Stumped when a patron comes up to you with a reader’s advisory question?
Here are some great websites to help you narrow down their search.
Reader’s Advisory Online Database - read-a-likes
Novelist – by grade/reading level
Lexiles - by grade/reading level
What Do I Read Next – navigation guide
Fiction Connection - search by tags
Overbooked - booklists
Reader’s Advisory – For Librarians
Best Seller Lists
Reading Groups and Guides
Publishers
Posted in Libraries, books | Tagged databases, Libraries, reader's advisory | Leave a Comment »
The New York Times posted the 2009 Pulitzer winners today.
The Pulitzer Prizes were announced on Monday. Following are the winners in Letters, Drama and Music.
FICTION: “Olive Kitteridge,” by Elizabeth Strout
A collection of 13 short stories set in small-town Maine that packs a cumulative emotional wallop, bound together by polished prose and by Olive, the title character, blunt, flawed and fascinating.
Finalists “The Plague of Doves” by Louise Erdrich, a haunting novel that explores racial discord, loss of land and changing fortunes in a corner of North Dakota where Native Americans and whites share a tangled history; and “All Souls” by Christine Schutt, a memorable novel that focuses on the senior class at an exclusive all-girl Manhattan prep school where a beloved student battles a rare cancer, fiercely honest, carefully observed and subtly rendered.
DRAMA: “Ruined,” by Lynn Nottage
A searing drama set in chaotic Congo that compels audiences to face the horror of wartime rape and brutality while still finding affirmation of life and hope amid hopelessness.
Finalists “Becky Shaw,” by Gina Gionfriddo, a jarring comedy that examines family and romantic relationships with a lacerating wit while eschewing easy answers and pat resolutions; and “In the Heights,” by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes, a robust musical about struggling Latino immigrants in New York City today that celebrates the virtues of sacrifice, family solidarity and gritty optimism.
HISTORY: “The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family,” by Annette Gordon-Reed
A painstaking exploration of a sprawling multi-generation slave family that casts provocative new light on the relationship between Sally Hemings and her master, Thomas Jefferson.
Finalists “This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War,” by Drew Gilpin Faust, a deeply researched, gracefully written examination of how a divided nation struggled to comprehend the meaning and practical consequences of unprecedented human carnage; and “The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s,” by G. Calvin Mackenzie and Robert Weisbrot, an elegantly written account of a brief period in American history that left a profoundly altered national landscape.
BIOGRAPHY: “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House,” Jon Meacham
An unflinching portrait of a not always admirable democrat but a pivotal president, written with an agile prose that brings the Jackson saga to life.
Finalists “Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt,” by H.W. Brands, a richly textured and highly readable exploration of the inner Roosevelt, presented with analytical acuity and flashes of originality; and “The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century,” by Steve Coll, an epic tale extending far beyond Osama Bin Laden and the calamity of 9/11, rooted in meticulous research and written with an urgency, clarity and flair that entertains as easily as it educates.
POETRY: “The Shadow of Sirius,” by W. S. Merwin
A collection of luminous, often tender poems that focus on the profound power of memory.
Finalists “Watching the Spring Festival,” by Frank Bidart, a book of lyric poems that evinces compassion for the human condition as it explores the constraints that limit the possibility of people changing the course of their lives; and “What Love Comes To: New & Selected Poems,” by Ruth Stone, a collection of poems that give rich drama to ordinary experience, deepening our sense of what it means to be human.
GENERAL NONFICTION: “Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black People in America from the Civil War to World War II,” by Douglas A. Blackmon
A precise and eloquent work that examines a deliberate system of racial suppression and that rescues a multitude of atrocities from virtual obscurity.
Finalists “Gandhi and Churchill: The Epic Rivalry That Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age,” by Arthur Herman, an authoritative, deeply researched book that achieves an extraordinary balance in weighing two mighty protagonists against each other; and “The Bitter Road to Freedom: A New History of the Liberation of Europe,” by William I. Hitchcock, a heavily documented exploration of the overlooked suffering of noncombatants in the victory over Nazi Germany, written with the dash of a novelist and the authority of a scholar.
MUSIC: “Double Sextet,” by Steve Reich
Premiered March 26, 2008 in Richmond, Va.
A major work that displays an ability to channel an initial burst of energy into a large-scale musical event, built with masterful control and consistently intriguing to the ear.
Finalists Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “7 Etudes for Solo Piano,” by Don Byron, premiered on March 15, 2008 at Hallwall’s Contemporary Art Center, Buffalo, N.Y., a deft set of studies that display rhythmic inventiveness and irresistible energy, charm and wit; and “Brion,” by Harold Meltzer, premiered on April 23, 2008 at Merkin Hall, New York City, a sonic portrait of a cemetery in northern Italy painted with the touch of a watercolorist and marked by an episodic structure and vivid playfulness that offer a graceful, sensual and contemplative experience.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged books, Pulitzer awards | Leave a Comment »
Along Came You by Karona Drummond is a very touching and simple picture book about a business woman turned mother. Each beautifully illustrated page has the catch lines “before you…” “After you…” pointing out the change that a child brings to someone’s life. This book is a mom-daughter book, the illustrations by Estelle Corke are soft pastels of pinks, blues and yellows. Each page is in full color with about 12-15 words. The style seems very contemporary (at least the clothes that the mom wears seem very current). This book would make a good Mother’s Day read for mom’s with younger children.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Along Came You, Book Review, Estelle Corke, Karona Drummond | Leave a Comment »
I loved Audrey Wood’s picture books when I was a child. Everything from Heckedy Peg to I’m As Quick As a Cricket.
