Being a librarian who reads books helps me help students better

As I am preparing for a research consultation, I had a random thought that it pays off as a librarian to be a reader as well. Especially so if you read books from your own library on various topics. I can then recall book options for students that may come in for a consultation. 

For example, for the student writing on George Orwell, fascism, and the United States, Antifa (link to my review) comes to mind right away. 

For the student writing on Black history and suppression of Black history in schools, Our history has always been contraband comes to mind (link to review). 

I went to the library stacks, found them, and added them to the materials I would offer those students when they came in to meet with me. 

By the way, this can also include articles I may have seen and read on a student topic that I can then share with a student. At times, I have sent a student a link to an article on their topic after a research consult in the hopes they will find it helpful. 

I will note further that I have met librarians who, for whatever reason, declare that they do not read, or read as minimally as possible. For me, reading broadly helps me in my work. Even if it is just being aware and reading reviews as part of collection development can be helpful in helping students. But when I can put a book in their hands I have read and tell them that I have read it I think it has a bit more power. Now whether the student reads it or not, or at least skims it, is their choice. I am under no delusions they will read a whole book for a research assignment. All I can do is offer. Up to them to then use the resource or not. 

As I am typing this, I am thinking of making the occasional list of books I have read from our library that I can recommend for certain topics. It could be an occasional blog post here in part for my own reference. 

 

 

Book Review: Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know

Serhy Yekelchyk, Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. ISBN: 9780197532119.

 

Genre: nonfiction, reference

Subgenre: Ukraine, history, politics

Format: hardcover

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College

 

This book is part of Oxford's series "What Everyone Needs To Know" (by the way, they do have the trademark on that phrase). Our library recently bought this title for our collection, in part given the timely topic at this moment. I decided to go ahead and read it to learn more as well as to write this brief review. This is a second edition of the book. The author is a professor of History and Slavic Studies at the University of Victoria and writes on modern Ukraine and Russian-Ukraine relations. 

The book follows the typical format of the "What Everyone Needs to Know" series, which is a question and answer format. The book is arranged into seven chapters: 

• Why Ukraine?
• The Land and the People.
• The Making of Modern Ukraine.
• Ukraine After Communism.
• The Orange Revolution and the EuroMaidan.
• Russia's Annexation of the Crimea and the War in the Donbas.
• The War in Ukraine as an International Issue. 

Each chapter then has a series of basic questions with answers. Some sample questions the book answers are: 

• Why did Ukraine become a key reference point of American political struggles?
• Was Ukraine always part of Russia?
• When and why did Ukraine give up its nuclear arsenal? 
• What assistance has the United States provided Ukraine since 2014?

In addition, the book also includes a chronology, a map, a set of notes documenting facts, and a list for further reading. The book covers the country from its early days up until the first year or so of Zelensky's presidency.  As the author writes, he focuses mainly on "Ukraine's complex national and civic identity" (xv). He does address that and a bit more as he also looks at Ukraine's relations with Russia as well as Ukraine's interactions with the United States and the international community. 

The book is more an academic textbook, in other words I would not label it for pleasure reading (unless you are a policy wonk, history buff, or similar reader), but it should be of interest to general readers who want to learn more about the topic. While the text can be a bit dry at times, the book is still very accessible. The question and answer format is good to allow readers to read a bit at a time here or there. Some readers may want to read the book cover to cover. Other readers may want to just find topics of interest and focus on those. If you need a basic book that covers the topic well, this book will do the job. 

For academic libraries, this can be a good book to introduce the topic to students. For students who may be writing research papers on Ukraine and the war with Russia, this can be a good text to get them started. It can provide an overview of the issues, and the references from the notes and further reading can give students additional sources to read and explore. I would also say this can be a good selection for public libraries seeking to add a book on what is a topic right out of the news at this time. If a public library does not have much on Ukraine, this book can be a good start. 

Overall, at a little under 200 pages, not including notes and reading list, this is a book anyone can read and get a basic understanding of the country and the relevant issues. I really like it, and it would be one I would hand to students and other patrons wanting to learn more about the topic. Bottom line is this is a pretty good primer on the topic. 

4 out of 5 stars.

A couple of books I got from US Book Show 2022

As I mentioned in my short video about this, here are two books I received from the US Book Show event courtesy of Beacon Press. 

Book link information from publisher.

• Kavita Das, Craft and Conscience: How to Write about Social Issues. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2022. I requested this in part for curiosity and my personal use. I am hoping to learn some new things about writing, especially about social issues so I can apply it to my blogging and personal writing. I also requested it to see if we should acquire it for our library. This copy is an advanced reader's copy (ARC). 
• Catherine Ceniza Choy, Asian American Histories of the United States. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2022. Requested it mainly for possible library acquisition consideration, but I also intend to read and review it on my blog. This is a finished book copy. 

 Thanks to Beacon Press for the opportunity to read and review these.

 

Booknote: Television Series of the 1960s

(Post crossposted from The Itinerant Librarian)

Vincent Terrace, Television Series of the 1960s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, 2016. ISBN: 978-1-4422-6834-0.

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: reference, television, trivia, pop culture
Format: hardback
Source: Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library

This is a reference book about trivia of 1960s television shows. If you watched TV during this decade, or like me caught the reruns in syndication later, you'll remember these were some of the most loved and popular shows of American television. They were so popular that they keep providing fodder for remakes and movie adaptations, often with  bad results. There is something to be said for not messing with classics.

The book is arranged as follows:

• Short introduction where the author describes how the book was put together. 
• 82 individual entries arranged alphabetically. 
• An index that is basically actor's names. There is also an additional thematic index, which may be more valuable. 

As the author states, this book does not have essays or opinions. It is just a collection of facts and trivia about the shows. The book covers programs that premiered from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969. The author notes that shows that premiered in the 1950s and were still running in first run in the 1960s are not included. Some examples of shows not included are Bonanza, The Donna Reed Show, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, and Zorro. The author focuses on really trivial facts, not so much things you could find in places like imdb.com. You get things like street addresses, names of pets, and other details that other sources often miss. A fascinating thing for me is show producers, intentionally or not, could be very inconsistent. Street addresses and car license plates often change without reason, sometimes even in midseason.

So how did the author compile all this? He acquired and watched every available episode of each show. And not every show is featured in the book; it depends on what information is available. A show like Dr. Kildare, very popular in its time, is not included in the book because there  is not enough available material to make an entry. In the end, the book is a selective compilation that often documents details not found elsewhere.

This is a book to browse at your leisure. For shows I knew, it was nice to go down memory lane and recall details. I also learned about some shows I did not know before. Entries are pretty basic, just the facts. There are a few black and white photos, but overall the book is minimally illustrated. For television buffs, this may be a good option. I'd say public libraries may wish to consider it. Academic libraries with strong pop culture programs may see it as an optional selection.

In the end, I liked it.

3 out of 5 stars

This  book qualifies for the following 2017 Reading Challenges:

My Reading List for 2016

Welcome to my 2016 Reading List where I take a look at my year in reading. I feel that I started strong, but then the latter part of the year my reading just slowed down. The lousy election season in the United States certainly did not help my reading mood in the later part of the year. Also new this year is my study of Tarot and oracle cards. I am teaching myself how to read Tarot as a hobby and mainly as a meditation and reflection tool. I have found this new interest to be a calming element. In terms of work, I am entering my fifth year working at Berea College, and overall, it is going well.

Blogging here at The Gypsy Librarian has slowed down. While I still read LIS literature here and there, I am not reading as much as before. In addition, I find that I honestly could not care less about a lot of the drama in the library field, which means I am not inclined to blog about it. But if something comes up that may be of interest, I will post about it here. As I mentioned in last year's report, I am at peace with blogging less here. I've got other more interesting things going.

Blogging at The Itinerant Librarian has gone along nicely. That blog is growing into a good book review blog. I review both new and older selections I get from various sources. If you think you have a book I may want to read and review, check out my book review statement. I read a lot, and I read a variety of things, but I do not read everything, which is why I created the review statement. Reading and reviewing books is one of the best parts of being a librarian and reader. As I mentioned in last year's reading report, getting to know a few authors and editors is also a nice part of being a book blogger.

