Reader’s Advisory

Posted October 22, 2024 by Isabella Rodrigues

Alright Sharks, let’s talk about Reader’s Advisory. As many of you know from either class or job experience, reader’s advisory is a key and also fun part of the job. It is also a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the seasons as well as any national heritage or awareness months. October is a plethora of celebrations such as Halloween and National Hispanic Heritage Month (starts in September and ends mid-October.) It is important for librarians to stay plugged into new releases, popular titles, and my favorite: “deep cuts.” I know I’m stealing that term from the music industry that describes underrated or unknown tracks or albums, but I like to apply it to books as wel l. Recommending a patron a deep cut may seem risky, but in my experience, it can really open somebody’s mind to digging deeper and get off the NYT Bestseller’s list. Plus, it makes you look like an all knowing book god. I always encourage readers to check out that unheard title from decades ago, you never know it could be a new favorite! Get familiar with your collections, even the obscure. Stalk Goodreads, Litsy, and BookBub. (Browse BookTok if you dare, but roads might lead to dead ends or pitfalls.) Read something weird! Read something you think you won’t like! That way lies undiscovered treasure. Ask your patrons what they love and hate about a book. What do they feel like reading and is there a comparable title for you to go off on? Once, a patron gave me a playlist and asked for a book title that matched the vibe. Certainly, extra work, but I enjoyed the challenge. Some requests might seem obvious like if someone enjoyed Sally Rooney, you might point them in the direction of Elif Batuman. But, others like someone wanting a “seven to twelve book mystery series set in Victorian times that has a small romantic subplot” might be harder. So here are some of my favorite and also patron favorite “deep cuts” to keep in mind next time you are recommending a title at the library. I found most of these myself either from a friendly librarian or by digging through the stacks.

And because it’s October, I included the spooky/genre fiction ones. 

1. Alice by Christina Henry 

A twist on “Alice in Wonderland” where Alice barely escaped Wonderland with her life as a child. Now she remains in an insane asylum in Victorian London, talking through a hole in the wall to a deranged serial killer named Hatcher. 

2. A Poison Study by Maria Synder 

There’s something that feels different about fantasy written between the years 1990-2009. I think it’s because it was still a little underground, still a little undesirable. People really thought outside the box. Send in your thoughts! Anyway, this series follows a young prisoner who has a choice between being the new poison taster or the gallows. Complete with political intrigue, moral ambiguity, and a somehow touching love story.

3. Child of a Hidden Sea

Probably one of the stranger books I’ve read this year. Bring back portal fantasy! A research photographer gets lost in another world full of pirates and politics and a murder mystery! 

4. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Technically, this series isn’t a true deep cut since Samatha Shannon has another best-selling series, but yes it is because I’ve never met anyone else in person who has read this series. And they should! They should teach it in schools! Set in an alternate universe where suddenly during the 1600s, people started to become clairvoyant. For fans of The Hunger Games, any paranormal mystery, and strangely enough Six of Crows. 

5. Owlish by Dorothy Tse

A professor falls in love with a mechanical ballerina in contemporary Hong Kong in this horrifying, feminist fairy tale. For Mona Awad and Helen Oyeyemi fans! 

6. Zero Repeat Forever by G.S Prendergast 

I’ll be honest, I don’t think this author is planning on completing this series. But, maybe if we petition enough people to read it, they will! In a post-apocalyptic world, robot-aliens have invaded earth as told from the POV of one of the robot-aliens. 

7. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

You know those series that people say “just keep reading, it gets better!” I hate when people say that, but it is true for this series. I think that is why it’s a deep cut. Set in a world of witches, two best friends hold the keys to save the entire world. 

8. The Velocipede Races by Emily June Street

Found this on the side of the road and was surprised to find it was not “garbage.” Set in an “alternate” world where cycling on a very strange bicycle is the favored sport in Victorian times, a young woman tries to break into the sport disguised as her brother. Short, sweet, and pretty funny!

9. Heart Stone by Elle Katherine White

Pride and Prejudice, but they ride dragons. What more can I say?

10. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Rayborn 

The answer to the “seven to twelve book mystery series set in Victorian times that has a small romantic subplot” patron question. I read along with the patron because I was too intrigued and it only spiraled from there. I find mystery-readers the easiest to give recommendations to, but the hardest to get them out of their comfort zones. 

11. A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos 

Translated from French, this book is a secret weapon for any patron that says they enjoy Studio Ghibli movies. The world has ended and the rest of the population lives on floating airships called arks. A young woman named Ophelia is promised to a murderous bureaucrat on the North Pole ark. What follows is a hallucination of whimsy and brutality, like mixing Howl’s Moving Castle together with Game of Thrones.