2018 Missouri Library Association Annual Conference

I will be presenting a table talk and two breakout sessions at the 2018 Missouri Library Association Annual Conference from Oct 10-12, 2018. 

(Icon © 2011)

Now seemed like the perfect time for the RAT Queen to add some new content to the Tales blog. Keeping my fingers crossed this is the start of more to come ... :-)

My co-presenter for the following programs will be Kaite Mediatore Stover from The Kansas City Public Library:

Top Ten Productions: Readers' Advisory Adventures Brought to You by LibraryReads  (Table Talk: 10/11/2018)

Talking About Reading: The Art and Soul of the Readers' Conversation  (Breakout Session: 10/11/2018)

Reading With Your Ears: Readers' Advisory and Audiobooks  (Breakout Session: 10/12/2018)

Click on the Resources tab to find out more information about these (and other) presentations.

February Audiobook of the Month

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I have a great romance audiobook suggestion for you! And guess what? It is also an award-winning title - having been selected for the 2017 Reading List!

Click on the For Listeners tab to find this month's suggestion and scroll down for other audiobook titles. You may also want to check out the Audio Publishers Association list of finalists for the 2017 Audie Awards. The winners will be announced at the Audie Awards Gala on June 1, 2017 in New York City.

January Audiobook of the Month

You may have noticed I didn't blog about an audiobook of the month in December. That was because I tweeted about four during #libfaves16; the narrators are highlighted in my December posts. 

I am back on track for January 2017 with a great narrative nonfiction selection that reads like an adventure story. If you enjoy history and biography click on the For Listeners tab to check it out and don't forget to scroll down the page to find other audiobook suggestions.

RA Tip: Rounding Out My #Libfaves16 Top Ten

The past few days have been great as I checked Twitter off and on for the #libfaves16 hashtag. Along with many other librarians, my personal TBRead pile has multiplied and I'll need the holiday break to try and deplete it a bit before getting into some of the titles I am anticipating for 2017! :-)

The previous blog post showed my #libfaves16 tweets for numbers 10 to 6, so for completion's sake, here are the tweets for my final countdown ... 

#libfaves16 No 5 – STILETTO by @DenimAlley: ROOK Myfanwy Thomas is back! Witty banter, paranormal paranoia & diplomacy? Such fun!

#libfaves16 No 4 – PENRIC’S DEMON by Lois McMaster Bujold: a clever, innocent, newly designated sorcerer teams up with an unruly demon!

#libfaves16 No 3 – Ben Winters’ UNDERGROUND AIRLINES read by William DeMeritt: terrific voice, what if tale of slavery in 21^st Century U.S.

#libfaves16 No 2 – THE FATE OF THE TEARLING by Erika Johansen: Kelsea/Kaite vs Row Finn; thrilling conclusion to great epic Fantasy series!

No 1 for #libfaves16 – THE INVISIBLE LIBRARY by Genevieve Cogman: good & evil librarians, a dragon, a vampire & a Great detective, OH my! 

Have I added a title or two to your TBRead pile? :-)

Tweeting Your Top Ten Titles for 2016

Every December for the last few years, over a ten day period, librarians tweet about their favorite Top Ten books of the year using a specific hashtag. This allows for tracking and compiling the titles to produce a final Top Ten list.

This year #libfaves16 started Monday, December 12 and will run for ten days until Wednesday, December 21; a final Top Ten list will be posted shortly after the 21st. Librarians everywhere are invited to tweet about their top reads of the year, counting down from #10 and ending with their all-time #1 favorite for 2016. The rules are simple: 

• Use the #libfaves16 hashtag
• Titles must have been published in 2016
• Post one title a day
• Type the title in ALL CAPS
• Include the author

I was curious to rediscover what titles I had tweeted about in the past so went and found my December 10, 2014 blog post - RA Tip: FAVORITE READS FOR 2014! Sadly, I neglected to compile my top ten titles for #libfaves15 but I have been participating this time and my first five #libfaves16 tweets are listed below:

