Obervations: What They're Reading

I've been shelving books at the local library for about two-weeks now, and despite its tedium it does have one upside: A first-hand cross-section of the books-- at least in this area-- are occupying themselves with.

I reshelve these authors most frequently:

-Sue Grafton
-Robert B. Parker
-Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb
-Nicholas Sparks
-Danielle Steel

Robert B. Parker seems a bit surprising, but considering that a large number of library patrons are mystery readers, and he passed away earlier this year, I suspect the attention is some sort of small retrospective, or new readers. Other culprits for most frequently shelved include Lilian Jackson Braun, James Patterson, and Faye Kellerman.

I've reshelved more Dean Koonz than I have Stephen King. I have yet to reshelve a John Grisham novel at all.

In my short time at the library I've reshelved Romeo and Juliet (twice), Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, and Night. All of which were assigned reading in high school. They also amount to-- with no exceptions coming to mind-- all of the cannonological classics of any description that I've reshelved.

Someone is reading everything the library has of Augusten Burroughs. Whoever they might be I am privately referring to them as my "little ray of hope".

Someone is very interested in period dress and costume. They're quickly working their way through the entire library collection on the section.

Cookbooks and Diet Books are the most common non-fiction sections to need reshelving.