Assignment #1: Read articles. Yep; done that. Watch YouTube vids. Yep, done that too.
Assignment #2 I like book trailers. Well, actually, I like the IDEA of book trailers better than many that I have watched, but still, I think that they have a future. I really do.
Just because the current generation isn't responding to them doesn't mean that book trailers can't become more popular. As one of the articles pointed out, talking heads aren't very fascinating. Mary Roach can hold our attention because she is funny; most other writers are way too reticent and awkward to be effective. So the publishers will eventually figure out that they need to create mini movie-like trailers that pique our visual interest in the same way that book jackets have in the past. The trailer for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is an excellent example of a really well done trailer. (I mean, who wouldn't be drawn to a grandfather telling a bedtime story to his grandson about strange people in a far off place and time? Worked for The Princess Bride...)
As the publishing industry changes to keep up with the digital age, I think book trailers could become a marketing product that helps them stay current. I suspect that those who follow their favorite authors on their blogs, Twitter feeds, or publishers' websites also watch lots of random YouTube videos, so that venue is a natural for promoting books to them. Upcoming generations are more comfortable with video imagery, so as long as the book trailers are high quality, they should do fine. As the NYT article mentioned, teens already buy their books based on book trailer come ons. I feel confident they will continue to do so as adults. Consequently, future librarians will probably rely more heavily on book trailers for RA. For now, however, I think we can hark back to the first RA article assigned, and trust that the one to one human relationship is the best way to recommend books to our customers.
WHY CAN'T BCPL RUN BOOK TRAILERS ON THEIR BIG SCREEN TVS???? We could contact publishers and offer to run their current crops for a modest fee....
Assignment #3
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this project. I feel 100% more comfortable and enthusiastic about RA. Yay, you guys rock!
I wish I could say that I now spend an hour every day perusing all of the fabulous resources that you introduced to us, but frankly, summer has swamped the branch and I am mainly thinking on my feet. And the good news is: I'm OK doing that! Because of those sites, I am more currently and widely read, so I have a much larger repertoire of material to offer to people.
I now have a better sense of how to recommend a book. I am more mindful of using the appeal factors when I talk about a title. I am also more comfortable just saying a couple of sentences and then stopping. When I've given a book a powerful pitch, I don't need to oversell it.
For me, the one weak spot in the training was the week we were supposed to find fan sites. Frankly, I think that that was a waste of time. I would have much rather been asked to write more recommendations to colleagues based on their genre interests. That week also featured the Genre Prezi. While the material itself was of very good quality, I thought the Prezi format was a complete fail. Really, sometimes a list is still more than adequate. I love Prezis, and there is a time and a place for them, but when I was scrambling for time to complete assignments with 7 other colleagues vying for a shot at the computers, simple and straightforward would have been more effective.
My biggest suggestion would be to ask staff to write more recs to other staff. Short of working with a customer, I can't think of a better way to strengthen RA skills than by practicing on a captive -- and receptive -- audience.
Thanks for all of your hard work.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Week 8: Stranger than Fiction....
Assignment #1 - Articles to read
I read the two articles on nonfiction RA. June Brannen's article "Borderlands" was a well written rationale about the appeal of narrative nonfiction and its importance in my RA repertoire. I was more interested in her comments about how to entice fiction readers to read nonfiction than to get nonfiction readers excited about fiction, since our readership is heavily into fiction.
"Reading Nonfiction for Pleasure: What Motivates Readers," was another well written article that reminded me of the great crossover appeal inherent in certain forms of nonfiction. One of my most important takeaways from these articles and the video was that STORY is a key element in the appeal of both fiction and nonfiction. Narrative or literary nonfiction is the term for this type of title.
Assignment #2 - Video to watch
I watched the Pratt nonfiction RA Power Point. I've eaten drier toast, but not by much. Still, another good reminder of the appeal factors and "genres" of nonfic.
Assignment #3 - Finding narrative nonfiction in the stacks. My four NF genres: Contemporary Social Issues, Medical, Travel, and Food.
For Contemporary Social Issues: 970.0049 T, Rez Life, by David Treuer. Treuer is a novelist and reviews state that this memoir/exploration reads like a novel with many colorful characters. Would suggest that Louise Erdrich fans pair this with The Round House.
For Medical: 338.43 S, Blood Feud: The man who blew the whistle on one of the deadliest prescription drugs ever, by Kathleen Sharp. I'd recommend this to my mother in law, a former nurse, who liked The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
For Travel: 945.6 M, Summers in Supino, by Maria Coletta McLean. I'd recommend to my father in law, a pureblood Italian. Seems like a fun summer read.