I came across another book of hers today at the library, The Napping House.
There is a house,
a napping house,
where everyone is sleeping.
Everyone, including a snoring granny, a dreaming child, a dozing dog, a snoozing cat, a slumbering mouse, and a wakeful flea.
This book is like a little lullaby. It is reminiscent of Simms Tabak’s This is the House That Jack Built and Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodbye Moon. There is a very even flow to the poetry, a rhythmic, repetitive text. The illustrations are beautiful and do a fantastic job of setting the mood and flowing from night to day.
Posted in Juvenile, books | Tagged Audrey Wood, Book Review, Children's books, The Napping House | Leave a Comment »
My library system is going on a major marketing and programming bliitz to highlight all the good libraries do in regards to helping people look for work.
My branch has two weekly programs right now, a resume review that I run, and an online job searching class that my co-worker teaches. I work one-on-one with people to improve their resumes, or even to just get their resume typed up and printed for the first time.
In April, I’m going to be starting a new monthly program called Budget Living, and I’m going to discuss different ways to save money, and still have fun. Each month will have a different theme. April is Groceries. I’m going to have fun with this topic. I’m hoping to experiment with everything I’m researching. IE. using these grocery bill-cutting skills in March, and discuss what works and what doesn’t at the April class. I think this will have a slow turn-out, but will eventually gather a large following.
Posted in Libraries | Tagged Budget, Budget Living, cost-cutting, Libraries, library programs | Leave a Comment »
I’m doing a very, very simple storytime craft tomorrow morning, but I think it will be really successful with the age group that I get Friday mornings. I printed a couple of cute images on a Word document, landscape style. Each page will be folded in half and becomes a Valentine’s Day card! So easy, so cheap! I have some stickers, markers and crayons for the kids to use to decorate.
Other than that, and reading a few Valentine’s Day books, there isn’t much else I’m doing for the storytime. My branch is having a Mini Festival of Books on Saturday. I’m very excited for that! We have Jose Luis Orozco performing, we have crafts, readings and each child under the age of 6 gets a free book! The funny part is that all this happens in 2.5 short hours (for the public at least). We are expecting about 600 people, so the library will be packed!
The teens librarian is also hosting an Anti-Valentine’s Day party tomorrow, complete with trivia contest and movie showing.
I have my knitting class on Saturday. I’m not sure what my audience will be since its Valentine’s Day and a holiday weekend. I want to introduce the idea of charity knitting to my class, and see if we can something started. I’ll have to do some more planning for that this upcoming month.
Busy days at the library, but I’m not complaining. I like to be kept busy. =)
Posted in Libraries | Tagged Libraries, valentine's day | Leave a Comment »
I have a question for all the librarians out there. How o you incorporate multiple copies of books into book clubs? In a large system, we naturally produce numerous volumes of a single title when we buy it for multiple branches. After a while, these books are sent to the main library for one reason or another. We want to figure out a way to reuse these books. One idea is to distribute them for book clubs. I know book clubs can be sort of flimsy, meeting once a week. How do you incorporate book clubs in your library? What is the best way to get one started, and seeing the selection process for the books?
Posted in Libraries, books | Tagged book clubs | Leave a Comment »
As a part time librarian, and as a professional librarian for only 6 months, I’m still trying to figure out my niche in the library world. Its hard to figure out when for the most part, I am a “fill-in-the-gap” librarian at my branch, at the library I work on-call for.
Since my part time schedule does not allow much in the way of time for planning and programming, I think I’ve settled on Reference as an outlet for my library energy. Reference is a very stable area of the library, very versatile, and the most useful outside of the library for my own daily life.
I know that for the most part, this little blog has been neglected and well, incredibly unfocused with random picture book reviews and even more random library news postings. I’m going to make an honest effort to be more focused with this blog. I’ll post something about the world of Reference or Library News Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Either important tidbits online, or from my own experiences from work.
Posted in Libraries | Tagged career, Librarian, Libraries, Reference | Leave a Comment »
Have the higher powerse that be up in Capitol Hall absolutely lost their minds?
I just read this article from the San Jose Mercury news about a new federal law that takes effect February 10th to test all children’s toys, and apparently books for toxic lead and plastic. This means that libraries will have to close their children’s rooms, and remove all the books (700,000 in the San Jose Public Library System alone) and send them off to be tested. My reaction? WTF?
In times of recession and unstable job security, they want to ship off all these books to be tested for no reason? This will put countless bookstores out of business, libraries will take a giant loss of patronage. This is crazy.
You can read the full article here:
Please tell me someone else feels just as outraged as I do.
Posted in Libraries, books | Tagged Book ban, Children's books, Libraries, toxic lead and plastic testing | 1 Comment »
