How’s this for a fun Friday time waster game?

Think of a number and then click here and play along.

It guessed my number correctly! I’m a sucker for this kind of stuff.

While you’re at it read more about the book, Think of a Number by John Verdon (out in July).

-Marie

Dear Wonderfully Knowledgable Librarian,

Today I come to you with open ears (well, eyes) and an open heart. I have a problem and am in need of your help.

I. am in. a reading. rut.

Tragic, I know.

The books I’ve picked up the last couple of nights just aren’t doing it for me and I’m kind-of, sort-of know what I’m in the mood for but nothing I grab off the shelves satisfies me. Don’t you hate that? So I figured I would lean on you, my one-stop circulation specialist shop, to see what you recommend I delve into next.

Last week I was reading something fairly modern with a mystery twist to it. And it lost me. For now anyway. I want something rooted a bit more in history but not too historical fiction-y (Read – no Tudors, princesses, or queens right now. I love them but they can wait.) Perhaps I want a contemporary classic? I do love coming-of-age stories. Or since we are flirting with Spring here in New York City, maybe I’m in the mood for something light and airy but not too fluffy? It is hard to say.

So, please give me the best you got and I promise I will take all your wonderful suggestions to heart. Also, if you are in the same boat I am, unburden your heart and perhaps someone can throw you a line.

Thanks in advance!

-Marie

PS – Don’t worry about crossing publisher lines. We have been known to cheat a little here. I won’t tell if you won’t!

Image credit

Do you Read it Forward?

If not, you should. Read it Forward is the monthly book group focused e-newsletter produced by our friends up in the Crown Publishing Group. In this month’s newsletter is a wonderfully original feature on the “editor-model hybrid.” Yes, you read right. And I thought meeting authors and going to ALA were a cool job perks. Click here to find out how an editor landed on a book cover! 

Visit the Read It Forward website for more fun stuff and to subscribe to the e-newsletter.

Oh, and sign up for our Library and Book Group e-newsletters while you’re at it.

Happy Friday, everyone!

-Marie

I know I’ve mentioned here before that I often watch the Today Show in the morning as I am getting ready for work. This morning, as I buzzed around trying to figure out what to wear, I was entertained by Meredith, Matt, and Anne’s interview with the show’s very own weatherman turned novelist, Al Roker, whose debut who-dun-it is appropriately titled The Morning Show Murders. Take a peek at the video. Looks like everyone involved had a bit of fun at work. Perhaps RH Library should stage something like this… What do you think?

 Whether The Morning Show Murders (say that five times fast!) turns out to be Ms. Viera in Studio 1A with the teleprompter or just maybe Mr. Lauer in the Green Room with the boom, well… you’ll have to read it yourself to find out!

-Marie

Forget Facebook… I’m addicted to GoodReads. I love getting the e-mail notifications that a friend of mine is now reading this book or has finished (and rated/reviewed) that book. Silly I know, but it is fun. I recently became “friends” with a nice fellow Californian named Amy who is also entrenched in the library world. I’d noticed she was reading a galley copy of Alice I Have Been, a novel that tells the story of the real Alice of Wonderland fame. Three of us in RH Library have read and loved this book so I was happy to see it in the hands of someone else. Well, Amy just posted a great review on her blog that I thought I’d share.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for our forthcoming edition of the Random Revelations newsletter. Alice is front and center in a new feature and has also been selected for a Staff Pick. We’re tellin’ ya, it’s good!

-Marie

Have you reviewed a Random House book on your blog lately? Let us know and we just might feature you here!

Are you addicted to GoodReads too? Follow or Friend RHLibrary or RHMarie (me!)

I took last Friday off for a long weekend. The resident West Coaster in the Library Marketing department, I had previously never been to Washington D.C. So when the opportunity arose, I took it. I spent Friday afternoon wandering around alone while my roommate attended a conference. Here is my attempt at taking my own photo in front of the Capitol building. Hi Mom!

After touring the Capitol building I saw signs pointing to a passageway that would take me to the Library of Congress… Of course, I followed them. The interior was gorgeous and so intricately painted.

and I was thrilled to see this exhibit…

I had to check out the Library of Congress Gift Shop and Bookstore where I was not at all surprised to come across…

I just had to snap a couple of photos when I saw…

Ms. Pearl, I’d say when you have your own “action figure” and are shelved next to  Bach and Mozart at the Library of Congress, you have arrived!

