Selecting Your Next Book

Jan Bobbett

We all have our own ways of selecting our fiction reads. Maybe the easiest way is to make selections based on our favorite authors. If an author treated us well once or twice, maybe we’ll have good luck with another book by the same writer. That’s one obvious selection method, and it often works.

The reverse of the “favorite authors” approach is to think back to authors you were disappointed with. It’s simple enough. Avoid those authors you didn’t appreciate and probably will never like. That limits your possibilities, but not by a lot.

Another approach is to choose a book not by a particular writer, but by type or category. Not something specific like Arizona crime stories, but a general style or mood—a genre.

Here are a few popular genres.

1) Romantic Fiction is usually lighthearted, but the characters usually get together in the end, after tension and challenges.

2) Science Fiction is a genre often set in the future or in another dimension. It might include science or advanced technology. Expect clues, tension, and revelations.

3) Thrillers present a character in jeopardy. The drama might come with suspense, threats, escapes, and sinister forces.

4) Mysteries involve crime, clues, tension, and revelation. Many involve police, evidence, and forensics.

5) Historical Fiction involves factual backgrounds with fictional characters. Sometimes fictional characters interact with the historical characters.

6) Westerns are populated with such characters as cowboys, Native Americans, miners, and cattle drivers. Action can take place in old settings and revolve around romance, survival, and adventure.

Our library is about serving the community with good service as well as good books. We really try to do that. Join us to see our next book purchases (plus some that were donated).

Librarian of the Month

Meet Lee Goodheer. Even in her early days, she liked being around books—enough so that at the age of 14, she decided to take on a job as a librarian aide at the local Carnegie Library, earning 25 cents per hour. Still, being a teenager, she learned to hide in the stacks when she needed some time to herself.

Now a seasoned reader, Lee doesn’t head for the best sellers, preferring instead action that takes place on a small scale. Take, for example, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, by Gabrielle Zevin. A reader’s review: “As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances.” Two other favorites of Lee’s are The Great Desert Escape, by Lloyd, and Harry’s Trees, by Cohen.

Lee has lived in 12 states and two European countries, including the Netherlands, where she took her first steps in what she calls “the fiber arts”—crochet, knitting, and lace.