A friend and I were having a discussion recently about our “to be read” lists. We are huge fans of Goodreads but the site is so easy to use that our TBR pile seems to only grow larger and larger. We make an effort each year to read a certain number of titles so the number theoretically will go down but for every one book we read, we find another dozen to add to our list. It’s a never ending cycle.
One of the things we noticed that when we go back through our list we will find titles from a few years ago and wonder “what the hell was I thinking??” There are titles that aren’t in genres we even like or ones that the description is so far off kilter we can’t even figure out how we learned about the book in the first place. While the majority of our TBR books are ones we still want to read there are these….gems….that have somehow ended up in the pile as well. Each month I’m going to try out one of these babies and see where it takes me. It may be a new classic, it may be a true gem…it may be an adventure that I’ll not soon forget. Let’s give it a go, shall we?
We librarians are a pretty spoiled bunch as far as reading goes. Our conferences are like a buffet of free books and mail deliveries are frequently filed with little boxes of book goodness from publishers. Electronic copies of ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) titles are easy to come by and make our book ordering and selection choices so much easier than in the olden days. It all amounts to helping us do our job the best way we can and getting the right book into the hands of the person that will most love it most.
I admit it’s exciting to get that sought after new release weeks (or sometimes months) before the public can get their hands on it. It’s like our own little version of pre-release movie screenings or video games beta testing in those industries. Every ARC, or galley as I usually call them, is a little triumph of success for an author somewhere and I love that about it. That said, I do not love every galley that crosses my desk or Kindle. Some just aren’t a good fit for me personally but will do great at my library and others, well, others are perhaps still needing some editorial guidance before heading to print.
This little corner isn’t for in-depth reviews or great summaries (you will surely find those elsewhere on the internet for most of these titles) but for a quick list of ARC titles available that you want to request before you miss out. Remember – I read across all genres so you may find children’s, YA, Adult fiction, non-fiction or even a rare erotic title thrown in. Consider yourself warned!
Elizabeth Blair Books 