Usually Miss Shelved has a full slate of books-to-read at hand at all times. This summer, however (due to a temporary misdirection of our review journal subscriptions) we ran a little short. Quelle horreur! Desperate to avoid running low during critical beach-reading season, we turned to our public library's webpage and sought out the reader advisory section. Well! Not only do our wonderful public librarians post extensive and thoughtful lists, as one knew they would, but provisions have also been made to allow "civilian" readers to share their passions.
Now, as with any open "wiki" system, there is gold and dross. A quick reccy down the postings may eliminate a few of the lists. One sensed that "awesum books i luv" was unlikely to appeal. But once one has honed in on subgenres of interest, or found favorite titles in common, one may find a few lists -- or better, a name or two with multiple postings (thank you, "JodiM") -- with lots of new ideas. Best of all are the old ideas. We were delighted to make the acquaintance of several authors, some in print for years, who had hitherto escaped our attention.
Potential posters are advised to stay focused. Narrow one's topic or genre: presidential biography or steampunk (not the too-broad biography or fantasy). Or take a favorite title and propose "read-alikes." And get off the beaten path. A reiteration of the NYTimes best seller list (yes, we are suitably impressed that you have read them...) is not terribly helpful. Annotations are a little more work but essential if one really wants to inspire new readers. Thanking you in advance --
O ye readers and writers, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.
O ye reviewers and enthusiasts, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.
O ye geeks and MMORPGers, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.
O ye librarians and techies, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.
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