My mother called yesterday (Thursday) to say that she wanted to visit me this weekend. When would she be coming? Friday. Ack! That gave me less than 24-hours to get my apartment in the LG mom ready. From the moment I got home from work I was at DEFCON 1. Fortunately after two hours of cleaning, straightening, and hiding unwrapped Christmas presents I was able to downgrade to DEFCON 3. I even got up extra early this morning to make her a cheesecake.

I am so getting that Daughter of the Year award.

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This morning Michelle emailed me a link to this article: Group Aims to Make Reading a Guy Thing. The article discusses the Just for Guys Book Club that is sponsored by the Mt. Lebanon Public Library and the disparity in reading habits between boys and girls. The article puts the blame for this disparity largely on perception, noting that boys don't see their fathers reading as much as they see their mothers read and that male teachers tend to not read aloud as much as female teachers. If boys don't view reading as a masculine activity then they will assume it is not for them.

While I agree that the more boys see other males modeling reading behavior the more encouraged they will be to read themselves, I don't think it is enough. We need to take into account what is available that would appeal to male readers and how we are marketing those books to them. As a librarian I am loathe to label a book as being a boy book or girl book. That's just wrong. However, I am fully aware that there are large chunks of my library's collection that young male readers would not pick up even if it was the only book on the shelves. Maybe there are boys out there reading the Gossip Girl series, but if there are I haven't met them yet.

Not that there aren't books out there for young male readers, because there are. It just seems that they are not as plentiful or as obvious as books geared towards the female audience, and I don't think libraries and book stores are making it easier for those readers to find them. The next time you are at your local book store wander to the Juvenile/YA section and take a look at what is on display. Nine times out of ten you will find the latest YA Chick Lit titles (with a few big name authors mixed in) on the end caps and display tables. There are more books out there than what is being displayed, and yet the ones that boys might be most interested in aren't making it to the display.

Marketing people will argue that what gets purchased and displayed depends on the consumer. And if it is girls who are reading/buying (not boys), then that is who their target audience is and that is who they are going to gear all of their marketing towards. But if we don't target boys as an audience, how do we get them excited about reading? How do we show them that yes, there are books out there for you? And aren't the female oriented displays only reinforcing the idea that reading is a female activity, not a male one?

Even if boys see reading behavior being modeled by the men in their lives, book stores and librarians need to be ready to step up to the plate and provide reinforcement. I don't see how any attempt to turn boys into lifelong readers can be successful if we don't work together.

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Yesterday my friend Mike posted about an epidemic he says is sweeping the nation: Sexy Vampire Books. What is a Sexy Vampire Book? Although he claims to have never read one, Mike does offer up a pretty succinct (and I will admit sometimes accurate depending on the novel) plot synopsis:

Dark, brooding vampire. Young, strong willed woman. Both with an emptiness inside they can't explain or fill up. That is until he sucks her down for a few quarts of AB positive and a gets a quick lay for his troubles.

While this does not describe every Sexy Vampire Book (or as librarians like to refer to them -- Paranormal Romance), it gives you a pretty good idea of what you are missing out on if you haven't read one of these books. While I will not address the appeal factors of these books (you have to take my RA class to get that lecture), Mike's post did get me thinking about a troubling trend I see not only happening with Paranormal Romances but with other subgenres as well: genre glut.

As I've already mentioned this week, right now is a great time to be a reader. And depending on the subgenre you read it might be a really great time to be a reader. Paranormal Romance readers are one of several groups of readers that arebenefitingg from a publishing boom in their favorite subgenre (Cozy Mystery readers are feeling the love as well). And while I'm happy for readers of Paranormal Romances that there is so much for them to choose from, the glut of books available to them isnt' going to last. What will happen to them if/when those publishing wells dry up?

For many readers their reading tastes are cyclical. What one person enjoys reading today they may not want to read three months from now or even a year from now. What publishers are buying/publishing usually reflects the ever changing taste of their readers. Right now we are fortunate in that publishers seem to be buying a little of everything, with some publishers buying a lot of certain somethings. But as a somewhat wise reader I know that could change in a heartbeat. Publishers X,Y, and Z may decide that there is too much of a certain subgenre in the marketplace and that they are no longer going to be acquiring those types of stories. And where does that leave me as a reader? Screwed if my reading tastes don't evolve or aren't open to other subgenres.

So while Mike may be alarmed by the epidemic of Sexy Vampire Books he should take comfort in the fact that this epidemic may not last long. Although I am sure that there are readers out there who hope that there are enough of these books around to terrorize him in the years to come. I know I'm one of them. :-)

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Today the Krafty Librarian discussed Jakob Nielsen's Top Ten Weblog Design Mistakes of 2005 (you can read Nielsen's complete list here). In her post she noted the mistakes she is guilty of, as well as her thoughts on whether or not they were forgivable mistakes. While Krafty disagreed with mistakes #2 and #10, the mistake I disagree with the most is #9: Forgetting That You Write for Your Future Boss. Here is what Nielsen says about that:

Whenever you post anything to the Internet -- whether on a weblog, in a discussion group, or even in an email -- think about how it will look to a hiring manager in ten years. Once stuff's out, it's archived, cached, and indexed in many services that you might never be aware of. Years from now, someone might consider hiring you for a plum job and take the precaution of 'nooping you first. (Just taking a stab at what's next after Google. Rest assured: there will be some super-snooper service that'll dredge up anything about you that's ever been bitified.) What will they find in terms of naïvely puerile "analysis" or offendingly nasty flames published under your name? Think twice before posting. If you don't want your future boss to read it, don't post.