Food: 641.824 R, American Pie, by Peter Reinhardt. I'd recommend to customers planning a trip to Italy, someone who likes to cook, as a light summer read, or to someone who likes the food network shows.
Assignment #4 - Brief Book Talks
1) Medical: Fans of thrillers and true crime will be excited by Blood Feud: The man who blew the whistle on one of the deadliest prescription drugs ever, by Kathleen Sharp. It's the story of two former Procrit salesmen who became whistleblowers on Johnson and Johnson's fraudulent practices and the dangers of the drug, and the prosecutor who took on the high profile case against Big Pharma. Kathleen Sharp is an award winning journalist who packed this book with juicy details and chilling, meticulous reserach. Knowing that real lives were at stake makes this title truly suspenseful, and its fast pace and mix of sympathetic and nefarious characters would satisfy both nonfiction and fiction tastes.
2) Food: American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza is a fun mash up of food and travel; it could be a travelogue as easily as a foodie read. It's the lighthearted adventure of an award winning baker, Peter Reinhardt, who decides to track down the origins of Italian pizza and then search the US for the Holy Grail of American pizza. Reinhardt travels to iconic pizza cities like Naples and Sicily, gathering recipes and anecdotes along the way. Then he crisscrosses the United States, seeking pizza nirvana from Phoenix, Arizona, to New Haven, Connecticut, and unlikely places in between. Reinhardt's gift for storytelling makes him the perfect tour guide; his acumen as a baker makes him a great companion in the kitchen. Readers wanting authentic or noveau recipes would be thrilled, while other readers could enjoy glimpses of Italian food meccas, quirky American cafes, and the thrill of the hunt.
Assignment #1 - Articles to read
I read the two articles on nonfiction RA. June Brannen's article "Borderlands" was a well written rationale about the appeal of narrative nonfiction and its importance in my RA repertoire. I was more interested in her comments about how to entice fiction readers to read nonfiction than to get nonfiction readers excited about fiction, since our readership is heavily into fiction.
"Reading Nonfiction for Pleasure: What Motivates Readers," was another well written article that reminded me of the great crossover appeal inherent in certain forms of nonfiction. One of my most important takeaways from these articles and the video was that STORY is a key element in the appeal of both fiction and nonfiction. Narrative or literary nonfiction is the term for this type of title.
Assignment #2 - Video to watch
I watched the Pratt nonfiction RA Power Point. I've eaten drier toast, but not by much. Still, another good reminder of the appeal factors and "genres" of nonfic.
Assignment #3 - Finding narrative nonfiction in the stacks. My four NF genres: Contemporary Social Issues, Medical, Travel, and Food.
For Contemporary Social Issues: 970.0049 T, Rez Life, by David Treuer. Treuer is a novelist and reviews state that this memoir/exploration reads like a novel with many colorful characters. Would suggest that Louise Erdrich fans pair this with The Round House.
For Medical: 338.43 S, Blood Feud: The man who blew the whistle on one of the deadliest prescription drugs ever, by Kathleen Sharp. I'd recommend this to my mother in law, a former nurse, who liked The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
For Travel: 945.6 M, Summers in Supino, by Maria Coletta McLean. I'd recommend to my father in law, a pureblood Italian. Seems like a fun summer read.
Food: 641.824 R, American Pie, by Peter Reinhardt. I'd recommend to customers planning a trip to Italy, someone who likes to cook, as a light summer read, or to someone who likes the food network shows.
Assignment #4 - Brief Book Talks
1) Medical: Fans of thrillers and true crime will be excited by Blood Feud: The man who blew the whistle on one of the deadliest prescription drugs ever, by Kathleen Sharp. It's the story of two former Procrit salesmen who became whistleblowers on Johnson and Johnson's fraudulent practices and the dangers of the drug, and the prosecutor who took on the high profile case against Big Pharma. Kathleen Sharp is an award winning journalist who packed this book with juicy details and chilling, meticulous reserach. Knowing that real lives were at stake makes this title truly suspenseful, and its fast pace and mix of sympathetic and nefarious characters would satisfy both nonfiction and fiction tastes.
