There are many books that provide advice and booktalks for adults who work with children and teens. However, Something to Talk About: Creative Booktalking for Adults is the first book to focus solely on adults. Working as Fiction Specialists in a public library, Ann-Marie Cyr and Kellie M. Gillespie have a combined total of 43 years of public library experience and have presented thousands of booktalks to children, teens, and adults, as well as a number of workshops and conference programs on how to create and present booktalks.
This is an instruction manual and a material sourcebook in one. The first section provides step-by-step instructions on how to choose a book, write a booktalk, publicize, and present a program for adults. Chapters give information on the benefits of booktalking, explain what a booktalk is, and the difference between a booktalk and a book review. Other chapters discuss what makes a book appealing, how to tailor a program for a specific audience, and the different locations the reader could utilize to reach out to the community. Each booktalk provides bibliographic information on the title as well as a list of genres in which the book could be used. The last chapter in this section provides practical information on what to bring to the program, methods of publicity, checklists, and more. The second section provides nearly 90 sample booktalks in 11 different genres: Chillers, General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Multicultural Fiction, Mysteries, Non Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Sea Adventures, and Women's Fiction. If you work with adults or are interested in reaching out to adults in your community, this is an ideal reference that provides practical information and a wide variety of booktalk samples to enhance your next program.