WLA Readers Section "Never apologize for what you read"

THERE'S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE AT WLA!

by Desiree Bongers

Whether you're attending Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, whether you're an early bird or a night owl, READS has got a program for you!

First up on Wednesday, November 3 at 8:45 a.m is Nancy Pearl. Ms. Pearl is the former Director of Library Programming and the Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library, in addition to being an action figure model and the author of Book Lust. She will be speaking about readers advisory and how to match a reader to the right book using appeal characteristics.

Start your Thursday morning the right way by attending the READS business meeting at 7:30 a.m.

A little later on Thursday, our own gang of four is back. Gary Warren Niebuhr, James Gollata, Bev DeWeese and Helene Androski will be providing an entertaining review of notable ALA and WLA titles of the past year. The fun begins at 10:45 a.m!

Thursday evening, join your fellow readers at 9 p.m. for a discussion of the novel Orchard by Larry Watson. Orchard centers on the lives of two couples living in rural Door County in the 19505. Watson is a Wisconsin author who wrote the award-winning novel Montana 1948, among
others.

On Friday meet Larry Watson in person at his 8:45 a.m. session. He will read from Orchard and discuss some of the research problems faced by writers of historical fiction.

For more '~information about the conference, including registration information and detailed program descriptions, visit http://www.wla.lib. wi.us/conferences/2004/.

NOTES FRPM THE CHAIR by Gary Warren Niebuhr

I recently had the opportunity to speak to the Mystery Writers of America -Midwest Chapter in Chicago on why I read mysteries. In preparing for the talk, I read Writing Killer Fiction by:. Carolyn Wheat. In that book, Wheat makes the point to authors that the most successful mystery book will be the one wherein the author fulfills the expectations of the reader with the contrivances of the genre.

Wow, did that sound familiar. I came to the realization that reader's advisory basics extend beyond our relationship with our customers in trying to determine their needs. With Wheat's inspirational encouragement and my own knowledge of reader's advisory, I put together a talk that .. focused on the general wants of mystery readers. I then did a self-analysis and tried to explain to these writers why I have 6,000 private eye novels in my basement. I would judge the talk a success not only for the audience, but also for myself.

I train on reader's advisory all the time, plus I provide talks on the history of mystery, the history of the private eye in fiction, and on a few major authors in the field. I have been doing these talks for years, but I am not sure I have really thought about the content lately. The chance to speak to MWA-Midwest on a new topic challenged my way of thinking about books, reading and readers.

I would encourage you to get out in the community and promote reading by giving a book talk, 'hosting a book discussion, or making a presentation. Not only will it benefit you as a person, but it will promote the library as well. However, the most important thing-it will continue to promote reading and the love of great liiterature.

With that in mind, my library is hosting another community wide read this fall. The Milwaukee Public Library has a program called Milwaukee Reads and they are kind enough to allow my library to piggy-back on their program. This fall, to tie in with an exhibit that the Central Library is receiving about the legend of Frankenstein, we are going to read the classic novel. Linking the community reads to a major event or display at the library is a brilliant marketing strategy and one you might want to employ in your area.

My Friends of the Library are about to host their fourth Harry Potter party this fall. I am so encouraged at this event when I am interacting with children who are as excited about reading the books as they are about the movies made fi"om them. We are also having a Teen-Read-A-Rama at our library which involves young adults sitting around our meeting room reading. These two events are a startling contrast. One features a connection between a major media event and our readers. The second involves young people taking the time to select books in the areas of their own interests, and then agreeing to come to read them at the library.

And who says people don't read anymore?

Our Role within WLA Conference Programming

Vice Chair Desiree Bongers has put together an exciting block of programs for this fall's WLA conference. Make sure you check out the article in this pews letter to see what we are doing at Lake Geneva.

Planning convention activities can be a very rewarding experience, including the opportunity to interact with some fine authors. If planning this programming sounds like a lot of fun to you, you might want to think about volunteering to be the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect of READS for 2006/2007. The Vice-Chair plans all the programming for the year prior to becoming the Chair.

Keeping In Touch All Year Round

READS would love to keep in touch with you during the year. We have established a web site for our section at http://www. wla.lib. wi.us/readers. Kathy Schmidt maintains this site for us. If you have ideas for the website, please forward them to Desiree (including the content if you want something posted to the web ).

At the WLA convention, we sell RA guides through the WLA bookstore. We are always looking for more bibliographies and guides from our members. These publications are maintained by Member-At-Large Katie Schulz and please contact her if you would like to provide a guide for us to sell.

