Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Events for Readers in Toronto Area

The fiction collection in my library is doing the slow summer dwindle as people (especially teens) make a beeline for their summer reading piles.  Summer is a great time to get your reading done as reading outdoors can double for "exercise."  Our current display of "Summer Reads" is doing well as are our "Raves and Faves."  Customers enjoy quick and easy displays that feature sure-fire reads which can be enjoyed on a beautiful sunny day!

As much as we love attacking our reading pile in the summer, we are hot to grow it again in the fall.  Publishers focus a lot of their energy in the fall publishing season, releasing those "soon to be" Christmas presents for avid readers. Authors like fall launches as everyone is "back to the books" and there are a lot of events to promote their work.  In order to get your calendar ready, the following are upcoming fall events that are worth checking out.

Ben McNally - Ben returns to his regular slate of brunches and dinners and these are great events for advisors who want to learn more about books without having to read them all.

http://www.benmcnallybooks.com/?q=events

Word on the Street - THE street festival for readers.  There are several locations so you can find the one which is most convenient for you.  This is a rain or shine festival, so pack your rain boots and umbrella.

http://www.thewordonthestreet.ca/wots/

Eden Mills Writer's Festival - Another outdoor festival that gives readers great access to writers.  It is a little further away from Toronto but worth a drive.

http://www.edenmillswritersfestival.ca/

Harbourfront's International Festival of Authors - For the connoisseur of fine writers' events, this is an indoor event that features the best of international talent.  The events can be experienced individually or as part of a festival experience

http://ifoa.org/

Pencil these into your calendars!

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Going Graphic

Graphic novels aren't usually my reading of choice, but I'm trying to expand my horizons and want to get more graphic under my belt, so to speak, so I can do better Readers' Advisory in this format. I decided to start with the Booklist Top 10 Graphic Novels to see what they're about and understand the dynamic and appeal.

So the top ten are as follows:



1. Ant Colony by Michael DeForge. Illustrated by Michael DeForge. Published by Drawn & Quarterly.

My review.







2. Arsene Schrauwen by Olivier Schrauwen, Illustrated by Olivier Schrauwen. Published by Fantagraphics


My review







3. C.O.W.L.: Principles of Power by Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel. Illustrated by Rod Reis. Published by Image Comics.

My review









4. Here by Richard McGuire. Illustrated by Richard McGuire. Published by Pantheon.

My review

5. Kill My Mother by Jules Feiffer. Illustrated by Jules Feiffer. Published by Norton/Liveright

My review


6. The Love Bunglers by Jaime Hernandez. Illustrated by Jaime Hernandez. Published by Fantagraphics


My review








7. Nijigahara Holograph by Inio Asano, Illustrated by Inio Asano. Translated by Matt Thorn. Published by Fantagraphics

My review



8. The Sculptor by Scott McCloud. Illustrated by Scott McCloud. Published by First Second

My review

9. The Undertaking of Lily Chen by Danica Novgorodoff. Illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff. Published by First Second

My review


10. Weapons of Mass Diplomacy by Abel Lanzac. Illustrated by Christophe Blain. Translated by Edward Gauvin. Published by SelfMadeHero

My review









I've read them all and loved some and didn't enjoy others.  My favourites were The Sculptor and Here by far, and both of those will be among my favourite books this year.
When I enjoy a graphic novel, the images are a big part of the enjoyment, making the book come alive for me in wondrous ways. When I don't, the images are still interesting but not enlightening in the same way. I found myself puzzling over some of them.
I'm glad I ventured into this format that I'm still not as familiar with as I'd like to be.

Readers' Advisory Across Canada

There are few dedicated groups across Canada that are dedicated to readers' advisory.  As I have stated, I am chair of Ontario's readers' advisory committee and we work on developing a yearly event and various initiatives which promote readers' advisory.

I am familiar with another organization in British Columbia which developed after learning about the Ontario committee.  They are involved in many of the same activities but cover the west coast.

The Southern Ontario Library Service also offers some content for library training in readers' advisory.

Resources:

Ontario
https://www.accessola.org/WEB/OLAWEB/OPLA/Readers_Advisory_Committee.aspx

SOLS
http://www.sols.org/index.php/develop-your-library-staff/competencies2/competencies-index/public-service/readers-advisory

British Columbia
https://bclaconnect.ca/?page_id=878