January 2006--Volume IV, Issue 1
Welcome to this first issue of The Reader's Advisor! Thank you for your comments on the recent survey about the Further Developments newsletter.




President's Day is just around the corner, and with it comes an opportunity to reflect on the history of our nation. Ingram librarian Norma Lilly, MLS, developed this selection list that can be the basis for a timely display, a nonfiction reading group resource, or even collection rejuvenation.
Tobias S. Buckell is a Caribbean-born speculative fiction writer who grew up in Grenada, the US, and the British Virgin Islands. He now lives (through many odd twists of fate and strangely enough to him) in a small college town in Ohio with his wife Emily. His short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Writers of the Future XIV (available on the Ingram Popular Series Standing Order Program). His debut fantasy novel, Crystal Rain, will be released from Tor Books on February 7th. Read the interview.


In this new feature, we will anticipate your patrons' request to find their next favorite book. As a great librarian once commented, the key is not just to find out the books they like but why they like the books they like. Here, we'll present books both current and forthcoming that are likened to established popular works. Ingram book buyers and librarians shared some of their recent favorites.

If you liked Richard Clarke's Scorpion's Gate, try Against All Enemies.
“The earlier work is a non-fiction account of the administration's determination to go to war with Iraq (long before Sept. 11), and the latter is a novel of the Middle East a few years in the future as a result of that determination.” --Mary Grey James, lead buyer.

If you liked The Da Vinci Code, try these on for size:
Jeffrey Archer's False Impression “This is a fast-paced and well done international adventure about an art-heist with more character development than The Da Vinci Code.” --Alethea Kontis, buyer, genre chick and editor.

If you liked Cold Mountain, try The Widow of the South.
“Robert Hicks' gripping debut novel, based on the incredible true story of Carrie McGavock--a woman whose life was forever changed by the Civil War--is exquisitely packaged with endpapers and compelling interior photographs.” --Shannan Starnes, Manager, Adult Collection Development

If you like anything written by Stephen King, try David Morrell's Creepers.
“On a cold October night, five people gather in a run-down motel on the Jersey shore and prepare to break into the once-magnificent Paragon Hotel. Danger, fear, and death await them in a place ravaged by time and redolent of evil. This is what to read if you are waiting for the next Stephen King--it's a well-crafted thriller set in an old hotel.” --SS

If you like Jean Plaidy, et. al., try anything by Philippa Gregory including The Constant Princess.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Virgin's Lover, this enthralling new novel answers one of history's most intriguing questions: What lay behind Katherine of Aragon's enormous, history-changing lie? “When I was a kid, I loved Jean Plaidy (aka Philippa Carr, Victoria Holt and Eleanor Hibbert) and her fiction based on the lives of historical women. Philippa Gregory is her natural heir.” --SS