#libfaves16 No 10 - BECAUSE OF MISS BRIDGERTON by Julia Quinn, read by Rosalyn Landor: historical, witty & thoroughly romantic

#libfaves16 No 9 - SHADOWED SOULS ed by Jim Butcher & Kerrie L Hughes: 11 thrilling supernatural tales by urban fantasy authors 

#libfaves16 No 8 - Paulette Jiles’ NEWS OF THE WORLD read by Grover Gardner: lyrical Western, former soldier & 10-yr old Kiowa captive girl 

#libfaves16 No 7 – SLEEPING GIANTS by Sylvain Neuvel: jaw-dropping ‘are we alone in the Universe’ speculation, 1^st in Themis Files series

#libfaves16 No 6 - MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON by Elizabeth Strout, read by Kimberly Farr: pull up a comfy chair & listen as Lucy tells her story

I will blog about 5 through 1 in a few days in another post.

FYI, on Saturday, 12/17/2016 I was privileged to participate in helping tally the results for #libfaves16. I had a great time monitoring the hashtag throughout the day and recording the titles! :-)

November Audiobook of the Month

So far my audio suggestions this year have been fiction titles. November had me in the mood to switch to nonfiction although you're in luck because I love narrative nonfiction and I found a really good one too! 😋 It was a Library Journal 2015 Best Audio award winner for Nonfiction and also selected for RUSA's 2016 Listen List (an American Library Association award).

Click on the For Listeners tab to find this month's audiobook and don't forget to scroll down the page to find other audio suggestions for your listening pleasure.

October Audiobook of the Month

Over the last few month's I have been spotlighting dual narrators so I decided it was time for a change of pace. For October, I wanted an audiobook with a single narrator who excels in giving voice to multiple characters. And as we head towards Halloween and next month's Presidential election, it seemed like an appropriate time for a Horror tale that explores U.S. history from a unique perspective.

Check the For Listeners tab to find this month's audiobook, and don't forget to scroll up and down the page to find other titles for your listening pleasure.

September Audiobook of the Month

After last month's hilarious romance listen, I decided it was time read a title I had been hearing about off and on all year. It was a LibraryReads pick for January and was spotlighted in the 'Book Trip' presentation for this year's Library Journal Day of Dialog in May, held concurrently with 2016's BookExpo America (BEA) in Chicago. What better way for me to catch up than to listen to the audiobook version! :-) 

Use the For Listeners tab to find this month's audiobook and scroll up and down the page to discover other possibilities for your listening pleasure.

August Audiobook of the Month

I decided I wanted to try a Romance title this time but had experienced difficulty in the past in finding a recorded Romance that took me 'beyond' reading the book. So I went exploring and stumbled across a contemporary title (not my normal romance genre cup of tea) that was well-reviewed and had dual narrators to boot! The almost, but not quite, over-the-top voices had me laughing in enjoyment as the characters (also) stumbled into romance!

As always, check the For Listeners tab to find this month's audiobook and scroll up and down the page to discover other suggestions for your listening pleasure. 

July Audiobook of the Month

For July's audio title, I went with a suspenseful Mystery although with a bit of a twist on the narration. This time there are two narrators to amp up the tension as you follow the alternating voices of the two main characters!

Use the For Listeners tab to find this month's audiobook, then scroll up and down the screen to explore other ideas to consider for your listening pleasure.

June Audiobook of the Month

After listening to such a long audiobook last time, I went with a much shorter title for June. Those who enjoy exploring mother-daughter relationships may also want to consider this month's suggestion.

As always, check the For Listeners tab to find this month's audiobook and scroll up and down the page to discover other possibilities for your listening pleasure.

