Author Interviews Archive and Upcoming Blog Schedule

As I was going through my RSS feeds this morning, I noticed this post on BookBrowse where they compiled their favorite author interviews from 2012.  [By the way the permalink is not working for some reason, so if you click this after today, you might have to scroll to find it. I will update the link if it gets fixed.]

While the list itself is fun and useful for both library workers and patrons, clicking through to it reminded me of something even more important.  I had forgotten that BookBrowse even had a cache of author interviews.  Well they do, and you can access all of them here.  It is quite an impressive archive actually, both in number of interviews and in the range of authors represented.

This is yet another argument for subscribing to RSS feeds to help you to help patrons better. BookBrowse is a site I use, but infrequently.  I mostly go there for book group and/or display planning.

So its on my radar, but with all of the other resources and information bouncing around out there, it is easy to forget about the specifics of each resource.  Their blog post of the best 2012 author interviews was delivered to my feed reader; I did not have to seek it out.  Literally in just a matter of minutes, while I was doing my regular mid-morning routine of quickly scanning all the feeds, I came upon this great archive.

So thanks BookBrowse for reminding all of us about your great cache of interviews.  But to the rest of you out there, let my experience serve as a reminder.  Don't get stuck in a rut only using the same go to resources.  Get RSS feeds to as wide a range of resources as possible.  Don't let them overwhelm you though. If you are busy, just mark all as read, or star something that looks interesting to go back to it when you do have time.  It takes only minutes a day, but it will serve you and your patrons well.

Upcoming RA for All Schedule:   (Because a few people have asked)

I will have reviews on Thursday and Friday, one more Monday Discussion for the year on 12/17, and a final book discussion report for 2012 sometime next week [we meet on 12/17].  I have 2-3 more books (plus the book discussion book) that I will finish this month.  I will try to get those reviews posted before the end of the year also.  We'll see how that goes.

Tonight is also the night of my student's final presentations.  I already know there will be at least a few reading maps to share. Grades are due on the 18th, so look for posts of student work sometime in the middle of next week.

Finally you can look for my post on the best books I read this year during the week between Christmas and New Year's.

RA for All will be on a limited holiday schedule after 12/21 as I will be taking time off to celebrate with my family.

Enjoy the symmetry of 12-12-12.

What I'm Reading: Psychos

I am having trouble with the blogs sharing today.  And normally they get along so well.

So click here to read my full review of Psychos: Serial Killers, Depraved Madmen and the Criminally Insane  edited by John Skipp.

Monday Discussion: Best Book You Read This Year-- Part 2

Last week we all shared what our favorite book we read in 2012 that was NOT published in 2012.  Click here to see the comments, or leave one of your own.

Today, I want to know your opinion of the best book you read in 2012 that WAS published this year; a more traditional BEST list.

This one was easy for me.  It was Building Stories by Chris Ware.  Click here for my full review.  However, I figured I would love this book when it came out, so much so that my husband bought me a copy.  I rarely buy books since I have access to anything and everything at the library, but this is one we needed to own.

In terms of my most surprising BEST book of the year, that title would go to the remarkable debut by Wiley Cash, A Land More Kind Than Home.  Click here for the full review. I did not expect this book to blow me away, yet that it did.

What about you? Start sharing those best of 2012 books with me.

For past Monday Discussions, click here.

What I'm Reading: Building Stories

Believe the hype.  Building Stories by Chris Ware is on just about every best list for 2012.  Here is what I turned into Kathy to be included in my post for the Browsers' Corner Best of 2012 (coming later this month):

In an age where eBooks seem to be taking over, Chris Ware has created a story that can only be experienced in print form. Building Stories is one single story told in graphic novel form in 14 distinct parts. Each part is different; for example, some are hardbound books, others are small comic strips, a few are pamphlets, and still more are large broadsheets. At the story’s center is an apartment building in Chicago in 2000. The building has 3 floors, with one apartment on each floor. While some pieces follow all of the residents, the main focus of the story is on the life of the young, amputee who lives in the 3rd floor walk-up. The majority of Building Stories follows her both while she lived there and in decade before and after. We grow attached to her as we see her search for acceptance, love, and fulfillment. As a reader, you make your way through the story as you see fit. Ware does not impose an order on the 14 pieces to his tale. This creates a unique storytelling experience as every reader encounters the story in a different order. Readers familiar with Ware’s drawing style will also notice his trademark large headed characters, a bright color palate, and his use of the entire page to tell the story.

