Monday Discussion: What's Your Favorite Frame?

I am back from a 2 week vacation where I saw my baby sister get married in New England and visited my home state of New Jersey.  This got me thinking about the fact that since moving from Jersey to the Midwest, I will read anything-- fiction or nonfiction, any genre-- as long as it has New Jersey in it.

When I teach my students to write their Reader Profiles, I mention this reading quirk to them. I ask them to think about their reading habits. In the RA biz we call these special interest areas, "Frames."  "What special frames do you enjoy?" is the question I make them consider.

Most students look at me blankly at first, but once they go home to write their up their reader profiles they find they too have special frames which they will read about in any type of book. It is great exercise to make them think about their own reading habits, which can then make them more sensitive to addressing future patrons' habits. Until you force yourself to think about it, these likes and dislikes usually stay hidden in your subconscious. My goal is to make them "Super RA Librarians," and this is an important component tot heir training.

Here are some examples from students and friends of frames they love: Faberge Eggs, Tudor England, and I once had a student who would read any pink covered book. There are actual readers out there that will reading everything and anything that have these frames. You can click here to see some past student's reader profiles for more examples.

For me, other frames I greatly enjoy besides NJ are books with circuses, books that are set on college campuses, books with a Civil War background but which do not focus on the battles, and books with baseball in them. I will read any type of book in which these subjects appear and 9 times out of 10, will love it; even if it is a genre or type of book I normally hate. These special frames in and of themselves give me great enjoyment.

It is also important to note that some people's favorite frames are the same frame which another reader will avoid at all costs. For example, while I will read anything with a circus in it my colleague Joyce Saricks avoids circuses in her books at all costs. I also have patrons who love British Mysteries and others who refuse to read them. Literally, they refuse, even if I know they would love the book; they will not read British mysteries...period.

So today, let me know: What special frames do you like to have show up in your books? Also, what frames do you avoid at all costs? Today is the day to own up to your reading quirks.

And remember, you can use this link to follow past Monday Discussions.

Flashback Fridays: Virtual PL?

Below is a post from 3 years ago this week in which I recounted a story about a local official pushing for their non-library city to start a virtual library.  Fortunately, this idea has stalled and gone nowhere, but unfortunately, the city still has no public library; and in these tough economic times, one is needed.

On the bright-side, the city mentioned in the post below does reimburse their citizens 50% of the money they have to pay to get a library card from other towns. Read on below...

And for more Flashback Fridays, click here.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Virtual Public Library

I was at the Goombay Bash last night, an annual cancer benefit for the H Foundation, and was chatting with one of the foundation's board members, who also happens to be an elected official from a neighboring municipality. This town does not have a public library. The residents of this community must go to other municipalities and purchase a library card. The prices of these cards are usually based on the average amount in tax dollars that the members of the town with a library pay each year. For example, my town charges around $300 for nonresident cards. This one card serves an entire household, no matter the size This non-library-having community does reimburse its citizens 50% of their out-of-pocket costs.

However, the community make-up is changing rapidly. What was once a business first city with very little residential citizens, is quickly becoming a city of young families who want library service.

At this event, I asked the official (a friend of mine) when this city would get a library. He said that it was not in any long term plans. Instead he offered up the idea of a virtual library service. He suggested hiring a few librarians to set up a
website where resources could be accessed and questions could be posed. These libraries would work from an office out of the City Hall, for example, and answer questions. They would be accessible in person to answer questions for those who did not have a computer.

I reminded him that a library is more than just a place where you get information. What about the parents who want to go to story times and the children who want to come look at books to check out? What about the adult leisure or those who want a place to congregate? I went on politely for a few more minutes about everything the library is and can be as a physical site that a computer alone cannot provide. I will not recount all of my arguments here, but check out this site for first hand accounts of why people love their library.

By the end his wife was agreeing with me. Hopefully she will put a bug in his ear too. I will be in contact with him a few more times in the next few months and will try to continue this conversation. But the important point here is that although you may be able to answer your current query with Google or Wikipedia, the library as a building and as a municipal institution is integral to American life.

Book Swap

I was visiting with my childhood best friend recently and she was reading an older Dean Koontz book. It was not a library book, and it wasn't a recent book store purchase, so I asked her where she got it.

She is a teacher and at the school where she works, once a month they do a "book swap." Anyone who wants to join in brings an adult book to literally throw on a table. Since they all have different schedules, the books pile up over the day and anyone can come in an select one for themselves.

She gets a lot of her books this way. She told me she enjoys how it allows her to try a new author or read something she normally wouldn't try. Once she finds something new that she enjoys, she then gets more at the library.

Working at a library myself, a book swap is kind of silly. At work and with my colleagues, we all book talk to each other and swap titles; then get on the catalog and look the book up to grab off the shelf or put on hold. This happens multiple times a day.

