Assignments 1 & 2: Book Trailers
Read both book trailer articles from the Chicago Tribune & the New York Times. I've seen book trailers before & used a few on a Prezi for a Genre Bootcamp training. As with many things, some are good, some really not so good.
As for their usefulness, it depends on the trailer & the book. It seems truly successful book trailers are few; many are not very well done &, frankly, pointless; their budget better spent on more effective marketing. However based on the readings it sounds like they can & do work for teens. It may be that that age group having grown up with all-things-electronic, are more open or interested in this type of promotion.
On YouTube I watched adult book trailers 1Q84 (found that useless); Night Circus (attractively done, but didn't give any real information to entice me to read it); Inheritant Vice (I found that well-done; the plus of course was Pynchon narrating). Would any of these make me read a book? Maybe, but I can safely say I won't be spending my time watching them. I don't know that I'd actually be able to use them with customers at this branch either. They were fine for GBC to break up the training with visuals.
I also watched children's chapter book trailer Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (I had read this book so I knew the story, though I still thought it was pretty well done, giving enough of the story to hook you, & leaving you with questions - of course you must read this book to find out what happens!) Book trailers will probably very much appeal to this age group for similar reasons as teens, but also because young children are especially susceptible to online advertising & these messages are reaching them right where they play.
Assignment 3: Summary of Training
Readers' Advisory has arrived! I was a member of the Information Relevance Workgroup ('07/'08) facilitated by WH Branch Manager Dave LaPenotiere. Dave was a big advocate for Readers' Advisory service at BCPL, which became one of the main recommendations put forth by the group. The implementation of this recommendation took some years to realize. Out of it came the Readers' Advisory Committee (later renamed Readers' Services). I was fortunate enough to serve on both the two-year InfoRel workplan & two-year RS commmittee. Our work, a culmination of a number of enthusiastic and talented people, has come to fruition with the Readers' Services training, first with in-house training at each branch, then online with the training blog. The current focus is adult readers' services, but it is hoped that the next members of the RS committee will continue with children's & teen training. All this to say, I find the training very important & integral to our continuing efforts to remain relevant & offer the best customer service at BCPL.
The online training was very comprehensive & an excellent jumping off point for continuing staff conversations & self-exploration of this valuable skill. When we received feedback that staff felt rushed and needed more time to get the full benefit of the program we were able to extend the completion deadline to the end of July.
Most of the anectdotal feedback indicates that this is considered a valuable training. More time would have been useful to thoroughly work on each assignment - many, including me, felt too rushed. Many were also very frustrated by Week 6 Assignments in particular - some actually skipping it or giving up on the training at that point.
In the main, I do feel this was an immediately useful training, & an almost-perfect vehicle to introduce or update this important skill to many more staff. I like the online access & self-paced aspect, but the content was such that it could have been a semester class. In particular, review of appeal factors, teen books for adults, certain aspects of genres (not the fansites), and additional, reliable RS resources were helpful. I found it also useful to share with co-workers as we were able.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Week 8 - Yessss! - Nonfiction
Assignment 1:
Read both Borderlands & Reading Nonfiction for Pleasure articles.
I often prefer nonfiction & suggest it to many customers, both adult & children, especially as nonfic can broaden reading horizons and make better use of our fantastic resources.The articles illustrate how narrative nonfiction can be the perfect bridge from fiction.
Excerpt from Borderlands: Many consider Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood to be the first example of narrative nonfiction that blurred the line between the story and how it was told (and even the person telling it), but it kicked off a trend in nonfiction that continues to thrive. Readers who enjoy narrative nonfiction are more likely to embrace fiction and fiction afficianados are more likely to enjoy narrative nonfiction rather than a dry recitation of facts.
For the fiction reader, an intriguing factual narrative can be every bit as compelling or entertaining as fiction.
