Friday, November 6, 2009 at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library

Breakout Sessions

Handouts or booklists from some presenters will be added to support their presentations and share their expertise.

Historical Fiction
Valerie Reif, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Historical fiction has always been a staple of library fiction collections. Novels in this genre frequently win literary prizes—consider this year’s Booker Prize winner Wolf Hall. This breakout session aims to provide readers advisors with interesting information about Historical Fiction; we will talk about the characteristics of the genre, explore its history, look at its appeal to readers, and consider representative titles in several subgenres.

Great Genres for Book Groups
Susan Brown
Looking to expand your book group's horizons? Do patrons ask you for fresh suggestions for their book clubs? Good genre picks are a great way to get a book group to read outside the lines. In this session you'll hear about mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, westerns, and graphic novels that would make great book club choices.

Horror Fiction
Kelly Fann
On the heels of another Halloween gone by, patrons may be looking to continue the scare through their reading preferences. As the horror genre can easily cross the lines into many different genres such as science fiction, mystery, and fantasy, it becomes increasingly difficult to help readers navigate to the next good read. This breakout session will provide attendees with the basic foundation of tools and resources to assist patrons in their horror genre quest. Major authors, novels, subgenres, and the various scares horror readers seek (and shy away from) will all be explored.

Good Things Come in Small Packages
Kay Galbraith, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library and Angela Strathman, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library 
Short stories are one of the more underappreciated genres in libraries. Some of the finest fiction writing today is on display in the short story form. Come find out what you’re missing in contemporary short fiction.
Short Stories: Good Things Come in Small Packages handout including recommended books and other resources (5 pages, PDF)

Books for the Soul: Contemporary Christian Fiction At Your Library
Deb Bryan, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library and Judith Miller, Author
Author Judith Miller and librarian Deb Bryan will speak about connecting Christian Fiction readers with books they will love. Deb will share her top tips for library staff working with readers of this popular genre. Judith Miller will share about the research behind her historical fiction novels, which include her latest series “Postcards from Pullman,” which showcases the lives of young women working for the Pullman Car company in the late 1800’s, and her newest book, “The Carousel Painter,” which concerns a young woman who works at a carousel factory. She also co-writes books with author Tracie Peterson; their latest is the “Broadmoor” series, which centers around a trio of cousins living in the 1890’s on an island in the St. Lawrence River.
Download Deb Bryan's handout, featuring Christian fiction publishers and awards, plus recommended authors and titles (6 pages, PDF)

The Armchair Traveler’s Mystery Tour
Christina Callison, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library and Susan Schafer, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Here’s your chance to solve murders and travel the world without leaving your chair. The strong sense of place and time in these mysteries take the reader on the most affordable vacation ever.

RA Community Contributors
Lissa Staley, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Learn how to develop a community of book reviewers who read and recommend books on your library’s website or blog and share ideas for engaging your local readers in conversations about books and reading on your library’s website.
Handout for RA Community Contributors presentation (2 pages, PDF)   Sample handout for customers who contribute book reviews (4 pages, PDF)

The Thrilling Story of Pulp Fiction!
Thad Hartman, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
During the period between World War I and World War II, pulp magazines reigned supreme. The pulps offered an eager populace with stories that carried them to exotic locations on adventures far beyond their everyday lives. Although some consider pulps as synonymous with inferior literary work, this format gave rise to some of the most respected and read authors of the 20th century and helped to create and define some of the most popular genres in publishing today.

Presidential Biographies
Dave Coleman, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Biographies about the lives of presidents tell the story of our country in terms of the men who led or in some cases misled it. This session will look at a series of short and very readable biographies on the American Presidents, published by Time-Life Books.

Why YA? Young Adult Fiction that Appeals to Adults
Michelle Eklund, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
In the last few years, YA Lit has become a huge publishing success. Authors like Meyer and Rowling have adults taking a second look at what was previously considered a teen only reading area. Hear from an avid YA Lit reader, why YA can be an appealing fiction choice for adults. A list of YA books will be provided in a wide range of topics.

Bizarro Fiction
Tanya Walsh, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Taking cues from R. Crumb, sideshows, psychedelia, William Burroughs, punk rock, The Wizard of Oz and technology, just to name a few influences, Bizarro fiction is a new underground genre that challenges our notions of reality and absurdity, often conflating the two.

Best Book Blogs
Susan Brown
Ever get bogged down by all the book blogs out there? Blogs are a great way to keep up to date about book news, publishing trends, and genres you may not read regularly. In this session, you'll learn about the best of the book blogosphere and be able to share some of your favorites as well.

Who are “Tweens” and What Do They Want?
Jean Gardner, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library and Betty Jean Neal, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
Learn how to service this special group with the newest, oldest and best. Bring home sources for book lists and information about the “Tweens” in your library.
4 Tween bookmarks to help Celebrate the Book (1 page, PDF)
Sources for Tween book recommendations (1 page, PDF)
Presentation featuring Books to Movies, Oldies but Goodies, Just for Boys and more (49 pages, PDF)

Kansas Reads: Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
Roy Bird, Kansas Center for the Book, State Library of Kansas
The Kansas Reads 2010 selection will be discussed.
Notes and information about the 2010 Kansas Reads choice (4 pages, PDF)

Culinary Mysteries
Janice Rawlings
The session will include a short description of culinary mysteries in general and several book talks highlightling some recent publications by authors in the genre.
Culinary Mysteries chart including Author, Main Character, Sidekick(s), Romantic interest, Culinary connection, Setting (1 page, PDF)

Hard-Boiled Detectives
Sean Barker, Information Services, The University of Kansas
“Hardboiled” will offer an overview of a genre of crime fiction that has inspired consistent fascination since its popularization by American authors in the 1920s. The “hardboiled” detective is often a loner who confronts crime and violence in an unsentimental, even flippant manner. Perhaps the most famous examples are Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade, Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, and Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer. The session will move beyond overview to consider contemporary authors who incorporate aspects of the “hardboiled” tradition into their fiction. These authors include James Ellroy, Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, George Pelecanos, Dennis Lehane, Richard Price, Val McDermid, and Ian Rankin
"Hardboiled" Crime Fiction including a Selection of Classic Authors, Classic Noir Films, and a selection of Contemporary Authors (3 pages, PDF)

Great Escapes for Mental Breaks
Christina Callison, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library and Angie Foltz, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
These book recommendations are meant to be stress relief for a world gone mad. This select list features a variety of books both nonfiction and fiction that cover multiple genres.

You CAN Tell a Book by Its Cover!
Jayme Lyons, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library 
A fun and useful look at how much information you can glean from the font, artwork and cover design of the average fiction book. We will also discuss other alternative ways readers can identify books they will enjoy. Add one more quick tool to your Reader’s Advisory toolbox!

For more information about the Celebrate the Book! conference, contact Deb Bryan, Valerie Reif or Tanya Walsh using this form.