2) Food: American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza is a fun mash up of food and travel; it could be a travelogue as easily as a foodie read. It's the lighthearted adventure of an award winning baker, Peter Reinhardt, who decides to track down the origins of Italian pizza and then search the US for the Holy Grail of American pizza. Reinhardt travels to iconic pizza cities like Naples and Sicily, gathering recipes and anecdotes along the way. Then he crisscrosses the United States, seeking pizza nirvana from Phoenix, Arizona, to New Haven, Connecticut, and unlikely places in between. Reinhardt's gift for storytelling makes him the perfect tour guide; his acumen as a baker makes him a great companion in the kitchen. Readers wanting authentic or noveau recipes would be thrilled, while other readers could enjoy glimpses of Italian food meccas, quirky American cafes, and the thrill of the hunt.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Week 7: Teen lit
1) I read New Adult: Needless Marketing-Speak or Valued Subgenre? from Publishers Weekly and The Next Big Thing from YALSA. Enjoyed both. Since I recently "attended" a Webinar on Teen Lit that also talked about New Adult, I was familiar with the term, the statistics about adult readership, and the general buzz about this new genre. What I took away from the first article was that the term "New Adult" can characterize a book that includes more mature SEX, more gruesome VIOLENCE. Worthwhile designation for that reason alone. Personally, I suspect that the subject matter of New Adult lit is what will eventually define it more than anything else.What I mean by that is this: although I am an ardent fan of teen lit, I can only read so many angsty, hip-edgy, self effacing, hormonely drenched titles before I crave a strong dose of Barbara Kingsolver or David Mitchell.
I thought that the second article beautifully laid out the appeal factors and rationale for the rise of adults reading teen lit. Couple that with this observation: Recently, NPR did a weeklong series on Kids and the Media. One day they had a report that startled me -- older teens are reading well below "grade level" compared to 30-40 years ago. And they are not reading the classics as much as they used to, partially because there was a movement back then to "dumb down" the canon a little in order to appeal to the then-teens. So what I took away from that report was that those then-teens/now-adults are still reading "below grade level," only now they have a much juicier selection of material - the New Adult canon!
I posted comments on Sam O'Herren's and Justin Hartzell's blogs.
2) Am following two blogs -- Squeetus Blog by Shannon Hale and Cassandra Clare's Tumblr. They couldn't be more different!
Cassandra's is all visuals all the time. Gritty trailers and clips, provocative still photos, everything written in nanobites. Very post-millenial generation appeal for a visual mash up of Hunger Games and Twilight -- I think that the girl star of the new Mortal Engines movie even looks like Kristen Stewart. I got turned off by a quote from the book about the heroine's attraction to the bad boy. It was so gaggingly '50s -- what did we women struggle for if we are still swallowing tripe about "she understood everything he said and laughed when he laughed and understood him like no one else and blah blah blah"??? Blek. However, I suspect the teen girlies are eatin' up this stuff -- the new movie hottie is pretty, well, hot.
After following this blog for a few days, I have not changed my initial impression. I do think that she's got one smart publicity crew plugging that movie for her, and now she's got other media helping her out, e.g. there is a Teen Tribute magazine interview with the two leads included on the blog now, replete with yummy photos. I'll certainly mention this to any teens who are interested in the movie, but I strongly suspect that they already know all about these resources, and it's only the old underrock dwellers who find this info new and exciting.
Shannon Hale, on the other hand, is comfortable writing at length and in depth about her life as a mom-writer. Have to wonder who she perceives as her audience -- surely no teen could care for long about all of her sacrifices and discipline and insufferable adultness. Have read other blog posts by her this week and although I enjoy them as a wannabe author, I can't imagine any teen in her right mind would be interested.
3) On the whole, the publishers' teen sites are a pretty insipid batch. However, while I find the content tedious, I'm sure there are some young middle schoolers who find it just fascinating. Which is good, because my sense is that most of the content is aimed at those very very young preteens and new teens. These sites remind me quite a bit of the teen mags from my own adolescence, which makes perfect sense. Same message, just a different medium. The one exception seemed to be the Little Brown site for teens, which was more balanced in its appearance and content. More adventure/thriller titles prominently displayed, less slick photoshopped teens girls with their hair blowing in the cosmic wind.
Most of them have links to apps, author sites and embedded book trailers. Kids can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter , Tumblr and Pinterest. So the marketing people can get them coming and going. But this is a good thing for kids who are sincerely interested in a specific author; several of the kids who came to the Young Writers Give Back program at my branch had been following the writers on their social media of choice and that was how they knew about our program.
The paranormal continues to be a predominant trend, whether in romance, science fiction, or "straight" fiction. Gossipy girl titles and glamourous girl faces on the covers also saturate the teen market, but what tickles me most is the huge amount of fantasy that teens are consuming. Dystopias rule, but still, it's fantasy. Hope that they continue reading it when they're adults!