So, without further fuss, here is the list of books I read in 2016. As always, an asterisk (*) after a title indicates a book I reread:

January:

• Jane Lyle, Tarot Deck: Explore the Power of Tarot (book and deck kit).
• Troy Little, Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. 
• Russell Brettholtz, Side-Kicked.
• Rob Williams, Star Wars Rebellion, Volume 2: The Akahista Gamble. 
• Don Brown, Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans.
• Paul M. Barrett, Glock: The Rise of America's Gun.
• Lewis Black, Me of Little Faith (audiobook edition)*

February:

• Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, Harley Quinn Volume 3: Kiss Kiss Bang Stab. 
• Greg Rucka, Shattered Empire (Star Wars graphic novel)
• Jen Campbell, The Bookshop Book. 
• Natasha Knight, Given to the Savage. 
• John Leguizamo, Ghetto Klown. 
• Elizabeth Warren, A Fighting Chance (audiobook)
• Margie Lapanja, Food Men Love. 
• Julio Patán, Cocteles con historia. 
• Donnie Cates, The Ghost Fleet, Volume 1: Deadhead. 
• Ted Rall, Bernie. 
• Kevin B. Eastman and Peter A. Laird, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection, Volume 3. 

March:

• Jim Berg, The Jumbo Duct Tape Book. 
• Daniel Lipkowitz, LEGO Star Wars in 100 Scenes. 
• Sarah Bowen, Divided Spirits. 
• Harlan Ellison, Night and the Enemy. 
• Sean Ryan, New Suicide Squad, Volume 2: Monsters. 
• Tom King, Grayson, Volume 2: We all Die at Dawn. 
• Rob Williams, Martian Manhunter, Volume 1: The Epiphany. 
• Masahiko Murakami, Nichiren. 
• Christopher Hansard, The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking.
• Kim W. Andersson, The Complete Love Hurts. 
• Jerry Scott, Zits Unzipped. 
• Charles Soule, Lando. 
• Staci Mendoza, Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot.
• Robert Kirkman, Battle Pope, Volume 3: Pillow Talk. 
• Jerry Scott, My Bad: a Zits Treasury.
• Robert Kirkman, Battle Pope, Volume 4: Wrath of God. 

April:

• Isabella Alston, Tarot Cards. 
• Jessa Crispin, The Creative Tarot. 
• Josh Mack, The Hobo Handbook. 
• James Swallow, The Blood Angels Omnibus, Volume 1.
• Richard Matheson, Hell House. 
• Dick Lehr, Black Mass. 
• Scott Snyder, Batman, Volume 8: Superheavy. 
• Bathroom Readers' Institute, Uncle John's Factastic Bathroom Reader. 

May:

• Louis Jordan, Llewellyn's Complete Book of Tarot. 
• Patrick Gleason, Robin: Son of Batman, Volume 1.  
• Brian Azzarello, Batman: Europa. 
• Josephine Ellershaw, Easy Tarot (book and deck kit).
• Scott Adams, When Did Ignorance Become a Point of View (Dilbert).
• Jeff Jensen, Green River Killer. 
• Donny Cates, The Ghost Fleet, Volume 2: Over the Top. 
• Jason Aaron, Vader Down. 
• Daniel Way, Deadpool by Daniel Way: The Complete Collection, Volume 1. 
• Wilfred Santiago, 21: the Story of Roberto Clemente. 

June:

• Thich Nhat Hahn, Silence. 
• Sarah Cooper, 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings. 
• Ellen DeGeneres, Seriously...I'm Kidding (audiobook).
• Erik Burnham, Ghostbusters International. 

July:

• Nicholas Pileggi, Casino.  
• Adrian Tomine, Scenes from an Impending Marriage. 
• David Wilkie, Coffee with Jesus. 
• Corinna Sara Bechko, Aliens/Vampirella.  
• David Wilkie, A Second Shot of Coffee with Jesus. 
• Tom King, Grayson, Volume 3: Nemesis. 
• Benjamin Law, Gaysia. 
• Rachel Kramer Bussel, ed., Dirty Dates. 
• Barbara Moore, Tarot for Beginners. 
• Amanda Conner and  Jimmy Palmiotti, Harley Quinn, Volume 4: A Call to Arms. 
• Sarah A. Chrisman, True Ladies and Proper Gentlemen. 

August:

• Stephanie McMillan, The Beginning of the American Fall. 
• Gustavo Duarte, Monsters! and Other Stories. 
• Miguel Ruiz, Jr., The Mastery of Self. 
• Carol Peachee, The Birth of Bourbon. 
• Suzanne Corbie, Tarot Workshop: an Introductory Guide to Tarot (audiobook).
• Gabriel García Márquez, Yo No Vengo a Decir un Discurso. 
• Sean Michael Wilson, Cold Mountain: The Legend of Han Shan and Shih Te.
• Bill Maher, New Rules (audiobook edition)*

September:

• Winifred Gallagher, How the Post Office Created America.
• Stacey DeMarco, The Halloween Oracle (deck and book kit). 
• Emelyn Rude, Tastes Like Chicken. 
• Denys Leary, Why We Suck (audiobook edition)*

October: 

• G.B. Trudeau, Yuge! 30 Years of Doonesbury on  Trump. 
• Editors of Rock Point, Cats in Sweaters.  
• Tomas Prower, La Santa Muerte. 
• Amanda Conner and  Jimmy Palmiotti, Harley Quinn, Volume 5: The Joker's Last Laugh.
• Carole Cable, Cable on Academe.*

November:

• Alex Mar, Witches of America. 
• Joseph D. Pistone, The Way of the Wiseguy. 
• Sam Maggs, Wonder Women. 
• Mira Grant, Rolling in the Deep.
• Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo, Volume 30: Thieves and Spies. 
• M.R. James, et.al., Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, Volume 1. 
• Paul Dixon, Contraband Cocktails. 

December:

• Barbara Moore and Aly Fell (illustrator), The Steampunk Tarot (deck and book kit).

Here are the numbers:


For 2016, I read a total of 92 books, including 4 re-reads.

Number of books read in 2015: 123, including 2 re-reads (the 2015 list).
Number of books read in 2014: 152, including 2 re-reads (the 2014 list).
Number of books read in 2013: 173, including 2 re-reads (the 2013 list).
Number of books read in 2012: 117, with 6 re-reads (the 2012 list).
Number of books read in 2011: 119, with 3 re-reads (the 2011 list). 
Number of books read in 2010:  119, with 6 rereads (the 2010 list).
Number of books read in 2009: 98, with 5 rereads. I believe this is the first time I started to actively track rereads. (the 2009 list).
Number of books read in 2008: 111 (the 2008 list).
Number of books read in 2007: 85 (the 2007 list).
Number of books read in 2006: 106 (the 2006 list).
Number of books read in 2005: 73

Commentary, other numbers, and additional thoughts:

• I knew even without doing the final tally that I read fewer books this year. As I mention, the latter part of the year was just rough overall. On the positive, I do feel that I got to read some really good books this year, and I will do a post later highlighting the best books I read in 2016. 
• The re-reads I did for one of my reading challenges. You can view my Reading Challenges for 2016 page to see how things turned out. In a nutshell, I completed 10 out 12 reading challenges I set out to do. As of this post, I am in the process of selecting what reading challenges I will attempt in 2017. Given how bad the latter part of 2016 was and  that I am not expecting 2017 to be any better in a lot of ways, I am probably going to keep the goals on the low side to be safe. 
• Best month: March with 16 books. 
• Worst month: December with 1 book. 
• 61 books in print. The majority of what I read is in print, which reflects my preference to read in print.
• 25 e-books. Majority of these I read via NetGalley. One of them came from my local public library's Overdrive offerings.
• 6 audiobooks. These I  read mainly for the Audiobooks Reading Challenge I did last year. Not sure if I will repeat this challenge given the quality and selection of audiobooks in my local public library leaves a lot to be desired. They are good in other areas, but the audiobook collection has been neglected, and it shows in old out of date titles with minimal appeal. 
• 6 fiction books read. Most of these were for the Horror Reading Challenge I did. This was a challenge I enjoyed, and I may repeat it again this year. I did rediscover that I do like the horror genre. Graphic novels and manga are not included in this number regardless of them being fiction or not.
• 46 nonfiction titles. Again, this shows that I prefer to read nonfiction. This number does not include graphic novels and manga, though I did read some of those that could be classified as nonfiction such as graphic biographies. Tarot books are included in the category of nonfiction for me. 
• 46 graphic novels. These could be fiction or nonfiction. I did not read any mangas this year, though I have bought a few new series. Maybe I can get to some of them in 2017. 
• I read 53 books from my local public library, which at this time is the Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library. Most of my popular type reading comes from the public library for me. 
• I read 2 books from my library, Hutchins Library, Berea College. 
• No interlibrary loans (ILL) this year. It was not for lack of things I would have wanted to do ILL for, but more that I was busy enough with what I had to read already. 
• I read 13 books that I own. 
• Other numbers I find of interest: 
• Erotica and/or sex writing: 3
• LIS: 0. I had a few in my office I had checked out, but I did not get around to them. To be honest, I did not feel much of a loss. These days I am very selective about any LIS books I may pick up for reading. I still do read articles and keep up with what is left of the librarian blogosphere, so I feel at peace in this regard. We will see if I pick up anything in LIS in 2017. 
• Tarot and/or oracle cards and/or divination: 9. As I mentioned, I began to study Tarot (and oracle cards to a lesser extent) seriously in 2016. As a result, I have been reading in this topic. When I get a deck that comes with a substantial companion book, I read the book, and I review both the book and the deck. In addition, I will be reviewing any individual decks I get to use and any standalone Tarot books. One of the best ones I read this year on this was Jessa Crispin's The Creative Tarot (link to my review). In addition, I was able to add these books to the tally of the Self-Help Junkie Reading Challenge I did in 2016. 
• Pagan/Other beliefs/inspirational: 4. In this category I put stuff that deals with spirituality broadly. Though Tarot and paganism do not have to go together, they often do, so naturally as I read about Tarot I got curious about some pagan traditions. So among other things I read a book on witchcraft and witches in  the United States and another on La Santa Muerte. I also read some other inspirational books including a couple of graphic novels featuring Jesus in a coffee shop. I often label myself as a heathen, but it  does not mean I am a pagan per se, well, at least as far as I know. In this regard, I am more of a curious explorer, but I am finding a bit of a soft spot for some pagan paths. We'll see what kind of books on this I pick up in 2017. As a final comment, a couple of the books in this category also qualified for the Self-Help Junkie challenge.
• Books I was offered for review (not from NetGalley or Edelweiss): 2. This has slowed down a bit for me. In part, this was due to the lousy year, which affected my reading mood, which meant there were books I did not get to in the most timely fashion. I have a few more left, and I hope to get to them in 2017.
• Books in Spanish: 2. I was happy to see that this year I managed to read something, anything, in Spanish. For me, reading in Spanish keeps my in touch with my heritage.