This newsletter is your resource. We can use information about RA in your library, new RA tools, books you would like to recommend as good reads, books that have worked for you in book talks or book discussion, one city-one book programs, etc. This is your chance to see your name in print!

Readers Advisory On The National Level
Public Library Association's Reader's Advisory Committee

I must sadly report that the PLA's Reader's Advisory Committee llas not quite blossomed like I would have liked. Our efforts to provide specific content for the Boston PLA convention in 2006 was rejected. The committee is going to try and provide prograrnnling content through the same process as everyone else, but that does mean our programs could be rejected by the Boston selection committee. I will be leaving this committee in June of 2005, and I feel like the work there is not done. Anyone interested in serving on this committee should contact me.

And Now A Word From Our Corporate Sponsors

Booklist Magazine is taking an active role in the PLA Spring Symposium's planned for March 7-9, 2005 in Chicago. Two of the many sessions offered during the three days of continuing education will focus on reader's advisory under the direction of Brad Hooper from Booklist and the recently retired RA guru Joyce Saricks. The first session is Fiction: If You Liked That Novel, You'll Like This Novel. The second session is Nonfiction That Reads Like Fiction. Go to the PLA website for the registration d

NEW DESIGN FOR WEBSITE by Jamie Birkett
The READS website http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/readers/ has a new look. I have added a new section called RA Resources which includes KidReads, TeenReads, Reading Group Choices, Reading Group Guides, The Illinois Adult Readers Round Table and the ALA list of reader's advisory trainers by state. If anyone has a website that they would like to add to theRA Resources or other sections of the website please e-mail me at jamie_birkett@hotmail.com,

The website has a book discussion kits section which includes a list of books and the numbers of copies that are available at different Wisconsin public libraries. The libraries that are listed have agreed to loan the books to other Wisconsin public libraries to use for their book discussion groups. If you are an individual with a book group who would like to check out a book on the list, you can contact your local public library to see if they are available through Interlibrary loan. This is a great resource if you are thinking about planning a book discussion program for your library.

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

Gary Wauen Niebuhr, Library Director for the Village of Greendale, has received The Kenneth Kingery Scholarly Book Award for his publication Make Mine A Mystery (Libraries Unlimited, 2003) from the Council for Wisconsin Writers. The award was presented to the author at a lunch ceremony held at The Wisconsin Club on Saturday, May 8th. during the Council's 40th annual awards event.
Willa Schmidt, a former Chair of Readers' Section, won 2d prize in the Wisconsin Academy Review/Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops 2004 Short Story Contest. Her story "Flimflam" appears in the Fall 2004 issue of the Wisconsin Academy Review; she and other contest winners will read their work on October 9 in Madison as part of the Wisconsin Book Festival.

THE 2004 EDGARS By Beverly DeWeese

Each year, the Mystery Writers of America organization awards the Edgar (named for Edgar Allen Poe) to the best novel of the year and the best first mystery novel. Listed below are the nominations for the 2004 awards for books published in 2003.

BEST NOVEL NOMINATIONS

Bruen, Ken. Guards. Jack Taylor, who's just been kicked out of the Garda Siochana, the Irish National Police, is doing a lot of drinking. Depressed about losing his job, he thinks he might become a finder (their version of a P .1.) When lovely Ann Henderson comes in, wanting to know more about the death of her daughter, he offers to take on the case. He soon discovers several other young women have also disappeared. As he works the case, Jack is still drinking, getting beat up, and falling in love. Critics called this "hard-boiled,lyrical, eccentric and darkly comic>"

Kirino, Natsuo. Out. Four women work the night shift producing box lunches. Their own lives are grim and depressing. Then one of the four murders her deadbeat abusive husband. The others want to help her get rid of the body and evade capture. In doing so, they make many dangerous enemies. But these women have had to be tough to survive, and they have decided they will not be afraid. Gritty realism. Intricately constructed. This is a Japan you rarely hear about. Kirkus says " this is a descent into hell like no one you've ever read."

Rankin, Ian. Resurrection Men. Dl John Rebus has been sent to a police school to learn about "appropriate team behavior." He's apparently made one too many people mad. Of course, few know that Rebus has really been assigned to this school to trap some dirty cops. While there, the student teams are to work on the cold case file of Eric Lomax. Meanwhile, his partner, DS Siobhan is finishing up Rebus' work on the bludgeoning of an art dealer, which is leading the cops to an old nemesis, Cafferty. But Rebus is really interested in tracking down these dirty cops. Complicated storylines, dark mood, gritty and suspenseful. And the mystery has some shifting moral landscapes they don't tell you about in cop school. WINNER!

