The View From Circulation - What's Trending, Unique, & Informational

Most of the Historical Fiction books we have seen repeatedly checked out in circulation are authors that have previously published favorites.  Kate Quinn , Pam Jenoff , Kristin Harmel , Marie Benedict , Kristin Hannah , Amor Towles , and Patti Callahan . If you are looking for a variety of Historical Fiction consistently good reads check out the backlist of these authors if their current release isn't available. Here are their newest releases that have been proven "winners".  The Rose Code by Kate Quinn  begins in 1940 but carrying on in post-war Britain and centers on three women cryptanalysts. The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff is set in Poland during in WWII and inspired by a true story.  The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi is  set in India in the 1960s this story continues from the very popular book : The Henna Artist    The Forest of the Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is set in WWII a young woman uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewis

Our book clubs have been active throughout the pandemic. Most are meeting via zoom.  The book clubs are reading a variety of selections, although, most are historical or literary fiction. Most popular selections include general patron favorites such as,  The Dutch House , Where the Crawdads Sing,  Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine  , Beneath the Scarlet Sky, and The Silent Patient . But what really makes a good book club book? A lot of book clubs choose books they think everyone is going to enjoy. We find some book club leaders struggle with selecting options that might not appeal to everyone. However, if everyone likes the book, does that make for good discussion? As a member of a book club for over 20 years some of our best discussions are based on books where opinions were divided. Also, books where the character's experiences are foreign to us stimulate interesting discussion. What about size of the book? This is definitely something to consider so that all book club members

Enjoying these cozy reading days of winter?  The mini-library is open for browsing and if you are wondering what to read next we have staff pick and popular books from 2020 selection carts, as well as, our newest releases ready for check-out.  This months reading recommendations include : The Chicken Sisters by K.J. Dell'Antonia  : A delightful story that entertains with old family feuds, a reality tv food competition, friendships, love, and the messiness of family. Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz: If you haven't read Magpie Murders I recommend starting with that book and then enjoying continuing with this inventive mystery that uses another author's (fictional)  mystery book to solve a crime.  Filled with twists and suspense and especially recommended for anyone who enjoys good British crime fiction or clever cozy mysteries. Can't Even: How Millenials Became the Burnout Generation   by Anne Helen Peterson: This book resonated with two of our librarians. "

Publisher’s weekly sent out the bestselling print books of 2020. The report indicates that print books still outsell ebooks, but ebooks have definitely gained popularity in 2020. Interestingly, Amazon (the largest seller of ebooks) does not report its ebook sales to any major industry sources. The top 25 include: 1. Barack Obama, A Promised Land (2,574,531 copies sold) - Memoir / Political 2. Stephenie Meyer, Midnight Sun (1,311,147 copies sold) - Fiction YA Series 3. Dav Pilkey, Dog Man (1,240,277 copies sold) - Children’s book; 2019 top selling series 4. Mary L. Trump, Too Much and Never Enough (1,235,924 copies sold) - Biographical / Political 5. Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (1,235,099 copies sold) - Fiction YA series  6. Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing (1,132,973 copies sold) - Fiction published in 2018; #1 in 2019 7. Glennon Doyle, Untamed (1,018,536 copies sold) - Memoir/ Personal Development 8. Jeff Kinney, The Deep End (920,709 copies sold)

What have you been reading? It seems like a lot of us are having trouble reading during covid-19. "Distracted" seems to be the key phrase.     Perhaps Earth Day inspired you ( Bookmark's Earth Day Inspirations ). Have you wanted to read more about pandemics? New York Times Essential Pandemic Books or fiction   Books to Read During a Pandemic .   Note: my husband enjoyed and recommends "Pale Horse, Pale Rider".  He read it the first week of  "stay-at-home" and periodically shared interesting facts about the Spanish Flu pandemic.  Needed to escaped into Science Fiction or Fantasy? Bookmark's Five Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Ease Your "April" (now May) Isolation I have had trouble reading. In the beginning of this stay-at-home time I focused my attention on my "family history" hobby and wrote a family history book to give to my aunt for her birthday.  After four weeks, that was finished, and now I had a lot of

Whether you read for entertainment, knowledge, or escape, there are many fiction books that take us on journeys. Some are obvious journeys of self-discovery by foot, such as, "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed or "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson .   In some you'll find journeys that are more spiritual: "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel   and "The Shack" by William Young . Some will change your outlook  "The Alchemist by Paul Coehlo and "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini . These type of books stick with you longer than most. They provoke discussion. They often change perspectives.  Recently I've enjoyed two books that were recommended by our Duxbury readers that have reminded me how wonderful it is to follow along on a journey with characters of a well written book. "Washington Black" by Esi Edugyan  and "This Tender Land" by William Kent Krueger.  "Washington Black" takes you on a jo

