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!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
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.
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