Winspear, Jacqueline. Maisie Dobbs. It's 1929 London and Maisie has just opened her one-woman investigation agency. A seemingly tedious case of marital infidelity leads Maisie to a grim discovery: a group of severely disfigured WWI veterans living under the cult-like rule of a murderer. Flashbacks show Maisie's transformation from servant to scholar to battlefield nurse to sleuth. Called elegant blend of romance, mystery, and war story.

BEST FIRST NOVEL NOMINATIONS

Conway, Martha. 12 Bliss Street. Nicola is having a bad day. She hates her loutish boss, she is being kicked out of her apartment, and she is bored. Even her Victoria's Secret lingerie doesn't cheer her up. Then, outside of the gym where she takes her cardio-kickboxing class, she is kidnapped by two teenage computer geeks and held for ransom. Could her deadbeat husband have something to do with this? Nicola is a clever protagonist. ..and more clever than her husband and her kidnappers. Kirkus says this is "lean and sexy" fun.

Heilbrun, Robert. Offer Of Proof. Beautiful businesswoman Charlotte King is robbed and murdered as she leaves the local video store. And, with her last breath, she seems to accuse Damon Tucker, a black college kid who works there. Circumstantial evidence seems to support her dying accusation. But Arch Gold, a public defender who is handed the case, thinks he may be innocent. Are there others who might want Charlotte dead? Heilbrun does make the courtroom antics very understandable and does not minimize the real problems legal aid attorneys have. Author is son of Amanda Cross.

Rime, James. Night Of The Dance. Wild, rebellious Sandy Fletcher disappeared on the night of the rodeo dance 10 years ago. Now her body has been uncovered. And, since it's election year, the murderer must be found. But her father, a well-known minister, and her brother, who's into armed robbery, don't really want anyone investigating the Fletcher family. However, three men vow to find the killer: retired Texas Ranger Jeremiah Spur; Sheriff Dewey Sharpe, who may be smarter than he looks; and Deputy Clyde Thomas, an African American ex-Dallas cop. Story filled with illicit sex, political corruption, racism, religious hypocrisy etc. Lots of action. Fast-paced, very funny mystery.

Pawel, Rebecca. Death Of A Nationalist. In 1938, Madrid has suffered through the Spanish Civil War .The fascists have supported the conservative Catholic Nationalists, while the communists have supported the Republicans. Now the Republicans have surrendered and Sergeant Carlos Tejada y Leon, who is a Nationalist, and a member of the Guardia Civil, is trying to restore order. Then he finds his best friend murdered. A woman wearing a red scarf (a Republican) is kneeling over the body. Naturally, Tejada vows to exact justice. But has he found the right person? And he doesn't know a wounded Republican is also looking for him. This story is a good mystery filled with the casual brutality and suffering of wartime. WINNER!

Steinhauer, Olen. Bridge Of Sighs. In an unnamed Easter European country, in 1948, 22-year-old Emil Brod is proud to be a rookie homicide detective for his t1.oubled country, though the local police department don't seem very friendly. He has no gun or typewriter, has to use public transit, and his fellow cops ignore him. But he is still eager to investigate the brutal murder of a political songwriter, a case that is more complex than Brod realizes. This is a grim, gritty world, where everyone is suspicious and hungry.

2004 SHAMUS AWARDS by Beverly DeWeese
Each year, the Private Eye Writers of America organization awards a Shamus to the best private eye novel of the year and a Shamus to the best first private eye novel of the year . The winners will be announced in Toronto on October 8th. Listed below are the nominations for the 2004 awards for books published in 2003.

BEST NOVEL NOMINATIONS

Bruen, Ken. Guards. Jack Taylor, who's just been kicked out of the Garda Sioichana, the Irish National Police, is doing a lot of drinking. Depressed about losing his job, he thinks he may become a finder (a P.I). When lovely Ann Henderson comes in, wanting to him to find her missing daughter, he offers to take one the case. He soon finds out other young women have disappeared. Called "hard-boiled, lyrical, eccentric, and darkly comic."

