.
Besides the Gothic tales listed at the start of this post, Henry James' The Turn of the Screw is also referred to in the text, and The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue is a newer book with a Gothic feel involving changelings and children. I have found success passing the latter book on to patrons who enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale
There is also an entire other category of novels that deal with bookstore owners and real life dramas. Two popular and well received works are The Club Dumas, a thriller by Arturo Perez-Reverte, and another popular book discussion title, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
For those readers interested in learning more about the Gothic literary tradition try this link to the book The History of Gothic Fiction. This book and the other titles found on this page will get you started.
"Vida Winter is England’s most popular and most mysterious author. As she faces her own mortality, Winter is finally willing to divulge her biggest secrets and chooses Margaret Lea, a rare bookseller, to be her biographer. As Winter’s life story is slowly unraveled, Lea gets caught up in the tale of ghosts, lies, and half-truths and is forced to come to terms with some of her own family secrets. The Thirteenth Tale is a modern take on the Gothic ghost stories of yore."
This novel is in the tradition of Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and Rebecca. It has all of the elements of a Gothic tale, including some incredible coincidences, outrageous family situations, and lots and lots of secrets.
Our discussion was lively. In fact, when we finished one of the participants mentioned how we should have taped the conversation as an example of what a great book discussion is.
Despite the shift in genre for us as a group, all but three people really liked the book, and the three hold outs, were mixed. Comments made at the start included a few people noting how "clever" the book was, how much thought went into it, and how "different" it was. One person talked about how she felt that it had the feel of an updated version of an older book. Still another said it almost felt like it was spoofing the Gothic genre. And finally, another person said that it had so many twists and turns, secrets and lies, details and over the top characters, that if it had not been so well done, it could have just as easily been a disaster.
The beautiful writing, especially those passages which talk about reading and storytelling were commented upon. In fact, I think we read from this novel, sharing our favorite lines, more than usual. We talked about the role of books and stories in this novel, the "dangers" of reading, and how all of the houses in this novel reflect their inhabitants.
Everyone loved the book within a book, within a book, storyline. We talked a lot about that category of books and compared this novel to Atonement by Ian McEwan, which this group had read previously. We spent a good deal of time playing around with the idea that there was Vida's story and Margaret's story, and then the overall biography that Margaret ended up producing, but not publishing, which also happened to be the book in our hands now (published), and finally, how all of it is simply a single book written by Setterfield. You can see how this led to much discussion. It was fun though. So fun in fact, that one participant noted how this illustrated how Setterfield told this entire tale in such a playful way. This woman felt that Setterfield was writing more for herself than for her audience and this woman appreciated this as a reader.
The novel also lends itself to a discussion of biography versus storytelling. Margaret insists they are different, Vida claims they are one and the same. We discussed how different and surprisingly similar the two pursuits are, especially as illustrated in this novel. Margaret wants Vida to tell her life story with the beginning at the beginning, the middle in the middle, and the end at the end. However, it cannot be told that way. Our life stories do not begin with our births. Setterfield does a nice job setting up this discussion by having the most important piece of Vida's life story, the fire at Angelfield, which happened when she was a young girl, finally revealed near the end of the book. To further underscore this point, one of my participants pointed out that Margaret then titles one of the last chapters of her biography of Ms. Winter, "Beginnings." This revealed much about Margaret's own transformation throughout the book too.
Another discussion thread I want to point out here has a SPOILER ALERT attached to it so I left it for last. Please skip to the readalikes if you do not want to know about a major plot twist. The fire at Angelfield reveals the truth, that there were three girls, not two, and only two survive the fire. Although Vida tried to save Emmeline and leave Adeline to perish, it is not ever clear which of the two girls actually survived. We had a spirited conversation debating this point and people were able to use the text to back their claims. In the end we were satisfied that Setterfield left enough clues for either answer to be correct and we can think what we want.
Readalikes: There are many suggestions one could make for readers who enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale. People who like the book, within a book, within a book frame can try Atonement (as mentioned above), Snow by Orhan Pamuk and The History of Love by Nicole Krauss.
