What I'm Reading: What Fears Become

This is a cross post with RA for All: Horror

I have been a fan of The Horror Zine for some time now.  Editor Jeani Rector and her crew work hard to provide a quality monthly literary journal with fiction, poetry, and artwork from morbidly creative people.  When she contacted me about reviewing their first print collection, What Fears Become, I jumped at the chance.

In general, I love horror story collections, especially when they are like What Fears Become and compile a wide range of scary stories.  I find collection to be a great way to take the current pulse of the genre.  In this case, the collection also features poetry and artwork.  This range of appeal made me also go out and purchase a copy for the Berwyn Library.  We have many readers who will greatly appreciate having access to this collection.

Specifically, this collection is a good read for horror fans for a few other reasons:

1. Big name, award winning authors have contributed to The Horror Zine and allowed their work to be included here.  There are stories by horror greats Graham Masterton, Ramsey Campbell, Joe Lansdale,  and Elizabeth Massie.  Even science fiction legend Piers Anthony has a story here.  But for me, the most surprising of this bunch was "Dogleg" by Bentley Little.  I have grown tired of Little in the last few years and was worried that his best work was behind him.  However, "Dogleg" was an amazing, psychological story that was both haunting and terrifying.
2. There are very good stories which take an original twist on what are can easily become a tired theme in the wrong hands.  "Mall Walkers" by Chris Reed (zombies), "3AM" by James Marlow (ghosts out for revenge) and "Losing Judy" by Andy Mee (haunted woods) were some of my favorite stories in the collection
3. Stories that will stay with you long after you finish them.  "Adelle's Night" by David Grinn is just perfect in this sense.  It is terrifyingly realistic even though it is completely implausible; for me personally this is the best combination in my favorite horror tales.
4. A new voice that impressed me was Canadian Jagjiwan Sohal whose first "stab" at horror fiction was "Wandering Daniel."  This story is set in a post-apocalyptic world, and our protagonist is a vampire.  But, he did not become a vampire in the apocalypse; he was one before.  This story is a great beginning, but I would not say it is even close to the best story in the bunch.  However, I was so intrigued by the set up and his descriptions of the created world that I am craving more.  I hope Sohal considers trying to put Daniel into a novel.  I would read it.
5. Some were just plain fun.  "The House at the End of Smith Street" by Stephen M. Dare is similar to The Ruins by Scott Smith (a personal all time favorite), only this time, instead of a killer plant, we have a killer carpet.  Not the most original story in the bunch, it it was a fun, satirical, and plenty scary.
6. I appreciated that Rector kept her own two stories until the collection's final pages.  They are solid enough to be included, but I am glad she gave everyone else their chance to shine.
7. Finally as I have already said, the range of the type of horror here is huge.  There are stories for fans of the bloody, supernatural, psychological, creepy, or thriller.  If you have a favorite way to feel the fear, this collection probably has a story for you.

There were a few stories I did not care for, but much of that was a personal taste issue.  For example, I did not like "The Chamber" by David Landrum mostly because of its ancient time period setting.  But others will enjoy it for exactly the reason I disliked it.  The point is that there is enough here for everyone, and since it is a collection, you could skip your least favorite tales and still have plenty to read.

A note on the poetry, of which there is quite a bit.  Not being a big poetry fan, I do not feel qualified to comment on it.  On the other hand, as a RA librarian, I have quite a few patrons (and a staff member) who are active readers of dark poetry.  I will get this collection into their hands very soon.

Three Words That Describe This Book: unsettling, original voices, wide horror appeal

Readalikes:  For readalikes, I would like to offer some of my personal favorite collections which like, What Fears Become, span a wide range of horror appeal factors.  What you will not find suggested here are collections of for example, all zombie stories or all vampire tales.  I do include the best of those more specific collections under their appropriate headings in my new book.

• Best Horror of the Year series edited by Ellen Datlow (currently on volume 3) Really any collection edited by Datlow is an excellent choice.
• Dark Delicacies series edited by Del Howison and Jeff Gelb (also currently on volume 3)
• Poe's Children: The New Horror: An Anthology edited by Peter Straub
• Midnight Walk: 14 Original Stories of Terror and Suspense edited by Lisa Morton
• Prime Evil: New Stories by the Masters of Modern Horror edited by Douglas Winter (an oldie but still a goodie)
• 999: 29 Original Tales of Horror and Suspense edited by Al Sarrantonio

And this is just the tip of the iceberg,  Feel free to  leave a comment with your favorite horror story collection.

Ebook Collection Development

Everyone has been so interested in figuring out the best ways to use eBooks in public libraries that we have neglected to have a serious conversation about our eBook collections.

Collection Development of these collections is crucial.  Not only are eBooks in high demand, but also, our budgets are limited.  We are stretched so thin these days, yet we need to buy more.

The other day a patron was asking me about our eBook collection and he thought we automatically got a free copy of every book we owned in an electronic version.  Wouldn't that be nice.

But no, as most of you already know, those of us who make purchasing decisions need to actually select and pay separately for the eBooks we add to our virtual collections independent from whether or not we own a physical copy of the title.

Well over on this month's issue of the Booklist newsletter The Corner Shelf, Rebecca Vnuk has begun the conversation we should have started years ago in a public forum.

Click here for the entire issue on eBook Collection Development, but I would like to highlight the interview with Toby Greenwalt, Virtual Services Coordinator at Skokie (IL) Public Library, and MY FRIEND Anne Slaughter, Virtual Services Manager at Oak Park (IL) Public Library.   Click here to read what they have to say.

