Yes, I would love to go to a dinner party with Tina Fey, Steven Tyler, and Rob Lowe. I’d also like to linger over dessert with Betty White and Dick Van Dyke. Who wouldn’t? This week’s New York Times Bestseller List is pretty much a shelflist of your 700s. Celebrity memoirs are dominating the charts. Shania Twain and Ashely Judd are also part of the “You might know me from…” posse. So why shouldn’t librarians cash in on the marketing that publishers with much bigger budgets have done already? Dust off your other famous-name nonfiction and send your patrons home with armloads of artistic professional confessionals. Here’s just a sampling to get you started:

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin made a good showing at the box office this weekend (go see it -it’s really cute, and John Krasinski is a doll.).  It’s chick lit with a bit of a twist – the chick cheating with her best friend’s fiancé is actually the sympathetic character here.  (When I read this back in 2004, I really, really wanted to hate it, because come on, who roots for the Other Woman??  But I couldn’t, because Giffin absolutely manages to tell the story in an engaging, charming way.)  Here’s some chick lit that features friends you wouldn’t want to have.

In Marisa De Los Santos’ Belong to Me, Cornelia and Teo are a happy suburban couple. When Cornelia meets the beguiling and mysterious free spirit Lake, the two women become fast friends. Unfortunately, Lake has ulterior motives and is keeping a big secret from her new friend.

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah  is the story of Tully and Kate, inseparable childhood friends.  Kate, however, falls in love with Tully’s ex-boyfriend. Fast forward 30 years and Tully betrays Kate on live television when she accuses her of being a bad mother. Will their friendship ever recover?

Jane Heller’s Best Enemies finds Amy catching her fiancé and her best friend Tara in bed together.  In time, Tara marries the lout, and Amy becomes a top PR woman. When Tara writes a book about her perfect lifestyle—a total lie, by the way—Amy is, naturally, assigned to promote it.

Marian Keyes writes some of my favorite chick lit novels.  In The Other Side of the Story, Lily, an author, stole her best friend Gemma’s man.  Gemma starts writing funny emails about her breakup that land on the desk of Lily’s agent Jojo, much to Lily’s jealous dismay, since she is struggling to write her second book… and also finding that life with Gemma’s ex is not at all what she expected.

The Myth of You & Me by Leah Stewart is literary chick lit.  Cameron and Sonia were childhood best friends from until they had a huge falling out after college.  After not speaking for 10 years, Sonia sends Cameron a letter announcing her engagement, prompting Cameron to track her down and unravel the real reason behind the end of their friendship.

Like every bookish brunette with tortoise-shell glasses, I believe that if Tina Fey and I met she would see a kindred spirit with whom she would want to be BFFs forever and we would immediately set up play dates for our daughters. (I really do believe this, by the way.) Listening to the audio version of  her New York Times Hardcover Bestseller Bossypants has done nothing to lessen my certainty that my down-to-earth midwestern sensibilities would be a welcome change from all those Hollywood phonies who also think that she wants to come over and eat tortilla chips with hummus and watch a Real Housewives marathon on Bravo. So, when your town’s similarly deluded version of me comes into your library wanting more articulate, feminist, hilarious memoirs, try not to say, “Me too, sister.” Instead, ask if she’s read Jen Lancaster. Though, Lancaster ‘s books are much more personal, more anecdotal. It’s like Maude vs. Mary Tyler Moore. (I love you, Tina Fey, but you’re Maude in this analogy.) You can also recommend Why I’m Like This by Cynthia Kaplan. Kaplan’s essay “Jack Has a Thermos” is a nice companion piece to Fey’s shout out to dad, “That’s Don Fey.” For more general lady comic shenanigans, please take a look at last spring’s That’s No Lady blog post. Readers who weren’t really inspired by Fey’s climb up the comedy ladder or thoughts on being a working mom might just like reading about an East Coast Greek girl. They will thank you for showing them where the Tori Carrington mysteries are shelved. Finally, don’t overthink this one. People who appreciate the smart/funny combo in narrative non-fiction, probably enjoy it elsewhere. Imagine what a hero you’ll be if you’re the one who introduces a patron to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast or You Look Nice Today. (Note: The You Look Nice Today website makes absolutely no sense unless you’ve listened to their podcasts. It’s not you; it’s them.) And if you’re still on the waiting list for Bossypants at your library, try getting your hands on the audio version. (I’ve listened to it twice.)

Like most librarians, I’ve been taking a keen interest in eBooks lately (if I may point you to another fine library publication, check out the back page of your Jan/Feb ’11 issue of Public Libraries…), so naturally the blog No Shelf Required has caught my eye.

Sue Polanka, Head of Reference/Instruction, Wright State University Libraries, features news and opinion pieces about “eBooks, audio books, and other digital content found in libraries as well as the technology needed to read and listen to this digital content.”

Have you heard that there is a really important wedding coming up on Friday?  If your patrons are all jazzed up about weddings lately, send them home with some of these backlist beauties.

