Assignment 1: Read articles and watch book trailers
I read the articles and watched the Packing for Mars video along with several of the ones mentioned in the articles. I also checked YouTube and watched trailers for The Fault in our Stars by John Green , Room by Emma Donoghue, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben H. Winters.
Assignment 2: My reaction to video book trailers
Well the Chicago Tribune article got this right. I hadn't watched book trailers before and I was surprised by how un-useful they were. As a reader, I didn't find myself encouraged to read any of the books. I also didn't find much in them that would help me recommend the titles to other readers. I know that I would have felt differently if I had read a jacket blurb about any of them. The videos were light on information and took too long to get started. I was most surprised by the trailer for The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. It wasn't engaging and, to my surprise, you had to watch one of those YouTube commercials before you could watch the trailer. It seems too much to be required to watch a commercial before watching what is, in essence, another commercial. I thought that the trailers for young adult novels might be more engaging but I didn't have any success there. The trailer for The Fault in our Stars was just a brief alert the the book existed and featured young children on swings. Nothing that would make you want to read what I thought was one of the best books I have read this year. The trailer for Room was the same. It was well composed - much better than the articles would have led me to expect - but it didn't do enough to draw the viewer into what is a very powerful story. I think that the view becomes too rarefied when you take a story, get someone's 30 second impression of it, and then run that impression through someone's choice of visual interpretation.
I didn't find the author interviews to be particularly helpful in making me want to read a particular book or in giving me info that I could use to recommend it. They might be useful as a source for discussion information after a group had read a title. The video for The Glass Castle was interesting but I think it also served as a spoiler of sorts. I was glad that I had read the book in advance so that the story line developed for me as the author intended.
One exception to this that I came upon was the trailer for Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. It had good production quality, captured what (I think is) the tone and style of the book and was a hoot to watch.
Assignment 3: Thoughts on what I learned
Some of the information in this training was not new to me. I had been exposed to the concepts of appeal characteristics before. In this case, repetition was very useful. I found that this series of exercises helped to make me more aware of ways to identify appeal characteristics and more comfortable in discussing books in those terms. I also enjoyed the chance to read through readers advisory sites like Early Word and Salon. I hadn't spent much time with them before. I mentioned that I'm a terrible participant in GoodReads and I'm going to try to improve with that. What I learned from these exercises is that you don't need to be a good participant to be able to use the site as a readers advisory tool. The genre tree Prezi was very useful. I liked the examples and the brief statements that describe the key characteristics in each genre. It was interesting to see them arranged visually in a genre and subgenre format. The graphic presentation made it easy for me to understand.
For format, I always find self paced training difficult. As is the case for many others, competing priorities often cause me to put the training aside to handle something more pressing. I made it though. Thanks for extending the deadline. As a training program, it is great to have this at the ready for new staff members to experience. Over many years at BCPL I have seen readers advisory training campaigns come and go. One of the biggest challenges is how to maintain long-term consistent training so that all staff members are exposed to the same opportunities to develop skills. It will be useful to have this program on hand.
Thanks!
Jim
Monday, July 29, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Week 8 assignments
Assignment 1: Read two articles
I liked the parallels that the first article drew between narrative nonfiction and fiction. I thought it was particularly helpful to read the list of most likely crossover areas - true crime, science, biography, etc. In the second article I got stuck for a while on the interview question at the beginning about how you would feel if you couldn't read. That was thought provoking.
Assignment 2: E-learning video from SLRC
I enjoyed the broad laundry list of appeal characteristics that was included in this. I really liked the "lack of appeal" characteristics, too. That was useful information that I hadn't seen listed elsewhere. It would have been helpful to have a reference handout from this presentation. I went directly to it frmo the link on the Be More Bookish training site. It could be that there is a handout that I didn't spot.
Assignment 3: Dewey and Narrative Nonfiction
These genres do turn up in Dewey but in some cases they're not grouped closely together. Travel, for example will turn up in the early 900's but is most likely to be classified by region so accounts of travel in Europe will be in a different spot from travel in Australia. The same is true with history where the classification number can be based on a combination of location and era. Things are more clearly grouped in other areas. The four that I chose are:
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer - Biography McCandless
What would cause a young man, coming from a childhood of privilege and with a future full of promise and opportunity, to give up everything he had, sever all ties with family and friends, and choose a solitary, itinerant life on the road? Christopher McCandless did just that. With Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer gives us a book that combines mystery, psychological study, outdoor adventure and more. As the story unfolds, we meet people that most readers would never encounter and learn about off-the-grid subculture that exists side by side with mainstream America. Through interviews and investigation, Krakauer pieces together McCandless's story from the factors that may have led to his decision to his untimely end, alone in a rarely traveled part of Alaska. For readers who like books that raise as many questions as they answer, Into the Wild is sure to please.
