Darla's Readers' Advisory Blog

Depending on the library layout, demographics, etc. there can be multiple ways to market a library's fiction collection. When you are in a library, there are subtle and loud displays that catch your attention in different ways. Maybe it is an end cap display with only five books on the Royal Family. Maybe it is a huge table display of this past year's New York Times bestselling titles and authors. Perhaps it is even an RA booth with a librarian ready to give you some fantastic fiction recommendations. The possibilities are endless. Personally, I love doing book displays. Some of my favorite displays that I have seen and helped create are ones with a specific and narrow focus. However, there is a right way to go about filling a display. According to Saricks (2005), "we do not display just any book that happens to fall within the theme; we try to be more discriminating. Readers grow to trust the quality of the books we put on display, so we make a point of selecting them car...

To separate or not to separate? For LGBTQ fiction, it is a hard no. For Urban fiction, I would also say no. My reason to not separate LGBTQ fiction is because it can be interpreted as a theme and not as a completely separate genre. LGBTQ themes can fit within the genres of romance, fantasy, mystery, and more. If you were to pull out and separate titles by this theme, you would have a huge mix of books that are really quite different,  just all containing an LGBTQ theme. My example of this would be to compare two books I recently read.  The Priory of the Orange Tree, which is an epic fantasy, and Red, White & Royal Blue , which is romantic comedy. The only thing similar about these books is that there is an LGBTQ theme present, and that is where the similarities end. This in no way benefits browsability within the library and would only serve to alienate these titles from the rest of the collection. If a patron runs across these titles and disagrees with the content, they m...

As an adult that highly enjoys Young Adult, New Adult, and Graphic Novels it is shocking to me that people could be so critical of what others choose to pick up to read. Reflecting on this prompt, I can't help but think of the digital content that I have created since the beginning of COVID-19 and want to share how I have been promoting these titles for adults and teens. I have made several videos on New Adult and Young Adult titles that I have recommended through short book recommendation videos. In these, I talked about what I liked about the book, the topics that are discussed, and why I, as an adult, thought it was worth it. I have also assisted with creating book lists that include a mix of Adult, New Adult, and Young Adult titles that fit within the same genre or theme. Additionally, we have a staff picks display at my work and on there I try to include picks of mine that include these formats.  I also may have created some really fun Tik Tok book recommendation videos that i...

 

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben  1. Where is the book on the narrative continuum? A mix (combines highly narrative moments with periods of fact-based prose) 2. What is the subject of the book? Trees and how they communicate, feel, and live their lives. 3. What type of book is it? A non-fiction work of science. 4. Articulate appeal -What is the pacing of the book? The pace is leisurely, but it does read quickly. -Describe the characters of the book. This is not a character driven work. The main subjects of this book are the trees and forests the author discusses. The author does anthropomorphize the trees so they could be characters of a sort. He also features himself in some areas of the book. -How does the story feel? It feels upbeat and uplifting. -What is the intent of the author? To give readers a glimpse into the mysterious world of trees and to ensure a reader never looks the same way at trees again. -What is the focus of the story? The focus of the story is how t...