Book Review - The Brians of Horror Featuring Brian McAuley and CURSE OF THE REAPER

Because of a joke I made on Twitter, I'm reading through some authors named Brian who write horror. The first was Brian McAuley's Curse of the Reaper. I loved his novella Candy Cain Kills; I love a book with a female villain who is genuinely evil and menacing. 

If you love the wild ride of a great horror film with a slasher running wild, you will also love this book. A film professor, McAuley definitely brings a cinematic feeling to his books. It's a fun book that would pair nicely with the slasher novels of the last few years. Set up a display with this book, other slasher novels, and a ton of your horror DVDs. 

This would also be a great alternative to a traditional beach reads display. People read all kinds of books at the beach. They really love horror, thrillers, and suspense in the summer. I live 15 minutes from the beach in Florida and I can tell you that horror will move in the summer as a beach read. 

I posted a review on Goodreads but I thought I would also post it here. 

It is as much fun as as gory as any movie slasher. McAuley clearly loves the genre and it comes through in the writing. It’s also a novel about aging and the weight of a legacy and the cost of becoming an icon. With bits of scripts mixed in, it’s also a clever send up of Hollywood and the movie industry with its endless hunger for sequels and remakes. 

Recommended to those who loved HORROR MOVIE by Paul Tremblay and it will pair nicely with the upcoming I WAS A TEENAGE SLASHER by Stephen Graham Jones 
The ‘zon says people frequently by it with THE HOLLOW KIND by Andy Davidson which is a great book but completely different.

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. 

Using Booklist and Library Journal for Book Display Inspiration

As I have mentioned before, there is no reason to reinvent the wheel when it comes to book displays or finding ideas. Both Booklist and Library Journal regularly have ideas you can borrow and reshape to fit your own library's needs. While it may not be up to you if your library subscribes or not to either or both, even the headline of an article can help you with book display ideas. 

Library Journal has a feature called Display Shelf on their website. Often curated by Editor Melissa DeWild, these shelves are a great way to get ideas about what kind of fiction and non-fiction displays your library can put up. Don't feel pressure to include every book they have up; use the idea as a jumping off point and search your own collection for titles that will work. 

Booklist has articles on Essential reads in a particular subgenre or subject. There are also trend alerts which include books with subjects like Love & Sports. Even if you don't subscribe, you can be inspired by the titles of these lists. Booklist Online is not as expensive as other library databases so I would encourage you to inquire about an institutional subscription. It's a great resource for readers advisory and collection development. 

Another resource Booklist provides is High Demand Read Alikes. With titles like Slow-Burn Love Stories and Women in War, you should be able to find an idea when you are pressed to create a display but don't feel especially creative. They are also broad enough that finding some read alikes in your own physical and digital collection should be easy. 

Borrow From Indie Bookstores - Market Upcoming Titles

 Libraries are not in competition with bookstores. Enthusiastic readers frequent both and a patron who tests a new to them author at the library is likely to buy that author's books at a bookstore. Develop a relationship with your local bookstores and work with them. As library workers, we can also learn from some of the great ideas that come from indie bookstores. 

One great thing I see in indie bookstores like Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL and Gibson's Bookstore in Concord, NH is marketing upcoming releases with signage and an invitation to pre-order a title. They often include a blurb, a cover image, and author information. Pre-orders are an important way for a publisher to know there will be demand for an individual title. 

Assuming that a patron knows as much as we do about the library is a mistake. Library workers spend hours at the library and are familiar with its services, collection, and programs. Many patrons have a particular reason they visit the library or a way they use the building, missing things that might interest them. It's our job to highlight even the most basic services to catch those patrons who are unaware or who have forgotten about them. 

Either in a separate display or as part of the new bookshelf, create signage with upcoming titles and information about your request/holds list. Invite patrons to place holds either on their own or by asking staff for more information. Include QR codes to your OPAC or eBook collection as well. While it's understandable that bestsellers will need to be included, mix in some books that might be flying under the radar as well. 

You will need to have a workflow to change out the upcoming releases regularly as books are published and arrive at the library. Work with your acquisitions department and selectors to be aware of which titles have been ordered for your library. 

Visit indie bookstores in your neighborhood and on your travels. You will learn a lot. 

Talk About the Books You Love

 On his Twitter account, author Joe Lansdale shared some ways you can help your favorite author promote their books. I thought I would note them here and mention ways you can have patrons help give their favorite authors the spotlight. 

1 - Preorder their books. 

2- Put titles on your Goodreads "Want to Read" shelf. 

3 - Good reviews on more platforms.

4 - Social media posts about the books you love. Tag the publisher and the author. 

5 - Let your local library know that you are interested in their book

For library purposes, 1 and 5 function the same. Set up a display and social media posts promoting your Patron Suggestion form. Let your patrons know that they can recommend titles for your collection. Your patrons may make you aware of books you have not heard about, in genres you are less familiar with, and emerging trends.

Regarding number 2, if you have book clubs at your library, you can set up a group on Goodreads for it. Those staff who lead book clubs can spend a little time at one of their meetings showing Goodreads, StoryGraph, and any other book tracking sites you like, demonstrating how to add books and indicate what forthcoming titles they are interested in. 

