libraries – Andrea Is Reading

September 26, 2021

My Favorite Sources for Book Recommendations

Last week, one of my colleagues asked me how I find and decide what library books to get. Her question made me think not just about work but my personal reading life too.

Sometimes I’m baffled by the idea that certain readers struggle to find their next book. I feel as if I’m drowning in books some days, so the thought of someone not knowing what to read next is hard for me to wrap my head around.

Those thoughts sparked the idea behind today’s post, which is a list of my favorite book recommendation sources. I include sources I use for school libraries and my own reading. I hope this is helpful and that you find a new-to-you resource. Let’s jump in!

Any New Books

I’ve been a longtime subscriber of Any New Books newsletters. Each week, I get emails listing that week’s most popular book releases. You can sign up for whatever genres interest you most. I receive lists for teens, fiction, nonfiction, biographies, history, and spirituality. These newsletters are an excellent resource, especially if you’re doing work that requires you to pay attention to the latest book releases.

Book Marks

Book Marks is a site from Lit Hub, another tremendous literary resource. On Book Marks, readers see aggregated book reviews for the newest releases. I get an email from the site every Friday that shows me the top-reviewed fiction and nonfiction releases of the week. I always find at least one title on either list to add to my “to be read” list (as if that needs to get any longer).

Book Riot

Book Riot is one of my favorite sources for teen book lists and recommendations. They have book lists for every topic you could imagine. Book Riot shares the latest books but also highlights backlist titles, which is helpful for me to make sure I haven’t missed any big YA releases.

Instagram

One of the good things about social media is the celebration and attention its users give to books. Readers can find photos, videos, and recommendations for niche interests with just a couple of clicks. Here are some of my favorite literary Instagram accounts:

The Millions

Twice a year (January and July), The Millions shares its most anticipated books preview. I look forward to these lists because I always end up with a ton of recommendations. The Millions focuses primarily on literary fiction and narrative nonfiction, both of which I love. The site also offers book lists and well-written essays.

Modern Mrs. Darcy

Anne Bogel is probably the most famous book blogger out there. (She also hosts the delightful podcast, What Should I Read Next.) On Modern Mrs. Darcy, a blog I’ve followed for many years, Anne shares all kinds of bookish goodness. Her summer reading guides are always packed with exciting titles, and I also love her book lists.

My Local Indie

There are few things in this world I love more than a bookstore, and I’m lucky to have some good ones in my city. Auntie’s Bookstore is my favorite and the one where I shop the most. Their inventory includes titles and authors I’ve never heard about before, which makes shopping at Auntie’s extra exciting. I always make sure to stop by their staff picks section on each trip. Auntie’s also has an excellent Instagram account. Each Tuesday, they show off the newest arrivals for adults, teens, and kids. These photos help me remember which books I want to read and which ones I should get for my school libraries.

NoveList

NoveList is a subscription database you might have access to through your local public library. It’s like the best bookish search engine out there. You can search for titles by unique genres, story elements, author characteristics, etc. I use NoveList to search for the latest YA releases. I can see when a book was published, read multiple reviews of it, and save it to a list so I’ll remember to purchase it. During last year’s remote learning, I led a virtual training for my coworkers on using NoveList because I love it so much.

Social Justice Books

Last school year, I completed diversity audits of the high school libraries where I work. This was the same year when my school district passed an equity resolution, promising to provide a more inclusive learning environment for all students. As I searched for diverse books to help support that resolution, Social Justice Books was a site I turned to repeatedly. They have all kinds of book lists and sort titles by grade level, making it quick and easy to find books for teens.

Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

YALSA is the best resource for finding good YA titles. They have much to offer, including book lists, book awards, quick picks for reluctant readers, and helpful articles. It doesn’t hurt that their acronym sounds like “salsa,” one of my favorite things in the entire world.

What sites should I add to my list? Where do you get book recommendations? Let me know!

September 19, 2021September 19, 2021

A Day in the Life of a High School Library Clerk

Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash

This September marks my tenth year as a school library clerk. I love my job and how varied it is. No two days look exactly the same, especially since I split my full-time schedule between two high schools. When people ask what my job entails, I say that it’s a little bit of everything. I get to do nearly all library tasks: circulation, reference, collection development, marketing, shelving, and technology help. In addition to my daily work, I help run a multicultural literature book club and serve on one school’s equity committee. I like being busy when I’m at work, and that’s certainly no problem, especially this year.

Since the past year and a half of school has been virtual, my job was primarily virtual, too. Thankfully, students are allowed back in the library this year, and I think I forgot how busy the days could be.

