It’s book-list season—with a new “best of 2012” list coming out every few days it seems, and I’m sure you’re already bombarded with glorious recommendations of YA and kidlit novels you must read. But what if you’ve read many of those books already? And, hey, what if you’re tired of seeing some of the same books, over and over, and want to hear about something different? Something that need not necessarily have come out this year—that maybe you missed the first time around? Something other than the books everyone’s already buzzing about but that deserves readers all the same?

I think I can help.

Starting tomorrow I’m launching a new blog series here on distraction no. 99 called Beyond the (Latest) Buzz (with thanks for the title suggestion to Liz Burns, who will be sharing a post with us this month!). I’ve asked YA and children’s librarians and book bloggers to share some books that they think deserve more attention. And I asked them specifically because I thought that, of all readers in the know, librarians and book bloggers are some of the most passionate readers we have in this industry, they read a TON more books than I do, and maybe, if I asked nicely, they’d be eager to recommend some beloved books with us here?

They were—and they did.

So look out for the Beyond the (Latest) Buzz guest blogs starting tomorrow morning, and twice a week for the rest of the month. I’ll then continue on with the series once a week in the new year, depending on how many posts I have to share with you.

I must admit that I have a purely selfish reason for starting this new series: I happen to really like reading the books not everyone’s talking about. I like that feeling of having a secret. (And I sure like it when other people tell me their secrets.) I wanted to know the books that make librarians’ hearts pound, that cause book bloggers to shout from the rooftops. The books that may not have gotten the enormous marketing pushes and won the awards and been named to the lists but that are loved, passionately, nonetheless. I figure these are books I must read.

If you think so, too, you should come back here tomorrow for the first guest blog in the series.

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And if you are a YA/kidlit librarian or book blogger who I haven’t yet asked to contribute to this series and you’re itching to share some book recommendations that go beyond the buzz, please email me.