One of my favorite things working in circulation is seeing one of you walk in the library and finding a must read selection on the shelves. At times we feel like confetti should fall from the ceiling when someone is lucky enough to enter in the library and find one of the most popular selections is on our "Lucky Star" display. Duxbury library prides itself on purchasing multiple copies of popular reads based on Duxbury patron requests. Our selectors monitor the reports and will place an additional order for a book if there are a number of Duxbury patrons in the hold queue waiting for available copies. Our "Lucky Star" copies do not get circulated in the hold queue and cannot be renewed so often you will be surprised to see a book you have been on hold for available on this shelf.  "Lucky Star" books are created when the books have a lot of holds (some even before they are released from the publisher.) Recently books people have cheered when they ha

Our Hot Summer Reads are on the bookshelves and I just finished one of last year's favorites "Stillhouse Lake" by Rachel Caine . It is a "don't want to put it down" suspense and at 286 pages a perfect size to take with you for a quick read. What are your perfect summer read selections? Past favorite summer authors of mine include Charles Martin, Elizabeth Berg,  and Kristen Hannah . Summertime vacations gave me enough time to read some of my all time favorites like "Water for Elephants" or "The Help" .  Duxbury readers enjoy local authors Elin Hildebrand and Nancy Thayer whose summer themed novels fly off the shelves. Don't forget some of the YA (young adult) series or even adolescent series for a great escape. Two different summers at my daughter's urging I read through the " Twilight"  series and  "The Hunger Games" . When your children recommend book take them up on it, they are often great esca

Do you already have a large list of books to read in 2019? 'The goal setting season is upon us and I hope in that list all of us are incorporating time in your day for reading or listening to a book. Last year I started a new practice of listening to audio books when I walked the dog or while in the car. Many hours were productively passed while I enjoyed a number of books I would not have had time to read and some that I probably enjoyed more because of the storytelling talents of the narrators. I also tried to be more intentional about picking up a book to read versus logging on to social media or email, thus, reduced the hours we can sometimes lose on the computer and enriched my perspectives through a good book instead. I have to say I read a lot of good books in 2018 helped by culling my reading selections based on your recommendations, recommended reads from various book review sources and previewed selections by the Duxbury Library Staff.  Perusing my Goodreads li

This week brings us into July with beach trips, road trips, camping trips, and enjoying our national parks. Looking for books set in your destinations (or to daydream)? Through the month of July and August we are selecting favorites and displaying them in the "Reader's Challenge" bookshelf across from the circulation desk. Authors Nancy Thayer and Elin Hildebrand will transport you to Nantucket.  Traveling to Maine? Enjoy mysteries by Linda Greenlaw (America's famous woman Swordfishing captain). The variety of displayed selections will transport you all over the United States and will change throughout the summer. Looking for ebooks to download set throughout the United Status check out this list "The Most Famous Book Set in the United States" published by Business Insider. Does your selection have a hold list? Don't forget Duxbury library code holders can check out books in the Sails Library Network and Minuteman Library Network.

The June Library Reads newsletter Top 10 Books Librarians Love   mentions a number of new releases by popular authors, such as, B.A. Paris , Anthony Horowitz,  and the sequel to Fredrik Bachman's Beartown. Working behind the circulation desk we are often asked for reading recommendations. We have "Patron Picks" and "Staff Picks" that are readily available for check out and we change out these selections regularly. What are we reading? Probably no different that what you are reading - our best sources are our patron recommendations. With an endless stream of books new and old being passed through our hands on a given day we are always on the lookout for repetitive checkouts and transit items. Unfortunately, our online "hottest holds" often has books that are on order and not available for release. Elin Hildebrand 's latest "The Perfect Couple" has been on order and available for holds since February and has been on our "ho

Lazy days of summer bring long daylight hours to sit outside, soak up the sun, and read. The television and computers are switched off and we awaken our imagination, knowledge, and dreams. Do you have a favorite author you like to read over the summer? Maybe you enjoy reading old classics or eagerly anticipate the "Hot Summer Reads" Duxbury Free Library orders each year from a list of favorites identified throughout the year. The beginning of summer also brings "Summer Reading Lists": from schools, newspapers/magazines, and bloggers. I pour through the reading lists marking the ones that interest me, never worrying about the time it will actually take to read them all. I've gathered a number of lists that have made it into my inbox. Access to the "Duxbury Free Library Hot Summer Reading" list will be available all summer on my blog and highlighted just right of the blog post. Are you a patron of the Duxbury Library? Credit yourself w

It has been about a decade since my kids were in middle school and they took me on the magical journey through "Harry Potter", led me through a dystopian world and adventure in "The Hunger Games", and the fantasy romance of the "Twilight Series". However, once they were on to high school their reading marathons were often replaced by music and sporting activities or homework, so I was no longer exposed to the books beloved by our youth. Working in circulation I once again have the advantage of seeing what the teenagers and young adults are checking in and out. Captioned "A Harry Potter-esque adventure." by Time Magazine,   I recently was intrigued by a young adult book "The Trials of Morrigan Crow" by Jessica Townsend . The last rainy weekend I put down my historical fictions and family sagas and delved into Morrigan Crow's world of "Nevermoor". Reminding me a lot of Harry Potter, I was quickly enthralled and taken