Shot all to hell : Jesse James, the Northfield raid, and the wild west's greatest escape by Mark L. Gardner
Rough riding outlaws robbing a bank in the old west sounds like the basis of almost every old western movie. But what was it really like with out all the Hollywood costumes, sets, make-up and romance. John Gardner tells us in this account of what is probably the most old west bank robbery and manhunt of all. For those who know about the Northfield raid and the fates of those involved, this book gives a well-researched narrative that fills in many blank spaces in other historical accounts. Those who don't know the story of Northfield will get all this combined with a real-life adventure that will keep the pages turning. This book is a sure fire hit for history lovers, fans of action packed thrillers and any reader of Western fiction.
I liked the parallels that the first article drew between narrative nonfiction and fiction. I thought it was particularly helpful to read the list of most likely crossover areas - true crime, science, biography, etc. In the second article I got stuck for a while on the interview question at the beginning about how you would feel if you couldn't read. That was thought provoking.
Assignment 2: E-learning video from SLRC
I enjoyed the broad laundry list of appeal characteristics that was included in this. I really liked the "lack of appeal" characteristics, too. That was useful information that I hadn't seen listed elsewhere. It would have been helpful to have a reference handout from this presentation. I went directly to it frmo the link on the Be More Bookish training site. It could be that there is a handout that I didn't spot.
Assignment 3: Dewey and Narrative Nonfiction
These genres do turn up in Dewey but in some cases they're not grouped closely together. Travel, for example will turn up in the early 900's but is most likely to be classified by region so accounts of travel in Europe will be in a different spot from travel in Australia. The same is true with history where the classification number can be based on a combination of location and era. Things are more clearly grouped in other areas. The four that I chose are:
- Biography - Hedy's Folly: The life and breakthrough inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the most beautiful woman in the world by Richard Rhodes - Biography Lamarr
- True crime- Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi - 364.1523 B
- Psychological case studies - The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks - 616.8.S
- Outdoor Survival - Between a rock and a hard place by Aron Ralston - 796.5223 R
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer - Biography McCandless
What would cause a young man, coming from a childhood of privilege and with a future full of promise and opportunity, to give up everything he had, sever all ties with family and friends, and choose a solitary, itinerant life on the road? Christopher McCandless did just that. With Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer gives us a book that combines mystery, psychological study, outdoor adventure and more. As the story unfolds, we meet people that most readers would never encounter and learn about off-the-grid subculture that exists side by side with mainstream America. Through interviews and investigation, Krakauer pieces together McCandless's story from the factors that may have led to his decision to his untimely end, alone in a rarely traveled part of Alaska. For readers who like books that raise as many questions as they answer, Into the Wild is sure to please.
Shot all to hell : Jesse James, the Northfield raid, and the wild west's greatest escape by Mark L. Gardner
Rough riding outlaws robbing a bank in the old west sounds like the basis of almost every old western movie. But what was it really like with out all the Hollywood costumes, sets, make-up and romance. John Gardner tells us in this account of what is probably the most old west bank robbery and manhunt of all. For those who know about the Northfield raid and the fates of those involved, this book gives a well-researched narrative that fills in many blank spaces in other historical accounts. Those who don't know the story of Northfield will get all this combined with a real-life adventure that will keep the pages turning. This book is a sure fire hit for history lovers, fans of action packed thrillers and any reader of Western fiction.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Week 7 assignments
Assignment 1: What to Read Next flowchart
That was great. A very handy and well composed tool. It was so easy to scan and understand. I realized right away that it's the natural disaster type book that appeals to me most. I'm going to read one of those once I plow my way though the lengthy historical fiction title I'm reading now. I wasn't crazy about the "Have you been living under a rock?" heading for the first group of titles. It started the whole thing off with a "we're cooler than you" tone - at least to me - that didn't really describe why those titles were grouped together. I'm assuming that those titles are popular favorites but since I have been living under a rock as far as these books are concerned I can't be sure. All of the other headings were chummy and easy to understand.
Assignment 2: Read two short articles and comment
I randomly selected the second and third link in the list. Both "Who's Buying Teen Books?" from the Christian Science Monitor and "The Next Big Thing" from YALSA focused on the trend where adults are buying and reading teen literature. That trend didn't take me by surprise since I read a lot of YA material when I was working in a branch. Most YA titles have all the fluff removed. They're written well but sparely so plot per page ratio is high and keeps you interested. I think it's also easy for older adults to identify with the characters in YA fiction. They've been through that stage of life and know what it's like. Easier, at least, than it is for younger readers to identify with older characters.