Four4U: Four Titles on a Theme

Trying something new that combines applying appeal factors with selections made for library collection development, two of my favorite things! :-)

At least once each month (possibly more than once), I will post a list of four titles connected by a theme, a Four4U (#44U) list. The titles could be considered as once-a-week reading suggestions and used to explore a general theme throughout the month. Alternatively, you might read them one right after the other OR simply choose a single title to peruse! Your choice! :-)

This #44U list was inspired by a post on Filmmusicreporter.com regarding composer John Williams, who will be writing the score for Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of Ready Player One, coming to theaters in 2018! 

That brought to mind three other titles set in or dealing with different aspects in the world of video games and virtual reality. Therefore, I offer three books, one just published in April, and a movie for your consideration. The film is an oldie but a goodie that still holds up even 30+ years later; especially if you've never seen it! 

So here is a #44U of Video Game Realities ...

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011) - this is so much fun with a plethora of pop culture references from the 70s and 80s, dealing with a virtual treasure hunt to find the mother-of-all video game prizes. It is a great read and an even better listen with Wil Wheaton, Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: the Next Generation, doing the narration! Try the audiobook for this one!

You: A Novel by Austin Grossman (2013) - a mix of reality and mystery that provides a look into how a video game is developed and marketed. The main character, hired to debug the newest version of a hugely popular game, gets so wrapped up in his job he ends up holding personal conversations with the fantasy heroes from the game. 

Arena by Holly Jennings (April 2016) - pampered, superstar pro athletes train full-time to compete in a fully immersive virtual sport! The corporate-sponsored, Virtual Gaming League members fight (to their virtual death) in a gladiatorial elimination tournament to determine which team will take the world championship.

The Last Starfighter (1984) - a motion picture starring Lance Guest, Dan O'Herlihy & Robert Preston (Yes, Robert Preston of The Music Man fame, in a role you would not have expected). A young video game virtuoso is taken into outer space to defend Earth and the Universe from the aliens featured in his favorite game.

Twitter hashtag: #44U or #4-4-U 

May Audiobook of the Month

This month's audio selection is a bit 'hairy' (pun intended, check it out and you'll see what I mean). It is long (17.25 hours) so be forewarned, although well worth the listen for the glorious accent as well as the fascinating story. :-)

Check the For Listeners tab to find this month's audiobook and scroll up and down the page to discover other suggestions for your listening pleasure.

April Audiobook of the Month

Narrators and library staff got together in Denver this month during the 2016 Public Library Association (PLA) conference. As I was not attending the conference, I have been following it on Twitter using the #PLA2016 hashtag.

According to a Books on Tape (BOT) tweet posted during the Audio Publishers Association (APA) dinner, audio narrator extraordinaire George Guidall used the term "a vocal portrait" - narrators create paintings for the galleries of your mind.

With that quote my April audiobook of the month was chosen. :-)

Check the For Listeners tab to find this month's audiobook and scroll down the page to discover other suggestions for your listening pleasure.

March Audiobook of the Month

March is Women's History Month so this month's selection is about women in the workplace. 

Click on For Listeners to find audiobook suggestions for your listening pleasure.

Audie Award Finalists for 2016 Announced!

The Audie Awards recognizes distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA).

“Formed in 1987, the Audio Publishers Association (APA) is a not-for-profit trade association that advocates the common, collective business interests of audio publishers. The APA consists of audio publishing companies and allied suppliers, distributors, and retailers of spoken word products and allied fields related to the production, distribution and sale of audiobooks.”

The finalists for the 21^st annual Audie Awards have been announced for 25 categories. Some of the highlights from the categories are:

BEST FEMALE NARRATOR:

• All the Stars in Heaven by Adriana Trigiani, narrated by Blair Brown
• The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, narrated by Linda Lavin
• Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray, narrated by January LaVoy
• The Lost Landscape by Joyce Carol Oates, narrated by Cassandra Campbell
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, narrated by Polly Stone
• Wild Rover No More by L.A. Meyer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren

BEST MALE NARRATOR:

• Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, narrated by John Malkovich
• Classic Love Poems by various authors, narrated by Richard Armitage
• Dead Wake by Erik Larson, narrated by Scott Brick
• The English Spy by Daniel Silva, narrated by George Guidall
• Finders Keepers by Stephen King, narrated by Will Patton
• Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, narrated by Scott Brick

A Press Release (PDF) with the complete list of 2016 finalists is available here.

