So long, Shelfari!

Amazon, which owns both Shelfari and GoodReads, decided to pull the plug on the former in favour of the latter.  Shelfari was first introduced in 2006 and it offered readers the opportunity to build a virtual bookself.  It was quite different from other similar apps as it was graphical and actually allowed people to fill their "shelves."  

I have a dormant Shelfari account that I won't migrate.  I am not dedicated to the cause of maintaining records of my reading.  I tend to graze the reading landscape rather than create lists of expectations.  I read what I like in the moment and never like to be held to account when I change my mind.  

GoodReads will allow you to migrate your Shelfari account.  The instructions seem overly simplified for something that I expect will take more steps.  You can search the Internet for other instructions.  I would take some of them with a grin of salt.  If you are panicking, do some research before you press any buttons.

To Kill a Mockingbird

With the news of Harper Lee's death over the weekend, there will be renewed interest in her writing.  Lee's most famous work, "To Kill a Mockingbird" was published in 1960 and has become a fixture in the reading lives of so many over the years.  The work is still assigned as to high school students as a means to open up a dialogue about race relations in America. Most readers will have some experience with her work and the news of her death has been a topic of conversation amongst many.

In 2015, a new novel by Lee was released, "Go Set a Watchman."  The manuscript is shrouded in mystery and unresolved questions.  After her original book was published, Lee never wrote another work that was released.  Lee was living with age-related health issues when she is supposed to have approve the release of the Watchman manuscript.  Most who read the novel feel that it is only an earlier draft of Mockingbird.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" is a novel that allows readers to walk through any of Nancy Pearl's doorways to seek enjoyment.  The story is a taut and dimensional thriller with a central courtroom drama and satisfying side plots.  The characters are varied and still relatable nearly 50 years later.  The setting is interested and well drawn with realistic characteristics.  The language is interesting as it features dialect and the complex story is narrated by a child.  This is truly a rare book that can appeal to almost every reader and is thoroughly enjoyed by all who choose to read it.

Research suggests that Mockingbird was a book that was a heavily edited debut novel.  It is quite likely that Lee had several versions of the novel before the final version was released.  I believe Watchman is one of those versions and does not represent a completely new work of note.  As so few books can really straddle all appeal factors, I feel that the book is the genius of more than one writer.

The book remains an important book and a great read no matter how it came to be.  Lee will be forever remembered as the author of a book that taught so much about the history of the American south.

Going to the Dogs. . .

The 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize was awarded to Andre Alexis' "Fifteen Dogs."  The book is a short read that features a divine bet between Apollo and Hermes.  Apollo bets Hermes that dogs will be no happier if they are afforded human intelligence and self-awareness.  Those with a philosophical background will enjoy the argumentation that occurs throughout the narrative as the Gods debate the nature of the dogs' experience on earth.  The use of dogs as the main characters is also timely as canines have largely displaced actual human offspring on the desirability scale.

The Conversation:

Customer: "I just finished Alexis' "Fifteen Dogs."  Man, it was so good, I can see why it won the Giller.  I usually don't enjoy Canadian fiction - too much winter, too many bears and too many sad people."

Readers' Advisor: "I hear that!  The book was very urban and the focus on dogs was unique?  What did you like most about the book?"

C: "I really liked the argument between the Gods.  Like we are all just pawns in this game beyond our control.  I like to think of how animals are like humans or how they would behave like humans."

RA: "If I make some suggestions, would you be okay if there were no animals?  What if it focused just on philosophy or divine activities?"

C: "Nah, just the animals.  I think I want to read a few more books that feature animals in human situations."

The Search:

In my catalogue, the subject headings weren't too useful.  I did get a few options from using those, but I feel like the suggestions will come from past reading experience.  There are additional lists on goodreads and Genreflecting will have "animal stories."

Suggestions:

Animal Farm (1945) George Orwell

Watership Down (1972) Richard Adams

The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore (2011) Benjamin Hale

Timbuktu (2000) Paul Auster

The Dog Master: A Novel of the First Dog (2015) W. Bruce Cameron

Project Nim (2011) film

Readers' Advisory at the OLA Superconference

I'll give you some direct links to RA session with additional content from the Superconference sessions

Psst…I Read Smutty Books
Chantelle Taylor, Kristel Fleuren-Hunter, Lesley Brann

• A session about erotic fiction.

Reading Is Fundamental: Exploring the Relationship between Success and Reading 
Pauline Dewan, Melanie Kindrachuk, Nicole Adams

• OLA's RA Committee's session about readers' advisory.

