The Woodward News

Local News

June 12, 2009

Plenty of popular books at the library

Librarian Paula O’Dell likes several popular books, but her favorite one is “The 5000 Year Leap: the 28 Great Ideas that Changed the World” by W. Cleon Skousen.

“It is really good,” O’Dell said while sifting through lists of books at the Woodward Public Library. “I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the Constitution and what it’s based on.”

O’Dell knows about popular books. Her work at the library involves ordering books written by well-read authors.

“Each author has a particular element to their writing that attracts the audience she said, noting, some prefer a certain type of setting, or a certain type of style.

“Western books are very popular, and large print books are becoming popular now with the baby boomers,” she said.

Other popular books include murder mysteries.

A few of the popular authors available for check out at the library include Ted Dekker, who wrote “Boneman’s Daughters”; Iris Johansen, author of “Deadlock”; and Oklahoma author Terrye Robins, who wrote “Trouble in Paradise” and “Revenge in Paradise.”

“Thriller 2 by Clive Cussler,” a mystery, is another popular book, as is “Lady Killer” by Lisa Scottoline and “The Secret Between Us” by Barbara Delinsky,” O’Dell said.

Brad Thor, another author, is becoming popular, she said. He wrote a thriller in 2006 titled “Takedown.”

As part of her presence at the library, O’Dell knows which books get checked out.

“If a popular book isn’t on the shelf, people ask me if I’m going to order it,” she said, noting, readers don’t like only fiction, they like non-fiction, such as “The Unforgiven Minute” by Craig M. Mullaney, a soldier who came back from Iraq.

“The author wants to share his experience and help someone,” O’Dell said.

Readers also are interested from a medical point of view, she said, adding that they like reading about law as well.

“There are also popular seasons during the year, when you have books on such topics as landscaping and gardening,” she said. “The World Book Encyclopedia is also popular with the public.”

She listed future books that are coming out in late summer.

They include authors Eric Dickey, Nora Roberts, Christopher Rich, James Burk, James Rollins and Dick Morris.

O’Dell has ordered these books and said when doing so she concentrates on the quality of a book and the content from beginning to end.

“Popular books are checked right out, and we often have to put people on a waiting list,” she said, noting she has put a new book list located by the new book section for readers.

“I try to have a good balance of fiction and non-fiction and how-to books,” she said.

Asked why people read, O’Dell said they do it “to learn, to escape, to learn a new area of topics, like biographies about people and how they dealt with life. A lot of people who are alone will read a lot a Christmas time.

“Others are students and adult students who after getting their degrees want to come in and read fiction, because they don’t have to take a test over it,” she said.

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