Readers are always on the look out for their next book, but they want it to be a good one. No one wants to spend time reading something they don't enjoy. After all, at an average adult reading speed of 300 words per minute, it takes over 5 and a half hours to read a 100,000 word novel. How can you quickly find new books that you're likely to enjoy?
 |
| Nancy Pearl |
Thankfully, recommending books is one of librarians' favorite things to do. There's even a special term for it, readers' advisory. Librarians are experts at matching what appeals to you with the many diverse novels and non-fiction books we have in our collections. We've got lots of ways to help you find your next favorite read.
One of the champions of readers' advisory, is librarian Nancy Pearl. She is a best selling author, a regular book commentator on NPR, and the founder of If All of Seattle Read the Same Book (now Seattle Reads), the first one community one book program. She even has her own action figure!
 |
Nancy Pearl
action figure |
Best of all, you can meet Nancy Pearl! She's coming to Rockville Memorial Library as part Contemporary Conversations, the speaking series sponsored by MCPL and Friends of the Library, Montgomery County. She'll talk about her love of books and reading, how her Book Lust books came to be written, the perils of a life of reading, and, of course, she'll suggest some great books to read. Register today for this great event, seating is limited.
At MCPL, we're all about finding the right book at the right time for the right reader. Here's how we can help you find a great book -
- In-person Readers’ Advisory: This is an old standby. Come to a branch and ask a librarian. They can talk to you about what you’ve read and what you’ve liked and help you find something you want to read.
- Online Readers’ Advisory: If you don’t have time to come to a branch, try our online Readers’ Advisory services. Our What Do I Check Out Next? Service is staffed by our expert librarians. Fill out a few questions about what you like to read (and what you don’t like to read), and they’ll provide personalized recommendations for you to try. They’ll even try to match your preferred format (print, e-book, or audiobook). We also offer a few online databases for that suggest other books to read, including Beanstack and NoveList K–8 for young readers and NoveList Plus for adults.
- Librarian’s Choice: It’s probably no surprise that our librarian’s read a lot. And, twice a
month, they review a book (or 2 or 3!) and tell you why you might enjoy it. There is a lot of variety in the books reviewed. Recently reviewed titles include Smoke Gets in Your Eye, about a woman working at a crematory, The Power, a sci fi novel about women developing a super power, and The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears, about an Ethiopian immigrant living in Washington DC.
- We Recommend: We recommend doesn’t provide the detailed personalized reviews of Librarian’s Choice. Instead, it highlights items from our collection that focus on a specific theme. Books range from novels to memoirs to scientific tracts. It’s a great place to find books you might not have heard of on themes that interest you. The latest We Recommend is all about women's contributions to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
- Book displays: Stop by any branch and you’re almost sure to spot a book display or five. Whether it features staff favorites, recently returned titles, or books on a certain theme, book displays can be a great place to find an unexpected gem.
So stop by in person or digitally, we'd love to help you find your next favorite book!
Labels: Books, Reading