And with that, I was off to the Smithsonian where I oogled over Dorothy’s ruby slippers and Julia Child’s kitchen. But I think we’ll save those photos for another day…

-Marie

There’s been a lot of talk, both online and off, about Teen Read Week lately. Right on its heels, and in light of a conversation Dave and I had the other day, I give you Exhibits A, B, and C. These are obviously three different covers by three different publishers for the infamous classic, Wuthering Heights.

Our friends at HarperCollins have springboarded off the successful look of a recent smash-hit series for their new edition of “Bella and Edward’s Favorite Book.” Look familiar? Then there are our Penguin pals who have opted for something more gothic and Tim Burton-esque. Finally, Random House Inc.’s Vintage imprint has come up with a “Classic” approach that still has a hint of the abstract.

Each publisher has made it perfectly clear that while newly discovered books and anticipated blockbusters are all well and good, classics and the importance of reading them are also high in the priority list. Gone are the cloth and dust covered tomes of yesteryear; instead these gussied up editions are likely aimed at a new generation of teen readers, all vying for equal shelf space and due consideration. While I’m not quite sure which I’d go for I wonder how would these pretty new paperbacks fare on your shelves? Given teens, trends, and the classically inclined, what do you look for in hopes of racking up the date stamps upon checkout?

-Marie

Raise your hand if you’re in a book club.

We’ve posted a bit about them here in the past and each month I send out a nice little e-newsletter out specifically focusing on book groups. (Click here if you don’t already receive it but want to.) If you’re in a book club you know that title choice is a big deal. As are the logistics of who, when, and where. Just ask the New York Times.

My fellow club cohort Kayleigh (say that five times fast) and I began our own little group a few months ago and for us title choice is all about democracy. Members think of titles and then we all vote. Whichever title gets the most votes wins. Easy, right? Well, because life is busy and planning a date to meet often seems harder than brokering  peace negotiations, I now have one week to read said book. Eeek!

Back when I still lived at “home” I considered joining my library book club. (Shout out to the Carlsbad Public Library!) I was intrigued by the types of books that were chosen and always wondered who got the fun job of choosing them. Mondays were for Classics, Tuesdays were more hodge-podge, and so on. Now that I work in library marketing and know a bit about what goes into the book group efforts on our side, I’m curious to know how it works on your end. So humor me if you will…

Does your library have a book group? If so, how do you select the books that your patrons read?

Earlier today Erica shared with me a link from a Publisher’s Weekly post by Shelftalker’s Alison Morris. In it  Morris points us in the direction of what she calls “The Best Blog You (Probably) Haven’t Been Reading.” She is talking about Baby Name Wizard author Laura Wattenberg’s blog. An extension of her awesome book and website, this blog is for more than expectant parents and baby-friendly folks (of which, I’m neither. Really. OK, well maybe that last one.) Termed “The Art and Science of Baby Names” is an armchair linguist’s dream. And Wattenberg, a software developer and mother, designed the software that backs her approach, making it all the more interesting!

Recent posts have included her projections for the most popular names in the year 2019 (and Laura, I noticed that Marie is NOT on that list), an analysis of the names chosen for the characters in the popular American Girl historical book series, and the “Oprah Name Club,”  a list of folks who, shortly following their birth, have had their intended names changed by typos and misspellings. If you have ever asked yourself the question, “What’s in a name?” or you want to ponder just how popular your own name is, this site won’t let you down. Enjoy!

Also, be sure you have a copy of The Baby Name Wizard on your shelves. First published in 2005, it has been recently updated and will help your patrons get past Jason and Jennifer and Madison and Mason.

-Marie

This is George. You might recognize him as Jen's son. According to BabyNameWizard.com, the name George reached its peak in the 1880's. Marie reached its peak in the 1900's. I say keep rockin' that classic name, George!

Most of the time I’m a one book kind of girl. Even though I sometimes contemplate my next read only pages into my current read, I go cover to cover before I pick up another. It’s just my style.

Lately, however, I’ve been double-fisting it when it comes to my literary pursuits. Just a couple of weeks ago I was triple teamed as I read a YA title, one set in rural Appalachia and A.S. Byatt’s new one, The Children’s Book, all at once. I finished the first two intent to settle on the third but then The Lost Symbol came out and… well, you know. This weekend I just wasn’t in the mood to read on my e-reader (where the Byatt manuscript currently resides) and instead I picked up Nefertiti by Michelle Moran now I am hooked. So the tale of two reads continues… For the most part, if I read two or three books at once they have to be completely different from one another but I find more than one book at a time distracting – yet here I am bouncing between Egypt and England. Regardless, both are great books and I recommend them highly.

Tell me about your reading habits. Are you a one-at-a-timer or do you double fist?