Besides the Gothic tales listed at the start of this post, Henry James' The Turn of the Screw is also referred to in the text, and The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue is a newer book with a Gothic feel involving changelings and children. I have found success passing the latter book on to patrons who enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale
There is also an entire other category of novels that deal with bookstore owners and real life dramas. Two popular and well received works are The Club Dumas, a thriller by Arturo Perez-Reverte, and another popular book discussion title, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
For those readers interested in learning more about the Gothic literary tradition try this link to the book The History of Gothic Fiction. This book and the other titles found on this page will get you started.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Booker Short List Announced
Each year, the Booker Prize short list is hotly anticipated by literary fiction fans. The list was published yesterday. Here are the books and some commentary about it from Amazon's blog.
In my 8 years at the public service desk, I have found that the books on the Booker List are some of the most sought after novels by our literary fiction readers and book club participants. Honestly, the short list as a whole attracts more interest in our patrons than the eventual winner alone. (By the way, the winner will be announced on Oct 14).
I have found that for readers who enjoy one Booker short listed author, pulling up a list of the other Booker winners and short-listed titles makes them very happy. I do want to caution librarians here though. In my experience, this does not work as well with other major awards such as the Pulitzer or National Book Award.
In my 8 years at the public service desk, I have found that the books on the Booker List are some of the most sought after novels by our literary fiction readers and book club participants. Honestly, the short list as a whole attracts more interest in our patrons than the eventual winner alone. (By the way, the winner will be announced on Oct 14).
I have found that for readers who enjoy one Booker short listed author, pulling up a list of the other Booker winners and short-listed titles makes them very happy. I do want to caution librarians here though. In my experience, this does not work as well with other major awards such as the Pulitzer or National Book Award.
Reading Maps Examples
As I have posted about before here, whole collection RA is the new trend in helping patrons. If you like a certain book or topic, the library should be able to provide you with suggestions of similar materials from each and every department and in every media option.
Reading maps are not new, libraries have been doing a version for years, called pathfinders. Some reading maps have embraced the new whole collection RA mantra, but kept the old format. Reading maps like these from Oak Park (IL) Public Library are well done, but do not take advantage of the Internet for linking to book summaries, websites, and even pictures and video.
These two examples by Neal Wyatt are a better example of how web based reading maps can serve patrons better. Beginning last semester, I have been encouraging my students to give reading maps a try. Last semester I had 2 takers. Hopefully, this semester, a few more will try and I will be able to share them with you.
Reading maps are not new, libraries have been doing a version for years, called pathfinders. Some reading maps have embraced the new whole collection RA mantra, but kept the old format. Reading maps like these from Oak Park (IL) Public Library are well done, but do not take advantage of the Internet for linking to book summaries, websites, and even pictures and video.
These two examples by Neal Wyatt are a better example of how web based reading maps can serve patrons better. Beginning last semester, I have been encouraging my students to give reading maps a try. Last semester I had 2 takers. Hopefully, this semester, a few more will try and I will be able to share them with you.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Horror Reading List 2008 Part 2
It is time to update the horror lists at the Berwyn Public Library in preparation for Halloween. I already did a quick list more off the top of my head here. This is part 2, but please do refer to the other list linked above which includes more novels.
Some big name horror authors with recent releases in preparation for Halloween are F. Paul Wilson's By the Sword: A Repairman Jack Novel (10/08), John Saul's Faces of Fear (8/08) and Dean Koontz's Odd Hours, part of his very popular Odd Thomas series. Stephen King also had Duma Key this year and his new collection of stories Just After Sunset is due in November.
A few less than household name authors also had some scary offerings to note. They may not be bestsellers, but they are worth your time:
Bram Stoker Award winner, Alexandra Sokoloff (The Harrowing), published another satisfyingly eerie novel this year, The Price (2/08). With the popularity of vampire romances these days, it is always nice to see female horror writers earning respect for good old fashioned scary books. In The Price this is just what readers get. The plot revolves around a politician running for governor of MA, his sick daughter, and a strange hospital where the sick get better and the healthy get sicker.
I love Ramsey Campbell. He is a bit violent but his novels never fail to scare the heck out of you. His newest, Grin of the Dark (7/08), involves a clown. Enough said.
Nate Kenyon first entered the horror scene with Bloodstone and this November he will be back with The Reach. I honestly have not read enough about this title to provide plot information, but it is a Leisure Fiction horror paperback, which is generally recommendation enough.