Beth Kendrick’s Nearlyweds offers a different take on typical bridal chick lit – three women discover that their marriage paperwork was never filed—so they aren’t really
married. Would they do it again or is this the perfect time to run out? Clever and well-written.

In Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella, Becky Bloomwood is finally getting married—twice even? Seems she can’t decide whether it’s to be at the Plaza in New York City or in her parent’s backyard in England . . . so she agrees to both on the same day.

Whose Wedding is it Anyway? by Melissa Senate is the story of a bride who is thrilled that working at a wedding magazine means she’ll get the whole shebang paid for and featured in an upcoming issue. But when her conniving boss starts to take over every last detail, she’s sees her dream wedding quickly become a nightmare.

The secret to control-freak Amy’s success has always been lists, so it’s no surprise that she ends up with 70 items on her wedding to-do list. Too bad the lists don’t actually help her make up her mind. Comic and fast-paced, Laura Wolf’s Diary of a Mad Bride is one heck of a Bridezilla novel.

In Galt Niederhoffer’s The Romantics,  nine college pals reunite at a wedding, only to have their already tenuous friendships put to the test. Lila and Tom are getting married, but Laura is not sure she wants to attend—she was Tom’s ex-girlfriend and sure that he was The One. She certainly shouldn’t be the maid of honor. Add three other couples to the mix, all in various stages of fighting, and it’s a recipe for disaster.

So I thought long and hard about how to include Charlie Sheen in a post for Shelfrenewal.  But it just seemed, well… too mean, because the dude obviously has problems.  But it did start me reminiscing about the Brat Pack and the 80s, so I ran to my shelf for my copy of Don’t You Forget About Me:  Contemporary Writers on the Films of John Hughes edited by Jaime Clark.

Unfortunately, Sheen is only barely mentioned in the book, (Sheen had a brief but memorable scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), but it’s still worth a read.  It contains 20 essays from writers (including Steve Almond and Julianna Baggott) who were influenced by Hughes’ films (and if you are a child of the 80s, weren’t we all?).

As a side note, while searching for a cover photo of the book, I came across no less than 10 eBook versions of Charlie Sheen quotes from his recent meltdown.  Wonder if any of your patrons will be requesting those for their eReaders?  (insert eye roll here…)

No joke, your friends at satirical fake news media empire The Onion have really smart reviews of real books in their A.V. Club . Book reviews tend to be “literary” titles, with a small leaning towards fantasy and sci-fi. There are also author interviews, an interactive book club, and book-related news items that are reported with the irreverence The Onion is known for. Last month a headline read, “George R.R. Martin confirms July 2011 release date for A Dance With Dragons, really , he swears.” And speaking of swears, yes, there are some NSFW words on the site. So if you’re checking your favorite book blogs at a public service desk or your boss thinks it’s hilarious to routinely sneak up behind you, you might want to check this site out at home or on your phone. (Oh, and speaking of hilarious, The Onion News Network on IFC is screamingly, cringingly funny.)

If the words “scrunchee,” “cassingle,” or “McDLT” mean anything to you, I don’t have to introduce you to the  delightfully stereotyped cast of the 1980s Sweet Valley High series. Francine Pascal’s update, Sweet Valley Confidential, catches the reader up on Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield (spoiler: Vampy Jessica did something bad and angelic Elizabeth swears she’s not going to forgive her this time.) We also get to see whether the years have been kind to Lila Fowler, Bruce Patman, and the rest of the gang. Here’s the thing about this book. It doesn’t matter if it’s good. (Entertainment Weekly put it pretty bluntly, “Make no mistake: This is a very bad book, bloated and silly and, worst of all, often quite boring.”) It doesn’t matter because it’s a book that gets people talking about books. This is the time to grab Lizzie Skurnick’s nostalgia fest Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading and do a display, booklist, blog post, or just have it at your service desk as a conversation starter for a day or two. (The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, Daughters of Eve, Then Again Maybe I Won’t…. this book is a pimply time machine!) Imagine if you literally asked EVERY patron you deal with today, “And would you like me to put you on the waiting list for Sweet Valley Confidential?” I’m only half kidding. What a way to get your readers thinking back to those defining reading experiences. Skurnick’s last chapter, “Panty Lines: I Can’t Believe They Let Us Read This” discusses those adult books we borrowed from a friend’s older sister and read with flashlights, My Sweet Audrina, Wifey, Clan of the Cave Bear, Flowers in the Attic, and Domestic Arrangements. So make a fake yearbook page with book covers (Audrina, girl, you are totally most likely to write a tell-all!) or make your staff picks formative reads-themed for the week. Let the light of Sweet Valley shine down on your readers (and have fun!).

