Passively Recommending Books

 Setting aside any libraryland debates about genre spine labels, genre filing on the shelf versus interfiling and so forth, I thought I would talk about how to use books which cross several genres or are genre blended as a theme for an online list or book display. Many books have crossover appeal. You can use this to gently suggest to your readers that there are books outside their usual lanes that they will enjoy and perhaps create another entire world of books for that patron to explore.  The easiest option is to do a "If you liked this... Try this" book display/list. You can go outside of the usual similar titles in the same genre and instead match up a memoir or biography with a fiction title. Pick someone who lived in the same era or a biography with a fictional depiction of that person. A recent idea from the news and popular culture would be a novel about the British royal family with a biography of a British royal. Pair a book like Children of Chicago  by Cynthia Pela

Westerns circulate well at my library. We put them up several times a year, often when there is display fatigue. Another librarian set up the display and made the sign.  Large print westerns circulate better for us. This display is another example of moving books out of their regular home and into another area. It's also easy for anyone to fill. 

One of my favorites, @RAforAll , asked for a Mardi Gras book display with New Orleans themed titles. I started with just fiction because that was the fastest and easiest. As the display emptied out, I added non-fiction and audiobooks. For non-fiction, some places to check are: biographies, music, cooking, history, and travel.

Women's History Month offers a lot of options but when given a chance, I will try to include some fiction. People who won't pick up a long history book will invest the time in a novel that appeals to them. Expand your definition of historical fiction and don't forget mysteries and romance. Your display should include a wide range of time periods and places.