Summer Reading
Summer is the busiest time of the year at the library. Children are reading lots of books throughout the summer, and so are adults. So many adults tell us this is the best time of year for catching up on the titles they didn't have time to read in other months. Here are some recent survey results about reading you'll find interesting:
11 percent of people like to read digital books.
13 percent of those who would consider digital books are under age 30.
6 percent of those who would consider digital books are over age 65.
43 percent of people visiting bookstores go there looking for a specific title.
77 percent who are looking for a specific title then go on to purchase more books.
52 percent buy a book for its cover art (who says you shouldn't judge a book by its cover?).
49 percent are influenced by book reviews in their purchases.
60 percent of purchases are influenced by recommendations from family and friends.
35 percent of purchasers bought a book because of the quote on the cover.
86 percent of purchasers buy books written by authors they like.
49 percent of shoppers buy at both physical and online stores.
How do you fit into this profile? Are you swayed by the cover? I've never bought a book because of the quote on the cover, but I can be swayed by a review. Additional purchases at a store or online are so easy to do. Things are just so tempting when it comes to books and no, I can't just buy one.
Cover art? That's difficult so say, but bad cover art really turns me off. Or when cover art or illustrations don't match the story, I wonder how this could have gotten by so many editors. What were they thinking? Speaking of cover art, our July display case features books in red, white and blue. Check it out.
Summer reading recommendations could fill a book, but here are just a few to keep you busy for a week:
Jesse Matson and his father, Harold, go deer hunting one November afternoon in "Undiscovered Country" by Lin Enger. Their hunting stands are a quarter of a mile apart and Jesse hears a gunshot from the area where his dad's stand is located. He knows something is wrong and he races to his dad's spot only to find him dead. It looks like a self-inflicted wound, but he doesn't understand any reason why his dad would kill himself. Jesse begins a search into his family's past only to discover secrets, the nature of justice and retribution and what responsibility he bears in this tragedy.
Julie Mueller's daughter had a crush on Michael Slayton when she was a teenager. Michael was older and Julie thought he was totally unsuitable, so she made sure it went nowhere. Twenty years later, Julie realizes she made a big mistake and is determined to set things right. She hopes to reunite them in a dessert-making class in "Sweet Love" by Sarah Strohmeyer.
Summer presents many photo taking opportunities and you'll want to look at Jenni Bidner's "Capture the Portrait." This book will show you how to take great shots that can be turned into portraits. You learn about camera angles and photo composition and how to take your results to your computer for the best picture. Hundreds of sample photographs are included. This book is presented by the Oneonta Photo Forum in memory of Joan Vedy and Virginia Chittenden.
Children's Books
Flip and Linda Nicklin photograph whales close-up and love what they do. Their book, "Face to Face with Whales," contains close-up photos of these wondrous animals and are accompanied by personal stories and facts. Did you know that a humpback whale's eye is as big as a dinner plate and the pupil is the size of an orange?
Millions of years ago there were big bugs on earth. Really big bugs, such as seven-foot millipedes and dragonflies with three-foot wingspans. "Paleo Bugs" by Timothy Bradley looks at these creepy bugs from long ago, and what their descendents look like today.
A cat lived alone. No one asked him to play because they thought he was grumpy. In fact, he was lonely. Will he ever make friends? Find out in "Grumpy Cat" by Britta Teckentrup.
Library Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m-5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Sunday.
Marie Bruni is director of Huntington Memorial Library in Oneonta. Her column appears in the community section of The Daily Star every Thursday.
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