Brandy's Reads

Marketing the collection is one of the most important things you can do if you want that collection to actually circulate. Something we do constantly at our library that was mentioned by Saricks is book displays (139). However, I have found that some are better than others. Sometimes our adult department does not even put a sign with it, so I'm not sure what the display of books are representing. Other times when there is not a sign I know they are thinking the books "speak" for themselves (the titles all being fitness related, for example), but I don't feel that is helpful for the patrons who come across the display. It could use a sign, maybe some literature, or a bookmark of other suggestions/read-alikes or other types of materials (videos, podcasts, youtube links, ya titles, etc) to go along with the display. But alas, there are only adult non-fiction fitness materials, not even dvds.  That being said, I think book displays are a fantastic way to highlight va

♫ So happy together ♫ or...  ♫ Breaking up is hard to do ♫ After reading the articles about Orange City Public Library in Iowa (and reading more about it - did anyone see where later in the year there was a guy burning LGBTQ books from that library??? Crazy!!!) I was amazed that not only were they requesting that they separate out the LGBTQ books specifically, but they didn't want them to hold off on purchasing  new materials with that content until a policy could be put into place for the material to be further scrutinized for the public at large, so to speak. I was flabbergasted at the extent to which the community members who were against the materials were willing to go. I also wondered where the board meeting took place that had over 100 people in attendance! lol There are obviously arguments for either scenario (keeping the books shelved by author or separating them out by subject) and I really don't think you are wrong - as long as you have supported your

Title: Six of Crows Author:   Leigh Bardugo Publisher:  Henry Holt and Company Publication Date:  September 29, 2015 Page Count: 462 Genre:  Young Adult, Fantasy Fiction, High Fantasy Time Period:  Location: Ketterdam Welcome to Ketterdam, where the streets are dark and the deeds are darker. When Kaz is offered a an irresistible amount of money to steal something from the impenetrable walls of the Ice Court, he knows he will need to assemble the perfect crew to do so. A crew that will be willing to follow him to certain death and those he will know will have his back when things go awry. The inner circle of misfits include a trigger happy gambling addict, a runaway with a past no one knows about, a knife wielding Wraith with ninja quietness, a Heartrender, a convict, and Kaz himself. According to the man who hired Kaz and his team, the fate of the world  as they know it rests on their success. Can they manage the heist without killing themselves or one another? C

The prompt this week reads as follows: Though this week's group of "genres" all seem very different, they all have in common the fact that many people don't feel that they are legitimate literary choices and libraries shouldn't be spending money on them or promoting them to adults. The common belief is that adults still don't or shouldn't read that stuff. How can we as librarian, work to ensure that we are able to serve adults who enjoy YA literature or graphic novels? Or should we? I can't wait to read your thoughts on this. Thanks! Seriously. Are we not here to serve the patrons who walk in our doors no matter what they want to read, without judgment?  I wanted to stop there but I felt that probably didn't qualify as a thorough answer. However, when patrons walk through our door they are expecting to find materials they want to read. It is our duty as librarians to help them in every possible way, no matter their age or the materia

I've read a few non-fiction books lately and I also keep re-reading Furiously Happy  by Jenny Lawson. I don't mean that I re-read it in its entirety all the time, but I re-read certain passages or I pick it up and just randomly turn to a part and read from there. Sometimes... it's just what I needed. It's weird how that works. So I chose to use that book for the matrix for the prompt this week. Here we have it:

Title:  Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me? Author:   Mindy Kaling Publisher: Crown Archetype Publication Date: November 1, 2011 Page Count: 222 Genre:  Nonfiction Time Period:  Present Day Location:  N/A Mindy Kaling has written a witty and self-deprecating memoir about what it was like growing up as a chubby Indian girl in California and eventually coming to the realization that being yourself is better than pretending to be someone else. She engages us with stories of making it (and not making it) in the industry and makes us laugh with tales of dating and growing up. At times you will feel like you're sitting with your best friend having a conversation while at others you will feel like you are reading stories from who great up in LA. Either way, you are in for an enjoyable read. Women comedians Celebrities Comedians Adult Books for Young Adults Pacing Fast-Paced Tone Self-deprecating Writing Style Candid Conversational Witty To