Finally, Bryan Smith has come out with a new Leisure title too. This one, Queen of Blood (4/08)is a sequel to House of Blood. Basically, the new book follows the survivors of the first, and a few ghosts too. This a wild and bloody story revolving around other worldly beings who need innocent human blood.
Friday, September 5, 2008
BPL Display: Make 'Em Laugh
Kathy put up a new "small display" at Berwyn: Make 'Em Laugh-With These Funny Books.
We often get requests for happier books, so here you go.
We often get requests for happier books, so here you go.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
BPL Update and Fun RA Transaction
The BPL is open. There is no noticeable smell of smoke on the first floor, and just a bit up and down. But I will not be able to test my cross training theory.
However, I did have a great first patron this morning. He came in looking for Little Women and then wanted some info about it. After chatting for a few minutes, I found out he and his girlfriend were suggesting books to each other. He had me pull Steven Pressfield's The Virtues of War for her to read.
This "he said...she said" type of readers advisory has been explored before, but I was impressed by this couple's initiative. Now I am constantly suggesting books to my husband, but many of you probably do not try to get your significant other to read your favorite books.
I think this is a wonderful idea to improve communication in any relationship, not just spouses, but parents and children, co-workers, etc... But choose wisely and read them at the same time. I can pretty much guarantee an interesting discussion will follow.
However, I did have a great first patron this morning. He came in looking for Little Women and then wanted some info about it. After chatting for a few minutes, I found out he and his girlfriend were suggesting books to each other. He had me pull Steven Pressfield's The Virtues of War for her to read.
This "he said...she said" type of readers advisory has been explored before, but I was impressed by this couple's initiative. Now I am constantly suggesting books to my husband, but many of you probably do not try to get your significant other to read your favorite books.
I think this is a wonderful idea to improve communication in any relationship, not just spouses, but parents and children, co-workers, etc... But choose wisely and read them at the same time. I can pretty much guarantee an interesting discussion will follow.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
BPL Fire
There was a fire at the Berwyn Public Library, but thankfully, it was confined to the boiler/ac. However, there is smoke damage throughout the building and we are open limited hours on 1 out of three floors. I was not scheduled to work today, but will be there all day tomorrow and hope to have more of a report.
Knowing that the materials are fine allows me the time to look at this situation from a customer service standpoint. I will report on how well we can still help patrons in this situation. My initial response is, as long as the staff's health is not in jeopardy, this could be a great staff development opportunity. Cross training and sharing between departments can happen more easily with all of us on 1 floor. I am actually looking forward to the opportunity to think outside of the box tomorrow. I hope we can use this situation to our advantage and become more helpful to our patrons as a result.
Knowing that the materials are fine allows me the time to look at this situation from a customer service standpoint. I will report on how well we can still help patrons in this situation. My initial response is, as long as the staff's health is not in jeopardy, this could be a great staff development opportunity. Cross training and sharing between departments can happen more easily with all of us on 1 floor. I am actually looking forward to the opportunity to think outside of the box tomorrow. I hope we can use this situation to our advantage and become more helpful to our patrons as a result.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
What I'm Reading: August 2008
This month I will write about a mystery, literary fiction, and 2 nonfiction books I read.
First, I read the second book in Ian Sansom's Bookmobile Mystery series, Mr. Dixon Disappears. As with the first book in this series, which I wrote about here, the hapless Israel Armstrong is trying to muddle through as the mobile librarian for a Northern Irish community. However, unlike the first book, as Mr. Dixon Disappears opens, Israel is finally doing well. He is installing a display of the complete history of the community's best known department store and the family that has always owned it. But, this happiness only lasts minutes, as Israel is quickly caught up in a robbery and kidnapping involving those he researched. Israel becomes a suspect, is suspended from his job, and has a mountain of woman troubles, but as usual, his new found friends come through to help him in the end.
This series is an example of the cozy at its best with snappy dialog, eccentric characters, and no violence. The addition of the librarian/book factor adds interest for many library users also. Click here for other readalikes to this series. To my past list I would also add the Jasper Fforde Nursery Rhyme Mystery series which begins with The Big Over Easy.