I thought it would be fun to celebrate my tenth anniversary by sharing what one of my workdays looked like this week. People tend to think of libraries as quiet, calm places, but that’s an old stereotype. Here’s a glimpse of what the library is like for me on an average day.

7:00 a.m. | My workday begins at 7:15, but a crucial part of my day often starts around 7:00, when I stop by Starbucks to pick up my usual mobile order (Venti decaf shaken espresso with sugar-free vanilla, in case you were curious, which you definitely were). When I walk through the door, most of the staff greet me by name, so it’s fair to say I choose Starbucks over my at-home coffee maker most days. Sorry, Nespresso machine.

7:15 a.m. | I walk into the library, flick on a few lights, and turn on the vintage circulation computer that sometimes takes a while to wake up (I relate, so no judgment). I help with laminating at one of my schools, so I usually turn on that machine, too. There’s nothing like the smell of burnt plastic in the morning.

7:30 a.m. | I open up the library doors for students to come in. Sometimes kids are waiting, and sometimes only a couple of students come by before class. I’ll check out a few books and give students the holds they’ve come in to pick up.

8:00 a.m. | I help with laptop distribution, so kids start steadily coming in either needing a computer or needing help with a computer problem. I have several carts full of new books in my workroom that need to be processed, but I’m so busy with laptops that I only finish processing a handful.

10:00 a.m. | The first class of the day comes in for book checkout. After not having students in the library for so long, it’s a delight to have it packed and busy again. I start by giving the students a quick introduction to the space, and then they’re off to find books that look interesting. I have several displays set up and books faced out everywhere, hoping to make it easy for students to find engaging titles.

11:00 a.m. | It’s time for the first lunch of the day. We let kids eat in the library, so it fills up pretty quickly. I check out a few more books during lunch, but most kids are there just to eat and hang out. I heard a student say to a friend, “The library is where all the kids with social anxiety come for lunch.” I’m thrilled to be part of a place where kids feel safe and able to relax.

12:00 p.m. | Second lunch is happening while another class comes in for checkout. It’s a little chaotic, but the students are good listeners and end up finding a lot of books to read.

12:30 p.m. | I finally get a moment to pause and eat my lunch. I usually bring my Kindle to read during my break, but since I’ve been so busy today, I skip the book and play around on my phone instead. I knew I couldn’t focus on a book, which is a tad ironic, considering my job.

1:00 p.m. | The final classes of the day and kids needing help with their laptops fill the rest of my afternoon. I try to process a few books between students at my desk, but I don’t get very far.

2:45 p.m. | School is out, and I’ve waited a few minutes for the halls to clear. Now it’s time to take a book cart to an English teacher whose students had placed a ton of titles on hold. Kids have been so excited to have access to library books again, which makes me happy. Some kids requested one book, while several others requested five. I relate more to the kids who requested five!

3:00 p.m. | I return to the library, where the homework club is in full swing. Though this happens in the library, I’m not in charge of it, so I finally have some time to shelve, get books checked in, and straighten up the shelves for the classes coming in the next day.

3:30 p.m. | I reply to any emails I’ve missed, check the library visit sign-up calendar, and clean up my desk.

3:45 p.m. | I’m finally heading out the door! I turn on a podcast in my car while I drive home, looking forward to a (very long) nap.

That’s what my Wednesday looked like last week! For those of you who are also library workers, what are your workdays like?

August 14, 2019August 13, 2019

Anteaters, Potatoes, and So Much More

Photo by Lars Blankers on Unsplash

This month marks my fourteenth anniversary of library work. In that time, I’ve shelved, shifted, repaired, cataloged, purchased, and weeded a lot of books between my public and school library jobs. People (including myself at times) can think of books as precious treasures to be valued forever, but not all books deserve that type of adoration.

One of my favorite websites is the delightful Awful Library Books. (Their tagline is “Hoarding is not collection development.” Amen!) I’ve enjoyed this site and the book covers they feature for a long time, and I realized recently I have my own collection of awful library books to share with the world.

Over the years, I’ve taken snapshots or have written down titles of books that have, for whatever reason, made me laugh. Today I’m sharing some of my “favorites” with you. These are books I’ve actually seen in person, either in a public or school library. I’m not commenting on the quality of these books, just pointing out that the title and/or cover cracks me up. I think you’ll see why.

Amish Vampires in space book cover — Amish Vampires in Space

I remember seeing this book during Jimmy Fallon’s Do Not Read segment a few years back. Imagine my delight when it showed up at the public library. I’ve shown it to multiple coworkers and live in constant fear of it getting weeded. It makes me happy every time I see it on the shelf.