But talking to my friend made me realize how much harder it is for non library workers to get their hands on books quickly. They want to read but they don't always have the time to come into the public library and face the thousands of books we have on the shelf.  It can be quite overwhelming, especially if you are a busy working parent. Her work's book swap, gives these readers a smaller universe of books to peruse, at their workplace.

So I am encouraging all of you non library workers to consider the book swap at your workplace, or if you work from home start a neighborhood book swap. I think it is a great resource to introduce you to new authors and titles. Just please, don't swap any library books.

Monday Discussion: Zombies vs. Mummies

This week is fun and easy. Today we are unveiling John's Zombies vs Mummies display at the BPL. So my question for the Monday Discussion is, which do you prefer? Mummies or Zombies? Why? Discuss.

Please feel free to add your favorite mummy or zombie book to the discussion too.

I refuse to pick sides as it may damage my horror maven status, but you can click here for a horror related surprise from me.

And if you can't make it to the BPL, here is the list:

Zombies vs.  Mummies

Re-animated Reads                               

Browne, S. G.  Breathers

A newly re-animated zombie tries his best to fit into modern society in this zombie comedy. A zombie support group and a host of zombie friends try to help but things get messy when he develops a taste for human flesh.

Grahame-Smith, Seth  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

All of your favorite characters from the Jane Austen classic are back as well as some that are back from the grave. The storyline is roughly based on the original but tends to involve the partially decayed, walking dead.

Keene, Brian  City of the Dead

This book is about an entire city of zombies! The last remaining living people have sealed themselves inside a skyscraper. Will the survivors escape from the creeping dead or will the zombies eat their braaaaaains?!

King, Stephen Pet Sematary

An ancient Native American burial ground is the setting of this horror tale. After being neglected for years, the cemetery is once again used by a local resident who finds that the ground will re-animate whatever is buried in it…even people!

Laymon, Richard  To Wake the Dead

After being entombed for 4000 years, the mummy of an ancient Egyptian princess is discovered by a search team. Museum authorities plan to display her to the public. These plans are thwarted when the mummy comes back to life and goes on a killing spree.

Maberry, Jonathan  Patient Zero

Terrorists use a deadly bioweapon that turns ordinary people into zombies. A Baltimore detective is recruited by the government to head a task force which combats zombie terrorists.

Rice, Anne The Mummy or Ramses the Damned

Egyptologists ignore an ancient warning chiseled on a tomb wall and exhume a mummified pharaoh. Transported to England, the mummy comes back to life and then re-animates an old friend who returns to terrorize the streets of Cairo after dark. A must read.

And click here to follow previous Monday Discussions

Flashback Fridays: NPR 100 Best Beach Reads...Plus New 2010 100 Best Thrillers

As I was looking back at past year's posts for this week's installment of Flashback Fridays, I found this in a post from this week, last year:

Earlier this summer I was encouraging you to vote on your favorite beach reads over at the NPR web page. Well, they results are in, and the list is interesting.

Not only is the list of the 100 Best Beach Reads a great list to be reminded of, but just reading the old post reminded me that I should check on the results of this year's poll of the best thrillers which I have posted about before here.

So, here it is, the final list of the listener's picks on the top 100 Killer Thrillers:

The NPR audience nominated some 600 novels to our "Killer Thrillers" poll and cast more than 17,000 ballots. The final roster of winners is a diverse one to say the least, ranging in style and period from Dracula to The Da Vinci Code, Presumed Innocent to Pet Sematary. What these top 100 titles share, however, is that all of them are fast-moving tales of suspense and adventure.

I was heartened to see how many of the titles on the list could be classified as "horror" as much as "thriller."

Anyway, take a look at either list- Beach Reads or Thrillers for yourself. Even the pickiest reader will find at least one readable book between these two great lists

In fact, lists like these are the perfect thing to hand to your picky patrons who grumble and groan that "there are no good books these days," or that "they have read everything we have already." Hand them these lists and watch them find a whole new list of "pre-approved" books. It works every time.

Remember, you can follow Flashback Fridays anytime here.

Nancy Pearl's Picks

Nancy Pearl's most recent Under the Radar suggestions were featured on NPR this week. Click here for the full story. Also, you can use this link to see how each title got a huge boost in sales due to Nancy's popular segment.

What I'm Reading: The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing

I recently finished the second book in the Vish Puri series by Tarquin Hall entitled, The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing.

I enjoyed the second installment of this smart, funny, cozy with its undercurrent of the contradictions that define modern India.

Much of what I said about the first book, which I read here, is true for the second.

