Inspired: Hidden Treasures

Inspired by:  Let's Get Lost -- Adi Alsaid (Coming to the Teen section in July 2014)

Early in Let's Get Lost, one character takes another on a tour of his hometown. This is the kind of tour you can only give if you've lived in one place for your entire life and know all the places that are overlooked or that have history to them. The book really invites the reader to look at life as a treasure hunt, which reminded me of my list of bookstore finds that I refer to as "hidden treasures." It's stuff I love to recommend, because they're books people probably wouldn't find on their own. Stuff I only know is there, because the bookstore is where I spend my time.


Barnes & Noble Collectable Leatherbound kids classics for $10  
Hidden in: Juv Bargain
Featuring titles like Peter Pan, Anne of Green Gables, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Blue Fairy Book, etc...These books make the best gifts because they're totally readable and look amazing on the shelf. They're the kind of gift you can give a little kid and they'll want to hold onto them when they're grown. However, because they're in bargain instead of with the other classic kids books, I fear a lot of people miss them.  (Also, just $10!)

Talk Show Murders -- Al Roker (and Dick Lochte)
Hidden in: Mystery
I came across this book one day while shelving. Admittedly, mystery is one of my weaker sections to recommend in, because I only like to recommend things I really enjoyed, and my to-read list is where most of my mystery books are. In addition, some of my favorite mysteries are shelved in fiction or teen, causing me to forget about them completely. When possible, I like to recommend Talk Show Murders, because, as I say, it's a book, but it's also a conversation starter. "Did you know Al Roker had a mystery book?" No, you probably did not. It's a great gift to give the person who reads mystery but has everything. Everything...except for this.

Battle Royale -- Koushun Takami
Hidden in: Sci-fi/Fantasy
It is rumored that Suzanne Collins (author of Hunger Games) stole a bunch of ideas from Battle Royale, a Japanese novel... Collins claimed she'd never heard of the work before writing Hunger Games. I love to challenge readers to pick up this 800-page mammoth of a book and see the similarities and differences for themselves. However, be warned: Battle Royale is more graphic than Hunger Games.

A. J. Jacobs
Hidden in: Humor
Looking for a gift? Tucked away in humor are a few books written by journalist A. J. Jacobs. He'll take a year of his life and do something crazy with it, like read the entire Enclyopedia Britannica or dedicate himself to following instructions from the bible. They are fun to read, but you learn things too. I think they're a pretty good gift idea for a hard-to-buy for older gentleman. (Also check out the trivia section--that entire section is a hidden treasure.)

Attachments -- Rainbow Rowell
Hidden in: Fiction
While everyone in the Teen section is going crazy over Eleanor & Park and Fangirl (and rightfully so), poor Attachments is sitting over in the Fiction section, mostly ignored. Attachments is about a guy whose job it is to monitor the company emails and the girl with constantly flagged emails, who he falls for.



Les Petits Fairytales --

Previously hidden in: Juv Fairytales
It used to be that while everyone was browsing for toddler books in the Little Books for Little Hands section, these super cute board books were sitting in the Fairytale section, where no one would think to look. But, it looks like someone finally moved them--huzzah!  Also check out the Little Books for Little Hands section for a babylit version of Pride and Prejudice. That's a treasure as well, albeit not a hidden one.


What are your hidden treasures?

Response to Hank Green’s Rant on Books

I've been meaning to make a video response to Hank Green's rant on books since the day he uploaded it. But, alas, my house is cold, and I cannot be bothered to leave the comfort of my pajama pants. Also, my bookshelf is right in front of a window and does not lend itself to vlogging. So, now I have a blog. Hellooooooo, Internet.

1. Hank's complaint: spoilers on the back of books. My complaint: a photo of the author instead of a synopsis.

Picture this: while browsing in a bookstore, you see a book that looks interesting. You pick it up and flip it over to read the back and to find out what it's about, only to be greeted by an author's face and nothing else. What do you do? Well, if you're me, you throw that book right back on the display you found it on, and don't give it a second thought. Authors, you are lovely people, and I'd love to see your face, but your face does NOT tell me what the book is about. I don't want to have to open up the book and read the inside flap to figure it out.

2. Hank's comment: if the book is part of a series, tell us. Put a little number on the bottom. My comment: what he said.

I'm talking to YOU, Princess Diaries series. There are ten of you and every single title has the word "Princess" in it... Why did you make it so hard to buy the right one? I know one of the mass market versions used to have the numbers on them... What happened to that? Hmmm?



3. Hank's complaint: Don't lie to me. Me: I have a story...

Behold: the back cover of #32 of the Sabrina the Teenage Witch series, Reality Check. In the second paragraph, you'll see one of problems listed is "Val resigns as school newspaper editor." However, if you actually read the book, she doesn't. That never happens, and it's interesting that of all the Sabrina books that could have had an error on the back cover, it happened to the book titled "Reality Check."

I have so many questions about how that mistake came to be...



My additional complaints:

1. When you re-release books, don't shove all the sequels together with the first book in one volume. Christopher Pike is my favorite author, and I want everyone to read his books, but Remember Me was better than Remember Me 2 and 3. (The sequels don't need to be read at all, really. You can and probably should stop after you read the first one.) If you republish them all together, I can't recommend them.

2. Put the main character's name in the summary somewhere. I read 915 books last year. I'll be halfway through a book, when I realize I don't know what the main character's name is. Make it easy for me to  find while I'm trying to review it.

3. Book texture. Have you ever picked up a book with a cover that felt like chalkboard? Well, it is deeply unpleasant. If you want physical books to continue to sell, maybe you should pay attention to how they feel when you're holding them.