Ideas For Book Displays and Other Passive Readers Advisory - Fantasy Edition

 We all have to provide readers advisory for genres we don't read. I have not yet found the high fantasy series that really draws me in. Everyone has those books they can't get into. There is nothing wrong with that - just don't make a big show of how much you don't like reading it. 

Here are some sources for news and ideas about fantasy. Science fiction and fantasy are often grouped together so check the post about science fiction for more ideas. The posts about other genres may also have resources you can use for fantasy, you check them out. 

For a primer on fantasy subgenres, try this article on The Portalist. Other sites like Book Riot also have them. Searching for any of the subgenres will pull up a lot of ideas you can use. 

Goodreads has a page devoted to various genres. They include the most popular books from that genre as well as links to subgenres and related genres. Their fantasy page has new releases, videos, lists, giveaways, and tags that are related to fantasy. The related genres can help you find specific subgenres tied to patron interests like high fantasy, epic fantasy, mythology, elves, unicorns, and more. 

Barnes and Noble has a fantasy page, most filled with what the bestselling titles in the genre are. There is a discussion of fantasy there along with suggestions for series for new fantasy readers. Epic fantasy gets its own page as does science fiction and fantasy as a whole. Bestselling titles don't need our help promoting them but they can be used as a read alike display or list that also promotes the holds list. You will also see upcoming titles and information about new trends you may not be familiar with such as cozy fantasy. 

I mentioned Book Riot before. Don't forget to just go to their page and search for a genre or a subgenre. Their lists and articles can be very helpful and include a lot of diverse authors and hidden gems. 8 of the Most Thought-Provoking Fantasy Books Ever Written is an example. Your collection may not include all of these but you can use the idea to create a list or display with what titles you do have. 

Reactor Mag, formerly Tor.com, is a site to visit for information about fantasy as well as horror and science fiction. There is a section of their site with information about fantasy. Content includes book excerpts, recommendations as well as information about movies and TV shows.

Fantastic Fiction is often used by library workers to find series in order information. There are also pages devoted to genres such as fantasy. There are popular books and upcoming titles along with some subgenre information. 

Grimdark is a subgenre of fantasy that is dystopian, amoral, and violent. Grimdark Magazine covers the subgenre and has article like Grimdark Fantasy: Where to Start Reading. 

FanFiAddict posts reviews about science fiction, fantasy, and horror. There are also blog posts and articles like this one, explaining cozy fantasy. 

Upcoming Presentations -2024

I will be presenting on readers advisory on the following dates in 2024. If you are interested in having me speak to your library staff about passive readers advisory, book displays, or collection development, please contact me at lila [dot] denning [at]gmail [dot] com.

PCI Webinars
An Introduction to Passive Readers Advisory

Tuesday, March 12 at 10:30 am for Florida libraries
Wednesday, March 13 at 2 pm

Marketing Your Collection, Services, and Programs with Better Book Displays

Thursday, April 18th at 2:00 pm EST 
Wednesday, June 5th at 2:00 pm 


Past Presentations

Love is Always in the Air - Using Book Displays/Passive Readers Advisory to Market your Romance Collection All Year

Using Passive Readers’ Advisory to Market Your Collection

Engaging Patrons with Book Displays

Inclusive Readers Advisory for Any Library Worker

Not Just In October - Bring More Horror To Your Book Displays

Ideas For Book Displays and Other Passive Readers Advisory - Science Fiction Edition

This is the first of some genre-focused posts. Rather than start with genres I know more about (romance and horror) I thought I would do the harder ones first so we are jumping off with science fiction. There is science fiction content on my post about general book content so check those sites as well if you are looking for science fiction book news. 

Whether right or wrong, the worlds of science fiction and gaming seem to have an affiliation so I've included some gaming sites with book related content. 

Also, if you have suggestions here, please let me know!

The Portalist: A site run by Open Road Media (which operates other genre-focused sites like The Lineup) focused on science fiction and fantasy. The focus is on backlist titles. There are a lot of articles with read-alikes and lists based upon a theme such as "Must Read Space Opera Books." They also cover movies and TV shows along with weird news that will appeal to fans of the genre. 

