Second, after you get a chance to do the readings and explore Mary Chelton's list of tools, I want to hear about how you find books to read. It could be a site or a resource you've just discovered or one you've used for years, one you use for yourself or for your patrons or family and friends.
I tend to rely a lot on friends and family to recommend books. This has only expanded since I started working at the library - I've found several coworkers with similar reading tastes, and we're always exchanging book recommendations. I use GoodReads for this purpose, too. I follow a lot of people - friends, colleagues, and fellow students - and when I see that someone read and enjoyed something that looks at all interesting, I'll consider reading it. There's no substitute for finding a friend who shares your reading tastes and with whom you can throw book recommendations back and forth!
Since one of my favorite genres is romance, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books as one of my favorite sites. I have found that review journals and selection tools don't always reflect the nuances of romance subgenres, and romance is a misunderstood and oft-mocked genre. The writers and community at SBTB understand and appreciate romance. The site feels like a place to get together with a bunch of friends to chat about romance novels, and it has an smart, feminist voice that I love. It is hard to recommend to patrons because of the name of the site, but I've recommended it to several friends who like romance.
I agree, romance is misunderstood! I help a lot of patrons at my library get set up with ebooks, and that often lends itself to chatting about reading preferences while we practice downloading together, so I have seen the gamut of responses to romance books, from people who think they're full of "smut" to people who love them but are afraid to admit it. I haven't read many romances myself (yet), but I know it's a very diverse genre with something for everyone. It's a shame it's mocked so much. I've taken to heart the concept that a good book is one the reader enjoys, and I used that line the other day to help diffuse someone's reluctance to talk about what she reads.
ReplyDelete-Laura Janiga