LGBTQIA+ YA Readers’ Advisory – Inclusion for an Elusive Patron Population 
Amanda Wilk, Jenny Fry, Rob Bittner

• Serving the larger LGTBQ youth community.

I Want The Revenant. . .

When the Oscar films are chosen, the number of holds on the books they are based on skyrockets!  Often, these are older titles and the publishers are scrambling to print movie-tie-ins.  There are a number of resources which can help you predict upcoming movies that are made into books.  You can't always predict how popular the book will become so this will always be a bit of crapshoot to match demand from the public.  EarlyWord and CBC Books have recently been the most helpful to me.

The Conversation:

Customer: "I am looking for The Revenant.  I want to read the book before I watch the movie."

Readers' Advisor: "That might be difficult because there are currently 200 holds on that book."

C: "Really?!  Oh, I was looking forward to reading it this weekend."

RA: "The book is widely available to purchase if you are really desperate to read it.  I can check availability at the local bookstore for you.  Can I make a few suggestions of books that are similar?  Do you know anything about the book?"

C: "I heard it was about a bear attack!  I like to read books about survival."

RA: "I checked Amazon and the books seems a lot like a Western.  Do you like Westerns?"

C:  "That part doesn't matter to me so much, I just like to read about how humans survive against animals."

RA:  "Okay, I'm going to do a search and make some suggestions."

The Search:

Your suggestions will likely come more from collection knowledge than search tools.  Some subject headings include: "revenge," "trappers" and "wilderness survival."  The BookList Reader has this list which can get you started if nothing comes to mind.

Suggestions:

The Bear (2014) Claire Cameron

Grizzly Man (2005) film

Into the Wild (1997) Jon Krakauer - book and film

The Tenderness of Wolves (2007) Stef Penney

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival (2010) John Valliant

I can't get enough of "Making of a Murderer"

The television show that is currently being binged upon is Netflix's "Making a Murderer."  This is a documentary series which follows a man convicted of rape who is later exonerated by DNA evidence.  He is subsequently charged with murder and the series follows the case over ten years.  Customers who have access to Netflix will be watching and discussing the series while customers who have no access to Netflix will hear about it and will be anxious to get their hands on the series when released on DVDs.

The Readers' Advisory Conversation:

Customer: "I have been watching this "Making a Murderer" series and I just can't get enough of it.  Do you have anything similar?"

Readers' Advisor: "I have hear about it but I haven't watched it.  Tell me about it and what you specifically like about it."

C: "It is about this guy who goes to jail, then gets out of jail and then goes to jail again.  I was so fascinated by all of the legal issues, how evidence is used and how it seems that no one knows the truth."

RA: "That's crazy!  I love movies and books that look at true crime.  You said that you liked watching the legal issues.  Are you interested in murderers in general or just ones who have their convictions questioned?"

C: "Nah, I hate that serial murderers stuff.  I want something that challenges my assumptions about the court case?  Anyone else who has been exonerated?"

RA: "Did you want books or films right now?"

C: "More movies, just movies right now."

RA: "Great, I'll give you some suggestions."

The Search:

Start with a catalogue search, limit your search to DVDs.  Search using search terms such as: "murder," "trials," "criminal investigation," and "criminal justice, administration of."  Do not limit your searches to just fiction DVDs as many of these films are documentaries.

Suggestions:

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hill (1996), Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (1999), Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2012) and West of Memphis (2013).  Atom Egoyan directed a fictionalization of this real-life court case called, Devil's Knot (2013).

The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012)

The Thin Blue Line (1988)

Murder on a Sunday Morning (2003)

Capturing the Friedmans (2003) - this films features a child abuse case but is focused on the trial

An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton's Story (2013)

The Central Park Five (2012)

Loan Stars

Early reviews can be one of the most important tools for a readers' advisor.  Your readers will often come into the library to ask about the newest books because they are seeing them in the bookstores or in the media and they want to get information about the book to make a reading decision.  Library staff who have direct access to publishers' reps - Dewey Divas and Dudes - may be seeing forthcoming books and getting reviews however this is not available everywhere.

There is a new program in Canada which will keep you informed about the new forthcoming reads with reviews available.  Loan Stars will launch shortly and it will provide library staff with lists and reviews for forthcoming titles before books are even published.  This project is a partnership between BookNet Canada, Canadian Urban Libraries Council (CULC), Canadian library associations, library vendors and publishers.  Library staff can volunteer to be readers and reviewers.