While I agree with the idea of using caution in what you post to the Internet, doesn't there come a time where you have to (in the words of every Real World cast) stop being polite and start being real? Isn't a large part of the appeal of blogs the stream of consciousness on the part of the author? I know that I appreciate and look forward to the realness of the thoughts posted on my favorite blogs. I don't know if the authors would resonate with me as a reader if they felt the need to self censor. Then again, maybe all bloggers are censoring to some extent. I must own up to the fact that I do largely censor one part of my life, but that is a decision made not for my own protection but for protecting the privacy of the people involved (and before you are wondering what the heck it is I am doing, I'm referring to my students here).

Is it smart to be overly concerned about every little thing you say on the Internet or is it extremely paranoid?

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This weekend I had a mini authorpalooza, which was very nice. I'm always amazed by how smart, funny, and utterly enthralling authors can be when you see them live, and authors Lemony Snicket and Jennifer Weiner did not disappoint. In addition to getting a chance to listen to these amazing authors I also got a chance to talk to other readers about what they are reading and looking forward to reading. I also shamelessly eavesdropped on several reading conversations and came to a startling (and in my mind profound) realization:

Right now is a kickass time to be a reader.

I've thought this before and may have even mentioned it to a couple of my classes, but this weekend seemed to really clarify that thought for me. I can't think of a reading need that I or, more importantly, my patrons might have that can't be met by today's book world. Don't believe me? Check it out:

Want a cozy mystery featuring a mystery shopper who must turn amateur sleuth when it looks like she will take the fall for a crime she didn't commit? I've got one for you right here.

Interested in reading a historical masterpiece set in 526 B.C. Egypt that features a Phoenician mercenary charged with the task of saving an entire empire from internal treachery? I've got this little jewel for you.

Dying to read a searing memoir of drug addiction and recovery? Okay, Oprah has that one for you, but I could hook you up with it too (or others like it).

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. This weekend I talked to people of various ages with a variety of reading tastes, and they all seemed extremely pleased with what the book world was serving up to them on a platinum (we are so beyond silver at this point) platter. And after given it some thought, I can't remember the last time I've had a patron dissatisfied by the reading choices I've presented them with in their favorite genre or subgenre. Is it because I am that fantabulous of a reader advisory librarian? Probably not. Instead I am lucky enough to work in today's book world which is filled with an abundance of titles for me to direct my patrons to.

In my everyday life I have actually complained from time to time that there are too many good books coming out for me to be able to keep up with. Ungrateful, I know. But this does leave me to wonder if what we are experiencing is a golden age of sorts for readers. Publishers are pulling out all the stops to meet our ever changing moods and tastes, and the result is a little something for everyone. And that's great, right?

The answer to that leads me to my current angst of the day. I'm not so sure it is great that we have so much available to us as readers. While it may be fine for now, what's going to happen several years down the road? Will we hit a point where publishers have tried to meet too many tastes at once to their own harm? Will readers become disenchanted with what is offered to them if/when the book world has no new concepts to offer? Or worse, will one genre or subgenre emerge as the victor, leaving readers with only one kind of story to read?

While I sometimes joke that publishers could stop publishing books right now and I would be okay for reading material for the rest of my life, I don't think I would like living in such a world. Not that I think this would happen (God forbid). The possibility of it happening though is more than a bit alarming. I know that this golden age of reading will reach its inevitable pinnacle and subsequent decline. I know I should appreciate what I have right now. But I can't help but worry about that decline. After all, worrying is what I do best.

Am I alone in this, or do others also worry that the books they enjoy will eventually go away?

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This has already been posted to a bunch of blogs, but in case you missed it Time Magazine has selected their All Time 100 book list. Selected from all English language novels published since 1923 (Time Magazine's birth date), you will find both expected and unexpected titles on the list. After going through the list I am sad to report that I've read only 13 of the 100 books on the list:

Animal Farm by George Orwell
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
1984 by George Orwell
Possession by A.S. Byatt
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Why is it that the majority of these lists are always comprised of books that many readers only read in school? It is as if by default a book that could be read solely for pleasure has to be excluded from a top 100 list. I always enjoy looking at these "best of" lists, but I always end up irritated by their content. Regardless, you can see the complete list here.