Assignment 2:
Viewed EPFL's Nonfic Powerpoint - a few points to remember: customers may be attracted to a nonfiction author because of race, religion, celebrity, writing style, etc.; customers may enjoy nonfiction titles for their illustrations/photography, bibliographies, indices, checklists, tests, etc., explained 16 nonfic subgenres
Assignment 3:
Biography - Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey by Ernesto Guevera
Sociology/300s - Guns, Germs, and Steel: Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
Sociology/300s - Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI by Dana Kollmann
History/900s - Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick
Assignment 4:
Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey by Ernesto "Che" Guevera
Guevera, a young student and Marxist revolutionary, traveled 5,000 miles across South America with a friend on an old motorbike. Not your typical spring break.
This was a transformative journey for Guevera, whose powerful observations of rampant classism, social injustice, exploitation, and persecution of the poor and downtrodden and well-described Latin American locales all work to describe a powerful experience.
As narrative nonfiction, this title might have wide appeal, touching on travel, sociology, modern history, and adventure, all of which tie in easily with fiction.
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI by Dana Kollmann
Dana Kollmann is a former forensic scientist with Balto Co. Police Department and a current forensics professor at Towson University. NSDMH is a collection of her harrowing, and sometimes humorous adventures as a CSI.
The cases she shares are certainly dark and disturbing, but she writes in a conversational, candid style which quickly engages the reader and lightens the subject matter. For Kollmann, that sense of humor was and is her survival mechanism in a disturbing world of crime and murder. As a professor, she also breaks down the details of the work in a way that layman can understand and gain insight into the world of forensic science.
Fiction customers who enjoy police procedurals, thrillers, suspense, and mystery novels, might enjoy this title, as well as those who enjoy science, sociology, true crime, and local Baltimore culture.
Read both Borderlands & Reading Nonfiction for Pleasure articles.
I often prefer nonfiction & suggest it to many customers, both adult & children, especially as nonfic can broaden reading horizons and make better use of our fantastic resources.The articles illustrate how narrative nonfiction can be the perfect bridge from fiction.
Excerpt from Borderlands: Many consider Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood to be the first example of narrative nonfiction that blurred the line between the story and how it was told (and even the person telling it), but it kicked off a trend in nonfiction that continues to thrive. Readers who enjoy narrative nonfiction are more likely to embrace fiction and fiction afficianados are more likely to enjoy narrative nonfiction rather than a dry recitation of facts.
For the fiction reader, an intriguing factual narrative can be every bit as compelling or entertaining as fiction.
Assignment 2:
Viewed EPFL's Nonfic Powerpoint - a few points to remember: customers may be attracted to a nonfiction author because of race, religion, celebrity, writing style, etc.; customers may enjoy nonfiction titles for their illustrations/photography, bibliographies, indices, checklists, tests, etc., explained 16 nonfic subgenres
Assignment 3:
Biography - Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey by Ernesto Guevera
Sociology/300s - Guns, Germs, and Steel: Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
Sociology/300s - Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI by Dana Kollmann
History/900s - Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick
Assignment 4:
Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey by Ernesto "Che" Guevera
Guevera, a young student and Marxist revolutionary, traveled 5,000 miles across South America with a friend on an old motorbike. Not your typical spring break.
This was a transformative journey for Guevera, whose powerful observations of rampant classism, social injustice, exploitation, and persecution of the poor and downtrodden and well-described Latin American locales all work to describe a powerful experience.
As narrative nonfiction, this title might have wide appeal, touching on travel, sociology, modern history, and adventure, all of which tie in easily with fiction.
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI by Dana Kollmann
Dana Kollmann is a former forensic scientist with Balto Co. Police Department and a current forensics professor at Towson University. NSDMH is a collection of her harrowing, and sometimes humorous adventures as a CSI.
The cases she shares are certainly dark and disturbing, but she writes in a conversational, candid style which quickly engages the reader and lightens the subject matter. For Kollmann, that sense of humor was and is her survival mechanism in a disturbing world of crime and murder. As a professor, she also breaks down the details of the work in a way that layman can understand and gain insight into the world of forensic science.