I commented on the Week 7 posts by Michael S. and Mercedes M.
Assignment 3: Teen Lit Blogs/Websites
Teenreads - This is a family run enterprise that does a good job of presenting interesting, engaging items for teens to read. There doesn't seem to be anything too edgy here. I found the content organization to be easy to follow. There are reviews, blog posts, reviewer profiles, etc.- all presented in an accessible layout. For the avid teen reader, this site would be a comfortable and useful spot to visit. There's enough new content to keep readers coming back and the Coming Soon section gives readers a chance to see in advance what is in store from popular authors.
Squeetus Blog - This is the blog of the popular and successful author Shannon Hale. I can see where this blog would be popular for (what I am assuming is) its intended audience - the female teen reader. The writing style is quick and conversational. I think that avid fans would enjoy the opportunity to read the author's comments and insights. It's a rare opportunity to get such a perspective on a writer's work. I admit that this site didn't grab me but I'm hardly in the target demographic.
Assignment 4: Publisher imprint websites
Teens at Random - I had to pick this site just for the name. It was probably a no-brainer for Random House to pick this title but I thought it was engaging. I got a very strong sales feeling from this site. There were brief annotations with plenty of opportunities to purchase items, suggest titles to friends and sign up for newsletters. It was clear from this that Christopher Paolini is a headliner author for this publisher. I didn't note any surprising trends here. Fantasy and vampires are still popular but that doesn't come as news.
Harper Teen - This site had a glossier feel. The site seemed geared to the reader of Seventeen magazine. I don't know if it's always that way. I only began dropping by recently. All of the cover art featured young women and most of the titles were written by female authors. Because of that, the site home page has a consistent style. Digging deeper, I saw selections that might appeal to other audience segments. Supernatural titles in series seem to get the most promotion, along with the Pretty Little Liars series. As with the Random House site, there were plenty of opportunities to buy things. Harper had a much more visible push to engage teens through social networks. Those icons were big and obvious.
That was great. A very handy and well composed tool. It was so easy to scan and understand. I realized right away that it's the natural disaster type book that appeals to me most. I'm going to read one of those once I plow my way though the lengthy historical fiction title I'm reading now. I wasn't crazy about the "Have you been living under a rock?" heading for the first group of titles. It started the whole thing off with a "we're cooler than you" tone - at least to me - that didn't really describe why those titles were grouped together. I'm assuming that those titles are popular favorites but since I have been living under a rock as far as these books are concerned I can't be sure. All of the other headings were chummy and easy to understand.
Assignment 2: Read two short articles and comment
I randomly selected the second and third link in the list. Both "Who's Buying Teen Books?" from the Christian Science Monitor and "The Next Big Thing" from YALSA focused on the trend where adults are buying and reading teen literature. That trend didn't take me by surprise since I read a lot of YA material when I was working in a branch. Most YA titles have all the fluff removed. They're written well but sparely so plot per page ratio is high and keeps you interested. I think it's also easy for older adults to identify with the characters in YA fiction. They've been through that stage of life and know what it's like. Easier, at least, than it is for younger readers to identify with older characters.
I commented on the Week 7 posts by Michael S. and Mercedes M.
Assignment 3: Teen Lit Blogs/Websites
Teenreads - This is a family run enterprise that does a good job of presenting interesting, engaging items for teens to read. There doesn't seem to be anything too edgy here. I found the content organization to be easy to follow. There are reviews, blog posts, reviewer profiles, etc.- all presented in an accessible layout. For the avid teen reader, this site would be a comfortable and useful spot to visit. There's enough new content to keep readers coming back and the Coming Soon section gives readers a chance to see in advance what is in store from popular authors.
Squeetus Blog - This is the blog of the popular and successful author Shannon Hale. I can see where this blog would be popular for (what I am assuming is) its intended audience - the female teen reader. The writing style is quick and conversational. I think that avid fans would enjoy the opportunity to read the author's comments and insights. It's a rare opportunity to get such a perspective on a writer's work. I admit that this site didn't grab me but I'm hardly in the target demographic.