1) I read New Adult: Needless Marketing-Speak or Valued Subgenre? from Publishers Weekly and The Next Big Thing from YALSA. Enjoyed both. Since I recently "attended" a Webinar on Teen Lit that also talked about New Adult, I was familiar with the term, the statistics about adult readership, and the general buzz about this new genre. What I took away from the first article was that the term "New Adult" can characterize a book that includes more mature SEX, more gruesome VIOLENCE. Worthwhile designation for that reason alone. Personally, I suspect that the subject matter of New Adult lit is what will eventually define it more than anything else.What I mean by that is this: although I am an ardent fan of teen lit, I can only read so many angsty, hip-edgy, self effacing, hormonely drenched titles before I crave a strong dose of Barbara Kingsolver or David Mitchell.
I thought that the second article beautifully laid out the appeal factors and rationale for the rise of adults reading teen lit. Couple that with this observation: Recently, NPR did a weeklong series on Kids and the Media. One day they had a report that startled me -- older teens are reading well below "grade level" compared to 30-40 years ago. And they are not reading the classics as much as they used to, partially because there was a movement back then to "dumb down" the canon a little in order to appeal to the then-teens. So what I took away from that report was that those then-teens/now-adults are still reading "below grade level," only now they have a much juicier selection of material - the New Adult canon!
I posted comments on Sam O'Herren's and Justin Hartzell's blogs.
2) Am following two blogs -- Squeetus Blog by Shannon Hale and Cassandra Clare's Tumblr. They couldn't be more different!
Cassandra's is all visuals all the time. Gritty trailers and clips, provocative still photos, everything written in nanobites. Very post-millenial generation appeal for a visual mash up of Hunger Games and Twilight -- I think that the girl star of the new Mortal Engines movie even looks like Kristen Stewart. I got turned off by a quote from the book about the heroine's attraction to the bad boy. It was so gaggingly '50s -- what did we women struggle for if we are still swallowing tripe about "she understood everything he said and laughed when he laughed and understood him like no one else and blah blah blah"??? Blek. However, I suspect the teen girlies are eatin' up this stuff -- the new movie hottie is pretty, well, hot.
After following this blog for a few days, I have not changed my initial impression. I do think that she's got one smart publicity crew plugging that movie for her, and now she's got other media helping her out, e.g. there is a Teen Tribute magazine interview with the two leads included on the blog now, replete with yummy photos. I'll certainly mention this to any teens who are interested in the movie, but I strongly suspect that they already know all about these resources, and it's only the old underrock dwellers who find this info new and exciting.
Shannon Hale, on the other hand, is comfortable writing at length and in depth about her life as a mom-writer. Have to wonder who she perceives as her audience -- surely no teen could care for long about all of her sacrifices and discipline and insufferable adultness. Have read other blog posts by her this week and although I enjoy them as a wannabe author, I can't imagine any teen in her right mind would be interested.
3) On the whole, the publishers' teen sites are a pretty insipid batch. However, while I find the content tedious, I'm sure there are some young middle schoolers who find it just fascinating. Which is good, because my sense is that most of the content is aimed at those very very young preteens and new teens. These sites remind me quite a bit of the teen mags from my own adolescence, which makes perfect sense. Same message, just a different medium. The one exception seemed to be the Little Brown site for teens, which was more balanced in its appearance and content. More adventure/thriller titles prominently displayed, less slick photoshopped teens girls with their hair blowing in the cosmic wind.
Most of them have links to apps, author sites and embedded book trailers. Kids can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter , Tumblr and Pinterest. So the marketing people can get them coming and going. But this is a good thing for kids who are sincerely interested in a specific author; several of the kids who came to the Young Writers Give Back program at my branch had been following the writers on their social media of choice and that was how they knew about our program.
The paranormal continues to be a predominant trend, whether in romance, science fiction, or "straight" fiction. Gossipy girl titles and glamourous girl faces on the covers also saturate the teen market, but what tickles me most is the huge amount of fantasy that teens are consuming. Dystopias rule, but still, it's fantasy. Hope that they continue reading it when they're adults!
Friday, June 14, 2013
Week 6 "Curiouser and Curiouser..."
1) I have snooped through the extensive book lists and site links of Stop, You're Killing Me! and learned that there are mystery awards lists that I'm already vaguely familiar with, such as the Edgars and the Daggers, and then there are lists I'd never heard of, such as the indy booksellers list, Dilys, which I found very helpful. It is interesting to see the changing landscape of mystery over the course of a couple of decades -- the rise of Tara French and Louise Penny, the decline of Dick Francis and the enduring popularity of Charles Todd and Dennis Lehane.
Then there are the links. This site is a RA dream! On the left side of the home page there is the FAQ link, where I discovered that I could help customers identify the series they want from a character/series match up list. (Customers often come in with a character rather than an author.) I could also help identify or select their series through the other helpful links -- diversity, location, genre, and, most significatly, job indices. I will be able to really pinpoint a reader's tastes and match them up with the appropriate book.
