(Rick Hickman / Special to the American Press)
(Rick Hickman / Special to the American Press)
Supernatural, dystopian novels top reads this summer
Last Modified: Monday, June 11, 2012 3:56 PM
By Lance Traweek / American Press
Summer reading is in full swing and local librarians talked with the American Press about which titles are most popular.
Susan Gerhart, the young adult librarian at Central Library on W. Claude Street in Lake Charles, said supernatural novels are on the upswing.
“Even adults are reading teen novels now,” Gerhart said. “That has a lot to do with the number of teen novels that have been turned into movies.”
Samantha Smith, a library associate, said dystopian novels are the most popular locally. Nationally, Gerhart said zombies, werewolves and angels are the most popular.
Gerhart said popular titles for summer include “50 Shades of Grey” by E.L James, “The Hunger Games” trilogy by Suzanne Collins, the “Twilight” series by Stephenie Meyer, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” by Seth Grahame-Smith and the “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling. Smith said other popular titles include “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand, “The Wind Through The Keyhole” by Stephen King, “I’ve Got Your Number” by Sophie Kinsella,
Jessie Cooper, non-merchandising specialist at Books-A-Million, said teen novels are definitely more popular because of the movies.
“A lot of people are coming in to read not just for school but for fun,” Cooper said.
Gerhart said everyone seems to have a lot more time during the summer to read.
“We have a lot of people signed up for our summer reading program,” Gerhart said. “The children read 10 books, but the teens and adults read five books.”
Gerhart said currently there are more than 1,600 children, 300 teens and 200 adults signed up for program. The teens and adults are encouraged to report their thoughts of the books online at the library’s website.
Gerhart said incentives for the summer reading program include prizes and coupons from businesses. Once the person achieves their quota, he or she will receive a yard sign that reads “A Library Champion Lives Here.”
Gerhart also said that on the first Tuesday of each month the library hosts a program called “Tech Tuesday,” which is meant to help anyone download books to their electronic devices.
“We show them how they can download materials from the library’s website,” Gerhart said. “You can get them in all different formats for devices: MP3 players, iPads, iPhones, Books on CD, laptops, etc.”
Gerhart said the librarians have received training to help customers with their devices.
“If you have any questions, we can help you,” Gerhart said. “The library is trying to keep up with technology.”
Gerhart said that while most books can be checked out and read online, some publishers restrict online access.
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