‘Tis the Season
It’s that schizophrenic time of the year. As librarians begin to order Spring/Summer titles, the consumer media is making its picks of the best titles of 2007 (and, to add to the list mania, we’re beginning to see the picks for holiday giving. There’s even a book list for fashionistas). The National Book Critics Circle has added to the surfeit of lists, with a poll of the favorites of its 800 members (an impressive 500 members responded to the call). This list kicks off a new initiative – a monthly list. The more timely monthly lists may be more helpful to selectors than the annual. We’ll let you know about them as they are published. The NBCC blog gives the top five selections in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry. None of the selections are a surprise, but there are some interesting choices in the longer lists for fiction, nonfiction and poetry. I was happy to see Kate Braestrup’s moving debut memoir “Here if You Need Me,” on the nonfiction list. For some reason, it hasn’t yet received strong library pick up. Tell fans of the book to look for Kate’s second title, “Marriage, and Other Acts of Charity” in 2009.