That is pretty much the entire book in one paragraph. I do want to flesh out a few of the appeal factors here though.

This is a book for people who are worried that eBooks will take over the world of publishing.  Because this graphic novel is actually a box filled with 14 pieces of a single story, it can only be read and experienced in print.  In today's digitally, app fueled world, there is something comforting about sitting down with the box, choosing one of the 14 parts, and sitting down to experience it.

That is how you read any Ware book by the way, they are always an experience first, and a story second.  You experience the genius in his art work and in the way he structures a story.  Time flows freely here, like in all of his books, but the themes at the heart of his tale do not get lost in the tide of his style.

Here is an example of what I mean when I say that time flows freely.  This graphic novel is written in a circle, with no beginning or end, but it is still a complete story.  We see the characters at various points in their life, but we never see a beginning or end to their lives.  We are there for a time, visiting them, being a part of their lives, and then leaving when we read whatever the last piece we, the readers, choose to end the story with.  It's the classic "slice of life" story taken to a satisfying extreme.

Since Ware imposes no order on how the book is read, each reading produces a slightly different version of the same story.  This makes it a great option for re-reading.  In fact, I am normally not a re-reader and I am excited to read this again in a few months to get a new experience from the graphic novel.

Speaking of the story, in Building Stories the theme is also like his other works (most notably the brilliant Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth)-- how we all long for fulfillment, love and acceptance, and while we think we find it at times, in the long run, it slips through our fingers and we keep the search going.

That is not to say the tone of the story here is dark and depressing.  It is melancholy overall, but there are moments of elation, joy, and contentment sprinkled throughout.  As a result, you do not feel overwhelmed by disappointment and sadness.  Also, Ware tells the story from a place of observation.  We come to care for the characters, but we do not necessarily sympathize with them.  I know that sounds confusing, but it describes Ware's narrative voice perfectly.  We see them, watch them, even root for them at times, but we also know that they will not make the right choices in the end.  But somehow, it is all wonderful and beautiful to observe.

The story here is realistic.  With its free narrative structure, extremely well rounded and fleshed out characters for whom you know their deepest darkest secrets, and lack of a starting and ending point, Building Stories resembles the actual human experience more than any novel I have ever read.  It is remarkable in this sense.

The Oak Park and Chicago setting will also appeal to many readers in this area. Real places are drawn and/or referred to, like The Book Table, the BPL's favorite book store.

Finally, for libraries, there are many cataloging issues with Building Stories.  Click here for my post (with pictures) on how we handled it at the BPL.

Three Words That Describe This Book: episodic, layered, stylistically interesting

Readalikes:  I have a couple directions you could go with suggestions here.  First, the episodic nature of the 14 pieces, made Building Stories feel like a book of short stories.  With its connected characters, melancholic tone, and realistic portrayal of the people in the story, it reminded me of Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stout. Also, the old lady in Building Stories really reminded me of Olive herself.  Click here for a book discussion report on this book.

Another similar title is The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery which also revolves around the tenants of a single building and is reflective, melancholic, and character-centered.

In terms of graphic novels that are similar.  I think the tone of Adrain Tomine and Daniel Clowes are  similar to Ware.  Click here for more from me on Clowes.

Three years ago I read the graphic novel Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli.  Click here to see the similarities.

Announcing The BPL Book Discussion 2013 January Through June Schedulee

The votes are in, the books have been purchased from the wonderful people at The Book Table in Oak Park, and the schedule has been set.

Here are the titles, dates, and times that my group will be meeting at the BPL; all links are to discussion guides where possible:

Monday Afternoon Group, meets at 2:30 p.m.