The winners of the 2016 Audies will be honored on May 11 during the Audies Awards Gala at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, IL.  

February Audiobook of the Month

Keeping Valentine's Day in mind, the February selection is a Historical Fiction novel with a touch of romance. Hope you like it! :-)

Check the For Listeners tab for new audiobook suggestions each month. 

2016 RUSA Book and Media Awards

This past year, I had the honor and joy of serving on two Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) award committees. Both awards are offered under the auspices of the Collection Development and Evaluation Services (CODES) section of RUSA. 

I served as Chair for the Louis Shores Award, an achievement award and as a member of the Listen List, a book/media award award. The winners were decided upon in December 2015, to be revealed in January at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter conference.

The results of the committee deliberations were announced this evening in Boston, MA during the Book and Media Awards Ceremony. I was sworn to secrecy before although now I can now present the winners. :-)

Louis Shores Award - recognizes an individual reviewer, group, editor, review medium or organization for excellence in reviewing materials for libraries. The 2016 recipient is ...

• Multimedia & Technology Reviews offers incisive, objectively written critical reviews for a variety of free multimedia resources and is readily available online. It's a great resource, you should check it out!

The Listen List - highlights extraordinary narrators and listening experiences that merit special attention by a general adult audience and the librarians who advise them. And the audiobooks chosen for 2016 are ...

• All Involved by Ryan Gattis. Narrated by Anthony Rey Perez, Marisol Ramirez, Jim Cooper, Adam Lazarre-White, and James Chen
• All the Old Knives by Olen Steinhauer. Narrated by Ari Fliakos and Juliana Francis Kelly
• And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander. Narrated by Kate Reading
• Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. Narrated by Scott Brick
• Dracula by Bram Stoker. Narrated by David Horovitch, Jamie Parker, Joseph Kloska, Alison Pettitt, and cast
• H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald. Narrated by Helen MacDonald
• The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. Narrated by Davina Porter
• The Jaguar’s Children by John Vaillant. Narrated by Ozzie Rodriguez and David H. Lawrence XVII
• The Knockoff: A Novel by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza. Narrated by Katherine Kellgren
• The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter. Narrated by Alex Wyndham
• Til the Well Runs Dry by Lauren Francis-Sharma. Narrated by Ron Butler and Bahni Turpin
• True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa by Michael Finkel. Narrated by Rich Orlow

Great listening experiences here, folks and wouldn't they make for a great display!  :-)

Audiobook of the Month Kicks Off

Many people enjoy listening to audiobooks; some even prefer it to reading. For 2016 I decided to add a section to the blog addressing this, spotlighting a different audio title each month. To mix things up, the entries may come from various sources: myself, the occasional guest blogger, award lists, or review journals. 

Click on the For Listeners tab to see the current 'Audiobook of the Month' and I hope you enjoy this new Listening Advisory feature. :-)

RA Tip: Novels to Film

Coming to the big screen sometime soon ...

Are you a fan of Ernest Cline's offbeat, action-packed debut novel, Ready Player One? Been wondering IF, or more importantly, WHEN Cline's novel might be coming to a theater near you? 

If so, you may want to check out this EarlyWord post about who has been hired to direct the Ready Player One film adaptation! It's not happening right away but what a great choice for director! 


In the meantime, have you tried the audiobook of Ready Player One -- narrated by Wil Wheaton? Yes, that Wil Wheaton, 'Wesley Crusher' of TV's Star Trek: the Next Generation. For a fun listening experience, you might consider the CD or downloadable version.




Interested readers may also want to reserve the forthcoming title Armada - another rollicking adventure from Cline (this time with aliens) due out in mid-July.