Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Desperately seeking a good book!

Help!

In what perhaps is the most ultimate of ironies, here I am, a librarian without a good book to read!

Every single day, I unite readers with books. I relish finding that perfect book for someone. Reader’s Advisory (that nice librarian term for recommending books for patrons) is one of my favorites aspects of my career- it’s the sweet slice of pie topped with whipped cream to my dinner plate of a work day (can you tell Thanksgiving is around the corner?).

There’s just nothing better to me than spending time talking with a patron about the books they’ve loved, the ones they’ve hated, and the ones that were just so-so, then taking all that information, wrapping it around in my mind and flipping through my mental book catalog to find the perfect book for that unique patron. I like seeing the interest and curiosity on patrons’ faces as they contemplate a new book- and I really love it when they come back and tell me how much they loved it!

Yet, despite all this, I’ve been having a hard time finding a book for myself to read. Its not that I haven’t been reading- goodness, no!- but its that I haven’t found a book that resonates with me. You know the books I mean. They are the books you keep for years on end, the pages thin at the edges from repeated turnings, the spines cracked from frequent re-reads. They are the books you can’t stop thinking about for days after you finish the book, the ones you instantly tell all your friends about so they can read it, too. It has been a long time since I found one of those books.

So, I need help. Dear readers, what are your favorite books? What books speak to you? What books do you think everyone should read- especially me?

I look forward to all your suggestions, and to be fair, I, too, will be posting my personal favorite books up soon as well.

Have a wonderful day!

4 comments:

Wild Woman said...

I let you borrow Dewey. Read it. It's sweet, light and easy. You have already read my favorite book, A Prayer For Owen Meany.
Love you,
Momma

headbanger_71369 said...

I would still recommend finishing the Death Note manga books! I'll think about another real book to recommend too. Have you read the staff recommendations I have up on my "Andrew" blog?

Caeseria said...

Ummm... H.P. Lovecraft, "The Tomb". Douglas Coupland, "JPod".

andie said...

My recent favorite -- Bog Child, by Siobhan Dowd. I also enjoyed Savvy, Nation, and Waiting for Normal. Bog Child and Savvy are more "keepers" than the others, though, I think.