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- Photo: TBD Staff
If you are what you read, then patrons of the Alexandria Library are into shopping, crying (looking at you, Jodi Picoult), food ethics, economics, and weight training. This week, The List takes a look at what books most intrigued local readers in different parts of the Metro area last year. First stop: the most frequently checked out books at the Alexandria Library, fiction and nonfiction.
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Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella.
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The Pact by Jodi Picoult
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Something Blue by Emily Giffin
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Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
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Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
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Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
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The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
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The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
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Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
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Lift Your Way to Youthful Fitness: The Comprehensive Guide to Weight Training by Jan Todd and Terry Todd
3 Comments
Lisa Rowan
Too many lady books.
Pacha Pigg
Absolutely pathetic.
David Rothman
Lisa and Pacha, I absolutely agree. The failings of schools and parents might be the ultimate causes here, especially in regard to male readers. Female teachers in many cases don’t pick enough books for boys. The problem goes far beyond libraries. Perhaps due to demographics, the extent of the problem is exaggerated in Alexandria compared to other places. I’m just guessing. The librarians may simply be trying to serve the market as they perceive it. At any rate, hats off to TBD for doing this series, and I hope you can have some reaction interviews from librarians, teachers and others, now that you've published the data. Maybe Jenny can also go on to e-books and discuss the number and quality of the digital items at various libraries. For now the Alexandria results in Jenny's piece would seem to be good evidence that we need a well-stocked national digital library system. We need to integrate it with local schools and libraries and offer related preparation for teachers and librarians--and family literacy programs--so the books actually get read. One thing is clear. The more books to choose from, the more likely people are to read. I'm dismayed by the limited e-book selections of local libraries (in part because of the inflexibility of the publishing industry). Remember, digital is the future. The good news is that in at least some area library systems, there's a high demand for some first-rate book in electronic format, not just junky ones. Who knows? Despite my concerns above, maybe the lists would be different if libraries were more serious about digital books and the good ones were promoted well. David Rothman Alexandria resident http://www.theatlantic.com/search/?sort=time&source=magazine&q=rothman+library (The second of the two articles mentions the lag in boys' achievement.) http://www.librarycity.org (site in beta)
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