The Left-Handed Librarian

In honor of National Library Week and World Book Day, I thought I would answer one of the most common questions I get asked both at work and in my personal life: With so many books and new titles being released every day, how do you choose which ones to read?

It’s no secret that collecting books is one of my favorite hobbies, second only to reading (as readers and book collectors know, these are two very different things). My personal library is well on its way to nearly 4,000 titles, which as you can imagine takes up a lot of space. In the age of painted edges and limited release collector’s editions, I often preorder titles months in advance. While I do frequently receive access to Advance Reader Copies, there are many books that I take a chance on.

So how do I decide what to read and whether or not it makes it to my shelf? Beyond reading the blurb, here are several factors I take into consideration when making selections:

Is it part of a series I’m already reading?

If the answer to this question is yes, I am almost certainly continuing the series. The number of series that I’ve begun and not finished is low, and I love to have a matching set for my shelf! In this case, I’ve likely been checking for the release dates since finishing the last installment.

Have I read anything by this author before?

If it’s not part of an existing series, the author’s previous unrelated work is still usually a good indicator for me. Did I enjoy what I read before? How was the writing style? Did I empathize with the characters or did the storyline fall flat? Ultimately, did I like it enough that I’m taking a chance on a new work by the same author? This doesn’t always guarantee a book sale from me, but it might get the book added to my library list.

What is the genre?

While I like to read across genres, fantasy novels will always hold a special place on my shelves. I will more frequently gamble on a debut fantasy novel than I will on any other genre. On the other hand, I know that thrillers and crime novels are hit or miss for me, so they’re one of my least common purchases. If they pique my interest enough, I’ll read these from the library first and then decide if they need a place in my collection.

Who is the publisher?

Although last on the list, publisher and imprint are typically my most trusted indicators. Over the past several years, I have maintained a personal library catalog with basic information about each title in my collection. One of the pieces of data I’ve been tracking is the publishing house and imprint of each title, which revealed a trend in my tastes that now helps me decide on new reads. Some of the more common publishing houses and imprints that make it to my shelves are:

• Macmillan Publishers:
  • Flatiron
  • St. Martin’s Publishing Group
    • Wednesday Books
    • Saturday Books
    • Minotaur Books
  • Tor Publishing Group
    • Tor Books
    • Bramble
• Entangled Publishing
  • Red Tower
• Hachette Book Group
  • Little, Brown
  • Orbit
• Penguin Random House
  • Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
    • Knopf
    • Anchor
  • Penguin Publishing Group
    • Berkley
    • Dutton
  • Random House Publishing Group
    • Ballantine Books
    • Del Rey
• Sourcebooks
• Astra Publishing House
  • DAW
• Bloomsbury Publishing

As you can see, many of these imprints have their own smaller imprints, and you’d be surprised how often the different names and symbols on the shelves track back to the same major publishing houses. That being said, imprints exist because they more focused on specific genres and audiences, so just because Tor Publishing Group and Celadon Books are both under Macmillan Publishers doesn’t mean I’ll have the same luck!

Reading preferences are a highly personal choice, so the criteria I use might not be what works best for you. There are new books and many ways to access them every day, and while I often use these indicators to make advanced purchasing choices, they are also helpful in browsing library shelves.

Whatever and however you read, I wish you a very happy World Book Day and encourage you during this National Library Week (and beyond) to support your local library!

Happy Reading!

Kayla