The plot here once again revolves around the new India which is both modern and old fashioned. Here, a man known as "The Guru Buster," who has spent his career trying to dissuade Indians from believing in supernatural spirits and instead trust the truth of science, is murdered in a public park, during his laughing therapy group, by what appears to be a goddess.

Vish Puri is recruited by the police to help solve this murder. Puri, a spiritual man,who also appreciates science. This makes him the perfect person to solve the crime. What ensues is a story much like the first Vish Puri book in which old fashioned, Agatha Christie style detection mixes with new, technology to solve a very complicated case. A case, which also makes an implicit statement about life in India today.

Also, Puri's mummy is back trying to investigate other crimes. This time she ropes Puri's wife into it. Hilarity and some good old fashioned detection both ensue in this secondary storyline. But again, even this sillier story line is laying the foundation to some pretty serious commentary about the contradictions of life in modern India--about how the old ways are co-existing and, at times, clashing with the new ways of the upper middle class.

Appeal: Although Puri is the protagonist, Hall includes the point of view of his mummy, wife, and a few key employees. Hall did this in the first book, and I still like the technique here. It helps add tension, moves the story along, and it lets us see how the other characters feel about Puri.

This is basically a cozy, with eccentric characters and not too much blood. It is all about the characters and the complex case. A reader will only enjoy this book if he or she likes Puri and his idiosyncrasies. This is hard to gauge. I usually describe Puri to a reader, and tell them if it sounds like something they would enjoy, try it. I have yet to have someone who took the book home come back disappointed. This is a great mystery to give to a wide range of mystery fans and even to readers who do not typically like mysteries, since the characters reign supreme here.

It is also important to note that the level of detail into everyday Indian life is incredible here. This is a short, fast paced book, but it is filled to the brim with details. A glossary helps you to decipher some of the Indian lingo too.

Finally, now that the second book is out, I can say that you do not need to read this series in order (at least for now).

Three Word That Describe This Book: India, humorous, character-centered

Readalikes: Here is a link to the numerous times I have suggested this series and mentioned readalikes.  Just click through and you will have many choices for thought-provoking, cozy mysteries with lots of eccentric characters.

For a list of other humorous mysteries click here.

For those who find the setting most appealing, click here for a list of mysteries set in India.

Best Magazine Articles of All Time

Back in April, I had this post about how to provide RA assistance for readers looking for shorter works such as essays or magazine articles.

Well, today I found a link to another resource to help in this pursuit.  Over here, there is a collective effort to name the best magazine articles ever. This project is interesting both because it is a collaborative effort and because many of the listed articles also have links to their full text.

I don't know about you, but this is going to become a very handy resource for me at the RA desk.

2010 RITA Awards and Romance Resources

This Saturday, my baby sister is getting married. In honor of the big day I wanted to share some of my favorite Romance resources.

The Romance Writers of America have the best compilation of romance information. They also give out the most respected awards. This year's winners were just announced here.

For the most fun romance resource on the web visit the Smart Bitches Who Like Trashy Books.

For romance newbies, Neal Wyatt’s “Alert Collector” column In RUSQ (47, no.2) entitled “Core Collections in Genre Studies:  Romance Fiction 101” is a great starting point.

The Romance Reader has reviews broken up into genres. The are assigned stars and signed by the reviewers. Find a reviewer you like and follow them.

Romantic Times has their reviews available online here and their list of recommended reads here. The recommended reads page allows you to search their best reviewed books.

Finally, all you paranormal romance fans can click here.

Monday Discussion: The Future of the Book

Back when I started library school (Fall of 1998), we were inundated with articles about how the printed book was dead. We had long discussions about what libraries will do when no one reads books anymore.

Well, here we are 12 years later and even in this "Year of the Kindle," the printed book is as strong as ever. Check out this essay from the Daily Beast in which the CEO of Ingram Book Company discusses the book's staying power.

How do I feel? Well I know that I don't have a Kindle as of yet. I know that the printed book is the perfect delivery device for reading: you don't need a power source and you can take it with you everywhere. I know that I cannot physically pass on a book I loved if it is on my ipod or Kindle. And, I know that libraries are busier than ever, and that a closer examination shows that book circulation stats are up. But I also know that we are going to use any leftover budget money from the BPL RA budget at the end of the year to buy 1 Kindle for the staff to use, evaluate, and think about how patrons could best use it.

I am all for technology, but time has shown that the book is here to stay. One of the best books on this is A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel. This is not a dry historical text, but a narrative of reading across the centuries.

So, today we have printed books, ebooks, and audio books. Hopefully, they stand together and encourage more people to read. We need to embrace the new without casting the old aside.

Which leads me to today's Monday Discussion please let me know how you feel about this issue. What do you think is the future of the book? How do you feel about the new book technologies? Do you think the Kindle (and others like it) is a fad?