Now onto another international setting, this time, India in Manil Suri's The Death of Vishnu. This international best-seller was Suri's first novel and the first in a projected trilogy. This novel deals with the experiences of modern day Indians in the middle and lower classes. However, Suri also adds a contemplation on Hinduism and Islam in India. The story revolves around, literally, the death of Vishnu, a servant in an apartment building. The reader sees into Vishnu's thoughts as he looks back on his life, while following the goings on of the apartment dwellers.
I know this sounds pretty serious, and it is at times, but there is also a great deal of humor and comical situations built into this narrative. It reminded me very much of The Inhertiance of Loss by Kiran Desai. To the readalikes listed in my books discussion report for Desai's work, I would also add anything by Jhumpa Lahiri and for a similar tone but a different country try The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao which I wrote about here.
I also read two interesting nonfiction works this month. First, I listened to Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott. Mentioned as a readalike to Erik Larson's Devil in the White City on many lists, I pulled this title off of my "to-read" back list. This is the story of the most famous brothel in America (circa the turn of the 20th century), the Everleigh Club in Chicago's red light Levee district. However, amidst the sensationalism of a story about an upscale brothel and its two business savvy sister owners is another story about the evolution of Chicago as a major American city. It is the story of the sin and vice and those who made its their life's work to put an end to legal prostitution. Abbott does a great job of making all of her historical characters come alive a century later.
This novel will appeal to anyone who liked Devil in the White City, books about the underworld, and of course, Chicago history fans. There is also Murder City: The Bloody History of Chicago in the Twenties by Michael Lesy. A similar, nonfiction read with a different setting would be Satan's Circus: Murder, Vice, Police Corruption, and New York's Trial of the Century by Mike Dash. Finally, two fiction suggestions for readers who enjoyed this book would be Dreiser's Sister Carrie for a look at the time period and place and Memoirs of a Geisha for different look at upscale prostitution.
Finally, as a huge football fan (Go Giants!!), I was eagerly anticipating Stefan Fatsis' new book, A Few Second of Panic: A 5-Foot-8, 170 Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL. I loved Fatsis' book about the professional Scrabble world and listen to him every week on All Things Considered; now you add football to the mix, and I am sold before opening the cover. Fatsis is a nontraditional sportswriter, which helped ease him into the Denver Broncos training camp in the summer of 2006. As a fairly serious and competitive amateur soccer player, Fatsis is athletic enough to hold his own as a kicker, but not even close to battling Jason Elam for his job. Fatsis uses his insider status to talk to players and explain what it is really like to be an NFL player. He brought his notebook and recorder everywhere and even includes the notes players took for him, while he was kicking in front of the entire team. This is a great book for anyone who likes the read the stories behind the people we see on the field.
For those interested in how the modern NFL came to be they way Fatsis describes it, check out another talented nonfiction writer, Mark Bowden's (Black Hawk Down) book, The Best Game Ever: Giants Vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern NFL. Of course, many will want to also read Paper Lion: Confessions of a Last-String Quarterback by George Plimpton. As Fatsis points out, Plimpton was the first sportswriter to join an NFL team for training camp, but, as Fatsis also explains, it was a completely different league then. Fatsis also includes a decent bibliography at the end of the book. For those interested in other sports books, you can see this post that I put up during the Olympics or checkout this Booklist Online spotlight on new sports books for 2008.
First, I read the second book in Ian Sansom's Bookmobile Mystery series, Mr. Dixon Disappears. As with the first book in this series, which I wrote about here, the hapless Israel Armstrong is trying to muddle through as the mobile librarian for a Northern Irish community. However, unlike the first book, as Mr. Dixon Disappears opens, Israel is finally doing well. He is installing a display of the complete history of the community's best known department store and the family that has always owned it. But, this happiness only lasts minutes, as Israel is quickly caught up in a robbery and kidnapping involving those he researched. Israel becomes a suspect, is suspended from his job, and has a mountain of woman troubles, but as usual, his new found friends come through to help him in the end.
This series is an example of the cozy at its best with snappy dialog, eccentric characters, and no violence. The addition of the librarian/book factor adds interest for many library users also. Click here for other readalikes to this series. To my past list I would also add the Jasper Fforde Nursery Rhyme Mystery series which begins with The Big Over Easy.