The recent news coverage of the boy in the balloon, which turned out to be a hoax, had me thinking about unreliable narrators/twist endings.   So today’s list features books where you can’t be sure of who is telling the truth.  Don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything for you (like the time I wanted to read Primal Fear, so I asked my husband if he had ever read it or watched the movie, and he immediately replied,  “Oh, the one where ********?”  Sigh.)  Then again, if you like that sort of thing, then we should chat about my dysfunctional relationship with MoviePooper.com.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie is undeniably a (if not THE) classic example.
Hercule Poirot investigates a series of mysterious deaths, culminating in the murder of one Roger Ackroyd.  A list of suspects is quickly assembled, with our narrator knowing more than they’re willing to tell.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk.
Our unnamed narrator hates his life and everything in it.  Then he meets Tyler Durden, a charismatic yet psycho young man who changes everything.  I’d tell you more, but the first rule of Fight Club is, You Don’t Talk About Fight Club.

The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler.
The debut novel of the man who would become Lemony Snicket, this is the story of precocious Flannery Culp and her high school clique, who call themselves The Basic Eight.  When the group falls under the influence of drugs and absinthe, murder ensues – or does it?  Is Flan a psychopath or simply a drama queen?  At turns darkly hysterical and deeply disturbing, Flan is one hell of an unreliable narrator that you won’t soon forget.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane.
Shutter Island is an old military base that is now a hospital for the criminally insane. U.S. Marshal Teddy and his partner, Chuck  are sent to investigate the disappearance of a young woman from the facility, but discover there are more sinister things at work on the island – or do they?  Lehane throws a number of red herrings, odd plot twists, and a hurricane in to the mix, leaving the reader wondering exactly what is going on.

Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff.
In this dark, fast-paced satiric novel, a strange young woman named Jane is being held in a Las Vegas jail cell and interrogated for murder.  She claims that she works for a secret government organization: the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons.  Meaning, her job is to kill people, “Bad Monkeys”, who aren’t… nice.  As her tale unfolds, it becomes less and less clear if she is criminally insane, or if she’s actually telling the truth.

Atonement by Ian McEwan.
Our narrator here is pre-teen Briony, jealous of her glamorous older sister, Cecilia.  When a confused and jealous Briony tells a lie that spirals out of control, she changes the destinies of Cecilia and their childhood friend Robbie, as well as her own.  Personally, I would have liked a some more action here (and really didn’t need 2 pages of description about the lawn and a fountain…) but literary fiction lovers will devour this all the way through the twist at the end.

Primal Fear by William Diehl.
When Aaron, an altar boy, is accused of murdering a Catholic Archbishop, an unscrupulous lawyer takes the case in order to gain publicity for himself.  But when Aaron confesses to the crime under the influence of a dual personality disorder, the trial becomes even more sensational, with a stunning conclusion.

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian.
Narrator Laurel has survived a brutal attack while biking on an isolated trail.  Some years later, she comes across photographs taken by a homeless man, and among them is a picture of her on her bike.  She becomes obsessed with finding out more about the photographer, including how on earth he may be connected to her.  But is she telling us everything we need to know?

As a singer myself (not to mention a lover of snarky humor), I was not surprised at the immediate popularity of FOX’s new show, Glee.  Although, the guidance counselor has rapidly gone from cute and quirky to disturbing and sad, and both of the pregnancy storylines are completely absurd… but I digress.

If your patrons gush to you about Glee, why not share some of these reads with them:

How I Changed My Life by Todd Strasser.
Is it possible that this 1995 YA novel held some inspiration for Glee? High school nobody Bo decides it’s time for a life makeover senior year when she finds herself working on the school play alongside a  hunky football player, Kyle.  Fast-paced with funny dialogue.

To Be Someone by Louise Voss.
Part of what has people buzzing about Glee is the show’s use of old favorite songs, which has everyone running to iTunes the next day. (Admit it, YOU LIKE JOURNEY.)   Voss’ book follows the rise of a British rock group and the eventual crash landing of Helena, the lead singer.  Each chapter is punctuated by an 80s-90s Britpop song which will drum up memories.

Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas.
This YA book features snarky high school humor and a realistic look at what life is really like for teens.  In an effort to pass his English class, 18-year-old Steve  has to write a 100-page essay about his life, giving him a chance to reflect on his four years of high school, from drugs to pranks to the most realistic “first time” scene ever.

Election by Tom Perrotta.
A satirical look at high school politics, Perrotta’s novel (famously made into a movie which made me weep for an aged Ferris Bueller) explores the painful truth about teenage life – it’s all a popularity contest and it sucks.  Glee‘s Rachel has got to be related to the novel’s Tracy Flick, somehow.

How I Paid for College: a Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater by Mark Acito
When Eddie’s dad tells him he won’t pay for Juilliard, Eddie and his overly-dramatic friends decide that petty crime is the way to go, including blackmail and setting up a fake scholarship fund.   Over-the-top funny with a  pitch perfect teenage voice.  Followed by Attack of the Theatre People.

Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.
29-year old Kate realizes she hasn’t really left high school behind when her former flame, now a major pop star, comes back to town.  Jake has spent the last decade turning their brief relationship in to a string of pop hits, and Kate wants some closure.  Readers will love the chapters set in their high school days.

The Sopranos by Alan Warner.
Not everyone’s cup of tea (a bit on the rough side and very Scottish), this novel follows the all-girls choir from Our Lady of Perpetual Succor through a weekend of pub crawling, snogging, and shoplifting.