If you’ve ever visited a library or bookstore, your eyes may have occasionally wandered over a collection of books dedicated to a single topic. Specially curated by librarians and booksellers, these treasure caches are designed to capture your interest. But they’re also magical doorways into authors or topics that you may have never considered exploring.
Yesterday, I spotted a display in a bookcase by the check-out desk at my library that was dedicated to Asian-Pacific writers. Turns out May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and the staff had collected a wonderful selection of fiction and nonfiction books to borrow. I grabbed two: “The Blanket Cats” by Kiyoshi Shigematsu and “What You Are Looking For Is In The Library” by Michiko Aoyama.
Last month, the staff built a display in the same spot for National Poetry Month. There was a wide selection of poetry books to check out as well as a block of sticky notes and a pen. Patrons who wrote a short poem on the sticky note could then see their poetic creation displayed on the bookshelf.
Other collections I’ve spotted over the years include: banned books, books that sport a red cover, gardening or baking, pirates, women authors, Black authors, Hispanic authors, LGBTQ+ authors, fantasy fiction, classical science fiction, witches, time travel, Indigenous American history, fairy tales, local bestsellers, anniversary editions, spies, romances with covers highlighting male models who forgot to wear their shirts, zombies and books with great hooks.
Got a spare block of time? Or maybe you just need something to do on a rainy day? Then, embark on a display hunt. Visit a library — your own or a new one — or an independent bookshop and look for tables with special signage, display cases, even the sides or tops of bookshelves. Librarians and booksellers are canny folks; they’ll feature displays in the most delightful places in the hope that you’ll turn left at just the right moment or round a corner and discover one.