On a more fun note, while trolling around the website I found a link to a Time article from April 22, 1966 called Dirty Book of the Month. I'm thinking this would be something fun for my website. At the very least I should make it a feature at my library so MK knows what to read next. :-)

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In case you missed it yesterday on Library Journal, Google has created a page on their website reaching out to librarians. Google's Librarian Center is mostly a mission statement at this point, but you will find a box for subscribing to a new Google newsletter just for librarians and an invitation to share any materials you use when instructing patrons on using Google. I'm very curious to see how this center develops and what materials/resources end up there. Stay tuned.

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I know I shouldn't find this as funny as I do, but I just can't help it. We have a patron that the reference staff is not fond of. MK is rude, can be verbally abusive when she thinks we are taking too long, and cheats on her summer/winter reading club book log. And those are her better qualities. I don't want to say that she is the spawn of Satan, but if Satan had a godmother or a favorite aunt MK would be it.

Anyway, MK came in yesterday to complain about a book she had checked out and ask us to remove it from our shelves. The book in question is How to Make Love Like a Porn Star by Jenna Jameson. MK checked it out thinking that the author was being facetious in giving her story this title. Needless to say she was very surprised to find that the story was (in her words) nothing but, "filth, filth, filth!"

Hee hee hee.

I can't even work up a little outrage that someone is challenging a book in our collection. I'm too amused by the thought of MK reading chapter after chapter in this book. And MK being the type of person that she is, I know that she didn't stop reading at the first objectionable thing she found. That's not who she is as a reader.

I need to grow up.

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In my continuing bid for the Daughter of the Year award, I went home this weekend to take my mom on an trip to the Amana Colonies. While some may look at it as quality mother/daughter bonding time I look at it as two hours trapped in a car with my mother with nothing but the soundtrack to Mamma Mia to drown her out. I love my mother, but she talks a lot. My mom talks so much that she could easily beat Strom Thurmond's record for filibustering. Despite my damaged ears we had a lovely time in the Amanas that involved lots of shopping (her), wine tasting (me), and eating German food (both of us). As a bonus I found over 20 new ways to use the word schnitzel to entertain me (and only 8 of them are dirty).

While I was home I asked my mom if I could experiment on her. I recently had a discussion with a friend about reading outside of your lifestyle (i.e. single person reading Mommy Lit, senior citizen reading Chick Lit, etc.) and whether or not a book would be enjoyable/work for someone who doesn't have a certain set of experiences to draw upon while reading. I've been conducting my own mini experiment exploring my reactions to books featuring lifestyles different from my own, but I thought it might be more interesting to try this experiment on someone else. So I give you Guinea Pig A: my mother. I used this trip home to convince/blackmail her into doing it, so the experiment won't officially start until Thanksgiving. So that gives me roughly a month to compile some titles that I want her to read. Any suggestions are definitely welcome. :-)

Who knows? Maybe participating in this experiment will be just the thing to turn my mom into a reader. And once I help my mom learn the joy of reading, perhaps I can move on to teaching her the correct way to pronounce Kanye West's name correctly. She keeps calling him Connie West and it is driving me up a fricking wall. Baby steps people. Baby steps.

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Last week I saw this article in Publisher's Weekly about how some publishers are implementing direct sales programs. Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Penguin are all now offering books and audios for sale on their websites. The items are not discounted like they are on Amazon.com and consumers pay for shipping and handling. While these are not the first publishers to directly sell to customers, this article left me with two unanswered questions that are still bothering me a week later:

1) Are there really readers out there who visit publisher websites?

2) If there are readers using publisher websites to discover new books, why are they buying directly from the publisher instead of an online retailer like Amazon.com where they could get a discount?

What is even more intriguing to me is what the article reported Harlequin is doing with its online sales. In addition to offering 20% off each title and free shipping for orders over $25, they are making books available to their online customers one month in advance. So right now I could purchase not only October releases, by November releases as well. Can you imagine if other publishers went this route? Cutting the wait time for my favorite authors by a month? Now that's an incentive for me to buy a book from a publishers website instead of a retailers.

I'm kind of giddy at the prospect. Although... while it would be great for avid readers, it would probably stink for authors. Hmmm. I need to give this more thought.

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Wow. Has it really been a month and a day since I last blogged? Time sure flies when you aren't doing anything all that interesting.

This morning on the way to work I was greeted by the sight of trees filled with toilet paper, which can only mean one thing: Homecoming. Tonight is my local high school's Homecoming game, so last night the streets were filled with giddy high school seniors decorating the town and high school. I haven't driven around yet to see how much of the town was done, but from what I've heard this year's seniors were pretty ambitious.

Homecomings here are very different from my high school's Homecomings. Growing up in the middle of nowhere meant that there wasn't that much to do on the weekends, so we had to save minor acts of vandalism for other occasions. I must admit that while I find some of the things they do bizarre, the kids around here are pretty inventive. My first year here the seniors placed a large inflatable dinosaur on top of the high school's roof, in addition to filling the lawn with assorted old furniture and toilets. That's right. Toilets. Now who has a toilet just lying around waiting to be chucked onto the high school's lawn? I can't even imagine the resources these kids must have access to in order to pull some of this stuff off. If my friends or I would have had access to these things as kids we could have pulled off some seriously wild stunts.

I think I have prank envy.

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