While they do not represent the rainbow of reading tastes American public libraries accommodate, Book Review editors are a wildly eclectic bunch. One look at their bedside tables and ereaders would reveal very little crossover. This article highlights an eclectic array of spring offerings ranging from print books to an audiobook to ebook apps. It…

This paper provides a compilation of a top ten list of books for 2010. The goal was to glean the very best the great publishing tsunami has to offer with the input of librarians and trusty reviewers; the result is a mix of both the usual suspects and dark horse contenders.

With the exhibits at New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center open just two days, the show floor at this year's BEA was a real free-for-all, with lots of traffic from the moment the doors opened on Wednesday, May 26. But for LJ's review editors, it was worth enduring stubbed toes and rattled nerves to find fresh and interesting titles. In this…

Over the last 15 years, the book review landscape has changed seismically. Reviewing is no longer centralized, with a few big voices leading the way, but fractured among numerous multifarious voices found mostly on the web. In turn, readers aren't playing the captive audience any more. Undone by economics, many traditional print sources have been…

This article presents a list of the best audiobooks of 2008, selected by intrepid band of audio reviewers, range from tales of Bengali and Haitian immigrants to political autobiographies. There's "cake" from Sloane Crosley and emotional pyromania from David Sedaris; a biographical tribute to Maya Angelou and debut novels laced with the…

Mystery and suspense fiction remain as popular as ever for as many reasons as there are readers. "Those who wish for escape or respite read cozies, historicals, or romance crossovers," says Poisoned Pen editor Barbara Peters. "Those who want to stay on the cutting edge of society read thrillers [from authors] like Daniel Silva, Alex Berenson, or…

This article presents a list of new novels. The entire compilation is grouped into pop fiction, literary, thrillers, Christian fiction, mystery, romance, historical fiction, street lit, science fiction/fantasy/horror, and graphic novels.

Start-up Colorado publisher Capital Crime Press found rousing success in 2006. According to senior editor Alex Cole, in their first year of business, they had six new authors making a splash. Robert Fate's "Baby Shark", a gritty noir crime novel set in 1950s Texas that is a finalist for "Foreword" magazine's 2006 Book of the Year, got the biggest…

Gives a detailed discussion of the histories, editorial policies, and contents of two alternative magazines for librarians. (PF)

A review of the book, "The Library of Congress in Perspective: A Volume Based on the Reports of the 1976 Librarians Task Force and Advisory Board Reports," edited by John Y. Cole and published in 1978 (Bowker, 281 pages). The review emphasizes the task force's findings and recommendations. (JPF)

The annual list for 1973 of reference books recommended by a committee of the Reference and Adult Services Devision of the American Library Association. (JG)

The history, background and features of the fifteenth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica are presented. (JG)

A review of materials offered by small presses in 1977, with highlights on the best of books, and some bibliographies and reviews. Materials are grouped by the geographic region of the press. A list of publishers is included. (KP)

The final point of reading the popular weeklies and monthlies to keep informed about critical attitudes in the book world is that one can bring a more knowledgeable point of view to the bookish side of what is still a book-centered profession. (Author/MM)

Reviews recent publications in online database literature including three newsletters ("Database Update,""Database Alert," and "Information Hotline"), a directory ("Guide to Online Databases"), and a textbook ("Online Reference and Information Retrieval" by Roger C. Palmer). The new "Guide to Searching ONTAP ABI/INFORM" is noted. (EJS)