January 21st - The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht

February 25th - Bury Me Standing by Isabel Fonseca

March 18th - Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

April 15th - I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flag

May 20th - The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

June 17th - Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

Remember, I always post a report on what we discussed, so no matter where you live, feel free to follow along with us.  All are welcome to comment after I post the discussion notes too.

It looks like it will be a fun six months of discussions.  Our only disappointment was that when we made the eligible titles voting list, Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers was scheduled for a January 2013 paperback release, but after the votes were tallied, and it made the cut we were informed that since it won the National Book Award, the publisher is holding out for more money and the paperback has been pushed back until at least October 2013.

2 Year End Things to Mention

Today, Audible.com posted their list of the best audio books of the year.  Click on through to see it.

But I really wanted to talk about one of my favorite year end compilations, The Millions: A Year in Reading Project. Each year, since 2005, The Millions asks authors to write about what they read in 2012 that stuck with them.  Turning the tables on the usual year end list, "A Year in Reading" allows all of us to step back and see what the people whose books capture us, get captivated by themselves.

Click here for the 2012 archive, updated daily, all month.  The page also has a link to the completed series for every year past.

This is a great list for any reader, but it especially useful for those hard to please patrons.  Show them what the year's hottest writers were reading, and how can they turn that suggestions down?

As I have said before, I will not be posting every list here on the blog, but ones that I find interesting and especially ones that might not get mainstream attention, I will point out.  Go to RA Online for a full compilation of Best of 2012 lists.

Final Student Annotation Day: Plug For Their Blog

I am taking a break from the review-a-polooza today in honor of my last lecture of the semester.

My Fall 2012 RA students in LIS 763 at Dominican University have been one of the best overall groups I have had in awhile.  While normally, at least half of the students are engaged and add positively to the class, there are often a few students each semester who either cause me trouble or really do not give their full effort.  As a teacher that is frustrating, and unfortunately, it taints your view of the group as a whole.

I am so pleased that this semester, that was not the case.  Overall they are a wonderful group who are engaged, they keep improving, and they care about doing their best.  Tonight is my last chance to teach them because next week they turn in their final papers and half of them give a presentation.  Then it is goodbye to the group.  One student, Elizabeth will turn up on the blog next semester as "Intern Elizabeth," filling the shoes of fabulous "Intern Christi" from Spring 2012 and awesome "Intern Bill"who just completed his practicum, and thus his Masters Degree, this past Monday. Congrats Bill.  [P.S., if you have a job out there in the Chicago area, contact me about Bill.]

Back to the current batch of students.  I have not been as annoying about reminding you to check out their Student Blog every single week as I have been in semesters' past.  But today, hours before their final posts go live, I do want to remind you of what a wonderful resource their blog is.

I am not exaggerating when I tell you I consult RA 763's Blog on a regular basis to help my patrons.  The students are given free range to read any 5 books that interest them as long as they each fit a separate category.  The approved categories are genre and format designations which can be seen and accessed in the right gutter of the blog.

So as a first use of this resources, you can pull up a list of titles considered "Gentle Reads" or "Inspirational" as well as more traditional genre designations like "Fantasy" or "Mystery." It just takes one click, and since the students all have different reading tastes and they can pick any book in a given category, the blog has a huge range of annotations available for each category.  Many blogs have a tight focus, but breadth is our mantra here. I want the students to have as wide an experience as possible. If you use the blog to help patrons, you will reap the benefits.

Second, students are required to use the language of appeal in their annotations.  These terms are then converted into tags, but they also appear in the body of each entry.  As a result, you can do a natural language search in the search box at the top of the right gutter for "compelling, character centered and humorous" and get at least 2 pages of results.  You can also choose a sinlge appeal term from the tags cloud by clicking on it-- here is what you get when you click on "character centered."  And, there is still more.  If you read a post and are drawn to a specific appeal term, especially if it is not one of the most popular, so as a result does not appear in the tag cloud, at the end of each annotation, you can simply click on the hyperlinked term to pull up more-- here is what you get when you click on "closely observed characters;" which is a very specific but helpful appeal term.  I really do not know another resource that gives you this many appeal access points for a given title.