Assignment 4: Publisher imprint websites
Teens at Random - I had to pick this site just for the name. It was probably a no-brainer for Random House to pick this title but I thought it was engaging. I got a very strong sales feeling from this site. There were brief annotations with plenty of opportunities to purchase items, suggest titles to friends and sign up for newsletters. It was clear from this that Christopher Paolini is a headliner author for this publisher. I didn't note any surprising trends here. Fantasy and vampires are still popular but that doesn't come as news.
Harper Teen - This site had a glossier feel. The site seemed geared to the reader of Seventeen magazine. I don't know if it's always that way. I only began dropping by recently. All of the cover art featured young women and most of the titles were written by female authors. Because of that, the site home page has a consistent style. Digging deeper, I saw selections that might appeal to other audience segments. Supernatural titles in series seem to get the most promotion, along with the Pretty Little Liars series. As with the Random House site, there were plenty of opportunities to buy things. Harper had a much more visible push to engage teens through social networks. Those icons were big and obvious.
Week 6 assignments
Genre time.
Assignment 1: Discoveries from Tor - Fiction Affliction
What I think I already knew - but am really seeing now - is how much science fiction and fantasy material is published. Paranormal Romance is a subgenre that was new to me. When I read those reviews I keep thinking about the annoyed-by-the-Twilight-teen-angst customer from the Week 3 assignments. She (I'm assuming it was a woman) would have found many of these titles annoying. However, there might be something in these that the customer would like. There is lust as well as puppy love in the pages of some of these selections. The covers are strong evidence that they are intended to appeal to the readers of more mainstream paperback romance fiction. Just take the minimally dressed muscle man on the cover and add fangs.
I also enjoy reading the Genre Benders lists. Again I'm impressed by what an avid following these books can develop. There are so many listings and most seem to be parts of a series.
Assignment 2: The Prezi
I enjoyed browsing through the Prezi. I have some experience using Prezi and I really like the way it lets you organize thoughts spatially. I also know that it can be a challenge to arrange all of the elements. This one looks great and is easy to browse through. This made it easy to see the genre and subgenre families. So many to know about.
Assignment 3: Subgenre cavalcade
Here are my subgenre observations:
Techno-Thriller - I found that The Pulp had a some interesting buzz on techno-thrillers. OK, so I picked out this sub-genre since I never read anything that I would consider a techno-thriller. The first entry was about Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I've read lots of titles by these authors. I didn't realize that I was reading techno-thrillers at the time. They were techno and were thrilling but they also had a lightly paranormal tone. I thought of them in that light. Time to reorganize my mental categories. The three authors that I noted quickly were, (of course) Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child and Clive Cussler. Titles by all of these authors feature a fast-paced, cloak and dagger sort of plot. There's intrigue, double crossing, etc., etc. There are always interesting techological concepts, too.These go way past a fancy cell phone to some hugely implausible futuristic inventions, contraptions and devices. These authors have the skill to make those implausible features seem completely plausible. I have also noticed that books in this area often feature a hyper-intelligent evil mastermind character. That character is often, but not always, outwitted or out maneuvered by the hero.
Westerns - Pioneer Families - I have never been a big reader of westerns. I had a hard time finding a fan website for pioneer families books. Since the Prezi said that these often feature women as main characters, I finally searched for "women of the west fiction" in Google and came up with the Westerns for Women section of the historicalfictiononline forum. So, after my surprise at finding that I had been an unknown reader of techno-thrillers, the first title mentioned in the westerns for women forum was a book that I just recently finished. Go figure. The book is These Is My Words by Nancy Turner. I think I get this genre now. This particular title was about Arizona in the mid 1800's. I read it on a recommendation from a friend of mine who lives in Tucson after I visited there so that I could learn more about the history of the area. Like much historical fiction, books like this educate you without you knowing it. Other authors in this area include Jane Candia Coleman, Karen Fisher, and Gwen Bristow.
Apocalyptic Horror - This is another rarely visited genre for me. Of course, I have read The Stand. That's pretty much a requirement. Other titles in this area haven't drawn me in. I haven't even read or seen Hunger Games. So, for this I went to Apocalyptic Fiction on GoodReads. I was impressed by how many titles were listed. These books always include some sort of cataclysmic precursor event. This usually has already happened as the book begins or happens shortly after. The story focuses on the quest for survival as the characters find themselves without the technology that they have come to depend upon. Even when it isn't a major part of the plot, these stories very often include conflict between the survivors as they compete for whatever resources are available. After reading through the plot synopses of several titles, I find that there are often interesting plot twists and science fiction concepts in these books that keep the reader guessing. They definitely fall into two categories - the hope-for-survival group and the bad-now-and-will-only-get-worse club. For authors, Stephen King seems to feature. I didn't notice many other repeat authors in this area except for ones that seem to fall into crossover genres like........