Loan Stars is based on a similar American program, Library Reads.  This program features ten library staff picks per month.  The books featured are largely fiction with a few narrative non-fiction included.  The format of the Canadian version will be revealed when the tool is launched and it will be a great source of information for selectors and advisors.

Canadian Reading Habits

This study has been circulating for the past few days and it is an interesting consideration of American and Canadian readers.  Booknet Canada had a look at the Pew Research Centre's study which suggests that Americans are reading less than they were in the past.  There are some additional statistics that can lead you to develop a profile of those who are reading the most and who are reading the least.  Generally, white women with higher education and higher salaries are the best readers.

Booknet Canada was intrigued by the American numbers and conducted their own survey.  The results of that survey is displayed to the left.  This information is particularly helpful for readers' advisors as it identifies who might be your most avid readers and new markets that might be important to target.

Booknet Canada also cites a NOP World Culture Score Index study that identifies who reads the most in the world.  Not sure why they profile only Russia for genre interests, but the whole map is interesting.

Readers' advisors can learn a lot about their business from these and other studies that look directly at reading habits.  There have been studies in the past which ask readers where they find out about books and libraries barely rank.  Readers are finding out about books from friends and booksellers.  The readers are using libraries but they are not engaging with library staff to find out about books. 

That is something we have to work to change.

Scotiabank Giller Prize

It is old news the Andre Alexis won the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize.  I have tried diligently to locate an online version of the ceremony, hosted by Rick Mercer, but I have not been able to locate one. You can check out other Giller-related videos on their site.

Readers' advisors can learn a lot about booktalking and promoting books from the award ceremony. The show is typically one hour long and the shortlist includes 5 books.  During this year's broadcast, presenters were tasked with "booktalking" their assigned title.  A booktalk does not summarize the book but identifies the most interesting aspects of the book in a way that promotes interest.  The author is invited to read some of their book and then they participate in some random television activities.  This is a great way to conduct an author visit and most authors are familiar with the structure.  Be sure to check this out next year and assess the show as a readers' advisor.

The CBC Books webpage really deserves its own post but I will mention it here to direct you to one of the best Canadian book resource.  There are many timely lists and related book news.  Their Facebook page is equally informative and will keep you up to date on the latest news that your readers already know.

Library Reads

Librarians and selectors regularly read reviews to determine appropriate additions for their library collections.  These reviews are written by professional writers, some academics and some librarians and consider the item on its merit and may consider the relatively value that the item will have for library users.

There is a resource for forthcoming reviews which employs only librarians and library staff as reviewers.  Library Reads is a partnership project with prominent librarians and major publishing firms to provide reviews of new publications.  The books are reviewed in advance of publishing to allow time for selectors to assess and add them to the upcoming orders.  The project is two years old and it is well-know stateside by librarians and fiction selectors.  The top 10 adult titles are displayed monthly with a majority of fiction titles and a few non-fiction titles.  

The reviews are timely and can easily aid library staff in developing readers' advisory intelligence from the reviews.  They help to set up staff for success with readers by providing good forthcoming coverage, predicting the possible books of interest which your users will be clamouring for.  The website has a number of print templates which could be used to promote the program and the books selected.

Library staff are encouraged to participate by reading and reviewing books provided by the publishers.  At present, this is an American initiative but there will be exciting news of the Canadian front in a few more months.  If library staff want to get access to forthcoming publications, subscribing to NetGalley is another way to get free access to new books.

Get to Know Harlequin

Libraries are pretty hostile territories for Harlequin books. Librarians were discussing how either libraries don't actually purchase them or bother to catalogue them which makes them hard to access for romance lovers.  At my library, we - literally - put these books in the back corner.  These books are seen as just ephemeral and that readers who like one would like any other one.

Libraries and library staff are not doing their readers any service if they are not familiar with Harlequin and the various series that are offered.

Check out the Harlequin site: http://www.harlequin.com/store.html

There is further information about the books which are published by Harlequin and there is a lot of series information available on the site.  Harlequin has done a lot of work already for readers' advisors to direct readers to their perfect Harlequin.  In addition to series information, they have sub-divided their publications into fiction categories.

There are a few library resources but they aren't as helpful as the information included on the main site.

Everyone has a Harlequin memory and do not discount how well loved these books are by readers.

Toronto Romance Writers

As previously posted, membership with the Romance Writers of America will also provide you some membership privileges at local chapters.

