Posts tagged Elin Hilderbrand

This month, I am happy to introduce you to a fellow blogger and librarian.  One of my favorite coworkers, Kate, has worked as a library circulation assistant for 12 years.  She enjoys reading, helping customers find new authors to read, and setting up displays.  She can be found online at her new blog, Book Pusher By Day. Make sure you check it out!

HEY BOO BOOKS: How long have you been a librarian?    

KATE:  Almost 12 years

HBB:  What are the three best parts of your job?     

K8:  Senior customers, readers advisory, the other half of the dream team (we rock the circ desk on a regular basis…I swear people are in awe of us!).

HBB:  Can you tell us a little bit about your blog and what you’re hoping to accomplish with it?    

K8:  My blog is, or will be multi-purpose.  I will be writing reviews of books I read, some thoughts on author tidbits and possibly some library stories that may seem hard to believe, but honestly, you can’t make some of this stuff up.  We should have a reality show.  The Kardashians wouldn’t be able to keep up!    

HBB:  What genres do you usually pick up to read?  

K8:  I love a good legal thriller.  For a time, I thought I wanted to be a lawyer.  I enjoy a good romance, particularly historical fiction.  Sometimes, I just want something light and easy to read, almost to refresh myself (usually my go-to for this is Evanovich).

HBB:  Who are your three favorite authors?  

K8: Harlan Coben is my absolute favorite.  He writes mystery/thrillers that have twists and turns that you never see coming.  Just when you think you’ve figured it all out, he turns you around and now you’re off in another direction.  I like a lot of his books, but my favorite remains Tell No One.  I really like Brian Haig and his JAG attorney character, Sean Drummond.  My favorite is The President’s Assassin.  I don’t want to pick a third favorite because I like so many others that I would feel I’ve slighted an author by not mentioning them.  I love a good John Grisham book, and Elin Hilderbrand is my go to summer read along with Wendy Wax.  I’ve discovered Karen Witemeyer this year, as well as Kate Alcott.  I’ve been a fan of Stuart Woods, Robert Parker was a must read, I am fascinated over and over with Diana Gabaldon books and enjoy Sara Donati.  See what I mean?

HBB:  How about your least favorite author(s)? 

K8:  Right now, I am pretty annoyed with James Patterson’s last couple of books.  He’s phoning it in and there are way too many books I want to read to waste my time on that.  I don’t read sci-fi or fantasy (I just can’t wrap my brain around that stuff) and I don’t like slice and dice books, so any author who writes in that style is on my must miss list.

HBB:  What are the five books you would take with you if you were stranded on a desert island? 

K8:  I would take my bible, the entire “Jamie and Claire” Gabaldon series, The Firm by Grisham, Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and I’ll reserve my last pick until I am packing for the trip that might take me over a desert island. 

HBB:  Quarterly, you create a list of upcoming fiction and nonfiction books for our customers to look forward to.  What sources do you use to find out what new titles  are coming out?  

K8:  Mostly Amazon and Library Journal.  I also get a lot of pre-pub alert emails.  And I am a member of Net Galley, which allows librarians to get advance copies of books that might not be coming out for several months.  So, I see titles there that I might add to the quarterly list.  I just requested the latest Sandra Brown book Low Pressure which isn’t released until 9/18/2012. 

HBB:  What’s your preference: e-books, real books, or a little of both? 

K8:  I love the feel of a “real” book in my hands, but I am reading on a Kobo, Nook and Kindle, as well as an I-pad and for convenience sake when traveling, an e-book cannot be beat.  Lightweight, so many choices of titles to choose from.  My nook has over 200 sample books on it, so I can try a short (typically 30-70 pages) portion of a book before I spend money or time reading the whole book. 

HBB:  Can you judge a book by its cover? 

K8:  Sometimes.  I’ve picked up books just because of the cover and loved them.  And I’ve picked up books because of the cover and couldn’t put them back down fast enough.  A good cover will still catch my eye, but I will read the jacket for a little more confirmation that I want to read the book and then I head to Amazon to see how the reviews are going.