Brandy's Reads

When I was a child, I would read anything and everything around. I would pull everything I could find off the shelf and read it. No matter what it was; funny, scary, happy, sad. It didn't matter. I just wanted to read. When I was a child, ebooks weren't a thing, neither were devices as they are now. There weren't tablets, phones, computers, or anything like that. I remember getting super excited when I found a typewriter at a garage sale so I could finally type my own stories instead of handwriting them! :)  Over the years, I clearly started picking books based on what my interests were and started including ebooks and audio books. I remember when I first had a teacher who had books on tape in the classroom and I hated them! Now I rather enjoy them, which has come as such a surprise to me (although I am rather picky on narrators, for sure!). I found LeGuin's article rather interesting. I completely agree with her ending statement that "if a book told you somethin

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

The expanding horizon of formats for materials available to readers only help to broaden the scope of what they choose from. Obviously there are pros and cons and you will always have your naysayers on one side or the other. I could digress, but I won't.  With audiobooks, a major appeal factor I have found that isn't present in print or ebook form is narrator. This one is a huge factor me. I'm a recent(ish) audiobook listener and I will same listen to dozens of audiobooks before choosing. (Sidenote: I was also super excited when I learned of Audible's return policy. I did not know you could return  an audiobook for any reason!) As Mediatore states, some things to consider when thinking about factors of audiobooks are the following: Narrator's pacing vs. the pacing of the novel Characterization - How does the narrator interpret and differentiate between characters? Frame - How does the audio set the tone, mood, and atmosphere? What are the audible extras? (3

Running since August 2012, there is a lunch book group that meets at our local bookstore/cafe, Three Sisters Books & Gifts , (the cafe is called The Bookmark.) They meet at noon on the last Tuesday of each month. I attended the meeting on February 26, 2019.  For this meeting, the group read Before We Were Yours  by Lisa Wingate. There were three members present and two of the three had read the book. One mentioned she did not get to it and a fourth member was not coming because she had not read the book either (she did not get it in time from the library). All three ordered lunch and settled in to discuss the book. The one who did not read it said that she was interested in reading it in the future, but that she wasn't concerned with spoilers for this one because she knew it was based on historical facts. However, the other two did refrain from talking about everything in order to save her from knowing how a few things turned out for some fictional characters. There do

Teens. Working with this age group seems to come with an all or nothing attitude. There is no ambivalence allowed. They are at in between space in their lives, discovering their independence and who they are. They come from varying backgrounds and home lives, some have friends that come with them, and some come to make friends. I love working with teens. I decided to keep this paper focused on general teen advisory rather than diving into one of the many holes I could have gone down. In 2015, the Institute of Museum and Library Services reported that there were 7.2 million attendees at teen/young adult programs. That means that there were 7.2 chances to interact with teens/young adults. To get to know them, to provide a library service to them, to recommend a book to them. While there are similarities, of course, between providing Teen RA and Adult RA, there are differences. Teens generally will need to be approached first, but with open ended conversation (while this is not a

When I was a junior in high school, I think, I read Go Ask Alice . It's probably safe to say I devoured the book. I loved it. I haven't read it since, and I doubt I will ever go back and reread it, but there was something about it at that point in my life that spoke to me. I can't say what it was for sure, as I couldn't relate to anything she was specifically going through (drug use, homelessness, prostitution, etc), but I'm sure I there were themes of loneliness and depression which were rampant in my teenage years. I remember specifically when I found out that it wasn't a "real" memoir. The crushing disappointment, the sadness, the feeling like I just wasted my time. It took some time to realize that it didn't take the meaning away from the story, however. The story, as Somers says, is "more layered and brutal than you might imagine". I do believe that keeps it going despite it being a hoax. Works Cited Somers, Jeff. "5 H

Title:  Boneshaker Series:  Clockwork Century Author:   Cherie Priest Publisher:  TorBooks Publication Date:  September 2009 Page Count:  416 Genre:  Science Fiction, Steampunk Time Period: 1880s Location: Seattle, Washington (Alternate Historical) In an alternate historical 1860's Seattle, Leviticus Blue, an inventor, built a commissioned machine to drill through the ice in search of gold. Something went terribly wrong in 1863 and the Boneshaker tore from Blue's basement, wreaking havoc on the city before returning home again. Not only did the Boneshaker destroy the land, it also released a deadly gas, Blight, that will either kill the person who breathes it in or turn them into a "rotter" (aka, zombie). The city was evacuated and a 2-square-mile, 200-foot-high wall was erected to contain the gas. Sixteen years later, his widow, Briar, has been trying unsuccessfully to live down the life that Blue has left her with - the shame and guilt of having des

I would love to create an intense integrated advisory horror display for the month of October. I believe it will not only help our circulation numbers but will also help our patrons discover new-to-them materials. October being the month of all things spooky, creepy, and Halloween related makes it the perfect month to put together the display! By not only displaying horror novels but including nonfiction books, movies, television shows, graphic novels, YA books, audio books, as well as links to podcasts, we can help our patrons see the "value, in terms of leisure and entertainment, in watching a good movie as listening to a good bood or reading a graphic novel" (Dunneback xiii). The same could be said about a podcast. The display could be set up in the adult services department by the large windows overlooking the plaza and made up with black and orange tablecloths with spiderwebs, Halloween cutouts, and covered boxes in order to tier the display. We could even bring out the

Title:  Mayhem Author:   Sarah Pinborough Publisher:  Jo Fletcher Publication Date:  April 25, 2013 Page Count:  339 Genre: Horror Time Period:  1880's Location : London, England London, 1888. Jack the Ripper is terrorizing the fine, and not-so-fine, citizens of the city. As inspectors and scientists work tirelessly to discover who is doing the dirty work, another madman is on the loose committing his own murders. This murderer seems to enjoy mutilating the body of his victim's differently, however, and leaves parts of her, wrapped neatly, behind for detectives to find - but never the heads. Detectives are baffled, including forensic scientist Dr. Bond. While they are sure it isn't Jack the Ripper and they have dubbed this killer the Torso Killer, they struggle to find more clues for both killers in order to catch either of them. As the story progresses it becomes clear that their may be supernatural elements at work and, if Dr. Bond can believe, he may h

Title:  Close Enough to Touch Author:   Colleen Oakley Publisher:  Gallery Books Publication Date:  March 7, 2017 Page Count:  336 Genre:  Romance Time Period: Present Day Location: Lincoln, New Jersey (fictional town) Jubilee has been told since she was six years old that touching another human could kill her. Now twenty-six, after having been a recluse for nine years, a tragedy forces her to re-enter the world. Eric is coming off of a failed marriage with a teenage daughter who refuses to speak to him for reasons to be unveiled as the story unfolds. A single father to an adopted son, Aja, with whom he has vowed not to screw up as badly as he did the first time around. But things are never easy as there are many obstacles for Aja himself to overcome, after losing his parents in a plane crash two years ago. Eric, Jubilee, and Aja's paths cross, forming an unlikely friendship. Join Jubilee, Eric, and Aja as they work to overcome their fears and anxiety on a jou