Fiction customers who enjoy police procedurals, thrillers, suspense, and mystery novels, might enjoy this title, as well as those who enjoy science, sociology, true crime, and local Baltimore culture.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Week 7: Not Just for Teens!
Assignment 1: What to Read Next? flowchart. I've suggested many of these books & merchandised them, but it was great to have them in a connective flowchart. Love to have more of those!
Assignment 2: Read 2 teen articles, comment on yours & a coworker's blog -
1. Who is Buying Teen Books? - highlights of this include:
New market research shows that 55 percent of those buying books labeled 'young adult' are in fact 18 and over, a trend that's only been increasing over the past several years... In fact, the largest group of readers purchasing titles labeled "young adult" are actually 30 to 44 years old – hardly the target demographic for the books. I fall right into that category, as do many others, including many of our customers. When I was a Librarian trainee at CA in 1998, an elderly man asked for the teen section, then proceeded to choose books. He said that there were good books & good writing in teen fiction. I knew there were other adult readers of teens & childrens books through the years as adults asked for popular titles like "Holes", "Harry Potter", "Uglies","Twilight", even teen graphic novels & manga. Teen books are fun, exciting, dark, poignant, etc. - all the things adult books can be, but without all the plodding text that often accompanies them. Faster to read too! Many of the teen titles are being made into movies as well, & when some adults ask for them they are surprised they are teen titles.
2. The Next Big Thing: Adults reading Teen Literature - highlights of this book include a short sampling from:
10 reasons why adults are reading teen -
1. Many adult authors now write teen (Hiaasen, Patterson, Grisham, etc.) & have a built-in following
2. Nostalgia & escapism
3. Paranormal shows are big on t.v. right now, consequently adults are looking for more vampire, werewolf, zombie, etc. titles
4. Publishers are using clever mktg. techniques,like - “Looking for the teen girl version of Game of Thrones?” is the tagline for Throne of Glass - which could draw in many of the GOT fans
I posted comments on Debbie Klink's & Rodney Campbell's blogs.
Assignment 3:
I chose John Green Books & John Green's Tumblr to follow. I could not get into the others due to ugliness or annoyingness of their sites. John Green is a New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, etc. The Fault in Our Stars is one of those teen books being asked for by adults currently & being made into a movie. His sites are cleanly designed, wryly amusing, peppy (yes, I said peppy) & current. He definitely knows how to use social media.
At first glance I think they would appeal to quirky, nerdcore teens, young & old hipsters (real or wannabe - wait is that the same?) alike. Info varies depending on what tab you choose. I pick out the most interesting stuff to me & do quick snippets of reading - that I like. You can read just a bit or spend a whole lot more time on both sites. I could see how these could be huge time sucks. Some of it is better than others, but isn't that subjective? I will tell you more later....
Assignment 4:
I browsed through all of them to get a feel for each. Here is a summary of two:
Harper Teen is packed with stuff & designed to keep teens interested & on the site. Here are just some of what they feature: Today's most popular pages, Top Books, Top Titles, Twitter feed, social media options YouTube, FB, Pinterest, tumblr, sign up for hiplit Newsletter, contests & features section - also full of good stuff like cover reveals, Browse Inside (Try Before You Buy)- full access to 100% of a title, Top 10 Lists - bestsellers, most emailed, most viewed, Harper Teen podcasts, blogs, Authors on Air, & more.
Conversely, Harlequin Teen is decidedly unappealing to teens (& me) - it essentially is a list of teen book covers with summary, & a price & purchase box next to it. It looks a bit like Amazon, except Amazon is more appealing.
