Reading Profile

Teachers and librarians have the power to shape opinions of books. That being said, I want to share a brief story about reading when I was younger. One of my former elementary teachers decided that, as a class, we should read Shiloh, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Old Yeller. In the same year. Needless to say, I was pretty traumatized, and even stopped reading for a while. I remember that parents of some of the other children in that class were just as upset at the content of the stories. That year was soon to be forever known as The Year of the Dead Dog. It was so sad, because I love dogs and hate to read about their demise. 

I got over it eventually, though, and went back to reading. Looking back at that bad experience during my childhood, I am now hyper-aware of Readers’ Advisory. It has been my mission as a librarian to match the right book with the right reader. 

I am glad for our textbook, because it breaks down each genre and what will/won’t work for some patrons. This is a great approach for people who may not have read certain genres and wants to know what they may be getting into before starting a new book series or a new author. In The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction, Joyce Saricks does a wonderful job with bringing attention to any red flags that may come up with a particular genre. For example, in chapter five, Saricks (2009) writes about Thrillers, “Violence and the threat of violence figure prominently in this genre. High body counts seem to be the norm in almost all publishing currently, and Thrillers tend to drive up those numbers. This may be troubling for readers unfamiliar with the genre, but for most fans the page-turning pace at which they read means that the violence sometimes goes practically unnoticed, unless it is unusually descriptive” (77). This is good for librarians to know, especially when they are talking to patrons about what they like or can’t handle.

When it comes to my personal taste, I have limits. It bothers me to read extreme swear words, about the deaths of children and animals, anything about horror/serial killers, and books with sexual content. Instead, I like books with modest content, which is probably why I like the Classics and Nonfiction so much. Some may call or think me boring, but I prefer old-fashioned.

However, I do like the occasional Cozy Mystery, one that focuses on "whodunit" than about the actual murder. So long as the Mystery, Suspense/Thriller book isn't graphic with the above content, I can handle it. The Historical Fiction genre is one of my favorite genres, because I really enjoy reading anything about history, fictional or true. Rhys Bowen is one of my favorite authors, and she often combines these two genres for her stories.

Jane Austen is one of my all-time favorite authors in the Classics, although I still have to read Mansfield Park, Sanditon, her letters to her sister Cassandra, and some of her less-popular works.

There is a difference between censorship and knowing your limits, and helping a patron avoid the content that they do not like, for a great reading experience. I know Readers’ Advisory will be a useful tool to help me better recommend books to patrons, and avoid any kind of dead dog faux pas!

Works Cited

Saricks, J. (2009). The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction (2^nd ed.). Chicago: American Library Association.