Crossover titles.
From what I see Apocalyptic Horror titles often cross quickly into the Zombie horror group. I guess one zombie is just unsettling but when you get enough to make society collapse then things really get interesting. There were also many Apocalyptic Horror titles that have a very Christian post-Rapture premise. The Tim LaHaye "Left Behind" series is the prime example of these.
I also noticed that there was crossover from the Pioneer Families titles into the Christian Fiction area. There were several mentions of women who relied on their Christian faith to bring them through the trials of pioneer life. In some cases, they reform a wayward (and usually hunky) man along the way.
Assignment 1: Discoveries from Tor - Fiction Affliction
What I think I already knew - but am really seeing now - is how much science fiction and fantasy material is published. Paranormal Romance is a subgenre that was new to me. When I read those reviews I keep thinking about the annoyed-by-the-Twilight-teen-angst customer from the Week 3 assignments. She (I'm assuming it was a woman) would have found many of these titles annoying. However, there might be something in these that the customer would like. There is lust as well as puppy love in the pages of some of these selections. The covers are strong evidence that they are intended to appeal to the readers of more mainstream paperback romance fiction. Just take the minimally dressed muscle man on the cover and add fangs.
I also enjoy reading the Genre Benders lists. Again I'm impressed by what an avid following these books can develop. There are so many listings and most seem to be parts of a series.
Assignment 2: The Prezi
I enjoyed browsing through the Prezi. I have some experience using Prezi and I really like the way it lets you organize thoughts spatially. I also know that it can be a challenge to arrange all of the elements. This one looks great and is easy to browse through. This made it easy to see the genre and subgenre families. So many to know about.
Assignment 3: Subgenre cavalcade
Here are my subgenre observations:
Techno-Thriller - I found that The Pulp had a some interesting buzz on techno-thrillers. OK, so I picked out this sub-genre since I never read anything that I would consider a techno-thriller. The first entry was about Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I've read lots of titles by these authors. I didn't realize that I was reading techno-thrillers at the time. They were techno and were thrilling but they also had a lightly paranormal tone. I thought of them in that light. Time to reorganize my mental categories. The three authors that I noted quickly were, (of course) Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child and Clive Cussler. Titles by all of these authors feature a fast-paced, cloak and dagger sort of plot. There's intrigue, double crossing, etc., etc. There are always interesting techological concepts, too.These go way past a fancy cell phone to some hugely implausible futuristic inventions, contraptions and devices. These authors have the skill to make those implausible features seem completely plausible. I have also noticed that books in this area often feature a hyper-intelligent evil mastermind character. That character is often, but not always, outwitted or out maneuvered by the hero.
Westerns - Pioneer Families - I have never been a big reader of westerns. I had a hard time finding a fan website for pioneer families books. Since the Prezi said that these often feature women as main characters, I finally searched for "women of the west fiction" in Google and came up with the Westerns for Women section of the historicalfictiononline forum. So, after my surprise at finding that I had been an unknown reader of techno-thrillers, the first title mentioned in the westerns for women forum was a book that I just recently finished. Go figure. The book is These Is My Words by Nancy Turner. I think I get this genre now. This particular title was about Arizona in the mid 1800's. I read it on a recommendation from a friend of mine who lives in Tucson after I visited there so that I could learn more about the history of the area. Like much historical fiction, books like this educate you without you knowing it. Other authors in this area include Jane Candia Coleman, Karen Fisher, and Gwen Bristow.
Apocalyptic Horror - This is another rarely visited genre for me. Of course, I have read The Stand. That's pretty much a requirement. Other titles in this area haven't drawn me in. I haven't even read or seen Hunger Games. So, for this I went to Apocalyptic Fiction on GoodReads. I was impressed by how many titles were listed. These books always include some sort of cataclysmic precursor event. This usually has already happened as the book begins or happens shortly after. The story focuses on the quest for survival as the characters find themselves without the technology that they have come to depend upon. Even when it isn't a major part of the plot, these stories very often include conflict between the survivors as they compete for whatever resources are available. After reading through the plot synopses of several titles, I find that there are often interesting plot twists and science fiction concepts in these books that keep the reader guessing. They definitely fall into two categories - the hope-for-survival group and the bad-now-and-will-only-get-worse club. For authors, Stephen King seems to feature. I didn't notice many other repeat authors in this area except for ones that seem to fall into crossover genres like........
Crossover titles.
