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How fun! A Book Spine Poetry Contest…

By Sunnyvale Library on September 4, 2012 in Adults, Book Alikes, Books and Authors, Library Story, Poetry, Rachel

Are you inspired by book titles? If so, then there is a quick and super fun contest for you…

You will need to:

1. Create a poem using the spine titles from any books (here is my first entry)

2. Take a digital picture of your poem

3. Create a free account on Library Thing

4. Upload the photo to your Library Thing member gallery. Sign in, then go here and click the “Add another picture” link to add the image.*

5. When adding the image, tag it “SpinePoetry2012″. This will add your image to the contest gallery, and counts as your entry into the contest. If your photo doesn’t have the tag, we won’t know that you’ve entered. You’ll be able to see all the entries here.

6. Tell Library Thing about it in the “Title/description” box. You can include a list of the books you used, a transcription of the poem if you want, any explanation, &c.

7. Have fun…

Deadline: Add your photos by 4 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 7.

For more information and prize details: Book Spine Poetry Contest

Here is another example by Michael

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Hunger Games Readalikes

By Children's and Teen Services on March 22, 2012 in Book Alikes, JoAnn, Movies, Teen

Everyone is excited about the movie of the bestselling Teen novel, The Hunger Games, which opens Friday, March 23…tomorrow as I write this. It’s the first in a trilogy, and if you haven’t read it already, you can reserve a copy in the Library catalog…but you won’t find it on the shelves, even though we own a LOT of copies. This book and movie are way too popular.

So what can you do if you’re dying to read Hunger Games but can’t get your hands on it yet? Here are some Teen books (some of them the first in a series) that you’ll enjoy while you wait for the movie to open and your name to hit the top of the reserve list:

Inside Out

“…I’m Trella. I’m a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping inside clean for the Uppers. I’ve got one friend, do my job, and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels. The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to-girl to lead a revolution”

Gone

In a small town on the coast of California, everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappears, setting up a battle between the remaining town residents and the students from a local private school, as well as those who have “The Power” and are able to perform supernatural feats and those who do not.

Girl in the Arena

In Massachusetts, eighteen-year-old Lyn, who has grown up in the public eye as the daughter of seven gladiators, wants nothing less than to follow her mother’s path, but her only way of avoiding marriage to the warrior who killed her last stepfather may be to face him in the arena.

The Maze Runner

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Uglies

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait. In Tally’s world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally’s new friend Shay isn’t sure she wants to be pretty. She’d rather risk life on the outside. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

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What to read next and how to find it

By Adult Services on December 14, 2011 in Adults, Book Alikes, Books and Authors, Michael, Research and Resources

Librarians frequently get asked to recommend books. When this happens, our first question is usually, “Well, what do you like to read?” This piece of information is key to helping the customer find what to read next. If the response is that they love the work of Michael Connelly we are well on our way.

With the help of subject headings we can find related materials with just the click of a button. You have probably seen subject headings before and wondered what they are. Wonder no more. This handy feature on our library catalog takes much of the mystery out of finding what to read next.

If we perform the above mentioned search for Michael Connelly you will get a list of titles. Your next step is to select any title. It doesn’t matter which one. They all share similar characteristics. Click on the title. This will allow you to see all the details about this title. This gives you some indication what the book is about, and it will look something like this:

Subject

Police — California — Los Angeles — Fiction.

Police — Mortality — Fiction.

Los Angeles (Calif.) — Fiction.

Detective and mystery stories, American.

Bosch, Harry (Fictitious character) — Fiction.

Bountiful pickings are just around the corner. Pick a link, (the text highlighted in blue) Choose one that most closely resembles your area of interest. If you click on any of the highlighted links you will be transported to similar titles that will, in all likelihood, meet your need for a new something to read, watch or listen to. This easy procedure can be done for any title or type of material. Some titles will offer up a wealth of suggestions and others just a few. It depends on the number of materials found in that subject heading. Give it a try or ask us how.

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Book Alikes Part III

By Adult Services on November 30, 2011 in Adults, Book Alikes, Books and Authors, Wendy

You may have noticed our new book area to the left when you walk into the Library. We make a special effort to display book covers so that you can see them because, despite the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover,” that’s the first thing many of us notice about a book. And it may be the very thing that entices you to pick it up, check it out, and read it. Sara posted last week about similar-looking romance novel covers, and Kate has posted about other cover similarities before. When I was walking by the new books earlier, one particular cover caught my eye, and it made me think of another very similar cover, so I thought it would be fun to post about more covers today.

First up, the one that I saw today. We’ve got black silhouettes facing the same way and white text on almost exactly the same shade of blue background.

Next, (and thanks to Kate for this one), for some reason, dried flowers laying on books (maybe wood?) take center stage on two book covers that seem to be about a mistress of some sort. Odd.

Backs! Naked female backs with similar coloring. (Thanks to Kate here, too!)

Have you seen book covers that look remarkably similar? Please share titles with us, and maybe your suggestions will be featured in a future “Book Alikes” post.

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The Evolution of the Cover Art on Romance Novels as a Reflection of the Changing Sex Roles in 21st Century America: An Informal Study

By Adult Services on November 23, 2011 in Book Alikes, Sara

The very popular romance novels have changed in recent years. The familiar ‘bodice ripper’ cover art is beginning to be replaced with artwork that is more compelling for its female audience. For instance, instead of heaving bosoms there are rippling male chests wearing pants dangerously low on the hip.

Mostly torsos. Who needs a face?