Looking ahead, as of this post, I am currently reading the following:

• Mark Kurlansky, Paper: Paging Through History.
• P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, Marked (House of Night, Book One).
• C.S. Goto, Blood Ravens: the Dawn of War Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000).

Also, for 2017, I have already read two books, which I will be reviewing on the blog soon:

• Becky Diamond, The Thousand Dollar Dinner. 
• Inazo Nitobe, et.al., Bushido: The Soul of the Samurai (graphic novel adaptation).

Finally, here are some other folks who looked at their year's end reading:

• Here is Walt Crawford. One thing he does that I do not do is track abandoned books. I do abandon books, so may be interesting to see what it is I drop. 
• PhiloBiblos looked back at 2016 too. 
• Mark Lindner reports on his 2016 reading goals and challenges.
• Here is Meredith Farkas' year in reading for 2016.
• The bloggers at Book Nympho blog list their best reads for 2016.
• Falling for YA also has a list of best read in 2016. If you read young adult (YA) books, this may interest you.
• Cornerfolds has an interesting approach with  a 2016 end of year survey.
• Librarian Shipwreck lists their favorite books from 2016.

Thank you for reading and stopping by. I hope you come back and check out my list of best books read in 2016, which I hope to publish soon.

Happy reading in 2017.

My Reading List for 2015

Welcome to my reading list and report for 2015. I fell a bit behind on this in part because I took some time choosing my reading challenges for 2016. I read a bit less this year in terms of books, but it was in part because I had a busy year at work, and that was a good thing. I am entering my fourth year working here at Berea, and things are still going well. Overall, it was a good year for reading overall.

I continue to read and write about what I read on my personal blog. The Itinerant Librarian continues to grow slowly but surely into a good books and reading blog. It is something that I definitely enjoy both personally and as a librarian. I've even gotten to know, online, a few authors and editors in the process. I am always thrilled when I write a review, and an author or publisher notices and writes back an encouraging word or two. Thanks to them for writing and editing good books so I can keep reading. Keeps The Itinerant Librarian off the streets.

In addition, while I have blogged less here on my professional blog, it is not because of lack of content or ideas. A large reason is I am enjoying my book blogging. Also, to be honest, a lot of LIS blogging out there often boils down to the same few issues and dramas, and I would rather do without that stuff. So I keep up with the LIS literature, but I may not blog here as often, and I am at peace with that. I keep posting the annual reading list here mostly out of tradition. In time, I may or not move it to my personal blog. We'll see.

Here then is the list of books I read during 2015. Books marked with an asterisk (*) are re-reads. Most books were reviewed at The Itinerant Librarian. Feel free to go over there and check some of the reviews out. Simply click on the "books and reading" label in the sidebar of The Itinerant Librarian to get to the reviews.


January:

• Cornel West, with Christa Buschendorf, Black Prophetic Fire. 
• Diane Muldrow, Everything I Need To Know About Christmas I Learned from a Little Golden Book. 
• Carl Critchlow, Judge Dredd: Anderson, Psi-Division. 
• Lawrence Osborne, The Wet and the Dry. 
• Chris Metzen, Transformers: Primacy. 
• Vic Malhotra, X-Files: Year Zero. 
• Scott Snyder, American Vampire, Volume 5. 
• Andrew Bohrer, The Best Shots You've Never Tried. 
• Ian Doescher, William Shakerspeare's The Jedi Doth Return. 
• Juzo Tokoro, Spawn: Shadows of Spawn, Vol. 2. 

February:

• Kennedy Xu, Daomu. 
• Juzo Tokoro, Spawn: Shadows of Spawn, Vol. 3. 
• Kevin L. Nadal, That's So Gay!
• Jane Stern and Michael Stern, Two for the Road. 
• James Kuhoric, The Six-Million Dollar Man, Season 6.
• Scott Snyder, American Vampire, Volume 7. 
• Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays, Being Dead Is No Excuse. 
• Henrik Lange, 90 Classic Books for People in a Hurry. 

March:

• Caitlin Doughty, Smoke Gets in your Eyes. 
• Bob Budiansky, et. al., Transformers Classics, Volume 4.
• Michael R. Veach, Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: an American Heritage.
• Erik Burnham, et.al., Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters. 
• Ryan Burton, et.al., Dark Engine, Volume 1.
• Paco Ignacio II Taibo, Pancho Villa Takes Zacatecas. 
• John Arcudi, The Mask. 
• Mitzi Szereto, ed., Dark Edge of Desire. 
• Kevin Smith, Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet. 
• James Luceno, Star Wars: Tarkin.

April:

• W. Haden Blackman, Darth Vader and the Lost Command.
• Various authors, Predator Omnibus, Volume 1.
• Seth Holmes, Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies.
• Karl E. Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac, The China Collectors.
• Fred W. Sauceman, Buttermilk and Bible Burgers.
• Todd McFarlane, Spawn: Volume 1: Endgame. 
• Carlton Mellick III, ClownFellas: Tales of the Bozo Family.

May:

• Martin Luther King Jr., The Radical King. 
• Nick Kyme and Lindsey Priestly, eds., Tales of Heresy (The Horus Heresy, Book 10).
• Geoff Johns, Batman: Earth One, Volume 2.
• Paul S. Kemp, Star Wars: Lords of the Sith. 
• Steve McNiven and Charles Soule, Death of Wolverine. 
• Jennifer S. Baker, The Reader's Advisory Guide to Historical Fiction. 
• Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou, Deadman Wonderland, Volume 2.
• Vassilis Gogtzilas, The Bigger Bang. 
• Max Dunbar, Dungeons & Dragons: Legends of Baldur's Gate Volume 1.
• Jim Davis, My Laughable Life with Garfield: The Jon Arbuckle Chronicles.

June:

• Jimmy Palmiotti, Harley Quinn Vol. 2: Power Outage (The New 52).
• Shawn Kittelsen. Mortal Kombat X.
• Jim Davis, 30 Years of Laughs & Lasagna: The Life & Times of a Fat, Furry Legend!
• David Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson, The 12 Bottle Bar. 
• Paul Kingsbury, Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947-1989.
• Nick Roche and Brian Lynch, Monster Motors. 
• Rob Anderson, et.al., Creature Cops: Special Varmint Unit. 
• Shane McCarthy, Transformers: Drift-Empire of Stone. 
• Mark Millar, Jupiter's Legacy, Vol. 1.
• Scott Snyder, Batman, Volume 6: Graveyard Shift (The New 52). 
• Adrian Brooks, The Right Side of History. 
• Bayard Rustin, The Collected Writings of Bayard Rustin. 