I look forward to making use of these lists and links in recommending books to our many avid mystery readers who may have already read deeply in our collection.
2) I have noted my colleagues' extreme frustration and lack of success in finding current fan sites to write about. So I have used one of the resources that you have already introduced to us, Goodreads, as a stand-in, since there are literally hundreds of fans who use this site to record their opinions about books of every genre. I selected the sub genres "Swords and Sorcery," "Techno Thriller," and "Cosy Mystery."
"Swords and Sorcery" - J. R. R. Tolkien, Ursula LeGuin, and Patrick Rothfuss. Successful books in this genre rely heavily on setting and detail to create a convincing alternate world in which to place their characters and action. The characters accord with archetypal expectations for the genre -- there must be good and evil beings; at least one mage, wizard, witch or other magicwielding person; usually there are creatures not present in our world. The pace of these books is usually brisk since this genre relies on lots of swordplay, dragonslaying, spell dueling, and generally defending the hero's realm from an invasion or mortal danger of some kind. The storyline of sword and sorcery books is extremely important -- there are many themes and subjects that predictably recur in this genre perhaps more than any other, since it has its roots in the world's folklore and mythology.
"Techno Thriller" - Michael Crichton, Cory Doctorow, and Matthew Reilly. This genre relies on plausibility and pace to create the tension that drives it. Setting is contemporary or recognizable in a future world and detail is realistic as well. While characters can be morally ambiguous to enhance the thriller aspect, there are usually definite "good guys" and "bad guys." The tone of the techno thriller is serious and straightforward.
"Cosy Mystery" - Susan Wittig Albert, Joanne Fluke, and Nancy Atherton. The "cosy mysteries" are a venerable subgenre that rely on their predictability to satisfy their audience. Readers can expect an appealing small town setting and likeable, recognizable characters that they would enjoy as neighbors or friends, and usually a few eccentric cahracters. The tone is consistently light and often whimsical, but never grim or gory -- all of the death happens "offstage" and the detective solves the crime through their powers of deduction and intuition. Cosies are almost always series books, since readers enjoy visiting their favorite places and characters again and again.
3) For a mash up, I tried googling "Paranormal Western," and sure enough, there are several authors out there who specialize in creepy shootouts at the OK Corral. I found titles on the Somebodydies.blogspot, the Weird West site, and in the Goodreads community. Joe R. Lansdale is popular; a couple of his recent titles are " The Magic Wagon" and "Dead in the West." Another prolific contributor to this mash up is Edward M. Erdelac, whose character is featured in "Merkabah Rider, the Mensch with No Name." The series features a Hasidic gunslinger who deals death to demons, spirits, and other beings in the Old West. I love the title of one of Erdelac's books, "Merkebah Rider: High Planes Drifter." These books have the classic characteristics of both genres: the setting is always the western United States, with guns, horses, steam powered machines, and Injuns. The occult or horror is introduced in the setting and detail as well -- haunted mines, ghost towns, and Native American shamanism. Weird West says this mash up features "tight action, inglorious heroes, unpredicable plots, archetypes, aliens and mysticism." Elements of steam punk have been creeping into the paranormal Westerns lately, which is understandable considering the time period of the Old West. This sounds like a fun genre -- many of the books have a notable light, ironic tone, while still respecting the iconic characteristics of Westerns and horror novels.
1) I have snooped through the extensive book lists and site links of Stop, You're Killing Me! and learned that there are mystery awards lists that I'm already vaguely familiar with, such as the Edgars and the Daggers, and then there are lists I'd never heard of, such as the indy booksellers list, Dilys, which I found very helpful. It is interesting to see the changing landscape of mystery over the course of a couple of decades -- the rise of Tara French and Louise Penny, the decline of Dick Francis and the enduring popularity of Charles Todd and Dennis Lehane.
Then there are the links. This site is a RA dream! On the left side of the home page there is the FAQ link, where I discovered that I could help customers identify the series they want from a character/series match up list. (Customers often come in with a character rather than an author.) I could also help identify or select their series through the other helpful links -- diversity, location, genre, and, most significatly, job indices. I will be able to really pinpoint a reader's tastes and match them up with the appropriate book.
I look forward to making use of these lists and links in recommending books to our many avid mystery readers who may have already read deeply in our collection.
2) I have noted my colleagues' extreme frustration and lack of success in finding current fan sites to write about. So I have used one of the resources that you have already introduced to us, Goodreads, as a stand-in, since there are literally hundreds of fans who use this site to record their opinions about books of every genre. I selected the sub genres "Swords and Sorcery," "Techno Thriller," and "Cosy Mystery."