Book Riot has science fiction content and also a newsletter called Swords & Spaceships with recommendations and news. They also host a sci fi/fantasy biweekly podcast called SFF Yeah!  . They make a strong effort to be as inclusive as possible. 

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association is another great source of information about science fiction as a genre. They present the Nebula Awards, voted on by members. Librarians can join at the affiliate level.

The Fantasy Reviews has a section about science fiction. There are lists that can inspire your readers advisory as well as a lot of content devoted to science fiction properties like Doctor Who and Dune. 

Wired Magazine has a section on their website called Geek's Guide to the Galaxy, devoted to books, TV, gaming, and movies. 

Kirkus Reviews covers science fiction news including adaptions on their website. 

Polygon, a site with a lot of gaming content, has a section devoted to books with news, lists, and articles that you can use. 

Worlds Without End, a fan-run website and online community, has a lot of book related content including information about the various book awards, including international ones, book lists, information about authors, podcast listings, and resources. Their lists of subgenres alone may inspire some book lists or displays. Their lists of websites includes author blogs, awards, and general science fiction focused websites. 

The Hugo Awards are awarded by Worldcon and seem to be unable to stay away from controversy but the past winners, nominees, and readalikes can inspire a list or display. 

Locus  is a long running science fiction, fantasy, and horror magazine. There is news, reviews, feature articles, and creator spotlights. 

IO9, part of Gizmodo, covers movies, television, gaming, and books with news and feature articles. 

Ideas For Book Displays and Other Passive Readers Advisory - Basic Book Content

Listed below are some sites where you can find information about books in general including lists, reviews, and feature articles. There is content on most of them about the various genres of fiction as well so keep that in mind. Obviously, I haven't listed all sites imaginable but let me know if there is a great one I missed!

My suspicion is that I will need to make a part two of this!

Barnes & Noble may seem like an odd choice but their blog has great ideas you can use to market your library's collection.

Book Riot has podcasts, feature articles, newsletters and more. It's definitely a site many avid readers are using for information.

Entertainment Weekly has book reviews as well as book news and lists. You can also curate a book display by looking at what is popular in other areas of entertainment. "Books to read if you love [popular television show]" as an example. 

Esquire has book content including lists, interviews,  and best of the year content for genre. 

Goodreads has its pros and cons but there are a lot of lists on a wide range of topics on the site. It can be very useful while you are trying to find titles for a book display. 

Kirkus Reviews also includes feature articles and news in addition to reviews and a lot of book lists. 

NPR books includes reviews, industry news, and lists including genre content. 

People Magazine has a book section with lists and feature articles. Many of the books they highlight appear on our request lists. 

The famous Powell's Books in Portland, OR has a blog with book news, interviews, and lists.

Formerly Tor.com, Reactor has news, columns, blogs, and information about fiction in general as well as genre focused content. There is a lot of fun reading to be had on this site that should inspire your passive readers advisory. 

Readers Advisory expert Becky Spratford maintains a blog with so much great information about books, reading, and readers services in libraries. She usually posts daily, Monday - Friday, so add checking out RA For All to your daily routine. She includes information about all the major book awards, how to use them, as well as a lot of other information that will enhance your ability to help patrons. 

Library Journal is an obvious choice for someone who works in a library. I do want to highlight their Book Pulse which usually comes out daily. You can sign up for an email notification of when it posts. They highlight media appearances by authors, let you know which books were selected by the big celebrity book clubs, adaption information, as well as a lot of other book news that is very helpful. 

Booklist Online is another ALA site with book and book review information for librarians. As with Library Journal, some of the content is paywalled. 

Most major newspapers have book review sections and they can be useful for getting ideas for readers advisory. Don't forget your local paper's book section, if they have one. The bigger national papers have a wider audience but your patrons will react to local news. I will list a few of the biggest sites: USA Today, New York Times, Washington Post, and The Guardian. 

The AP has a page with their book information curated. A wide range of genres, fiction and non-fiction, as well as youth material is included. 