July:

• Guy Lawson, Arms and the Dudes.
• Becky Cloonan, et.al., Gotham Academy, Volume 1.
• John Lewis, March: Book Two. 
• Si Spencer, Bodies. 
• Robert Lazaro, Robert Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy. 
• Thomas Hodge, VHS Video Cover Art: 1980s to Early 1990s.
• Brian Michael Bendis, Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3: Guardians Disassembled. 
• Steve Niles, October Faction Volume 1.
• Mitch Broder, Discovering Vintage New York.
• Various authors, Flash Gordon Omnibus. 
• Tim Seeley, Grayson, Vol. 1: Agents of Spyral.
• Tony Daniel, Deathstroke Vol. 1: Gods of Wars (The New 52).
• Corinna Sara Bechko, Heathentown.
• Michael Uslan, Justice, Inc., Volume 1.
• Cameron Stewart, Batgirl, Volume 1: The Batgirl of Burnside (The New 52). 
• Robert Kirkman, Battle Pope, Volume 1: Genesis. 
• Bathroom Readers' Institute, Uncle John's Beer-Topia.
• Alan Moore, Nemo: River of Ghosts.
• Jon Pressick, ed., Best Sex Writing of the Year, Volume 1: On Consent, BDSM, Porn, Race, Sex Work and More.

August:

• Rebecca Winters, Plucked: A History of Hair Removal.
• Jim Davis, Garfield the Big Cheese: His 59th Book.
• Brian Michael Bendis, Age of Ultron. 
• Nelson A. Denis, War Against All Puerto Ricans.
• Boaz Lavie, The Divine. 
• Z. Rider, Insylum.

September:

• Peter J. Tomasi, Batman: Arkham Knight. 
• Gerry Duggan, Arkham Manor. 
• Sean Ryan, New Suicide Squad, Volume 1. 
• Scott Snyder, Batman Eternal, Volume 2. 
• F. Leonora Solomon, ed., Tie Me Up: a Binding Collection of Erotic Tales. 
• Matthew Algeo, Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure.
• Mairghread Scott, Transformers: Combiner Wars. 
• Louise Baxter Harmon, Happiness A to Z. 
• Editors of Penthouse Variations, Penthouse Variations on Oral: Erotic Stories of Going Down.
• Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Volume 2. 
• Kyle Higgins, et.al., C.O.W.L. Volume 1: Principles of Power. 
• Cullen Bunn, et.al., Lobo Volume 1: Targets (The New 52). 
• Sparky Sweets, PhD., Thug Notes: a Street-Smart Guide to Classic Literature. 
• Robert Kirkman, Battle Pope, Volume 2: Mayhem.
• Derf Backderf, Punk Rock and Trailer Parks. 
• Peter Milligan, et.al., The Names. 

October:

• Henry N. Beard and Christopher Cerf, Spinglish: The Definitive Dictionary of Deliberately Deceptive Language.
• Jim Davis, Garfield Left Speechless. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield Takes his Licks: His 24th Book.*
• Lee Papa, The Rude Pundit's Almanack. 
• Jeremy Barlow, Star Wars, The Clone Wars: the Colossus of Destiny. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield Will Eat for Food. 
• Wayne A. Wiegand, Part of our Lives: A People's History of the American Public Library.
• Joey Esposito, Pawn Shop. 
• Mike W. Barr, Star Wars, The Clone Wars: The Starcrusher Trap. 
• Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Batman: The Long Halloween.*
• Jim Davis, Garfield Souped Up: his 57th Book. 

November:

• Scott Snyder, Batman, Volume 7: Endgame. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield Goes to his Happy Place; his 58th Book.
• Tom Krattenmaker, The Evangelicals You Don't Know. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield Tips the Scales, his 8th Book. 
• Diane Muldrow, Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned from a Little Golden Book.
• Zeb Wells, Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Year One. 
• Derf Backderf, Trashed. 
• Vanessa Williamson and Theda Skocpol, The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism.
• Charles M. Schultz, The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 10: 1969-1970.
• Ben Khan, Shaman. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield Lard of the Jungle: His 52nd Book.

December:

• Various authors, Star Trek: Alien Spotlight, Volume 1. 
• Various authors, The Star Wars. 
• Elaine Lee, Vamps. 

Here are the numbers:

I read a total of 123 books this year with 2 re-reads.

Number of books read in 2014: 152, including 2 re-reads (the 2014 list).
Number of books read in 2013: 173, including 2 re-reads (the 2013 list).
Number of books read in 2012: 117, with 6 re-reads (the 2012 list).
Number of books read in 2011: 119, with 3 re-reads (the 2011 list). 
Number of books read in 2010:  119, with 6 rereads (the 2010 list).
Number of books read in 2009: 98, with 5 rereads. I believe this is the first time I started to actively track rereads. (the 2009 list).
Number of books read in 2008: 111 (the 2008 list).
Number of books read in 2007: 85 (the 2007 list).
Number of books read in 2006: 106 (the 2006 list).
Number of books read in 2005: 73

Let's look at a few other numbers and add some commentary and thoughts:

• I read a bit less this year, though I think I read a few things a more mindful way. It was interesting working to choose books for some of the reading challenges I did in 2015.  I still read actively from NetGalley, less so from Edelweiss. 
• Best month: July with 19 books read.
• Worst month: December with 3 books read.
• 68 print books read.
• 55 e-books read. The majority of books this year was still in print, but as you can see, e-books number is close. Though my preference remains print, as long as I read via NetGalley, I will keep reading e-books as well. Plus I may read the odd book here or there as e-book due to other sources, say my public library's Overdrive system. 
• I read 9 books in fiction. This for me  usually means novels and short fiction. It can include erotica. Generally, I count graphic novels and manga together as separate categories regardless of whether some are fiction or nonfiction.
• I read 34 books in nonfiction. That the majority of books other than graphic novels and manga are nonfiction is pretty consistent for me. I tend to prefer nonfiction overall. This category can include erotica in the sense that it would include sex manuals and other sex writing not fiction.
• I read 77 graphic novels this year. Many of these I read via NetGalley, but I also read a good amount of them via the library. I also had two graphic novels challenges, which do allow for manga as well, running last year. Plus, this is a favorite genre of mine.
• I read 3 mangas this year. One reason is that good mangas are not easy to get around here, but when I find them, I read them.
• I read 7 books via my work library, Hutchins Library. This was kind of low considering I had a good number of books checked out from Hutchins Library. I just did not get to them right away. Those longer loan periods do kind of encourage me to keep things longer. I will try to do better in this regard in 2016. In addition, I got three books via Interlibrary Loan (ILL) through Hutchins Library:
• Tales of Heresy is probably the furthest out ILL I have ever received so far. It came from Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library System in Alaska.
•  The Rude Pundit's Almanack came from King County Library System in Issaquah, Washington.
• Tarkin came from Rowan County Public Library in Morehead, Kentucky.
  
• 34 books came from my local library public, the Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library.
• I read 23 books that I own, including 12 that qualified for the 2015 Mount TBR Reading Challenge.
• I read 52 books via NetGalley. I read 2 via Edelweiss.
• Other numbers: 
• LIS books read: 2
• Erotica: 4.
• Books provided for review, not via NetGalley nor Edelweiss: 6. These are books provided by an author, publisher, or editor for review, either by invitation or because I requested them.
• I completed 10 Reading Challenges for 2015 (see the link above, where you can see the challenge summaries and additional details). Some of these I did because they went with the flow of my reading. Others I did to try new things. Overall, things worked out OK, and I already have 2016 Reading Challenges going (see link above to see those). I am trying some new things this year, including an audiobook challenge. Overall, I am attempting 12 Reading Challenges this year: 5 repeating from last year, and 7 new ones to me.

What I am currently reading (as of this post):

• James Swallow, The Blood Angels Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000).
• Rachel Kramer Bussel, ed., Dirty Dates: Erotic Fantasies for Couples. 
• Margie Lapanja, Food Men Love.
• Elizabeth Warren, A Fighting Chance (audiobook edition). 
• Julio Patán, Cocteles con Historia: Guía definitiva para el borracho ilustrado.

And as I often do to finalize, if you are interested, here are a few others who did end of year reading reports too:

• C.W.'s 2015 Reading List. 
• Bobbi Newman's end of year review. 
• Mark Lindner's "Books Read in 2015."
• Walt Crawford let us know that yes, he still reads books.
• The Librarian Shipwreck's favorites of 2015.  
• Jessamyn's 2015 Reading List. 
• Meredith Farkas' year in reading. 
• The Academic Librarian's list for 2015.
• PhiloBiblos' end of year reading report.
• The Introverted Reader's 2015 reading post and his list of top ten books for 2015. 

Have a happy 2016 year of reading.


(Update Note 5/10/16: For some reason, this post has become a spam magnet, especially for Indian and other Asian spam assholes peddling their online scams. I have literally had to remove or deal with I'd say a comment or two a week from those bottom feeders. So, I am closing the comments here. You want to comment on this, shoot me an e-mail).

Booknote: The Readers' Advisory Guide to Historical Fiction

(Crossposted from The Itinerant Librarian)

Jennifer S. Baker, The Readers' Advisory Guide to Historical Fiction. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2015. ISBN: 9780838911655. 