The Anteater of Death book cover — The Anteater of Death

I have several questions:

Are anteaters violent?
Why did this anteater presumably murder someone?
Why did Betty Webb choose to write a book about anteaters?

Chicken Soup for the Soul brothers and sisters edition — Chicken Soup for the Soul: Celebrating Brothers and Sisters

I feel sad that my brother and I have never taken a similar photo.

I like cats. I like the occasional craft. What I definitely don’t like are crafts made from cat hair.

On one hand, they definitely should have gone with another cover. But on the other hand, I love this one so much.

I saw this romance novel on the shelf many years ago, but have never forgotten it. Why is the wife so innocent? Who’s going to help the poor shame-filled baby? Is there hope for mother and baby to have a flourishing relationship someday? Fingers crossed.

Computer issues are indeed a bummer, man.

Surely any other photo of a potato–and I mean any–would have been better than this one. Whoever signed off on this cover was having a rough day and just wanted to get out of the office ASAP.

Prancerise: The Art of Physical and Spiritual Excellence

Joanna Rohrback, you’re a legend. You’re living your best life and I’m here for it, though I don’t totally understand why there are two of you and a horse on this book cover. (To see prancercise in action, click here.)

Who knew world peace was sew simple? (I’m sorry.)

This book was on the shelf in a high school library. In 2012. It had to go, but not before I savored this cover. (The man sort of looks like Stephen Colbert, right?)

What are the books that have made you laugh, roll your eyes, cringe, or all three? I’d love to know about your awful library books!

May 22, 2019

The Something of Books

Photo by Cullan Smith on Unsplash

“There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.”

― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

I work in a high school library and made a banned books display a couple of years ago. I chose the words above to be the centerpiece, not merely because of the censorship flowing through Bradbury’s novel, but because I loved this quote on its own. Sometimes when people ask me about my favorite books, I can’t explain why I like something. When I read a poem or a complicated text that I don’t fully understand, I can still find it beautiful and essential. I echo Bradbury’s words in those moments: “There must be something there.“

Reading is an endless search to find that something. For some, it’s comfort. For others, it’s entertainment. William Nicholson writes, “We read to know we’re not alone.” Realizing there’s someone else in the world who thinks what you think or feels what you feel is a wonderful thing, especially when those thoughts and feelings are dark and isolating.

I think about the link between reading and loneliness a lot since working with teenagers. I feel a unique duty to these kids to be able to point them toward books that will inspire and teach them, but also toward books that will lessen the blows of that still-familiar teenage feeling of aloneness. A fictional character can say to them what someone else might not: “You’re okay. You’re not the only one. Life gets easier; I promise.”

Before I took my current job, I never read many young adult books, even as a teenager. I still don’t consider myself well read in the world of YA lit, but I do have a few favorites that I recommend frequently. When I dipped my toes into the water of YA books, I was surprised at how stellar the writing is and how adult the subject matter can get. I realize that sounds snobbish, but it’s true. I’m thankful for great writers like Sara Zarr, Courtney Summers, and Laurie Halse Anderson, who not only address hard topics but do so with eloquence.

For me, the element of surprise is one of the best things about reading. Not only does surprise open my eyes to whole new genres, but it gives me pause. A beautifully written sentence or paragraph makes me slow down and take note. Sometimes I end up seeing more in the long run by focusing on one small thing. Throughout my reading life, I’ve had my eyes opened so many times to new ideas and unique ways of seeing the world. Whether it’s discovering a whole new genre or reading a line of poetry that invites me to pause and see something ordinary in a new way, those moments of newness and wonder are necessary elements to the something of why I read.

There must be something there. I want each student who walks through the doors of my library to sense that truth. I want them to develop their own reasons for reading. I want books to become a joy and not a chore. Not every student is going to become a reader, but I want even the ones who don’t to be curious about how any character could stay in a burning house for the sake of some words bound together.

May 8, 2019

Small and Low-Cost Library Changes That Make a Big Impact

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

Sometimes when I think about changes I’d like to make in the school libraries where I work, I think about new furniture, cool technology, fresh layouts, and shelves packed full of new books. It’s fun to imagine these things, but it’s also unrealistic given my schools’ annual budgets. Instead of making over the entire library and purchasing every new book that’s released, most of the changes I’ve brought to my libraries have been small but effective. Today I want to share a few of those changes with you in case you need some free or low-budget ideas that have a significant impact.

Read the rest over at Teen Services Underground.