If you are based in the GTA, you need to check out the Toronto Romance Writers.  They represent most of the local romance writers and they are a great resource for author visits.  You can register for their newsletter.  This is completely free and will give you information about local events and local writers.  You can also get access to resources on their Facebook page.

Maureen McGowan and Molly O'Keefe were present at the event and featured some content from an upcoming documentary: Love Between the Covers.

Membership - Romance Writers of America

As a librarian, you can register as a member with the Romance Writers of American for $10 USD which will get you access to a number of tools which will aid you with readers' advisory.  I am signing up tomorrow.  This will also provide you access to local events which are organized with a registered RWA chapter.

Red Hot RA Redux

Another successful "RA in the Day" is now over.  Despite the gamble on the "romance" genre, we ended up filling the room and preliminary comments suggest that it was one of the best.  Personally, I learn so much from the event that I never knew before about romance and romance writers.  You can find the program information here.  I am going to include a number of expanded blog posts to cover the material which was shared at the event.

I bought a copy of this book by Maya Rodale and, after some investigation, I am very happy I did because it is not widely available.  I think it is based on her graduate work and some of her essays.  The book is a key resource for readers' advisors who need to serve romance readers or advocate for the importance of romance to senior management.

I admit to having prejudices against romance, thinking that they were anti-feminist.  There are many sub-genres of romance and some put women in a more subservient position but many do not and the beauty of the romance genre is that there is something for everyone.  

I also stay away from romance because it might be a little too "salt in the wound" as I am still single but that isn't a valid reason to never have a fantasy.  I like my romances with a "damaged but redeemable hero" who sees beyond a woman's plain exterior into her full and loving heart.  Luckily, that is a very common theme so I'll have books for years.  As a realist, I thought this kind of escape was silly and immature.  Paraphrasing Rodale, "What's wrong with wanting a romantic partner who treats you with respect, is tender and who loves you for who you really are?"  Preach.

Rodale's book focuses on the reasons why we discount the value of romance and relegate it to back corners and dismiss the readers who love to read book after book.  Rodale, herself, is a romance writer and has done a significant amount of research in the genre.  Check out her infographics.

Vancouver Public Library - What Do I Read Next

Last week, the Ontario Library Association hosted a teleconference with staff from the Vancouver Public Library and they were offering insight into the services they offer and how those services might also be popular at your library.

Check our Vancouver's What Do I Read Next website.

VPL's director, Sandra Singh, has provided a clear vision to staff to enhance the library's core brand of books and focus more on the reading rather than the objects.  Staff seem excited about this strategic direction and they are working hard to develop a community of readers.

The staff offer personalized reading lists which can be requested via email and encourage readers to actually approach library staff to get reading suggestions.  The vision is to firmly establish library workers as readers and the source of appropriate and exciting reading suggestions.  They have experimented with twitter and facebook, so they are exploiting new technologies to better support an old idea.

The other unique offering is to focus on the actual fiction reading development of newcomers.  Reading is one of the critical ways that newcomers learn about the society in which they live and they should not be ignored because their reading skills are different.  They also suggest that libraries should provide better readers' advisory in other languages which can be quite a tall order.

Vancouver Public Library is embracing readers' advisory and quickly becoming a leader in Canada. Consider following their efforts and checking in regularly to see what they are offering!

Selecting the Next "Girl on the Train"

Library selectors are a lot like retail buyers in that they have make important decisions about potential trends long before the trend emerges to profit from the increased customer interest.  "50 Shades of Grey" is a good example.  Saavy library systems were buying from the Australian independent publisher long before it was picked up stateside so that they had it on the shelves when the customers were asking rather than weeks later.

The question often becomes, "How do I know what will be popular?"  That is the magic of a great selector!  I've seen people who do it well and others who just get by.  You need to be "of the world" to get good intelligence to inform your selection practices.  You need to know what is popular on television, what is new in the theatre, what people are buying and what social trends are hot.  You need to learn this by going outside, meet people, ask questions.

A colleague pointed out this site to me - Edelweiss: Reading Above the Treeline.  It collects all current publishers' catalogues for easy access.  You could certainly look at multiple catalogues to determine current trends as publishers are also looking to capitalize on the current interests of readers.

Good luck and spend some time doing something other than reading!

Who's Your Reader?