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: readers' advisory, library science
Format: trade paperback
Source: My local public library

I read this in the interest of keeping up with my skills as librarian and readers' adviser. This is an ALA book, so it is fairly similar to other RA books that ALA publishes. I will admit that historical fiction is not a genre that I usually read. For the most part, if I want to read history, I go read a real nonfiction history book. However, I get that some readers find historical fiction appealing, so I read this in order to learn more about the genre and to have some knowledge in case someone comes asking me about it. In addition, I discovered a book or two I have enjoyed in the past such as The Name of the Rose and The Killer Angels that could fall in this genre. From reading this book, I learned that historical fiction can be a diverse and very flexible genre.

Still, the book's text is a bit on the dry side compared to other guides like this I have read. It reads a bit much like a textbook. So while I appreciated the learning, it's basically a book to consult now and then. For librarians with little knowledge of the genre, it does provide a good start.

3 out of 5 stars.

* * * 

Some additional reading notes:

From the RA series introduction, what a book in this series is designed to do:

"They help advisors become familiar with fiction genres and nonfiction subjects, especially those they don't personally read. They provide ready-made lists of 'need to know' elements such as key authors and read-alikes, as well as tips on how to keep up with trends and important new books and titles" (ix). 

At its most basic, this book accomplishes just that.

How "historical fiction" is defined in the book:

"For our purposes, historical fiction is defined as novels (and sometimes short stories) with settings from a historical period at least fifty years  prior to the work's publication or occurring before the author's memory" (1).

A resource to check out mentioned in the book: http://raforall.blogspot.com.

What can you do if you can't "figure it out on the spot"?

"I try very hard to find something on the shelf for readers to take home and then offer to send them a personalized reading list. This buys me more time, perhaps a day or two, to come up with more suggestions. To create a reading list for a specific reader, I make a list of about five suitable titles; write short annotations, including reasons I think he or she will like each one; then send the reader that document. Personalized reading lists are time consuming but can be a good option to fall back on when you're flummoxed. A good strategy to prevent going blank is training yourself to be more a more versatile readers' advisor. Read several benchmark books in your least familiar genres and know which reference tools can help you in each (24-25). 

Those last two sentences above are why I read books like this one, to build up a bit of my RA knowledge in areas I am not as strong in.

Something to keep in mind:

"Subjects usually touched on in historical fiction don't always match Library of Congress subject headings, and it can be tricky to find good topical historical fiction quickly" (117).

A pro tip:

"Consider making your own subject book lists for those topics you are repeatedly asked about as part of your historical fiction readers' advisory preparedness training!" (117).

On the question of "can you really learn history from historical fiction?" The author says yes, but up to a point. People who read in this genre often say,

". . .that they can learn history painlessly by reading historical fiction" (137). 

However, even if those books are historically accurate,  you can miss details and elements of cultural experience and a historical time. Personally, this is a big reason I prefer to just read history, but I can see how for many folks this genre can be a start.

The author then argues that for RA in this genre, it is important to engage readers with works that have accurate historicity. In addition,

"Readers' advisors should, however, point out the advantages of reading nonfiction material to augment the readers' learning in areas that fiction doesn't pursue" (137). 

Keep in mind that you offer, suggest, and let the reader take it from there.

Some pro tips on how to build your RA reputation as a resource for others to get reading suggestions:

• "Host author readings and events at your library.
• Run several book discussion groups at your library and/or in the community.
• Write regular book reviews for your local paper and library newsletter.
• Post your own staff picks on your website and put your picture by it" (223). 

Using Twitter for on-the-spot RA also works.

"Readers' advisors must take advantage of social media as a way to reach readers and increase community awareness of our libraries' relevance" (223).

The author also suggests for readers' advisors to keep track of what they read and even have reading plans. For me, this is why I write about what I read in my journal and write a few reviews online to share. I do enjoy sharing books with others. On making a reading plan:

"To create a personal reading plan for historical fiction, identify your genre weaknesses, and make a plan to familiarize yourself with the best titles in each area of interest. Your personal reading plan can be as simple or complex as you like" (237). 

That's applicable to any genre by the way. It also means you may read outside your comfort zone, and that is OK.

The Best Books I Read in 2014: An Appendix to My Reading List for 2014

As I mentioned in the post "My Reading List for 2014," I had a lot of books that I felt were excellent and deserved a full five out of five stars rating (I rate on a five star scale). There were so many that I decided to make a separate post just to share the list with my four readers (maybe if I work hard enough, we can increase it to five readers of the blog this year).

The list is in no particular order. Most of these are graphic novels and comics as that is a genre I tend to favor. If I have posted a review, I will provide the link.

Graphic novels and comics

Thanks to NetGalley (and Edelweiss to a small extent), I am reading a lot more graphic novels and comics, including titles that I think many libraries do not see or miss. I personally enjoy this as it adds some diversity to my reading, especially when I read stuff other than the usual. Only sad thing is NetGalley does not have Marvel titles, but I guess you can't have it all. Anyhow, these are the comics and graphic novels I consider my best readings for the year.

• Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection, Volume 1. My library recently acquired the five volume set of this. This is the ninja turtles as they are, before Nickelodeon got a hold of them and sanitized them.  Contrary to what most people think, it was not a comic for young kids. It is a great comic overall. I will certainly be reading the rest of the volumes in the set. 
• Jimmy Palmiotti, Harley Quinn, Volume 1: Hot in the City (The New 52). From my review, "Harley gets her own volume and adventures as she tries to move on without her Mr. J in her life and a new inheritance." If you like the Batman comics, you will probably enjoy this one as well.
• Geoff Johns, Batman: Earth One. Maybe instead of watching stuff like Gotham, which is basically Batman without Batman, you can read this and get the same vibe, only better.
• Jeff Parker, et.al., Batman '66, Vol. 1. This was just good nostalgia fun.
• Taran Killam, et.al., The Illegitimates. Another one that was fun. This time in the old school James Bond kind of fashion.
• The American Vampire series continues to be one of the best things out there. This year I read volumes 4 and 6 of the series. It is a series I will continue reading as it keeps getting deeper and developing its story over time well. It also captures the feel of the era a particular volume is in very well. In fact, as of this post, I have volume 7 queued up on my feed reader from NetGalley. 
• Scott Snyder, et.al., The Joker: Death of the Family. This is probably the best way to read this great series from DC's The New 52. You can find the trades, and I read some of them, but once I found this was available, it made things a lot easier. For me, books like this are a reason why I prefer to read a story once it is compiled. The volume is a great choice for libraries with graphic novels collections.
• J. Michael Straczynski, Superman: Earth One.
• The Saga series. Last year I added volume 3 to what I have read. I hear the fourth volume is out, so rest assured I will be reading it. This is certainly one of the best things going on out there. You can tell people are catching on as Saga did make it on various end of year and must read lists.
• Max Brooks, The Harlem Hellfighters.
• Karl Bollers, et.al., Watson and Holmes: A Study in Black. For me, this was a great discovery. Sherlock Holmes has enjoyed a bit of a revival with recent shows like Sherlock (which I have watched and enjoyed) and Elementary (which I could not care less about). This graphic novel gives the character a nice, fresh and hip look. It is a lot more than just a new look. It really pays attention to the classic and brings it up to our modern time. 
• Matz, The Killer, Vol. 4: Unfair Competition. Matz's series is another one I enjoy greatly, the practical assassin trying to make it in the harsh world. Another great series I will keep seeking out. 
• Michael Uslan, The Shadow/Green Hornet, Vol. 1: Dark Nights.
• Jonathan Hickman, East of West, Volume 1: The Promise. 
• Simon Oliver, FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics, Volume 1: The Paradigm Shift. This was an interesting discovery for me, a world where the laws of physics stop working as they normally do, and the federal agency tasked with dealing with it. That is  just the start.
•  Jai Nitz, Dream Thief, Volume 1.
• Gail Simone, Red Sonja, Volume 1: Queen of Plagues. Gail Simone is also known for her run of Batgirl in DC Comics. I am not as a big a fan of Batgirl (many other librarians fawn over Barbara Gordon, a character that is a librarian in the comics. Me? Cassandra Cain was more my favorite Batgirl); I read the title now and then. However, I do like Red Sonja, and Gail Simone has done great work with that character.
• John Lewis, et.al, March, Book One. This is a great one to read for Black History Month, though you can and should read it any time.A great example of how you can teach about history with a graphic novel.
• Box Brown, Andre the Giant: Life and Legend. This is one I recommend to show the good things you can do with a graphic novel. A light but very moving biography of a man who was very generous yet fought in and out of the ring men and his own demons.
• Stephen Mooney, Half Past Danger. If you like things like Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark, not so much Crystal Skull) and other old school action adventures, this may be for you. Add in the femme fatale and some dinosaurs for a fun mix.
• Kenny Byerly, et,al., Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures, Vol. 1. And this is the ninja turtles for the kids today. It is an all ages comic based on the recent Nickelodeon production of the comic. It is cute, fun, and nice entertainment. Kids will definitely like it. 
• James Stokoe, Wonton Soup.  Think Iron Chef (the original Japanese show, not the American knock off) and space truckers.

