“Affection for a book is its best award, and books that earn that award arrive from the hearts and minds of writers, not juries.” –E.L. Konigsburg*
Delighted by the ALA Youth Media Awards? Disappointed? The halls of the ALA Midwinter Conference buzzed with each librarian and reader’s applause (and whoops) for winning titles and sighs of disappointment (and rumbles of more than disappointment) for favorite titles not selected.
Instead of cataloging my complaints and huzzahs, I have resolved to instead be a more affectionate reader. Taking a page from the book of 100+ librarians who worked endless hours to read, review, meet, cajole, and struggle with the best of the best in children’s fiction for these awards…I will commit more time to herald the books I read.
You might too. Why? Because authors and illustrators NEED you. They not only need you as readers but they need your big mouths to talk about their books live (and more importantly) online.
The book world is flooded with books (both good and not so) at a time when we have less money to purchase books and less hours to read. Put yourself in the cranium of the creator. How would it feel to publish after years of work and hear silence? You may tell a co-worker what you are reading, but the creator cannot hear you nor can the millions of other readers who might benefit from your good opinion.
Review the book on Amazon (even if you are an indie bookstore buyer, everyone uses Amazon to search), open an account at LibraryThing to catalog what you are reading and what you think of it, and/or open an account with GoodReads and sync it with your Facebook account. Or blog, my dear friends…everyone is doing it. Darn, start your own book award.
But don’t feel burdened by the obligation…be brief, be flip, be free.
Affectionate Readers Wanted.
*Thanks to John Hunt for the E.L. Konigsburg quote on his Heavy Medal Blog.
Thanks to Jamie Hogan for this sketch book illustration of me clutching comics. She is as generous, gregarious, and gorgeous as she is talented.