"Swords and Sorcery" - J. R. R. Tolkien, Ursula LeGuin, and Patrick Rothfuss. Successful books in this genre rely heavily on setting and detail to create a convincing alternate world in which to place their characters and action. The characters accord with archetypal expectations for the genre -- there must be good and evil beings; at least one mage, wizard, witch or other magicwielding person; usually there are creatures not present in our world. The pace of these books is usually brisk since this genre relies on lots of swordplay, dragonslaying, spell dueling, and generally defending the hero's realm from an invasion or mortal danger of some kind. The storyline of sword and sorcery books is extremely important -- there are many themes and subjects that predictably recur in this genre perhaps more than any other, since it has its roots in the world's folklore and mythology.
"Techno Thriller" - Michael Crichton, Cory Doctorow, and Matthew Reilly. This genre relies on plausibility and pace to create the tension that drives it. Setting is contemporary or recognizable in a future world and detail is realistic as well. While characters can be morally ambiguous to enhance the thriller aspect, there are usually definite "good guys" and "bad guys." The tone of the techno thriller is serious and straightforward.
"Cosy Mystery" - Susan Wittig Albert, Joanne Fluke, and Nancy Atherton. The "cosy mysteries" are a venerable subgenre that rely on their predictability to satisfy their audience. Readers can expect an appealing small town setting and likeable, recognizable characters that they would enjoy as neighbors or friends, and usually a few eccentric cahracters. The tone is consistently light and often whimsical, but never grim or gory -- all of the death happens "offstage" and the detective solves the crime through their powers of deduction and intuition. Cosies are almost always series books, since readers enjoy visiting their favorite places and characters again and again.
3) For a mash up, I tried googling "Paranormal Western," and sure enough, there are several authors out there who specialize in creepy shootouts at the OK Corral. I found titles on the Somebodydies.blogspot, the Weird West site, and in the Goodreads community. Joe R. Lansdale is popular; a couple of his recent titles are " The Magic Wagon" and "Dead in the West." Another prolific contributor to this mash up is Edward M. Erdelac, whose character is featured in "Merkabah Rider, the Mensch with No Name." The series features a Hasidic gunslinger who deals death to demons, spirits, and other beings in the Old West. I love the title of one of Erdelac's books, "Merkebah Rider: High Planes Drifter." These books have the classic characteristics of both genres: the setting is always the western United States, with guns, horses, steam powered machines, and Injuns. The occult or horror is introduced in the setting and detail as well -- haunted mines, ghost towns, and Native American shamanism. Weird West says this mash up features "tight action, inglorious heroes, unpredicable plots, archetypes, aliens and mysticism." Elements of steam punk have been creeping into the paranormal Westerns lately, which is understandable considering the time period of the Old West. This sounds like a fun genre -- many of the books have a notable light, ironic tone, while still respecting the iconic characteristics of Westerns and horror novels.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Week Five Assignments
1) The blogs that I am following is NPR.
I enjoy reading the author interviews on NPR's book blog. Not only do you get the writer's thoughts, you get responses from other readers as well; I am less eager to read "The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America" after seeing reader comments. I also read Hosseini's interview in conjunction with the release of "And the Mountatins Echoed." I was moved by " A Thousand Splendid Suns" and this book seems to be even better received critically. I enjoy books that have foreign settings, especially by natives of that culture, and I also love character-driven narratives from a very different culture as well. Since I liked Housseini's comments about his characters, I am certain I will read this book.
As a result of following the NPR book blog, I am reading one of Nancy Pearl's Top Twelve Books for 2012, "We Learn Nothing," a book of essays and cartoons by Tim Kreider. The book is a good argument for leading an unexamined life; his premise is that we do NOT profit from our mistakes, whether personal or societal. And then he proceeds to elucidate in excruciating, self deprecating, and humorous detail. It's hard not to recognize oneself in his vignettes, and harder not to wince. Frankly, I chose it simply because it was on her list and because it hadn't shown up on any other "Best Of" lists for 2012. I was not disappointed.
2) What's popular in the Cockeysville branch, you ask? Easier to ask what's not popular here in this community of voracious readers. Our readers devour nonfiction as readily as popular fiction, and they read the NYTimes, Post, Bookpages, listen to NPR, and get recs from their book clubs and Goodreads. So it's important to follow some of those sources, too, as well as SLJ and PW.