Love is in the Air: Using Passive Readers Advisory to Promote your Romance Collection All Year

 I presented about passive readers advisory for Florida Library Webinars. Below you will find  a list of the websites I mentioned. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!

I will post the slides as soon as possible. 

 Romance Writers of America- Definition of Romance

Beverly Jenkins' interview with Shondaland

Brenda Jackson interview 

The Ripped Bodice State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing

RA For All

Sonali Dev interview on ContemporaryRomance.org

Gibson's Bookstore, Concord, NH

Zodiac Bookmark examples on LibrarianDesignShare.org

Goodreads Romance Novels with Astrology Signs in the Titles

Romance Novels based upon your zodiac sign

Sexy books to read based upon your zodiac sign

Which Bridgerton character are you based upon your Zodiac sign? from OprahDaily.com

Blind Date With a Book Tips and Tricks from DisruptiveLibrarian.com

Blind Date With a Book from ProgrammingLibrarian.org

A Guide to Romance Abbreviations and Terms

Romance Glossary

A Guide to Romance Terminology

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Dear Author

Seattle Public Library's Your Next Five

150 Romance Novel Tropes

Romance Tropes

RA For All's posts about different best of lists

Book Display Idea - Subgenre: Space Operas

 The Portalist recently curated a list of 25 Must Read Space Operas. Diving into a subgenre like this is another way to showcase your collections' backlist in a book display or book list. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction defines a space opera as: "colorful action-adventure stories of interplanetary or interstellar conflict." (This page also includes the names of many of the authors who have worked in the subgenre.) These are not books with hard science throughout and may instead include more fanciful ideas of technology. These sprawling, epic adventures can be humorous or have romantic subplots. Goodreads has lists of titles as well a definition and related subgenres. Reactor has tagged their related articles and lists with space opera as well. 

There are a lot of series that would fit into this sort of display or list. There is also ample opportunities to promote diverse books and authors within this subgenre. 

You can include a definition on signage as well as links to online resources on your display. 

Add audiobooks and DVDs of movies from your collection that fit the theme as well. If you have local or library based book displays that focus on science fiction, promote them as well on the display. 

Here are some lists to get you started on your own space adventure!

Book Riot has a list of 25 of the Best Space Opera Books of All Time and 10 Space Opera Series to Get You Through The Winter

Bookish Brews - 20 Best Diverse Space Opera Books You Need to Read

The Fantasy Review  - 7 Modern Space Opera Novels That Will Take You On Epic Adventures

Publishers Weekly  - 10 Authors Shaking Up Space Opera

If you want to explore sci-fi subgenres further, The Portalist has a guide to get you started: Powerful Sci-Fi Subgenres That Every Geek Needs to Explore. 

Ideas from publisher marketing emails -Anti-New Year's Resolution Reads

 I've mentioned before that you can use ideas from the emails publishers and other vendors send you to create your own book displays or lists. Simon and Schuster recently sent me an email with a link to the following list: Anti-New Year's Resolution Reads. The idea behind the list is to promote books  "if you’re done with setting life goals, check out these books filled with excess, desire, and obsession." This is such a fun idea. 

I am not a fan of New Year, New You displays. This would be a fun alternative. The publisher clearly is promoting their own titles but you can look at the backlist in your library's collection and curate a display from what you own that could use a little more attention and promotion. 

There are links to some lists below to get you started. Don't forget to look at your non-fiction especially cookbooks and biographies of those who lived with "excess, desire, and obsession." Also remember that people can become obsessed or passionate about many things so expand your search into your collection!

Goodreads - Excess Books

Crime Reads - 8 Books abut Dark Desires That Will Crush You

Goodreads - Listopia Desire Book Lists

The Rumpus - What to Read When You’re Looking for Desire

The Independent - Nine Books That Get Women's Desire Right

The Guardian - Top 10 Stories of Obsession

Pan MacMillian - Books About Obsession That will Have You Hooked

Novel Suspects - Obsession in Psychological Thrillers

Crime Reads - 7 Novels about Wealthy People Behaving Badly