From what I see Apocalyptic Horror titles often cross quickly into the Zombie horror group. I guess one zombie is just unsettling but when you get enough to make society collapse then things really get interesting. There were also many Apocalyptic Horror titles that have a very Christian post-Rapture premise. The Tim LaHaye "Left Behind" series is the prime example of these.
I also noticed that there was crossover from the Pioneer Families titles into the Christian Fiction area. There were several mentions of women who relied on their Christian faith to bring them through the trials of pioneer life. In some cases, they reform a wayward (and usually hunky) man along the way.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Week 5 assignments
Getting an early start on this today.
Assignment 1 - Useful information from the Week 1 resources
I've been checking two spots, although not as frequently as I'd like. They are:
Salon Books - This site is useful because it covers such a wide range of titles. Its appeal is to the more brainy, educated reader. From this site I am learning more about the huge diversity of books that are being published. There are many interesting nonfiction titles and I find those particularly interesting. This morning I read about Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala. It's a true account of the author's experience of tragedy in the tsunami of December 2004. I thought about the assignment from Week 3 where we were asked to recommend a title to someone who liked River of Doubt. I suggested some manly man titles about Shackleton. Wave would have been a good item to add to that mix, in case the customer would want something with a similar situation but with greater emotional appeal. Salon is a good spot to find titles with a broader appeal, too. The site covered hot popular fiction with a 'what will everyone else be talking about' tone. That's always handy.
Fiction Affliction - This site also proved to be useful for me since I'm not a big reader in the science fiction or fantasy genres. This site has a high volume style that makes it useful for me. There's enough cover art to make it interesting without being distracting. Each post covers a large number of titles and includes brief, readable annotations. For someone who is playing catch-up in learning about an unfamiliar genre, this is a great place to go.
For both of these, I found that one of the most useful features is how retrievable they are. That's handy for that "what was the title of the book about....?' situation. If you can remember where, and preferably when, you read about a particular title, you can scan through the posts to find the information. That proved handy for me when I was trying to remember Wave so that I could mention it in this post.
Assignment 2 - Early-Word-a-go-go
Early Word has so many resources on it that it's a little cognitively overwhelming for me. A person does need to visit it regularly to become familiar with the content areas. I find the information about trends in the publishing industry interesting but the most useful things for me on Early Word are the lists that are featured on the lower left, particularly the awards and nonfiction genres. Those lists and annotations are good for keeping up with things that might not catch my eye othewise. It always helps to know what the award nominees and winners are. Book club customers love that.
Assignment 3 - Post about a Season Previews title
For a quick summer beach read, it would be hard to find anything better than Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews. This quickly paced, contemporary novel tells us the story of Grace Davenport Stratton who must attend divorce group counseling sessions. In a weak moment she gave way to the he-done-her-wrong urge to drive her husband's car into the swimming pool after she caught him in a compromising situation with another woman. With witty dialog, a mix of entertaining quirky characters, and situations that can range from cathartic to madcap, readers will find themselves engaged and entertained. Fans of Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen or the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich will find this title sure to appeal.
Assignment 1 - Useful information from the Week 1 resources
I've been checking two spots, although not as frequently as I'd like. They are:
Salon Books - This site is useful because it covers such a wide range of titles. Its appeal is to the more brainy, educated reader. From this site I am learning more about the huge diversity of books that are being published. There are many interesting nonfiction titles and I find those particularly interesting. This morning I read about Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala. It's a true account of the author's experience of tragedy in the tsunami of December 2004. I thought about the assignment from Week 3 where we were asked to recommend a title to someone who liked River of Doubt. I suggested some manly man titles about Shackleton. Wave would have been a good item to add to that mix, in case the customer would want something with a similar situation but with greater emotional appeal. Salon is a good spot to find titles with a broader appeal, too. The site covered hot popular fiction with a 'what will everyone else be talking about' tone. That's always handy.
Fiction Affliction - This site also proved to be useful for me since I'm not a big reader in the science fiction or fantasy genres. This site has a high volume style that makes it useful for me. There's enough cover art to make it interesting without being distracting. Each post covers a large number of titles and includes brief, readable annotations. For someone who is playing catch-up in learning about an unfamiliar genre, this is a great place to go.
For both of these, I found that one of the most useful features is how retrievable they are. That's handy for that "what was the title of the book about....?' situation. If you can remember where, and preferably when, you read about a particular title, you can scan through the posts to find the information. That proved handy for me when I was trying to remember Wave so that I could mention it in this post.
