Reader's Advisory Blog

You come in my Barnes & Noble for any period of time, you'll hear one of us complain about James Patterson. The gist is that he's got so many books coming out that it feels like there's at least one a week. Realistically, it's closer to one a month, probably less. His books also release on Monday, a day earlier than the rest of publishing, so it's extra effort at the beginning of the week, instead of when you're already doing new releases. They always go directly onto bestsellers and live on promotions for weeks after. In my store, his books take up more than an entire bay (approximately 5 shelves, 4 feet long). We don't get reasonable numbers of them, either. Instead of the 15 or so we may sell in the first week, we get triple that, so we're sitting on ridiculous numbers of books by Patterson. And then we all lament that he doesn't actually write them, and want to know why people continue to buy them, when a "James Patterson" book is...

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters Synopsis: Miss Amelia Peabody is a spirited single woman of a certain age in possession of keen intellect and disposable income. Her curiosity and upbringing lead her to an interest in Egypt, and as the country is under British protection, she undertakes a journey, picking up a companion in Evelyn Barton-Forbes--the destitute, scandalized granddaughter of an earl, who has been abandoned by a lover in Italy. The two soon meet the Emerson brothers, who are excavating a site at Amarna. Not long after the ladies' arrival, a mummy appears and begins to antagonize then! Amelia can't imagine that the apparition is truly the dead revived, but how can they prove such a fact when all clues point to the supernatural? Characteristics of mysteries: Solving of a crime drives the plot:  While no explicit crime has been committed by the mummy at the outset, it attempts multiple times to commit crimes and succeeds, including trapping ch...

I love a good theme, so when I sit down to read a book, I pick music to listen to that matches it. Often, I'm then in the mood for a movie that goes along with it. For example, if I'm reading a historical romance, I may pick the Pride & Prejudice soundtrack to go with it. Then, I probably want to watch Lost in Austen  or North & South . And even if the time periods don't all quite match up, it's all got a similar feel. So, for a display, I'd propose to setup, perhaps, a themed weekend binge--in this case, the romance edition. Each book (or books, if I wanted to suggest a series, for the fast reader!) would be accompanied by a movie and a music selection, all that work together in some way. For example: I'll suggest Sarah MacLean's Scandal & Scoundrel series: And for music, I'll suggest either a collection of Mozart (because Sarah MacLean says on her website that she listens exclusively to classical music while writing--and...

Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani Synopsis: Lucia Sartori is the belle of Greenwich Village--the most beautiful girl in the neighborhood, only daughter of a prosperous grocer, a talented seamstress at the posh B. Altman's, and engaged to the handsome Dante DiMartino. Her orderly life is upended when she ends her engagement because Dante's mother would make her leave her beloved job upon their marriage. Lucia dreams of a big life, and seems to get one when she falls in love with John Talbot, a wealthy, though secretive, businessman who treats her to the luxury-filled life she hopes for. But when she is left at the altar and learns the secrets of John's life, in addition to her mother falling ill, Lucia has to pick up the pieces and choose between following her dreams or dedication to the family she loves so deeply.  Characteristics of gentle reads: Old-fashioned tone:  Lucia is raised in a traditional Italian family. Their values, while not always representative of...

Beyond Scandal & Desire by Lorraine Heath First book of A Sin For All Seasons series Synopsis: Mick Trewlove was born in sin, the bastard of a duke, and given away, seemingly never to be heard from again. However, Mick has fashioned himself into a man to be reckoned with—a highly successful businessman who members of the ton scramble to invest in. All of this power is a means to an end: revenge on the man who sired him. He intends to destroy the duke’s legitimate son, taking his income and stealing away his intended. However, Mick didn’t plan on Lady Aslyn Hastings. She’s beautiful, kind-hearted, and adventurous, and Mick can’t help but be drawn in by the women he is supposed to seduce. And Aslyn feels the same; despite her betrothal, she can’t help but keep meeting Mick and falling in love with him. But when the truth comes out, will their relationship withstand the beating? Characteristics of romance: Easily identifiable types: Mick is a confident, capable, stron...

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden In this Russian fantasy, young Vasya and her family face the clash of the old and new worlds, where the old stories told by the fire are more real than they can imagine—and their subjects will fight not to fade away. Vasilisa may be an oddity in her town, but she lives a happy life, traipsing through the woods, befriending the spirits living around the village, and listening to stories from her nurse. Vasya’s favorite is about Frost, who they say rewards the worthy but devours the false. When her father decides to remarry, years after her mother died in childbirth with Vasya, he brings home a deeply superstitious and devout woman who seeks to stamp Vasya’s respect for the old customs and her oddities out. She enlists the help of a young priest, who despite his anger at being sent to the wilderness, makes his mission to save Vasya and the village, for despite their attendance in church, they leave offerings and pray to the old gods. ...

In regards to ebook only books and their limited reviews, I'd say that would have huge repercussions on collection development. You can take a stab in the dark if you don't have time to review the book thoroughly yourself or know of someone who can vouch for it, but that's, of course, risking valuable library resources if it's not a good addition to the collection. I'd imagine those doing the buying are much less likely to do this than instead go with a more known quantity. I think the reviews in the documents are reliable in that they seem honest, but I don't see them as terribly reliable in their points when it comes to making a purchasing decision. Their opinions are very anecdotal, and speak very personally of them and their particular tastes, rather than speaking with objectivity. Reading is, of course, a very personal activity and what appeals to one reader won't necessarily appeal to another, but a professional review speaks more to craft and overal...

For my secret shopper, I decided to look for a book for my historical fiction annotation. I felt awkward heading to the desk and interrupting the two librarians there, but I did so and one stepped away to help me. Instead of referencing any materials, he and I discussed mostly in the fiction section itself. He asked if I had any genres in mind, and I told him I thought I wanted something historical, and then he asked what I normally read and liked, to which I replied that I read a lot of YA, sticking to mostly fantasy, science fiction, and historical. From there, he and I walked through, with him picking out books and gauging my interest in each, asking questions about why or why not. He suggested several that sounded good to me, and I wrote them down, but I got most excited for The Alienist by Caleb Carr after we discussed a Bernard Cornwell book,  Game of Thrones ,   and gore. Then I had to tell him how fascinated by Jack the Ripper I am, and it was an easy sell from there...