Ferrigno, Robert. Scavenger Hunt. While Jimmy Gage, a scandal sheet reporter in LA, is on a scavenger hunt, he meets a former boy-wonder director who has just been released from prison. (He'd been serving 7 years for the drug-rage murder of a young girl.) He begs Jimmy to get someone to read his script, which shows he's been framed. Then the director is found murdered! Now Jimmy believes the script, not tlle cops, Critics say this is a combination of '.caustic social commentary and black comedic irony."
Hamilton, Steve. Blood Is The Sky. Alex McKnight, a former Detroit cop living in the UP, agrees to help an Ojibwa friend, Vinnie Red Sky, find his missing brother Tom. Tom has been guiding some wealthy men on a hunting trip deep in the Canadian wilderness. However, their investigations stir up some nasty repercussions. Now Alex, Vinnie, and Tom are all in trouble. Lots of action and interesting Native American background. Surviving in the Canadian wilderness demands strong heroes.

King, Jonathon. Visible Darkness. Lawyer Billy Manchester asks retired cop Max Freeman to leave his secluded Everglades home and help him find out why a lot of poor, older, heavily insured black women are dying, especially since their insurance policies were bought out shortly before their death. Very good Everglades setting and a perceptive picture of the poorer sections of Florida.

Lashner, William. Fatal Flaw. Victor Carl, an" ethically adventurous" lawyer, agrees to help his n-iend, Guy Forrest, beat a murder rap. Guy's fiancee has been murdered, and Guy looks guiLty. But Carl figures even a guilty man needs a defense attorney. However, as he investigates the case, Carl thinks Guy might actually be innocent. Per critics, melodramatic but entertaining.

BEST FIRST NOVEL NOl\1INATIONS

Arsenault, Mark. Spiked. Reporter Eddie Bourque investigates a co-worker's mysterious death. However, the police insist the death is not murder, and Eddie's editor refuses to run any story suggesting otherwise. And when Eddie stumbles across even more suspicious circumstances, the editor still ignores his stories. What kind of coverup is this? Critics liked the " solid prose and the gritty backdrop of Lowell, Massachusetts. "

Spiegelman, Peter. Black Maps. John March, a sheriffs investigator in upstate New York, had to really struggle to recover from the death of his wife and his bout of alcoholism. Three years later, he is a PI in Manhattan trying to find out who is blackmailing a self-made millionaire. However, a sociopathic ex-employee of the millionaire and the FBI don't seem to like what March is doing. Kirkus calls this " a provocative debut."

Mitchell, James C. Lover's Crossing. Roscoe Brinker, a Tucson PI and an ex-INS agent, is hired to look into the murder of a local businessman's wife. However, another victim shows up and Brinker thinks the wife may have had something to do with a smuggling ring. Brinker is shot at, and an illegally adopted little girl is in danger. Plus, Brinker's longtime girlfriend is thinking of leaving town. Critics called this a polished, fast-paced first novel.

BEST P APERBACK ORIGINAL NOMINATIONS

Parrish, P.J. Thicker Than Water. Upon release, after serving a 20-year sentence for the rape/murder of a 15-year- old girl, Jack Cade is almost immediately accused of murdering his defense attorney. Jack's son asks Louis Kincaid, an African-American unlicensed P. I., to look into it. After the investigation, it appears that the two crimes are related, and Cade may have been set up for both of them. Good series. Kincaid is an unusual hero who often thinks about the problems of African-Americans.

Cole, David. Dragonfly Bones. Part Hopi, retired computer hacker Laura Winslow tries to live an anonymous, reclusive life in the Arizona desert. Then she gets a chance to help her 23-year-old daughter, whom she has not seen for years, by helping the authorities uncover an identity theft ring. But it is a dangerous trade, and she and her daughter are both in danger.

Helms, Richard. Wet Debt. When a body is found petrified in the concrete of a New Orleans bar, Pat Gallagher (ex-seminarian, ex-shrink, ex-leg breaker, and now French Quarter musician) has to investigate, even if the murder is 70 years old.

Straka, Andy. Cold Quarry. When P.I. Frank Pavlicek finds a master falconer dead in the West Virginia woods, he refuses to accept the "accidental shooting" verdict. And neither does the victim's wife. Instead, Frank believes he's found evidence of a toxic agent contaminating the area. Is this a cover up or a little domestic terrorism? Unusual background.

Please send comments to: Webmaster
Last Updated: 05/8/05
Copyright 2003 The Wisconsin Library Association, Inc.