Brandy's Reads

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 gui...

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 ...

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 f...

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things By: Jenny Lawson Spurred by her #furiouslyhappy Twitter campaign, blogger Jenny Lawson takes us on a hilarious, self-deprecating, and sometimes life-altering ride of her ups and downs in life while battling life with her inner demons in this irreverent memoir. In her follow up to Let's Pretend This Never Happened,  Jenny Lawson has written an entertaining, candid, and moving take on her own battle with mental illness. While she is quick to point out that everyone's battle with their inner demons is different, her illness(es) will sometimes leave her unable to leave her bed or her house for days. Her roller coaster ride is filled with loops and twists, but thankfully, she receives a great deal of support from family and friends. Furiously Happy stemmed from a Twitter campaign that started when she received a letter about a friend that had passed away and she was tired of being sad and decided she had en...

For this week's prompt, I want to start a conversation about the different types of reviews. Different publications review different types of books and they allow different types of conversations. For example, Booklist will not publish negative reviews, while, as you have all seen, Kirkus has no problems with it (check out this savage review - https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sebastia-alzamora/blood-crime/). Ebook only books, which are increasingly popular (especially in the romance genre) see little to no reviews in professional publications unless they have a big name author, and then still it's usually only RT Reviews (formally Romantic Times) or other genre heavy publications. How does this affect collection development? If books aren’t being reviewed, how do librarians and/or readers know if people are enjoying them? Librarians want to purchase books that will check out and circulate, but also books that have been reviewed. This is because they want to know...

I visited a library I had never been to for my Secret Shopper experience. I walked in and the staff members working the check out desk pointed me toward the reference desk (yes, pointed). After finding the reference desk, I had to wait a few moments before a librarian showed up. Once she did, she asked me if she could help me. When I told her I was looking for a horror novel, she let me know that she normally worked in the teen area but she would do her best to help me. The interaction itself was fairly short, maybe five minutes. She asked what type of horror novel I was looking for and I told her I didn’t want a Stephen King novel because I’m not fan of his writing. She asked if I was interested in ghost stories and I replied that I did like ghost stories and that zombies were okay as well. The only bonafide horror novel she suggested was The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, but it was checked out. After that, she suggested In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware and a De...