I know, it’s hard to believe. I work in a library, surrounded by books, inspired daily, blah blah blah. Cabin fever has set in and lately I can’t seem to stay very attentive for more than five minutes. Every time this happens, I find immediate mitigation from a short story collection. A few weeks ago I started reading The Book of Other People edited by Zadie Smith. Teeming with some of my favorite contemporary authors, it turns out Jonathan Lethem and Miranda July were just what I needed to get out of my reading rut.
One of the really great features the Library’s website offers is book reviews from real live library workers! From cookbooks to poetry, there is absolutely something for every reader’s taste. Databases such as Novelist allow you to explore recommendations by using keyword, title and author searches. Try searching a title you’ve recently enjoyed and find similar books.
If you consider yourself to be more of an adventurous patron, you should become acquainted with Readers’ Advisory. This term really just means connecting people to books they’ll like. A service that’s sometimes overlooked in the library, patrons can simply ask librarians to recommend a book to them. The typical Readers’ Advisory question is conducted in a loose interview format. Basically, we’ll ask you questions about the kind of books or genres that interest you, what you like about them and what authors you enjoy. Can’t get to the library? Get a book recommendation by emailing us!
– Lisa
Eleventh Stack 