An article in the paper about celebrity readers got us thinking about the trend by audiobook

enthusiasts to follow their favourite reader of audiobooks, rather than the long history of readers following a favourite author. Readers can read across genres, and lead their listeners where they might not have ventured without their lead.
      More and more professional actors are getting into the game, using their vocal talents to make books come alive for their readers, and their readers are noticing and appreciating.
     As the article states, audiobook sales are up significantly, partly as people become aware of the new format of digital downloads. Our library continues to see this growth,
     Book recommendation tools such as Novelist recognize this trend and have including an audio component to the appeal factors in their "The Secret Language of Books: A Guide to Appeal." Their differentiations for this are: audio drama; approachable; brisk; character accents; comedic; commanding; crisp; deadpan; detached; distinctly voiced; emotionally connected; energetic; engrossing; folksy; full cast; gentle; gravelly; immersive; intense; live audience; melodious; multiple narrators; musically enhanced; read by the author; resonant; sincere; somber; sound effects; understated; unhurried; warm; well-characterized; wry; and youthful. Obviously several of these will likely be present in any audiobook publication.
     These tools can be especially helpful when you are serving distant customers through outreach library service.  You often only interact with the customer over the phone so you really need some helpful tools to assist with readers' advisory for these users.  People can have very distinct narration tastes and they can be turned off the reading experience if they do not enjoy the voice of the narrator.
     The audiobook publishers are aware of this trend and often create lists from each of their most popular narrators.  Try the links below for some narrator lists.

Audible
Penguin Random House
Recorded Books
Tantor

And the Award Goes To. . .

It is that time of year again, book prizes will be awarded in earnest over the next few months.

Today, the Man Booker shortlist was announced.

Residents of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) will no doubt also be aware that the Toronto International Film Festival is in full swing.  I actually think the election is proving to be an entertaining distraction from all the celebrity news.  The CBC has compiled a list of books which films in the 2015 festival are based.  No doubt your customers will be just as jazzed about these titles as they are about the Booker shortlist.

Reading in Translation

The world has shrunk in many ways in the past few decades. It is now easier and more affordable to travel to far-flung places. Unlike many of our ancestors who came to North America expecting to never return to their homelands or see family left behind, we can go back and discover our family's origins. Or we can travel somewhere completely foreign to our own cultural experience and learn about other cultures (or just stay at the resort and enjoy a laid-back vacation).
We can use Skype or Facetime to talk to people anywhere with an internet connection, going beyond the audio experience of the telephone to see who we are talking to and the environment around them.
Depending on where we live, we may have access to other cultural experiences within our own communities through attending festivals, parades, ethnic restaurants, or just talking to our neighbours.

But reading takes you into the experiences of another in a way that is difficult to do in other ways. You get inside the head of the characters, understand their thought processes and the emotions that they feel. There have been studies showing the increase in empathy and emotional intelligence that comes with reading fiction.
There are many writers who write in English and yet have different experiences and outlooks than ours that we can read and enlarge our worlds through that reading, whether they be from other English speaking nations such as New Zealand, or countries where English is a primary language like India, or an immigrant to one of those nations, or our own, who has taken on English as his language for writing.
But what about those that don't. How much do read that was published first in another language and then translated into English? It's a small percentage of what books are available to us, and many readers miss it altogether.
In 2007, the University of Rochester started Three Percent to help change that. The name reflects the fact that only about 3% of books published in the United States are works in translation. They share information on international literature including news, book releases, reviews, samples of works in translation, and those that haven't yet been translated. The university offers a program for translation wanna-bes, and a press for translated works, Open Letter. It is helping increase the availability of and awareness of translated works and we are seeing more interest.
A recent article on Flavorwire highlighted women writers in translation, recommending 22 women to read. As they say in the article only 30% of works in translation are by women, which for the US market comes out to around 1% of all published books.
I've been reading more and more translated books, which I've heard about thanks to sites like Three Percent and articles like the one in Flavorwire. And I'm glad of it, finding wonderful books in many genres that I both enjoyed and learned from. In 2014, I read 12 books in translation from eight different original languages, and I'm already at 8 books from 5 languages. My favorite so far this year is The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles, translated from the French. What about you? Have you opened your reading to translated works? We'd love to hear about what great books you've enjoyed thanks to the work of translators.

RA in a Day 2015

The program for the 2015 RA in a Day is now available https://www.accessola.org/web/OLAWEB/OPLA/RA_in_a_Day/Welcome.aspx

The committee chose to focus on the most read genre - romance!  With most library staff reluctant romance readers, it is critical to offer a professional day which allows us to know the genre more deeply and what our readers find within it.

I hope to see you there!