Third, the students are required to provide 3 fiction readalikes and 3 nonfiction readalikes with a comment for each as to why the title fits as a similar read.  That is 6 readalikes for every title! And, they are encouraged to give at least one "outside the box" suggestion out of the six, so you won't see only the same old, same old suggestions here.

Fourth, since Joyce and I have been keeping this blog for 3 full years now, the number of titles is huge!  And, as an added bonus, some more popular books have more than one annotation, giving you different perspectives on the same book. And, in reference to the third reason above, it also gives you more readalike options.

Fifth, it would be hard to find a resource where the content is created with more effort and enthusiasm. Look, let's be honest, they are doing this for a grade.  They are library graduate students; these are men and women who want a good grade.  They put a lot of effort into each of their 5 published annotations.  I would argue that there are times that I put in less effort on a review than they do on an annotation. Use their effort to your advantage by using the blog as a resource to help a patron.  The students will make you look like a RA star!

So congrats to the students for being almost done with class.  And to you library workers out there, don't forget to use their hard work to your advantage.  This is an under used resource that I would highly recommend.  I am very proud of their work.  Click here to access RA 763's Blog right now.  For future reference, I always have the link in the right gutter under the heading "Other Sites Featuring Me" listed as "Becky's Student's Blog."

If you are able to help a patron with the student's blog, leave a comment to let me and more importantly, them know.

Reviews back tomorrow.  I have Building Stories, 1Q84, and The Family Fang in the immediate queue.

The Review I Decided Not To Write

As I get closer to being caught up with reviews, I thought today I would tackle the book I read this year that I decided not to review.  Let me explain...

Back in June, I posted here about how I was going to finally read The Hunger Games.  I did.  And, as planned, I read it with my 10 year old.  I had some short questions we talked about after every chapter or 2.  I had originally hoped we would read A Wrinkle in Time together for its 50th Anniversary.  I even told her, knowing her reading tastes, I thought she would enjoy A Wrinkle in Time more, but she insisted, Hunger Games was the book for her.

As I thought, she loved the build up in the Hunger Games; she loved the world building and details right up to the start of the games themselves.  Once the games began, she lost interest.  I literally had to force her to finish it.  We checked out a Nook from the public library, which came loaded with The Hunger Games and the novelty of reading it that way, made her finish it.  She has no desire to read the rest.

[On a side note, later this summer she read A Wrinkle in Time on her own and absolutely loved it.]

We talked a bit about what she didn't like about it, and mostly it was the romance angle.  Yes the violence turned her off a little.  The struggling to survive back in the District part she got, but the forced survival in the games, did not hold her interest.  However, she really didn't get the whole falling in love thing.  So when Katniss pretends to love Peeta so they can win together, my daughter didn't understand why Katniss switched her opinion on him so fast.

This was an age issue, as I thought it would be.  She has read plenty of YA books and loved them, most notably the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld. But I knew there was a love plot line in The Hunger Games, and, quite honestly, it is a lot easier to feel the tension in a real conflict like WWI in Leviathan over a constructed reality TV show.  Even a 10 year old can see through that.

Ahh, that last comment hints a bit as to why I decided not to write a review of The Hunger Games.  The truth of the matter is, I really did not like this book.  Some of that dislike comes from the fact that I have read far too many dystopian novels, and this one does not measure up.  But more importantly, I am a reader for character, and one of my problems here is that while some characters are given quite a bit of development, others are not.  Specifically, most of the other contestants, especially the "bad guys" are very stereotypical and surface. Also as a parent, I did not believe that the residents of this world would have gotten to a point where they allowed their children to be killed off so easily.

Enough of my opinion though because my opinion is only part of why I write these reviews.  I write these reviews to explain why someone would like a specific book and to help you to match the best type of reader with that book.  In this case I feel like others have already done a better job at this than I could possibly do.  Specifically, Christi's Reading Map that she did for my class really gets to the heart of the series' appeal.

Anything I could say would not help in the RA conversation surrounding this series.  I may have a lot to say in general here on the blog, but I also know when to shut up and listen.  That's what I did here.  In fact, I have used Christi's Reading Map and other resources to help many readers who love The Hunger Games to find more great reads.