While I enjoy the community feeling of Goodreads and appreciate some of their recomendations, I suspect that Earlyword is going to become my favorite resource for RA. There is so much to savor: I would like to try reading a digital ARC of "The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic," by Emily Croy Baker from EDELWEISS. I found out when "Much Ado About Nothing" will be released in our local theaters. I saw Top Bestsellers from previous years, multiple awards lists, and all of Nancy Pearl's most pertinent info -- ALL IN ONE PLACE. This is truly a great find and I know I'll get lost in it more than once. But what I like about Earlyword is that all of my perusings will be literary -- no other pop culture rabbit holes to tempt me. Whew. Thanks for the tip on this one, gang.
3) I would recommend "Z, a Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald," by Therese Anne Fowler. The last couple of years has seen fictionalized accounts of the wives of some of last century's most notable cultural heroes: "The Paris Wife" is still being requested here and "The Aviator's Wife" is currently circulating well. It would be an easy sell to recommend a book about Zelda, since she has enduring notoriety hereself. The book features the iconic settings that readers never tire of -- New York, Paris, Long Island in the 20s -- and is written as an autobiography, in that confiding, yet titillating tone that books of the rich and famous often have.
1) The blogs that I am following is NPR.
I enjoy reading the author interviews on NPR's book blog. Not only do you get the writer's thoughts, you get responses from other readers as well; I am less eager to read "The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America" after seeing reader comments. I also read Hosseini's interview in conjunction with the release of "And the Mountatins Echoed." I was moved by " A Thousand Splendid Suns" and this book seems to be even better received critically. I enjoy books that have foreign settings, especially by natives of that culture, and I also love character-driven narratives from a very different culture as well. Since I liked Housseini's comments about his characters, I am certain I will read this book.
As a result of following the NPR book blog, I am reading one of Nancy Pearl's Top Twelve Books for 2012, "We Learn Nothing," a book of essays and cartoons by Tim Kreider. The book is a good argument for leading an unexamined life; his premise is that we do NOT profit from our mistakes, whether personal or societal. And then he proceeds to elucidate in excruciating, self deprecating, and humorous detail. It's hard not to recognize oneself in his vignettes, and harder not to wince. Frankly, I chose it simply because it was on her list and because it hadn't shown up on any other "Best Of" lists for 2012. I was not disappointed.
2) What's popular in the Cockeysville branch, you ask? Easier to ask what's not popular here in this community of voracious readers. Our readers devour nonfiction as readily as popular fiction, and they read the NYTimes, Post, Bookpages, listen to NPR, and get recs from their book clubs and Goodreads. So it's important to follow some of those sources, too, as well as SLJ and PW.
While I enjoy the community feeling of Goodreads and appreciate some of their recomendations, I suspect that Earlyword is going to become my favorite resource for RA. There is so much to savor: I would like to try reading a digital ARC of "The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic," by Emily Croy Baker from EDELWEISS. I found out when "Much Ado About Nothing" will be released in our local theaters. I saw Top Bestsellers from previous years, multiple awards lists, and all of Nancy Pearl's most pertinent info -- ALL IN ONE PLACE. This is truly a great find and I know I'll get lost in it more than once. But what I like about Earlyword is that all of my perusings will be literary -- no other pop culture rabbit holes to tempt me. Whew. Thanks for the tip on this one, gang.
3) I would recommend "Z, a Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald," by Therese Anne Fowler. The last couple of years has seen fictionalized accounts of the wives of some of last century's most notable cultural heroes: "The Paris Wife" is still being requested here and "The Aviator's Wife" is currently circulating well. It would be an easy sell to recommend a book about Zelda, since she has enduring notoriety hereself. The book features the iconic settings that readers never tire of -- New York, Paris, Long Island in the 20s -- and is written as an autobiography, in that confiding, yet titillating tone that books of the rich and famous often have.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Mouthwatering Recommendations
Based on a small sampling of my Best Favorites, Goodreads has had a field day populating my Recommendations shelf with former Man Booker Prize winners. I would like to clone myself so that I can read all of these tempting tidbits.
Most of the "Favorites" recommendations feature contemporary British literary writers (I listed Ian McEwan, David Mitchell, Hilary Mantel) who have won the Booker or other prestigious awards. Based on my listing of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob deZoet, there are a number of historical fiction recommendations that feature seafaring adventures. Other suggestions favor historical fiction, some mysteries, and feminist fantasy, in response to my postings of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, Dark of the Moon and In the Woods, The Mists of Avalon and The Bloody Chamber. All of the recs seem to favor intriguing characters, exotic settings, and superb writing.
I am an eclectic reader, so I received a broad variety of recs. The only batch that really doesn't entice me at all contains recs in response to posting Wonder. These upper elementary novels look like they feature ordinary or special kids who overcome extraordinary obstacles of some sort. I don't read much Juvenile fiction so I am not enticed by the Goodreads ideas. Besides, Wonder was in a league of its own.
