Book Display Inspiration Using One Book - The Women by Kristin Hannah

There is one book dominating my library's holds lists, both digital and physical. That book is The Women by Kristin Hannah. This does happen periodically - hundreds and hundreds of holds pop up and it seems impossible to obtain enough copies. Hannah does have a back list but chances are most of those books are checked out with holds. So, what do you do? Create a book display with read alikes, advertising your holds list as well as helping patrons waiting for that hot title find something that they will love to read. 

The book is about a nursing student who follows her brother to Vietnam by joining the Army Nurse Corps and finds herself unprepared both for the brutality of the war and the unrest and upheaval when she returns to the United States. This offers many ways to find read alikes. 
You can use:
  • historical fiction 
  • Vietnam era fiction 
  • Books about nurses
  • Books about siblings
  • Fiction that is centered on women's stories
  • Books about returning home
  • Non-fiction about nursing
  • Non-fiction about the Vietnam era
You an also search for authors who are similar to Hannah. 

Add signage about your holds list, a QR code with a link to your online catalog and eBook collection. Have staff ready to assist patrons by either placing the hold for them or by showing them how to place a hold. 

Here are some lists that should give you an idea of different ways you can approach this type of list or display. 

Library Journal offered some read alikes. 
Arlington Public Library (VA) has some of their own. 
Parker Memorial Library (MA) has read alikes for Kristin Hannah. 
Goodreads has a list of authors who members also read if the read Kristin Hannah. 
The blog, the Book Girls Guide, has their own list of read alikes with explanations about why they think they are similar. 
Sno-Isle Libraries (WA) has lists of titles for readers who liked Kristin Hannah, subdivided by title. 

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