Now onto another international setting, this time, India in Manil Suri's The Death of Vishnu. This international best-seller was Suri's first novel and the first in a projected trilogy. This novel deals with the experiences of modern day Indians in the middle and lower classes. However, Suri also adds a contemplation on Hinduism and Islam in India. The story revolves around, literally, the death of Vishnu, a servant in an apartment building. The reader sees into Vishnu's thoughts as he looks back on his life, while following the goings on of the apartment dwellers.
I know this sounds pretty serious, and it is at times, but there is also a great deal of humor and comical situations built into this narrative. It reminded me very much of The Inhertiance of Loss by Kiran Desai. To the readalikes listed in my books discussion report for Desai's work, I would also add anything by Jhumpa Lahiri and for a similar tone but a different country try The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao which I wrote about here.
I also read two interesting nonfiction works this month. First, I listened to Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott. Mentioned as a readalike to Erik Larson's Devil in the White City on many lists, I pulled this title off of my "to-read" back list. This is the story of the most famous brothel in America (circa the turn of the 20th century), the Everleigh Club in Chicago's red light Levee district. However, amidst the sensationalism of a story about an upscale brothel and its two business savvy sister owners is another story about the evolution of Chicago as a major American city. It is the story of the sin and vice and those who made its their life's work to put an end to legal prostitution. Abbott does a great job of making all of her historical characters come alive a century later.
This novel will appeal to anyone who liked Devil in the White City, books about the underworld, and of course, Chicago history fans. There is also Murder City: The Bloody History of Chicago in the Twenties by Michael Lesy. A similar, nonfiction read with a different setting would be Satan's Circus: Murder, Vice, Police Corruption, and New York's Trial of the Century by Mike Dash. Finally, two fiction suggestions for readers who enjoyed this book would be Dreiser's Sister Carrie for a look at the time period and place and Memoirs of a Geisha for different look at upscale prostitution.
Finally, as a huge football fan (Go Giants!!), I was eagerly anticipating Stefan Fatsis' new book, A Few Second of Panic: A 5-Foot-8, 170 Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL. I loved Fatsis' book about the professional Scrabble world and listen to him every week on All Things Considered; now you add football to the mix, and I am sold before opening the cover. Fatsis is a nontraditional sportswriter, which helped ease him into the Denver Broncos training camp in the summer of 2006. As a fairly serious and competitive amateur soccer player, Fatsis is athletic enough to hold his own as a kicker, but not even close to battling Jason Elam for his job. Fatsis uses his insider status to talk to players and explain what it is really like to be an NFL player. He brought his notebook and recorder everywhere and even includes the notes players took for him, while he was kicking in front of the entire team. This is a great book for anyone who likes the read the stories behind the people we see on the field.
For those interested in how the modern NFL came to be they way Fatsis describes it, check out another talented nonfiction writer, Mark Bowden's (Black Hawk Down) book, The Best Game Ever: Giants Vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern NFL. Of course, many will want to also read Paper Lion: Confessions of a Last-String Quarterback by George Plimpton. As Fatsis points out, Plimpton was the first sportswriter to join an NFL team for training camp, but, as Fatsis also explains, it was a completely different league then. Fatsis also includes a decent bibliography at the end of the book. For those interested in other sports books, you can see this post that I put up during the Olympics or checkout this Booklist Online spotlight on new sports books for 2008.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Niffenegger Graphic Novel Online
One of Chicago's most interesting writers is Audrey Niffenegger, who had a national bestseller with The Time Traveler's Wife. However, while that was a straight text novel, Niffenegger is more often combining text and pictures in interesting ways.
Her newest venture is a graphic novel about a night bookmobile in Chicago. Like all of her works, this story is original and compelling. It was published this summer, 1 page at a time, in The Guardian. Click here to read it, but please note, the posts are in reverse chronological order, so go to the last one first. Enjoy.
Her newest venture is a graphic novel about a night bookmobile in Chicago. Like all of her works, this story is original and compelling. It was published this summer, 1 page at a time, in The Guardian. Click here to read it, but please note, the posts are in reverse chronological order, so go to the last one first. Enjoy.
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