At the BPL, our fearless leader, Kathy makes all of the eBook decisions.  For now, she is trying to buy the most popular titles in eBook format, but money is limited and demand is growing.  She will also be beginning formal patron training on how to download eBooks in 2012, so demand will only continue to build.  Hopefully, a public outcry for more eBooks will lead to a higher budget line.  However, more dollars means it is more imperative that we create a formal collection development policy for our eBook collections.

Student Annotations: Genres of the Emotions

Tonight's class is about the genres in which how the books make you feel is the largest appeal factor.

Click here to see what our students read in horror, gentle reads, romance, and women's lives.

For resources check out:

• RA for All: Horror 
• Smart Bitches, Trashy Books (romance)
• Hennepin County Library's list of gentle reads
• Read On…Women’s Fiction by Rebecca Vnuk

Reading Maps Archive Updated

The midterms are all graded, so I have a few new reading maps I want to share with the wider world.

First, a handful of disclaimers and requests:

1. Now that we have been collecting reading maps for awhile, there were too many in the archive.  Yesterday, I went through and only kept those which earned a grade of A- or higher and are still live.
2. I will not automatically post every reading map we receive.  I will keep the standard of A- or higher for new maps.
3. Please use this archive to help readers.  Going back through it I realized what a rich collection we now have.  There are books across all genres from YA to classics to cult favorites.  I am especially proud of the number of nonfiction titles we have.  These are all amazing RA tools. They are meant to be used by librarians and readers. I highly suggest you bookmark the archive and use it regularly.  We have had some amazing students over the years, many who have gone on to be prominent in the RA field.
4. The maps are listed in chronological order in the archive.  So, the newest are at the bottom.  This semester's additions are:
• The Hunger Games Trilogy by Christi
• The Black Rose by Jess
• One Day by Michelle
• Inherent Vice by Brian
• Girl With a Pearl Earring by Elizabeth
5. Finally, don't forget, this all began with Neal Wyatt's Library Journal article where reading maps were first introduced as an RA tool.

Click here for the entire archive.  It is always available in the right gutter of RA for All under the heading "Pages."

ILA Reports Part 2: Bang For Your Buck

As I mentioned here, one of the programs I attended was explicitly about Readers Advisory From the program guide:

Bang for Your Buck: Reader Services Edition
Libraries don’t have the funding for costly reader databases
or staff anymore, so how can we still reach our readers in
today’s uncertain climate? Learn about a variety of innovative
and virtual programs, tools, resources, and tricks to offer
expert readers’ advisory service without breaking the bank.
Speakers: Mick Jacobsen, Skokie Public Library;
Lynnanne Pearson, Skokie Public Library; Leah White,
Morton Grove Public Library; and Nicole Wilhelms, Downers
Grove Public Library

Leah went first and shared some of her rules about effective and efficient service to readers.  Her advice was:

1. Make your RA service easy-- She talked about having displays everywhere you could because the patrons love when we have books on display.  She said (only half kidding) if she could she would cover every inch of the library in slat wall to display as much as possible.
2. Keep calm and carry on-- I loved this one.  It should be every public desk worker's motto. It is the easiest way to get through the day.
3. Move around. Get up and move around-- For more on how I feel about this click here.
4. Read best and worst reviews-- Thanks to Leah for saying in her program that she learned this from me.  I teach the students this, to read the 5 star and 1 star reviews of a book on Amazon. This gives you a simulation of real patrons who loved and hated a book. This helps you to help readers better. 

Nicole was next.  She highlighted the Downers Grove RA services available on the web. She also suggested the best free RA resources for keeping up to date. (Thanks for the plug for this blog.) She touted Early Word as the one resource you cannot live without.  I agree.

Mick spent his time highlighting the success of Skokie's Book Match program.  I have attended programs on this wonderful service before and posted about it here.  What I learned this time however, was that with a $200 a year survey monkey account, you can do a lot for your patrons.  They have now suggested 10,000 books to patrons using Book Match.

Finally, Lynnanne, who is the Manager of Readers' Services at Skokie spoke about some of her inexpensive tricks to serve patrons better.

• Get your RA reference sources out from behind your desk and put them somewhere that patrons can access them.  She showed an example of a display on a genre with reference books for that genre out with the novels.
• This is something I have thought about doing for a while.  I hope to find a way to try this at the BPL
• If your nonfiction books are housed away from your fiction, start a nonfiction RA subcommittee.
• This is a huge issue at the BPL where we are on different floors.  We have taken baby steps toward this, adding Mike from the Reference Department to the Browsers' Corner team.  But we have not gone as far to make our cooperation official. Maybe now is the time.
• She also urged us to make our web pages more dynamic by changing the front page of the RA section monthly.
• We do not do this, but should
• Finally, she ended with excellent advice for all librarians everywhere: Constantly edit, refine, and reevaluate services you are offering. So simple, so effective, yet, how many of us truly do this.  I will now.

That is what I explicitly learned at this program.  Not only did I want to share this with all of you, but I also wanted to use this report as an opportunity to make a plug for RA training in general.

Look, I got a lot our of this program and I am considered knowledgeable in the field.  We all can stand to learn something new.  Never think you know too much, and attend trainings whenever you can.

If you have further questions, I can get you in contact with the presenters.  Click here to email me.