One morning before work I wandered into a local library along my path of commutation and after some confusion about which service desk to approach, asked for a "good book."
What a way to put a poor librarian on the spot, especially as it was only mid-morning on a Monday.
However, the kind librarian rallied well and using Fantastic Fiction and her knowledge of the organization of her library she was able to lead me to a collection of novels by Kurt Vonnegut among which I was certain to find something I was interested in.
I just wish she'd stayed around to chat. I wonder what she thinks of Kurt Vonnegut, Rabbit is Rich by John Updike, and the fact that Theodore Dreiser was from Terre Haute, IN?
Craig,
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way during my reader's advisory experience. Asking for a good book sure is daunting! Plus there's not a lot the librarian can go from just that question! It's good that she put you in the right section, but I agree! I always like it when librarians stay around to chat about their favorite authors or what I'm interested in. I hope you found a book in that section that you could find yourself reading!
I really was interested in the Dreiser books I came across ... not so much the Booth Tarkington books I saw there. The Magnificent Ambersons just left a bad taste in my mouth ... = )
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you caught a librarian off-guard, in mid-morning on a Monday, for that matter! I always wonder why people are not into Mondays. For me, my “Monday” is almost always on Friday! Timing is everything! That is good the librarian still had a positive reaction, despite the pressure of finding a good book. What type of questions did she ask you, if you don’t mind me asking?
ReplyDeleteI also always find it neat when authors are from Indiana. John Green, a Young Adult author, lives in Indianapolis, and I just learned this in December!
Well, she really only asked me the questions about what kind of book I was looking for and if I liked Kurt Vonnegut ... She didn't ask me what I liked about a specific book ...
DeleteHi! I, too, felt nervous about putting a librarian on the spot. I know that personally, it is hard to think of books on the spot when asked. I guess that is why it is good to learn new tools for this class! It is great that the librarian was able to point you in the right direction. I think that once you have people asking you for recommendations for awhile, you learn the answers across genres as you go!
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a public library with an Indiana Author section before. Interesting concept!
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