Manga

•  Osamu Tezuka's Adolf series. It is a five volume series. Though I did not give all volumes five out of five stars, read together this is definitely one of the best reads I did for 2014. It is the story of three Adolfs, one of them being the Fuhrer of Germany, during World War II. Their lives are very connected as we go from Japan to Germany and back. My review of the first volume, Adolf, Volume 1: A Tale of the Twentieth Century is up now. Others will come soon. The series is an award winner too; it won the Kodansha Manga Award.
• Sean Michael Wilson, Musashi.
• Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou, Deadman Wonderland, Volume 1. 

 Nonfiction

• Rachel Maddow, Drift: the Unmooring of American Military Power.  This was my one audiobook of the year. It is a book I highly recommend. Though you can read it in print just fine, I think it works better in the audio as she reads the text. 
• Robert Dawson, The Public Library: A Photographic Essay. Of the LIS and related books I read in 2014, this was one of the best. For all the hype stuff some librarians fall for, this simple book is really inspiring and a reminder for many of us why we are proud to be librarians and serve our communities. 
• Donald Nausbaum, Cuba: Portrait of an Island. A nice photo collection. This came before recent news about Cuba and the U.S. possibly opening up relations once more. Still, a very nice book to look at.
• Daniel Yaffe, Drink More Whiskey!  From my review, "For someone wanting to learn more about whiskey in a casual and accessible style, this is a book for you. There are many books written about alcoholic spirits, but they are often written for hardcore aficionados and alcoholistas (yes, I am coining the term)." This book is more for the casual person seeking some knowledge. 
• Carol Leifer, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying. From my review, "A strength of Leifer's book is in the lessons for work and life that she presents. She may be writing from her perspective as a comedian, but her advice applies to any career path." 
• Andrew Knapp, Find Momo. This is one of those books that make you go "aww, how cute!" It is a beautiful book for folks of all ages.
• Alberto Manguel, The Library at Night.  This is definitely one of the nicest books overall I read this year. For folks who love libraries and books, this is a sure thing to read. From my review, "If you are feeling down from bad news of library closings or not getting enough funding, or are you just sick and tired of the next 'trend' in libraries making it sound like libraries are dead fossils, then toss all that away and curl up comfortably with a serving of your favorite beverage and this book."
• Jenny M. Jones, The Annotated Godfather: The Complete Screenplay. For fans of the film, this is one they will want to read and add to their collections.

Erotica

This includes fiction as well as nonfiction.

• Rachel Kramer Bussel, ed., The Big Book of Orgasms: 69 Sexy Stories. 
• Rachel Kramer Bussel, ed., Best Bondage Erotica 2014.
•  Tristan Taormino, 50 Shades of Kink: an Introduction to BDSM.

Miscellaneous

Other good stuff.

• Ian Doescher, William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back. 
• Jeffrey Brown, Goodnight Darth Vader.  

My Reading List for 2014

We made it to 2015. Welcome to what is basically my annual reading report with some additional comments. It feels like I read a lot this year. Reading was the easy part. Blogging my book notes and reviews was not so easy. One reason is that in the fall my grandmother (mi abuelita), to whom I was very close, passed away. My grieving period lasted quite a while, and it threw me off the blogging rhythm. In fact, there were certain genres, such as erotica, I just did not feel up to reading during that time, which means I had some good books that did not get read right away (including one or two review copies I was sent around that time I just could not get myself to read. For that, I do apologize to those folks and reassure them I am catching up). A couple of other small personal complications threw off my professional blogging here too, which is why previous to this post I have not really blogged here since last September. It has not been for a lack of content. Just did not feel like it. Fortunately, time does heal a bit, and I am slowly starting to catch up on my reading of those items for posting at The Itinerant Librarian. I am also lining up some new article notes here (because I still read a lot of the library literature so you don't have to). So stay tuned throughout the year for new things.

The Itinerant Librarian, my personal blog, grew a bit more this year as a book blog. This is something that pleases me, and I hope to continue building on it in the new year. My notes and reviews of books vary in length from very short to a bit more substantial. Much of my goal is to simply tell folks if they ought to read something or not and why, then I let folks decide. Sure, I still do a few other things there, such as "Signs the Economy is Bad," but the increasing focus on books is nice.

In spite of the not so good, I can say it was a pretty good reading year. I made some new discoveries. I also read some classic things. I have to say there were a couple of disappointing readings too. Oh well, it happens.

So here is my list of books read for 2014. I will add my comments and other numbers of interest after the list. As I have done previously, books marked with an asterisk (*) are books I re-read this  year. Most of these are reviewed here at The Itinerant Librarian. Click on the "books and reading" label in the sidebar to get to the reviews.


January:

• Scott Lobdell, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Vol. 3: Death of the Family (The New 52). 
• Kyle Higgins, Nightwing, Vol. 3: Death of the Family (The New 52). 
• Brian Wood, Mara. 
• Jim Butcher and Mark Powers, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files: Ghoul Goblin.
• Charles M. Schulz, The Complete Peanuts: 1965-1966.
• Kenny Byerly, et,al., Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures, Vol. 1. 
• Stephen Mooney, Half Past Danger. 
• Box Brown, Andre the Giant: Life and Legend. 
• Mark Rahner, Dejah Thoris and the Green Men of Mars, Vol. 1.
• Cullen Bunn, Hellheim, Volume 1: The Witch War. 
• Alex Strick Van Linschoten, ed., Poetry of the Taliban. 
• Graham McNeill, Mechanicum (The Horus Heresy, Book 9. Warhammer 40K)
• Sylvain Cordurie, Sherlock Holmes and the Vampires of London. 
• Gene Luen Yang, The Shadow Hero. 
• Chris Roberson, The Shadow, Vol. 3. 

February:

• Jenny M. Jones, The Annotated Godfather: The Complete Screenplay. 
• John Lewis, et.al, March, Book One. 
• Gail Simone, Red Sonja, Volume 1: Queen of Plagues. 
• Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead, Book 9 (Hardcover compilation)
• Oz Clarke, Let Me Tell You About the Wine. 
• Ashanti White, Not Your Ordinary Librarian. 
• Harry Fisch, The New Naked: The Ultimate Sex Education for Grown-ups. 
• Alberto Manguel, The Library at Night. 
• Mark Waid, The Rocketeer and the Spirit: Pulp Friction. 
• Mac Walters, Mass Effect: Foundation, Volume 1.
• Ed Brisson, Sheltered, Volume 1.
• Pat Shand, et.al, Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Realm Knights. 

March: 

• Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. 
• Jai Nitz, Dream Thief, Volume 1. 
• Mike Richardson, 47 Ronin. 
• Andrew Knapp, Find Momo. 
• Simon Oliver, FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics, Volume 1: The Paradigm Shift. 
• Phil Jimenez, et.al, Transformers: Dark Cybertron, Volume 1.
• Charles M. Schultz, The Complete Peanuts: 1967-1968.
• Becky Siegel Spratford, The Readers' Advisory Guide to Horror. 
• Rachel Kramer Bussel, ed., Best Bondage Erotica 2014. 
• Dan Christensen, Archer Coe. 
• James Swallow, Hammer and Anvil (Sisters of Battle, Book 2: Warhammer 40,000).
• Joe Schreiber, Star Wars: Maul-- Lockdown. 
• Carol Leifer, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying. 

April:

• Jonathan Hickman, East of West, Volume 1: The Promise. 
• Miranda Forbes, ed., Dark Desires.
• Michael Uslan, The Shadow/Green Hornet, Vol. 1: Dark Nights.
• Russ Phillips, Canned! Artwork of the Modern American Beer Can. 
• Jacques Lob, Snowpiercer, Vol. 1: The Escape. 
• Ales Kot, Zero, Vol. 1: An Emergency. 
• Peter V. Brett, Red Sonja: Unchained. 
• Dwight Garner, Read Me: A Century of Classic American Book Advertisements. 
• Jeff Lemire, Green Arrow, Vol. 4: The Kill Machine (The New 52). 
•  Peter David, Wolverine Classic, Vol. 3. 
• Scott Snyder, American Vampire, Vol. 6.
• Matz, The Killer, Vol. 4: Unfair Competition. 
• William Stadiem, Jet Set: The People, The Planes, the Glamour, and the Romance in Aviation's Glory Years. 
• Scott Snyder, Batman, Vol. 4: Zero Year--Secret City. 
• Rachel Kramer Bussel, ed., Going Down: Oral Sex Stories. 
• James S.A. Corey, Star Wars: Honor Among Thieves (Empire and Rebellion series).
• Joe Brusha, Grimm Fairy Tales: Oz.
• Joe Harris, The X-Files Season 10, Volume 2. 

