Books to Go: Borrow Popular Titles Found on a Special Display & in Our Catalog
Posted on August 2, 2023 at 6:00 am
By Stacey Goddard
Books to Go for Adults
If you’re looking for a great book to take on your next vacation—or your next staycation or just to read right now—you don’t need to look any further than our Books-to-Go collection.
This collection is designed to help you quickly find a great read or discover something to peruse while you’re waiting for your hold on that new bestseller to come in.
Because the Books-to-Go titles can’t be placed on hold (reserved in the catalog), you can grab one, check it out, and go! These books are also referred to as “Lucky Day” items—as in, it’s your lucky day when you find an intriguing title on the display shelves!
You can also see the Books to Go in our catalog. So, if all copies of a book are checked out at your library, you can search our catalog to see if it’s on the Books-to-Go shelf at another library. Simply click on “Where is it?” under the On Shelf button for the Books to Go format (see image below).
You’ll find the collection near the front door at each of our 10 libraries, usually on a special shelving display. Books-to-Go titles can be checked out for two weeks and can be renewed up to five times (that’s 10 weeks to read it!).
Our Books-to-Go collection contains a mix of books, including:
- Those recently adapted for the big and small screens
- The latest paperback titles by beloved authors
- Other appealing hot-right-now selections
Each title is in paperback, which means it will take up less space in your tote bag, backpack, or suitcase—ideal for travel (even if you only travel to your backyard).
If I sound a bit like a proud parent when talking about our Books-to-Go collection, it’s because I am! I select the adults’ titles for the collection, and I love picking things that many of our customers (hopefully, you!) will be excited to check out and read.
I keep an eye on Variety and other entertainment news outlets to stay on top of things that might be in production for film and streaming television. And library staff are great at suggesting titles for Books-to-Go when they notice a rise in checkouts or a surge in popularity for topics.
The New York Times Best Seller lists for Paperback Trade Fiction and Paperback Nonfiction are also places I check every week to see which “new in paperback” titles are the most popular. I also look at The New York Times Best Seller Mass Market list, which is updated monthly, to make sure I don’t miss the new John Grisham or Nora Roberts book.
Current Titles on Books-to-Go Shelves
These books are available in our catalog in multiple formats as well as in our Books-to-Go collection. Scan the special display at your library to see which ones you can grab to check out during your next visit!
- Daisy Jones & the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave
- Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, by Jesse Q. Sutanto
- Crying in H Mart: a Memoir, by Michelle Zauner
- The Housemaid, by Freida McFadden
- The Invincible Miss Cust, by Penny Haw
- The Power, by Naomi Alderman
- Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders, by Kathryn Miles
- Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight, by Janet Evanovich
Books to Go for Kids
My focus has been on fiction and nonfiction for adults, but we have Books to Go for kids too!
Our kids’ Books-to-Go collection has chapter books, graphic novels, easy readers, and books that are in-demand. My colleague Sheri keeps the shelves stocked with the latest and most popular titles and series that school-age kids want to read!
You’ll find this special display near or within the children’s section. And library staff are always happy to point the way.
Stacey Goddard loves being able to work with small business owners and people looking to change careers as part of her job as a Public Services Manager for Spokane County Library District. She’s also a fan of helping folks increase their financial literacy, especially after her own ill-advised spending decisions in her 20s and 30s! Outside of work, Stacey enjoys buying cookbooks to browse and probably never use, binge-watching fashion competition shows, and planning her next vacation to the Oregon Coast.
Tags: adults, books, Books to Go, catalog, kids, popular, reading, teens