There are some passive programming ideas in 3 and 4. Set up a way either on paper, via email, or an online form by which patrons can submit book reviews to you. Establish a system for posting those reviews on your social media and in your building. This will help develop a community of readers at your library and will allow your patrons to help each other find great reads. You can tag the author and the publisher in these positive reviews. 

There are two things to note about patron book reviews. The first is that you should never post or put out negative reviews on your social media or in your building. Negative reviews are helpful in finding books you might love because the reason someone hates a book could be why you would love it. If someone seeks out reader or professional reviews, it can be assumed that some will be negative. This program should be about building positivity. If someone comes into your building or looks at your library's social media and sees their favorite book being trashed, that could color how they feel about the library. 

The second is that you need to decide if you are going to redact the patron's entire name, use initials, or just first names. Make certain that participants are aware that you will be posing them for other readers to see. With younger readers, you may need to get parent or guardian approval. 

Follow Joe's suggestions and help your readers generate hype for the books they love and the authors whose work has inspired them. 

July Book Displays Ideas

 StokerCon and a vacation threw me off my schedule but I am back! Hopefully, you have started to plan your book displays in advance and won't need all of these ideas except for fill-ins. 

July is named for Julius Caesar. Create a display with titles about Roman history and Julius Caesar. An ongoing series could be a display tied to the stories about how each month got it's name. You can pick and choose from the various reasons given for how each month got its name depending upon what works with your collection.

The first holiday that July brings to mind is US Independence Day. Beyond fiction and non-fiction about the Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence, remember that to include the stories of those outside the Founding Fathers. Check your collection for titles about the experience of Black Americans, women, and Native Americans. You could also put up a display about other battles for independence or about other historical events which occurred around the same time. 

Canada Day is July 1. Time to check for Canadian authors in your collection as well as travel books and fiction set in Canada. 

Aliens are an option twice in July (although they really are always an option.)July 2 is World UFO Day and July 21 Invite an Alien to Live with You Day. Science fiction as well as the non-fiction about alien encounters. Pair it with a display of youth materials.

July 3 is  the Start of the Dog Days of Summer which can be matched up with July 26's National Dog Photography Day. Besides a book display, create a passive program and encourage patrons to submit photos of their pets. You can post them in the library and/or on your social media. 

Summer Fruits is an easy book display/book list to create because you can use books with fruit on the cover or in the title. Supplement it with fruit-oriented cookbooks. 

Ice cream/freezers/snow is a fun idea for a book display in the heat of summer. There are plenty of books with ice cream, snow, ice, cold in the title. We have done this at my library in the summer even though our winters bring no snow. The idea of both this display and summer fruits is to showcase your backlist around a fun theme. Any library worker can help keep these filled in. 

Bicycles and motorcycles are popular during the summer. Bring out non-fiction about bicycle and motorcycle travel and repair. There are also plenty of fiction titles with bikes in the title or on the cover.

Shark Week remains popular with the public. Look for all the shark books and sea/ocean/underwater horror. Don't forget to set up a youth display as well. In our library, sharks rival dinosaurs in popularity. 

The 1969 moon landing is a great time to showcase your science fiction backlist as well non-fiction about space travel and the solar system. 

Use Bastille Day on July 14 to showcase French history and fiction about the French Revolution. There are likely DVDs in your collection set in this time period. 

July 25 is Puerto Rico Constitution day, celebrated also in some US cities. Find your Puerto Rican history and travel books and pair them with books by Puerto Rican authors. Recent Bram Stoker award winners Gabino Iglesias and Cina Pelayo are a good start. 

July 31 is Harry Potter's Birthday beyond the fact that this best selling series needs no help from us to find readers, there are other well documented reasons to avoid promoting this series. Use this holiday to help your patrons find read alikes for the series. Some patrons may have completed the series and would appreciate some other series to start. Here are a few lists to get you started. 

Naperville Public Library Harry Potter Read Alikes 

Pembroke Public Library Harry Potter Read Alikes

Goodreads Harry Potter Read Alikes

Enjoy your July and summer book displays!

Pride 2024

 While I did post about #QueerAllYear, June is when Pride displays appear in most libraries. During this particular time, there is stress is some libraries about setting up a Pride display given the current political climate. Talk to your supervisor, your administration and work with them on creating the display that will best serve your community. It can be difficult but it is often a question of adjusting what you set up to both promote your collection while not having your June spent arguing with bigots rather than celebrating the LGBTQ community. Ideally, the would not have to make any changes but I understand that sometimes it will be necessary. 

As with all these celebratory months, please focus on something other than the darkest parts of history and tragedy. Include biographies about inspirational LGBTQ people and their successes. Do a display with queer artists, poets, and musicians. There are queer cooks, politicians, and humorists.  While there are always struggles and painful moments, every community is more than that.  

There are plenty of lists and articles out there. Use them pull out fiction by LGBTQ authors who your patrons have not discovered yet. Look past literary fiction to other genres and set up a display with romances, horror, and mysteries. Science fiction and fantasy also have a lot of great works by queer authors. 

Books for younger children and teens are often those which cause the most tension. I usually put most of the displays for these months in a central walkway, outside of the children’s department. This allows those who want and need the books to discover them, learn that we include them, and take them without asking for help or searching. The young adult fiction usually empties the fastest. 

Post your great Pride or Rainbow book month displays and tag me in your posts so I can see them.