From the Stacks
By Carol Ann Robb, PPL Reference Librarian

Round 1 of the library’s version of March Madness is in the books and the results were a bit surprising, at least for me. Being the final selector of the titles that were included, I thought I had a pretty good idea which would pass on to the second round. I did pick six of the eight winning books but the “scores” surprised me (full disclosure: I filled out a bracket but disqualified myself from the get go—it’s a fun exercise for me).

If you want to see the totals for yourself, then click here to visit PPL’s March Madness page. From there, you can vote for the second round contestants. Didn’t fill out a bracket? Not a problem—consider yourself a player by voting for the books you prefer…or think will win. Vote your head or your heart—or both. We’re not limiting the number of times you cast your ballot—do it online or in person but the deadline for Round 2 ends Sunday, March 19.

I often feel like the girl in the illustration; it can be so maddening trying to find a good book. Nothing on the shelves jumps out at me and when I do decide on one, I often wish I had kept looking. But just as maddening is having too many books all at the same time! Then I must choose which to read first (usually the one that has other holds) or the one I’ve been waiting for with baited breath.

At the moment I’m trying to rush through the third book in the Greer Hogan series by M.E. Hilliard (“Three Can Keep a Secret”) so I can get to Tuesday’s discussion book “Yellow Wife” by Sadeqa Johnson. Which I want to read really fast (well, I’ll have to at this point) since “Killers of a Certain Age” by Deanna Raybourn just came in—I’ve had it on hold for a while so am really looking forward to it. Then there’s the latest Rosenfelt book, “Good Dog, Bad Cop” (I’m #4 on the Holds list) and the next Emily Henry book will be out next month. That will be perfect for April because as we all know, when it rains, it pours.

As maddening as it is to be either bookless or inundated with too many, it’s not really a problem when I know where I can find a novel or two, maybe even a nonfiction tome, to take home with me. I can’t guarantee that every book is a stupendous read but we’ll work hard to find one for you that’s more than “just OK,” even if it takes a couple of tries.

And don’t forget to vote for the Round 2 titles by Sunday, then check the website Monday afternoon to see which books move on to the Final Four match-ups!