We’re just about a month out from the end of our Summer Reading Club here at the Delaware County District Library. Have you found yourself in a reading lull lately, or are you still chipping away at your “To Read” list? If you land in the former category, you’ll want to take advantage of DCDL’s specialized service to help you find your next favorite book – Personalized Picks!
Back for a limited time, Personalized Picks is a fun way for readers and DCDL librarians to connect and learn about new books based on your specific interests.
Simply fill out the Personalized Picks form at www.delawarelibrary.org/personalized-picks. List the last few books that you read and enjoyed, what aspects you liked about them, and what you want us to steer you toward (or away from) for your next title.
When filling out the form, don’t be afraid to be specific! Using descriptive words and terms like “fast-paced,” “whimsical” or “character-driven” will help our librarians narrow their search. Also, let us know what you’re in the mood to read right now. If you’re looking for a broad variety of genres or types of stories, you can simply fill out another form.
Next, you’ll receive an email with a list of books that we think you might enjoy, based on the answers you provided. The email will include several book recommendations, along with their titles, book covers, synopses, and links directly to the DCDL catalog so you can make a request or check out a digital copy on the spot.
Repeat this process as often as you’d like between now and Aug. 19, during Summer Reading Club. After that, this specialized email service will take a break again until the Winter Reading Club (Of course, you can always call in or stop by to ask our librarians for recommendations!).
The form is primarily for young adult and adult readers. However, if a child or tween reader is looking for reading recommendations, we suggest that a grown-up help complete the form on their behalf, so our librarians can best understand the child’s reading tastes.
We hope you’ll use Personalized Picks soon to discover your next best read! Perhaps you’d request some fantasy or science fiction books in your Personalized Picks submission? If that’s the case, you can start with these titles that were just added to our shelves in June.
• “The Stardust Thief” by Chelsea Abdullah. Welcome to the city of Madinne, where jinn are hunted, trade in magical artifacts is forbidden, and Loulie al-Nazari, a.k.a. the Midnight Merchant, sells illegal relics with the help of her jinn bodyguard, Qadir. Drawing inspiration from the “1001 Nights,” this debut by American Kuwaiti author Chelsea Abdullah kicks off the “Sandsea” trilogy.
• “Book of Night” by Holly Black. In a world where Gloamists trade in shadows, bartender and (sort of) retired con artist Charlie Hall becomes embroiled in intrigue surrounding a missing book known as the Liber Noctis (Book of Night). Is it for you? More similar in tone to the Curse Workers novels than to the Folk of the Air trilogy, YA author Holly Black’s adult debut ends on a cliffhanger that may signal a sequel. Fans of Leigh Bardugo’s “Ninth House” may want to pick this up.
• “Braking Day” by Adam Oyebanji. Born on the lower decks of the Archimedes, engineer-in-training Ravi Macleod prepares for Braking Day, when the generation ship begins its year-long descent to a planet orbiting Tau Ceti. Ravi’s investigation into a shipboard mystery – one aided by his cousin Boz and her AI – may jeopardize his already precarious standing among the crew. Layers of intrigue climax in “a series of jaw-dropping revelations” (Publishers Weekly) in this debut sci-fi thriller, which boasts sympathetic characters and detailed world-building.
• “City of Orange” by David Yoon. A man who can’t remember who he is, or what happened to him – and the entire world. As the unnamed narrator, injured and alone in a desolate landscape, focuses on survival, he attempts to piece together his own past. However, he may not like what he discovers.
• “Nettle & Bone” by T. Kingfisher. Three sisters: one dead, one wedded to a cruel prince, and the youngest, Marra, who leaves the convent to seek the aid of a dust-wife. Three tasks: build a dog of bones, sew a cloak of nettles, and capture moonlight in a jar. If Marra succeeds, she may be able to kill the prince and save her remaining sister. Three companions: Joining Marra in her eerie quest are a demon-possessed chicken, a fairy godmother, and a disgraced knight.
