Book Lists for the Week

An easy way to get a jump start on a display is to take some of the lists that are put online and adapt them to your collection. Just borrow the title and see what fits that you already have on the shelf. Book displays are a marketing device for your collection and not a test.  I am going to try to list a few each week, along with any advice for adapting them. 

For this week, we have -

Booklist remains one of the sites that I check constantly. They feature great reviews and there is a focus on books, readers, and readers advisory. 

Spanish Sure Bets for Adult Readers: Summer 2025.

Spanish Sure-Bets for Youth.

Personally, I find lists like this very helpful when I'm helping patrons who want books in Spanish beyond English language bestsellers in translation. 

Essentials: Head over Heels for Heartstopper.
Lists like this are why Booklist is so helpful. From their description "Readers who have read every page of Nick and Charlie’s story and are looking for more will appreciate the following titles, which feature some or all of the characteristics that make Heartstopper such a blockbuster: sweet romance, realistically grounded emotions, and lengthened pacing that lingers on quiet, meaningful moments."  The parts in italics are the sort of features you should look for in books to put on a display like this.  A great book display can be built just on books that have similar vibes to a popular series. 

Top 10 Manga for Adults and Older Teens.
If you don't have these titles or they are checked out and popular in your library, check with the manga fans on staff. They will likely have suggestions.

Once Upon a Book Club has a list for July 30 which was apparently National Paperback Day. If you missed it, don't worry about waiting 12 months. Instead, set up a display of "Paperbacks You Might Have Missed" or "Paperback Titles for Your Staycation" and set up your display. 

Cozy Mystery List Blog is sort of a cheat but it's always one of the most popular resources I mention in trainings. My favorite part of their site is Cozy Mysteries by Theme. There are cozies about almost everything. One idea to pull from the site is to check the mysteries by state and set up a display of cozies from your state. 

San Jose Public Library has a list called Summer Learning: YA Summer Romances.  Again, don't worry about the specific titles. See what you have that could use some attention in your library. Move the display away from your YA collection so that readers who don't know about how great your collection is can discover it!

Summerween is now a thing. The Lineup focuses on backlist titles. They have a list of 8 Books to Get You Into the Summerween Spirit. There are so many of these lists if you search for books for summerween, you will see lists from publishers and blogs as well as lists for adults, teens, and children. The truth is that any suspense or horror book can be on these displays. 

As a contrast to Summerween, you could match it up with a Christmas in July and get some more checkouts from your holiday books. I would call it Winter in July to make it more inclusive and open it up to any cozy winter books. Briar Black has a Christmas in July (But Make it Dark) list that defeats that idea. 

What I have been Reading - The Bear Hunters Daughters by Anneli Jordahl (Harper Via)

 Thanks to the book buzzing superstars at Harper Collins Library Marketing, I read The Bear Hunters Daughters by Swedish author Anneli Jordahl. A mix of a fairy tale and a coming of age novel, the book tells the story of seven sisters who have been raised deep in the woods by their wild father who teaches them to hunt and forage in the woods while eschewing society and its comforts like cell phones and formal education. When the bear hunter dies and his wife dies soon after, the sisters are left with deciding to stay true to the lessons their father taught them or to allow the townfolks to help them, even if it means joining society. 

The book was inspired by  Aleksis Kivi’s classic Finnish novel Seven Brothers (1870) but takes place firmly in the modern era. The language is rich and sensual. Readers will be drawn into the forest with the sisters as their story is the primary focus of the novel. An unnamed narrator tries to write down their story after seeing them in the market but the book clearly belongs to the seven sisters and their distinct personalities and desires. 

It's delightful to read a book with so many relationships between women that have nothing to do with romance or relationships with men. The sisters fight, play, and work together as their differences combined with the harshness of the forest make those differences more distinct. 

It's also about siblings, rivalry, loss, grief, and the myths we grow up believing. I love reading books based upon Scandinavian fairy and folk tales. For read alikes, I would suggest The Witches at the End of the World by Chelsea Iversen (Sourcebooks) or Motheater by Linda H. Codega (Erewhon Books). 

The Swedish cover for the book is amazing so I am sharing it here. 

Unshelve the Titles That Have Become Lost in the Stacks

 When librarians involved in readers advisory trainings advise library workers to avoid putting bestsellers on a display, there is often a lot of pushback. No one is suggesting that you not buy the most popular authors or those breakout hit titles. What is being suggested is since book displays are a form of marketing for your collection, it makes no sense to waste that space and effort on the titles with long wait lists and a solid fan base. If you have a long list for Rebecca Yarros, you don't need to promote her books. (Other than using them as a source for "read this while you wait for ..." displays.)

Remember that what needs attention at one library will be different at another. There can be genres, authors, and titles that fly off the shelf at one library but languish at another. I can't tell you which titles need attention at your library but whomever runs reports for you can do that. Because it is your collection and your library, you will need to adapt whatever collection marketing ideas to your library. 

Rather than worry about creating something super creative with a snappy sign, start with some reports that list titles which haven't circulated in awhile. Look at what new releases haven't found their reader yet. Make a sign that says NEW! or FICTION! or CHECK US OUT! and put up your display. What gets books checked out is the face out and the creation of a smaller collection on the display.l Someone on staff may find a book they love on that display and can hand sell it to a patron who needs a great read. By investing some attention in in those titles, you will have given them another chance before they are deselected. 

I also suggest that libraries invest in easels for their shelves. At the end of your shelves, put one title on an easel. Titles faced out like that will get attention and will likely find their reader. It's a low effort way to promote your collection that everyone in your library can fill them in when they pass an empty easel. It's not a huge investment but will have a great payoff as far as getting titles in the hands of readers.