Most of the "Favorites" recommendations feature contemporary British literary writers (I listed Ian McEwan, David Mitchell, Hilary Mantel) who have won the Booker or other prestigious awards. Based on my listing of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob deZoet, there are a number of historical fiction recommendations that feature seafaring adventures. Other suggestions favor historical fiction, some mysteries, and feminist fantasy, in response to my postings of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, Dark of the Moon and In the Woods, The Mists of Avalon and The Bloody Chamber. All of the recs seem to favor intriguing characters, exotic settings, and superb writing.
I am an eclectic reader, so I received a broad variety of recs. The only batch that really doesn't entice me at all contains recs in response to posting Wonder. These upper elementary novels look like they feature ordinary or special kids who overcome extraordinary obstacles of some sort. I don't read much Juvenile fiction so I am not enticed by the Goodreads ideas. Besides, Wonder was in a league of its own.
Into the Labyrinth of Goodreads
I'm a librarian. I'm already inundated with Goodreads lists on my email, PubWeekly on my desk, Book Pages calling to me from the New Fiction area, and carts and carts of returns, all brimming with enticing titles that seem to be screaming, "Read Me! Read Me!" So I need more electronically generated recommendations, or earnest suggestions from other BMB bloggers, like I need another cute kitten bookmark. NO thank you very much.
There, now that I've gotten that off my chest, I DO value learning more about how to do the RA conversation. I appreciate the opportunity to write about books using the appeal factors; I find that I already do a more conscious and conscientious RA as a result, e.g. I have fearlessly mentioned the significance of the setting and/or characters of a couple of books in my recent advisories. (I do wish I could find more customers who value WRITING as I do. So many are simply looking for an entertaining story...)
I do not need to dip into Listopia's "Best Book Boyfriend" list, or some of their other popular lists, for my personal reading. (See rant above.) But I would certainly use this as an RA tool; specifically, as a hook to encourage customers to subscribe to Goodreads. I'd show them, say, one of the Chick Lit lists or Vampire Romance lists, because Goodreads does such a good job of including cover photos and enthusiastic reviews. Looking at all of those 4 and 5 star ratings on a Kinsella readalike would be a great incentive to pick up a recommended book.
Overall, I find Goodreads a quick, entertaining source of sketches of current, pop fiction/literary fare. Love the bright, upbeat, visually appealing format. Much better than a dry list of authors and titles. Sometimes the reviewers are quite eloquent. Even more, I enjoy the discussion threads posted after I have listed a book. Best of all, you immediately get the sense that you, too, could be part of a community of like minded people -- the wonderful world of book addicts!
The site itself is not as easy to navigate as I would like. For example, I had to ask a coworker to help me find the "Read" option on the dropdown menu in order to add a title to my list. But overall, it's a fun site, and I think that, like a lot of things in life, you can get out of it what you put in.
In general, switching back and forth between Goodreads, my blog, the blogs of others, my Gmail account, and the BMB site is um, just a tad tedious.
There, now that I've gotten that off my chest, I DO value learning more about how to do the RA conversation. I appreciate the opportunity to write about books using the appeal factors; I find that I already do a more conscious and conscientious RA as a result, e.g. I have fearlessly mentioned the significance of the setting and/or characters of a couple of books in my recent advisories. (I do wish I could find more customers who value WRITING as I do. So many are simply looking for an entertaining story...)
I do not need to dip into Listopia's "Best Book Boyfriend" list, or some of their other popular lists, for my personal reading. (See rant above.) But I would certainly use this as an RA tool; specifically, as a hook to encourage customers to subscribe to Goodreads. I'd show them, say, one of the Chick Lit lists or Vampire Romance lists, because Goodreads does such a good job of including cover photos and enthusiastic reviews. Looking at all of those 4 and 5 star ratings on a Kinsella readalike would be a great incentive to pick up a recommended book.
Overall, I find Goodreads a quick, entertaining source of sketches of current, pop fiction/literary fare. Love the bright, upbeat, visually appealing format. Much better than a dry list of authors and titles. Sometimes the reviewers are quite eloquent. Even more, I enjoy the discussion threads posted after I have listed a book. Best of all, you immediately get the sense that you, too, could be part of a community of like minded people -- the wonderful world of book addicts!
The site itself is not as easy to navigate as I would like. For example, I had to ask a coworker to help me find the "Read" option on the dropdown menu in order to add a title to my list. But overall, it's a fun site, and I think that, like a lot of things in life, you can get out of it what you put in.
In general, switching back and forth between Goodreads, my blog, the blogs of others, my Gmail account, and the BMB site is um, just a tad tedious.
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