Assignment 2 - Early-Word-a-go-go
Early Word has so many resources on it that it's a little cognitively overwhelming for me. A person does need to visit it regularly to become familiar with the content areas. I find the information about trends in the publishing industry interesting but the most useful things for me on Early Word are the lists that are featured on the lower left, particularly the awards and nonfiction genres. Those lists and annotations are good for keeping up with things that might not catch my eye othewise. It always helps to know what the award nominees and winners are. Book club customers love that.
Assignment 3 - Post about a Season Previews title
For a quick summer beach read, it would be hard to find anything better than Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews. This quickly paced, contemporary novel tells us the story of Grace Davenport Stratton who must attend divorce group counseling sessions. In a weak moment she gave way to the he-done-her-wrong urge to drive her husband's car into the swimming pool after she caught him in a compromising situation with another woman. With witty dialog, a mix of entertaining quirky characters, and situations that can range from cathartic to madcap, readers will find themselves engaged and entertained. Fans of Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen or the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich will find this title sure to appeal.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Week 4 assignments
I admit it. I am a terrible GoodReads member. With Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, etc., I think I might just have topped off on social networking by the time I got to GoodReads. I'm going to give it more of a shot, though.
One of the things that keeps me from participating fully in GoodReads is that it will require some catch-up. I have read a lot of stuff and don't want to go through the steps of adding at least a representative set of titles. Consequently, it looks like I don't read much of anything, which isn't entirely true.
GoodReads really does have a lot to offer. Listopia proved to be a great source of read-alikes. I remember years ago painstakingly maintaining library lists like that. In particular, I noted several "clean reads" lists for parents to use with kids/tweens/teens. That's a particularly difficult readers advisory question to answer since it's difficult to assure a customer that there is nothing to offend in a book that you haven't actually read.
For a recommendation, I chose the book Paris by Edward Rutherfurd since it's long and I'm likely to be reading it through most of these assignments. I recommended it to a friend who had been to Paris last year. I said,
"Hi, I'm working on a readers advisory assignment and I need to recommend something to someone on GoodReads. You're the lucky winner. I think you'd enjoy this title. It is quite long but might be a perfect way to spend a few of those days in retirement. I'm recommending it mostly because you have been to Paris recently, This book gives such a good perspective on the history of the city and all of the things that made it one of the premier cities in the world. I'm finding it to be fascinating.
One of the things that keeps me from participating fully in GoodReads is that it will require some catch-up. I have read a lot of stuff and don't want to go through the steps of adding at least a representative set of titles. Consequently, it looks like I don't read much of anything, which isn't entirely true.
GoodReads really does have a lot to offer. Listopia proved to be a great source of read-alikes. I remember years ago painstakingly maintaining library lists like that. In particular, I noted several "clean reads" lists for parents to use with kids/tweens/teens. That's a particularly difficult readers advisory question to answer since it's difficult to assure a customer that there is nothing to offend in a book that you haven't actually read.
For a recommendation, I chose the book Paris by Edward Rutherfurd since it's long and I'm likely to be reading it through most of these assignments. I recommended it to a friend who had been to Paris last year. I said,
"Hi, I'm working on a readers advisory assignment and I need to recommend something to someone on GoodReads. You're the lucky winner. I think you'd enjoy this title. It is quite long but might be a perfect way to spend a few of those days in retirement. I'm recommending it mostly because you have been to Paris recently, This book gives such a good perspective on the history of the city and all of the things that made it one of the premier cities in the world. I'm finding it to be fascinating.
Week 3 assignments
OK, on to the week 3 assignments.
Assignment 1: RA Conversation
The key point from this was how to listen for appeal characteristics. It's so easy to listen for plot. It takes a greater level of concentration to extract appeal characteristics from a conversation. I think that talking to customers in the language of appeal characteristics encourages them to respond in kind.
Assignment 2:Nancy Pearl Podcast
The podcast was interesting to hear. Nancy Pearl is a definite pro at this and speaks about books so effortlessly. I was aware, though, that these titles had been pre-selected in advance of the interview so she had plenty of time to prepare these talks. I think they were a bit longer than I would be likely to give. In part, that might be because they weren't chosen to respond to a particular reader's interests. Although I haven't done it in a while, when recommending titles to customers, I try to get a constant read on how they're reacting to what I say. If they seem engaged, I'll give more info. If I haven't grabbed them in the first few sentences, then I let that title drop and move on to something else. Nancy Pearl did a great job of leading with the things that had the strongest appeal for each title she recommended. That enthusiasm worked on me. I found myself interested in things I wouldn't have picked up otherwise.