May:

• Jessica Kerwin Jenkins, Encyclopedia of the Exquisite. 
• Zac Bissonnette, Good Advice from Bad People. 
• Karl Bollers, et.al., Watson and Holmes: A Study in Black. 
• Michael Bemis, Library and Information Science: A Guide to Key Literature and Sources.
• James Stokoe, Wonton Soup. 
• Lucas Steele, ed., Boy Fun. 
• Mike Mignola, Hellboy in Hell, Vol. 1: The Descent. 
• Daniel Yaffe, Drink More Whiskey!
• Chris Claremont, Wolverine Classic, Vol. 2.

June: 

• David Bartone, Practice on Mountains. (Poetry)
• Paul Dini, Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell. 
• Caitlin Kittredge and Inaki Miranda, Coffin Hill, Vol. 1: Forest of the Night. 
• Archie Goodwin, Wolverine Classic, Vol. 4. 
• Max Brooks, The Harlem Hellfighters. 
• William B. Whitman, The Quotable Politician.* 
• Greg Pack, Batman/Superman, Volume 1:  Cross World (The New 52).
• Andrew Walsh and Padma Inala, Active Learning Techniques for Librarians. 
• Brian K. Vaughan, Saga, Volume 3. 
• Kyle Higgins, Nightwing, Volume 4: Second City (The New 52).
• Tristan Taormino, 50 Shades of Kink: an Introduction to BDSM. 
• J. Michael Straczynski, Superman: Earth One. 
• Joanne O'Sullivan, Bizarre Weather.
• Scott Snyder, et.al., The Joker: Death of the Family.
• Jeff Kline, Indestructible, Volume 1.
• Ed Falco, The Family Corleone. 
• Peter J. Tomasi, Batman and Robin, Volume 4: Requiem for Damian. 
• Dean Motter, et.al., The Heart of the Beast. 

July:

• Scott Snyder, American Vampire, Vol. 4. 
• Eric Hobbs and Noel Tuazon, Family Ties: an Alaskan Crime Drama. 
• Erinn Batykefer and Laura Damon-Moore, The Artist's Library: a Field Guide. 
• Donald Nausbaum, Cuba: Portrait of an Island.
• Paul Allor, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Utrom Empire. 
• Ruth Ashby, The Great American Documents: Volume 1: 1620-1830.
• Robert Dawson, The Public Library: A Photographic Essay. 
• Taran Killam, et.al., The Illegitimates.
• Jeff Parker, et.al., Batman '66, Vol. 1.
• David Gerrold, et.al., Star Trek: the Manga Ultimate Edition. 
• Osamu Tezuka, Adolf, Vol. 1: a Tale of the Twentieth Century. 

August:

• Dinah Fried, Fictitious Dishes.
• Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert, Damian: Son of Batman. 
• Osamu Tezuka, Adolf, Volume 2: an Exile in Japan. 
• Rachel Maddow, Drift: the Unmooring of American Military Power. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield Gets in a Pickle.
• Jimmy Palmiotti, et.al., All Star Western, Volume 1: Guns and Gotham. 

September:

• Jimmy Palmiotti, et.al., All Star Western, Volume 2: the War of Lords and Owls. 
• Gary Larson, Far Side Gallery 2.
• Osamu Tezuka, Adolf, Volume 3: the Half-Aryan. 
• Ed Piskor, Hip Hop Family Tree (Vol. 1). 
• Jeffrey Brown, Goodnight Darth Vader.
• Louis Eguaras and Matthew Frederick, 101 Things I Learned in Culinary School.
• Graham McNeill, Ultramarines: the Second Omnibus. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield Sings for his Supper. 

October:

• Jim Davis, Garfield: Caution: Wide Load. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield Brings Home the Bacon: His 53rd Book. 
• Ian Doescher, William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back. 
•  bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress. 
• Rick Spears, et.al., Jennifer's Body. 
• Various authors, So. . . I Survived the Zombie Apocalypse, and All I Got Was This Podcast. 
• Christopher Yost, X-Men: Emperor Vulcan. 
• Eric Garcia, City: The Mind in the Machine, Volume 1. 
• Joe Russo, et.al., Ciudad.
• Steve Niles, Ash and the Army of Darkness. 
• Streeter Seidell, White Whine: a Study of First-World Problems. 
• Huang-jia Wei and Jean-David Morvan, Zaya. 
• Mark Irwin, et.al., Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ninth Assassin. 
• Geoff Johns, Batman: Earth One. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield: Fat Cat 3-Pack. 
• David Sax, Save the Deli.
• Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Batman: The Long Halloween.*
• Eileen Wallace, ed., Masters: Book Arts: Major Works by Leading Artists. 
• Matthew Inman, The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances. 

November:

• Matt Wagner, Batman and the Monster Men. 
• Mike Bender and Doug Chernack, Awkward Family Photos.*
• Sean Michael Wilson, Musashi.
• Jonathan Maberry, V-Vars, Volume 1: Crimson Queen.
• Osamu Tezuka: Adolf, Volume 4: Days of Infamy. 
• Scott Adams, Problem Identified: And You're Probably Not Part of the Solution (Dilbert). 
• Osamu Tezuka, Adolf, Volume 5: 1945 and All That Remains. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield Goes to Waist: His 18th Book. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield Keeps His Chins Up: His 23rd Book. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield Takes His Licks: His 24th Book. 
• Simon Garfield, To The Letter: a Celebration of the Lost Art of Letter Writing. 
• Claude Roessiger, Madame Alexandra's Rules of Business.

December:

• Jeff Lemire, Teen Titans: Earth One, Volume 1. 
• Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou, Deadman Wonderland, Volume 1. 
• Jim Davis, Garfield Pulls His Weight: His 26th Book. 
• Jean-David Morvan and Bengal, Meka. 
• Marc Silvestri, Incredible Hulk, Volume 1. 
• Tom Taylor, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Volume 2. 
• Rachel Kramer Bussel, ed., The Big Book of Orgasms: 69 Sexy Stories. 
• Jimmy Palmiotti, Harley Quinn, Volume 1: Hot in the City (The New 52). 
• Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection, Volume 1. 
• Juzo Tokoro, Spawn, Volume 1: Shadows of Spawn. 
• Heather Mann, Craftfail: When Homemade Goes Terribly Wrong. 

OK, let's look at some numbers and commentary to see how we did in 2014.



The basic numbers:

I read 152 books this year, including 2 re-reads.

Number of books read in 2013: 173, including 2 re-reads (the 2013 list).
Number of books read in 2012: 117, with 6 re-reads (the 2012 list).
Number of books read in 2011: 119, with 3 re-reads (the 2011 list). 
Number of books read in 2010:  119, with 6 rereads (the 2010 list).
Number of books read in 2009: 98, with 5 rereads. I believe this is the first time I started to actively track rereads. (the 2009 list).
Number of books read in 2008: 111 (the 2008 list).
Number of books read in 2007: 85 (the 2007 list).
Number of books read in 2006: 106 (the 2006 list).
Number of books read in 2005: 73


I read a little less this year. As I mentioned earlier, I did have a couple of down days that slowed down the reading, but I did come back towards the end of the year. 21 books less this year. I still did OK this year. I continued to read items from NetGalley actively in 2014; Edelweiss to a much smaller extent (their selection in what interests me is smaller, but I check it now and then). Still the majority of my books this year I read in print. Most of those books in print were borrowed from libraries. The majority came from the public library followed by my college library (and in this I would count any ILL's, that is interlibrary loans for my non-librarian friends).