So boys and girls, that's my tale of the review I decided not to write.

Now I am off to do our last Trivia Night of the year.

Monday Discussion: Best Book You Read This Year Part 1

It is time to start talking best books here on RA for All.  But first a word of warning.  I do it a bit differently than other websites.  I will have 2 different categories: best book you read this year that was NOT published in 2012 and best book you read that WAS published in 2012.

Those will run for the next 2 Monday Discussions.  Then later in the month, I will have my list of the best books I read in 2012 no matter their publication date.  And over on the Browser's Corner, the entire RA Dream Team will be posting their favorite reads in the second half of December. Our fearless leader, Kathy will be running those consecutively, giving each staff member a day to post their favorites.  I will alert you when that begins.

But today it's the best book you read in 2012 that was NOT published in 2012.

For me it was an easy choice.  11/22/63 by Stephen King, with a 2011 publication date, fits this bill.  Click here to read my review.

A close second was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline also with a 2011 release date.

Interestingly, I listened to both of these novels.  I wonder if that increased my enjoyment of them?

So for today's Monday Discussion, I am asking you to share with me your favorite book you read in 2012 that was NOT published in 2012.  Save those 2012 releases for next week.

For past Monday Discussions, click here.

How to Catalog Building Stories

Since I posted here about receiving our copy of Building Stories by Chris Ware, I have had a few people contact me for info on how we finally cataloged the "book."

I have replied to a few people via email with pictures but then realized that there are probably others out there who haven't emailed me but are just as interested.  So today, I will share those pictures and explain what we have done.

We treated the item much like we would a kit in our youth department.  This was decided on after the Head of RA, Circulation Supervisor, and a processing clerk met to discuss the best options.  They key here was that we wanted to use a standard that was already in place in our cataloging system.  This meant no new templates needed to be created AND the circ staff would already be familiar with the procedure needed to check this item in since it was the same as an already in place procedure.

Also, since the book is unconventional and difficult to circulate, it is important to involve multiple staff members from the various departments in the conversation, as we did.  Many, more old fashioned, librarians may feel like the chance that a piece of the item will go missing makes it not worth circulating at all.

YOU HAVE TO RESIST THIS ATTITUDE!  If a piece goes missing, here is what we plan to do. [By the way, this is the second most popular question I get about this title.] We will ILL another copy (or use my personal copy) and make the best photocopy we can of the the missing piece.  We will mark the piece as a reproduction so patrons know.  However, if we get to the point where we have more reproductions than original items, we will consider replacing it.

So that is my first advice when cataloging Building Stories.  But no matter what I say we did, you should start from an established procedure/template already in place at your library.  This will make the entire process easier.

Now on to the pictures and nitty gritty details.

We put the label on the cover of the box, as seen in this picture, alerting the circ staff that parts will need to be checked.

Next, as you can see in the picture below the same information -- that the item contains 14 parts and that the circulation clerk must check-- is on the inside of the box lid.  The inside of the lid also contains the barcode and pocket.  Then on the right, you can see that each piece is labelled in black marker, in the top right corner of the cover of each piece, "1 of 14," "2 of 14, etc....  We decided not to individually barcode each item for two reasons.  1, this is not how we handle kits and for all the reasons I already listed above, we wanted to use a pre-existing standard. 2, we realized that would take the staff much more time than simply counting; we didn't want to make it more difficult.

We will offer full ILL rights on this item which means we will send it anywhere in the system for a 3 week loan; however, we are considering buying a pouch to send it out on the ILL trucks in.  At the least it needs a rubber band. [This is the 3rd most popular question I have received about this book.]

I hope this helps.  If you still have questions, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment.  Either works just fine.  If I receive enough of the same questions, I will put up another post.

By the way, at the time I am writing this post, Building Stories is sold out on Amazon.  Libraries need to get those copies on the shelf.

I just finished my personal copy of the book yesterday and will have a review up next week.  But as a teaser I will tell you, it really is as great as everyone says it is.