Assignment 3: Conversations and recommendations
Eat Pray Love similarity - This customer seemed to like introspective books - things that were thought provoking and maybe a little more reassuring than challenging. I would recommend...
Twilight without the schmaltz and angst - This reader seems to like the vampire lore and mystique that goes with Twilight but not the heartthrob romance that seems to have made it such a sensation. I would recommend...
Assignment 1: RA Conversation
The key point from this was how to listen for appeal characteristics. It's so easy to listen for plot. It takes a greater level of concentration to extract appeal characteristics from a conversation. I think that talking to customers in the language of appeal characteristics encourages them to respond in kind.
Assignment 2:Nancy Pearl Podcast
The podcast was interesting to hear. Nancy Pearl is a definite pro at this and speaks about books so effortlessly. I was aware, though, that these titles had been pre-selected in advance of the interview so she had plenty of time to prepare these talks. I think they were a bit longer than I would be likely to give. In part, that might be because they weren't chosen to respond to a particular reader's interests. Although I haven't done it in a while, when recommending titles to customers, I try to get a constant read on how they're reacting to what I say. If they seem engaged, I'll give more info. If I haven't grabbed them in the first few sentences, then I let that title drop and move on to something else. Nancy Pearl did a great job of leading with the things that had the strongest appeal for each title she recommended. That enthusiasm worked on me. I found myself interested in things I wouldn't have picked up otherwise.
Assignment 3: Conversations and recommendations
Eat Pray Love similarity - This customer seemed to like introspective books - things that were thought provoking and maybe a little more reassuring than challenging. I would recommend...
- A Year by the Sea by Joan Anderson. This is contemporary but not hot off the press (1999) and includes many thought provoking insights from the author's time living alone in an unfamiliar area as she meets new people, learns a different way of life and spends time in quiet introspection.
- Two Old Women by Velma Wallis. This is fiction and tells the story of two old Native American women in Alaska who are no longer able to contribute to the livelihood of their society. As is the custom, they are left behind by the group and are expected to die. Instead, they work together to make a go of it at survival. It is a short and quiet book with interesting perspectives and insights. It makes a good selection for a book club, particularly if the members are busy, because it pack so much into a fairly small, quick-to-read package.
- The Island Keeper by Harry Mazer. This is a young adult novel about an overweight young woman who is grief stricken over the loss of her younger sister - her closest friend in her emotionally distant family. She leaves to spend the summer on an island that her father owns in a lake in Canada. There she learns to fend for herself and finds strength that she didn't know she possessed. As a young adult novel, this title is heavier on plot so there is much to keep the reader engaged. The personal insights are fewer but they are in a way more profound for that.
Twilight without the schmaltz and angst - This reader seems to like the vampire lore and mystique that goes with Twilight but not the heartthrob romance that seems to have made it such a sensation. I would recommend...
- Any of the Ann Rice titles. It is likely that this customer is already aware of those, however, and has considered them.
- Books by Charlaine Harris
- Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton. What is it about these vampire authors that makes them choose quirky spellings for their first names. Laurell? Stephenie? Go figure. Anyway, this title is the first in a series of vampire hunter series featuring U.S. Marshal Anita Blake. It has the tone and lore of vampires with more grit and less hearts-and-flowers. A big plus is that it's part of a series. If you like this one, there are more to follow.
- Emma and the Vampires by Wayne Josephson. This is something of a special interest title. If you like a literary item with the more flowery speech of bygone days, then try this new take on Jane Austen's Emma. Just add some vampires here and there. If you like this you're sure to like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, too.
- The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition by Caroline Alexander. In a an attempt to be the first to cross the Antarctic continent, Ernest Shackleton sailed into the South Atlantic in August 1914. Winter was exceptionally early that year and the ship became frozen in ice before reaching shore. Weeks passed, the light faded and eventually the pressure of the ice crushed the ship. Now held forth as an example of strong leadership, Shackleton got the group to shore where they survived until Shackleton himself led a small group to seek rescue in August 1916. If you want a story of hardship and survival, this is one not to be missed.
- Shackleton's Forgotten Men: The Untold Tale of An Antarctic Tragedy by Lennard Bickel. If you've already read all you want to know about Shackleton himself, then read this title. In addition to the crew of the Endurance, a lesser known group sailed to the other side of the Antarctic plateau. Their goal was to lay supplies inland for Shackleton's party to use as they came to the second half of their journey. Like Shackleton's crew, this group faced disasters and hardships. Unlike Shackleton's party, several lost their lives. This book is a well-told account of their experience and puts an even greater perspective on the incredible trials that both groups of men faced.
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