A few other numbers of interest:

• 87 print books read. 
• 64 e-books. 
• I read 96 graphic novels this year. This includes graphic novels and comics in fiction and nonfiction. Many of these I read via NetGalley. 
• I read 7 mangas this year, which is already better than last year. 
• I read 37 nonfiction books. It seems a little low to me, but then again, I was reading a lot of graphic novels, comics, and manga this year. Some of the nonfiction did come from NetGalley; from this selection, at least two were serious disappointments. 
• I read 56 books from my local public library (Madison County Public Library--Berea branch) and 9 from my college library (Hutchins Library). This reflects in part that I am enjoying reading "pop" (as in popular reading) kinds of books versus more scholarly fare. While I do enjoy scholarly fare now and then, I do prefer my nonfiction a bit more relaxed so to speak. Additionally though, I do have a good amount of books checked out from my college library, but I have not gotten to them, and since I do get longer checkout times on them as faculty versus the shorter period at the public library, I tend to favor the public library ones to get done sooner. One of my challenges for 2015 may be trying to read more of those items from my college library I was interested in. 
• I read 61 books via NetGalley. Most of these were graphic novels, but there were a few nonfiction titles as well. NetGalley for me is a good source to keep up with current graphic novels and comics compilations. It also works as a good collection development tool for our growing graphic novels collection in our library. 
• Other numbers: 
• Poetry books: 2
• LIS and book-related: 6. I still managed to get some LIS reading done this year. The stuff on readers' advisory was the most interesting to me. Some of the pedagogy and instruction stuff I found a little underwhelming to be honest. While I continue to read LIS literature to keep up, especially in my areas of interest in librarianship, I am being much more selective given that there is a lot of stuff out there that is of lower quality or basically rehashing of stuff done before. Let's just say the LIS literature is living up to its reputation of lacking substance at times. 
• Erotica books: 6 Actually, these are 6 that are books published by a mainstream publisher. I did read a few samples of self-published stuff, but as I did not review them, I did not track them (I may in the future, not sure yet). I certainly will continue to read and review erotica as it is a genre I enjoy along with the Better Half. 
• 1 audiobook. If my public library had a better selection of these, I would probably read more in audiobook format. CD, for instance, I can pop in my computer and listen to while I do other things online. 
• Education: 1 book, which was the bell hooks book. I read this one for a faculty book discussion group. That was the first time I have taken part in a book discussion group since I left library school, and I had to do some book discussions for readers' advisory classes. I am not a big fan of book discussions (something I may discuss in another post). However, I did sign up for at least three more faculty book discussions in the spring term, so stay tuned. I did take notes in my journal about the bell hooks book discussion, which I hope to get  up on the blog down the road. 
• Books provided for review, not via NetGalley: 11. These are books that may have come from an author or a publisher with a request for a review. This also includes a book or two won in an online giveaway. 
• I read 6 books that were mine. I am very good at acquiring books, but I am not as good about getting to read them right away. I tend to especially acquire graphic novels and mangas that I know are not easy to get via the library systems. But I also read a lot by serendipity, which means I see something new and interesting in the library, borrow it, and naturally have to get it back to the library, so I read it sooner than the stuff I bought. This is something I would like to work on, so I may pick up a TBR type book challenge to help motivate me in this regard. 
•  2014 was the second year where I formally participated in a book reading challenge. I participated in four book challenges.  If you click on the link, you can see the list and the progress on each one. As I noted in the post, I strove to read within my reading flow and habits. The big challenge for me in these was posting my reviews in a timely fashion and then sharing them with the challenge group; some send reminders, some do not. The one that sent a reminder every so often was the most helpful. As I write this I am in the process of selecting my book challenges to 2015, which I will post over on The Itinerant Librarian. This year I may add one that is a bit out of my way, so to speak, to see if I can diversify my reading a little. Not making promises though.

This year was a very good year. I got 39 books that I rated the full five out of five stars. In addition, many got four stars, which for me means it was a book "I really, really liked" but not quite at the 5 stars amazing level. Since that is a big number I will make a separate post with my list of the best reads of 2014 later on with links to the book reviews.

And as 2015 starts, I am currently reading or starting to read the following books:

• Lawrence Osborne, The Wet and the Dry. 
• Alison Tyler, ed., Bound for Trouble: BDSM Erotica for Women. 
• Ian Doescher, The Jedi Doth Return. 
• Matt Smith and Carl Critchlow, Judge Dredd: Anderson, Psi-Division. 

Finally, if you are interested, here are other folks I was able to find who do end of year reading reports (in no particular order):

• PhiloBiblos.
• Walt Crawford of Walt at Random. 
• Mark Lindner of Habitually Probing Generalist.
• Jessamyn West of Librarian.net.
• Meredith Farkas of Information Wants to be Free.
•  Better Book Titles provided a list of the best books they read in 2014.
• C.W. of Flexnib did start her 2014 reading list. Update (1/29/15): She has made her full post.

Booknote: The Readers' Advisory Guide to Horror (2nd Edition)

(Crossposted from my personal blog, The Itinerant Librarian)

Becky Siegel Spratford, The Reader's Advisory Guide to Horror (2nd edition). Chicago: ALA, 2012. ISBN: 9780838911129. 

Genre: Nonfiction
Subgenre: Library science, readers' advisory, horror

This book was a serendipity find for me at the public library. I picked it up to get a refresher on the genre and help keep up my RA (readers' advisory for my non-librarian friends) skill set. I did take the coursework for RA in library school, but I am also an avid reader and strive to keep up with various genres. After all, if this academic librarian gig does not pan out, I think I can still get employed at a public library. Plus, for me, reading is fun. As for the horror genre, I would not consider myself a "horror reader," but I do read in the genre, which I enjoy now and then. This book is part of ALA's RA series, and it was pretty good in providing an overview of the genre. It is a good aide for librarians who may not know much about horror.

The book focuses on horror; it does address what could be labeled as "related" genres such as dark fantasy or paranormal, but the bottom line here is true horror. However, in this day and age where paranormal fiction (often romance with paranormal elements) is such a big hit with readers, it needs to be acknowledged in any discussion of horror, and the book does that, providing some small guidance on those given the crossover appeal. This is to address, for instance, the nice lady who reads, for example, Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series and wants to read more "horror." What that reader probably wants is more paranormal fiction, possibly with romance elements, but it has vampires and werewolves, so it has to be horror, right? The librarian does not have to "correct" the lady. Just know the distinctions so you can provide the best advice possible and help your reader get to their next great read. Yet at the end of the day, the core of the book is horror.

For the purposes of the book, the author defines horror as:

 "a story in which the author manipulates the reader's emotions by introducing situations in which unexplainable phenomena and unearthly creatures threaten the protagonist and provoke terror in the reader" (13). 

That definition is the starting point.

The book's first three chapters provide a history and genre overview. The next set of chapters provide annotated lists with some readalike suggestions in these horror topics:

• classics, 
• ghosts and haunted houses
• vampires
• zombies
• shape-shifters
• monsters and ancient evil
• witches and occult
• Satan and demonic possession
• comic horror.

The last two chapters deal with using your collection and marketing. The chapter on whole collection RA was good as it reassures librarians they may already have many horror titles in the collection they can start promoting right away. This chapter also looks at other genres such as supernatural, paranormal, nonfiction, and graphic novels that horror readers may like as well.

The book is mainly designed for librarians, especially public librarians. However, I think the chapters with book lists could help some advanced horror readers as well as readers new to the genre. As I mentioned, I do read some horror; I have read some of the basics, including some mentioned in the book, but I also found some new reading suggestions that I jotted down.

Overall, this is an accessible, concise book that provides a lot of reading ideas and suggestions. As a reader and librarian, I really liked this one. It does make me willing to go look for other books in the RA series too.

I am giving it 4 out of 5 stars.

* * * 

This is the list of titles I jotted down from the book to add to my TBR list. In parenthesis, I am putting the label the book used and any comments I may have. I am also including WorldCat links to help my four readers and me find them later.


Books I jotted down from the opening chapters (i.e. caught my eye right away):

• Joe Hill, Heart-Shaped Box (I have been told this is pretty much classic. Only Joe Hill I have read, which I enjoyed, is his Locke & Key graphic novel series.) 
• Brian Keene, Castaways (the author mentioned this book a few times, deals with one of those "Survivor" type of reality shows.)
• Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes (I have read Bradbury, and I can't believe I have not read this. We need to fix that gap.)
• Arthur Conan Doyle, Tales of Terror and Mystery. (1906)
• H.P. Lovecraft (I have actually read some of his works, but would love to read more)

Other books I jotted down as I read the book:

• Ray Garton, Live Girls (vampires)
• Otto Penzler, ed., The Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published. 
• Brian M. Stableford, The Werewolves of London (shapeshifters. I have read his The Empire of Fear, which is a vampire novel.)
• Bentley Little, The Return (Monsters and ancient evil)
• Bryan Smith, Depraved (Monsters and ancient evil)
• Martin H. Greenberg, et.al., eds., 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories (Witches and occult)
• Clive Barker, The Hellbound Heart (Satan and demonic possession. This is the basis for the film Hellraiser. I have seen the film. As for his books, only one I have read is the graphic novel adaptation of Great and Secret Show- link to my review.)
• Joe Hill, Horns (Satan and demonic possession.)
• Tim Pratt, ed., Sympathy for the devil (Satan and demonic possession.)