Wednesday, July 1, 2020

July #IWSG: WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD BOOKS GONE?





July 1 question - There have been many industry changes in the last decade, so what are some changes you would like to see happen in the next decade?

The awesome co-hosts for the July 1 posting of the IWSG are Jenni Enzor, Beth Camp, Liesbet, Tyrean Martinson, and Sandra Cox!




To answer the above question, I would love for the world of publishing to return to basic story telling. So many authors want a platform to spew their rhetoric or doctrine. I get sick of people trying to sell a message to the masses. In the last few decades I remember reading for fun. The top selling books were Harry Potter, the Alex Rider series, Lockwood & Co. For instance, Diary of a Wimpy Kid debuted thirteen years ago. Hands down, it's still the most checked out book in my library. Kids want to laugh, and they want to relate to the characters. 

The simplicity of reading for the pleasure of the page has fallen out of fashion. I'm not saying we can't have depth to our writing or a message to give to children. But when it becomes the obvious driving point behind the story, I roll my eyes. Why do I feel this is an uphill battle? Where have all the good books gone? This remains my whole reasoning for reading my favorite books over and over. Call me old school if you want. Not every book is a dud. I relentlessly hunt for good reads. It's my job! This is my opinion on the changes I'd like to see in the book industry. 

On a more positive note...I've been offered the head librarian position of another elementary school in addition to my current school librarian job. I'm honored that they trust me with twice the number of books and twice the kids. I will divide my time between the two schools and I couldn't be happier!! 

How's your summer going? Read any good books lately? Ready for school to start? Need a vacation? 

28 comments:

  1. Love that! I'm not a fan of preachy books of any kind - and especially not preachy kids' books. Kids will take their own messages from a book and that's a good thing. My students have loved Wimpy Kid since they came out too! Fun stories :)

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    1. Yes, kids are smart and can understand a truth or a underlying message just fine. No need to be preachy!

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  2. No one wants to be preached at. DLP tries to pick titles for kids with some value but the story has to matter the most.

    Congrats on the head librarian job.

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  3. Congratulations!
    I'm wondering where all the good movies have gone. Oh wait, they are holding on to them until the theaters reopen. That's why we are getting such mediocre crap right now.

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    1. I agree. We keep watching the classics: Tomb Raider, Super 8, Goonies, and Napoleon Dynamite. Theaters need to hurry up and reopen.

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  4. Congratulations on your head librarian position!

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  5. I couldn't agree more. I feel like it's a rare thing when I find a book that just tells an engaging story, rather than trying to push a certain message. And so many of those messages are depressing, which is the last thing kids want or need. My most recent find is Jonathan Auxier. His stories have a lot of depth, and the story is paramount.
    Congrats on your librarian position!

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    1. Yeah, I don't agree with all the messages they try to brainwash our children with these days! Thanks!!

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  6. Hi,
    Congratulations and all the best. I am sure that your outstanding job at the library you are working at has come to their attention. Keep up the great work and all the best.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

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  7. Congrats on your new job! I don't enjoy preachy books either. But I've been reading a lot of good MG and YA books lately that sometimes are even better because they combine genres. And I think the debut authors I feature share good stories too.

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    1. So true! I think your blog hosts wonderful books and their authors!

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  8. Congrats on the new job!

    I do need a vacation, but I'm not ready to travel. So I'll just hang out at home and enjoy what our town has to offer.

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    1. Thanks! We're heading up North soon. So need to get out and have some fun.

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  9. So thrilled for you on the new head librarian position!

    I am so with you on the preachy content of books now. Notably, three of my (formerly) favorite best-selling top fiction writers (adult) have decided to use their fiction to advance their political views with hateful rhetoric against those on the other side. This crap is not interesting, entertaining, nor does it advance the story. My takeaway is, for the price of their new books, I can support five or so indie authors.

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, I couldn't agree more. Sick of a kids' book opening with adult views and issues.

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  10. I can't tell you how many defaced Diary of a Wimpy Kid books I've seen. Some teachers would have reading time in class, and those were the books that the kids spent more time writing in than reading. I don't know why that is. (They were personal books, not library books.)

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    1. My kids used to write in theirs but they owned them. There are lots of places to fill in and I'm sure it's tempting!

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  11. Congratulations on your new post. Yes, nowadays publishers aren't focusing on reading for fun. Its only about learning.

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    1. Nothing wrong with learning/teaching. But.....don't get me started lol. Reading lots of good books with wonderful stories will lead you to (gasp) learn something.

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  12. Yes, I feel the same way! I love good old-fashioned storytelling. Congratulations on the new job. Librarians are the best!!

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  13. Congrats on the new job! Libraries are the best. That's an interesting point about focusing on storytelling. I was just thinking this past week about how Tolkien and C.S. Lewis once famously argued about whether stories should be allegorical (Lewis) or *stories* (Tolkien). Looking back at whose works have IMO aged a LOT better even in just a few decades, I think Tolkien won that fight. Sometimes you need to throw the ring (the urge to control others) into Mt. Doom. Let readers be readers and fun be fun. That's my deep thought for the day. =D
    Anne from annehiga.com

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  14. Congrats on the job! Nice to hear good news. I'm all for good old-fashioned storytelling too.

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