Assignment 2: Read 2 teen articles, comment on yours & a coworker's blog -
1. Who is Buying Teen Books? - highlights of this include:
New market research shows that 55 percent of those buying books labeled 'young adult' are in fact 18 and over, a trend that's only been increasing over the past several years... In fact, the largest group of readers purchasing titles labeled "young adult" are actually 30 to 44 years old – hardly the target demographic for the books. I fall right into that category, as do many others, including many of our customers. When I was a Librarian trainee at CA in 1998, an elderly man asked for the teen section, then proceeded to choose books. He said that there were good books & good writing in teen fiction. I knew there were other adult readers of teens & childrens books through the years as adults asked for popular titles like "Holes", "Harry Potter", "Uglies","Twilight", even teen graphic novels & manga. Teen books are fun, exciting, dark, poignant, etc. - all the things adult books can be, but without all the plodding text that often accompanies them. Faster to read too! Many of the teen titles are being made into movies as well, & when some adults ask for them they are surprised they are teen titles.
2. The Next Big Thing: Adults reading Teen Literature - highlights of this book include a short sampling from:
10 reasons why adults are reading teen -
1. Many adult authors now write teen (Hiaasen, Patterson, Grisham, etc.) & have a built-in following
2. Nostalgia & escapism
3. Paranormal shows are big on t.v. right now, consequently adults are looking for more vampire, werewolf, zombie, etc. titles
4. Publishers are using clever mktg. techniques,like - “Looking for the teen girl version of Game of Thrones?” is the tagline for Throne of Glass - which could draw in many of the GOT fans
I posted comments on Debbie Klink's & Rodney Campbell's blogs.
Assignment 3:
I chose John Green Books & John Green's Tumblr to follow. I could not get into the others due to ugliness or annoyingness of their sites. John Green is a New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, etc. The Fault in Our Stars is one of those teen books being asked for by adults currently & being made into a movie. His sites are cleanly designed, wryly amusing, peppy (yes, I said peppy) & current. He definitely knows how to use social media.
At first glance I think they would appeal to quirky, nerdcore teens, young & old hipsters (real or wannabe - wait is that the same?) alike. Info varies depending on what tab you choose. I pick out the most interesting stuff to me & do quick snippets of reading - that I like. You can read just a bit or spend a whole lot more time on both sites. I could see how these could be huge time sucks. Some of it is better than others, but isn't that subjective? I will tell you more later....
Assignment 4:
I browsed through all of them to get a feel for each. Here is a summary of two:
Harper Teen is packed with stuff & designed to keep teens interested & on the site. Here are just some of what they feature: Today's most popular pages, Top Books, Top Titles, Twitter feed, social media options YouTube, FB, Pinterest, tumblr, sign up for hiplit Newsletter, contests & features section - also full of good stuff like cover reveals, Browse Inside (Try Before You Buy)- full access to 100% of a title, Top 10 Lists - bestsellers, most emailed, most viewed, Harper Teen podcasts, blogs, Authors on Air, & more.
Conversely, Harlequin Teen is decidedly unappealing to teens (& me) - it essentially is a list of teen book covers with summary, & a price & purchase box next to it. It looks a bit like Amazon, except Amazon is more appealing.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Week 6: Building Base Knowledge
Assignment 1 -
I blogged aboutTor-Affliction in a prior assignment, so I'll share some highlights from some of the other reading resources I said I'd check out.
Street Fiction Site - for my taste, this is well-designed & easy to use; some of the others are more cumbersome & not as useful without enough time to thoroughly peruse them. I like the explanations for Street Fic, Urban Nonfic, Urban Christian Fic, & Urban Teen Fic, & the differences between them. It also features a Librarian's resource list, including booklists. This is a site I would use more often.
Stop You're Killing Me - like my colleague, I find this site to be well-done & full of helpful information, including: Stop, You’re Killing Me! is a resource for lovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books. We list over 4,100 authors, with chronological lists of their books (over 47,000 titles), both series (4,800+) and non-series. Use the alphabetical author and character links above
or the special indexes in the left column. It's kind of like being in a candy store!
Locus - is a scifi & fantasy resource; some of its highlights include info on classics reprints, new in paper back, & the 2013 Audie Award winners for these & closely related genres - so many of our customers look for audio books & this is one useful resource.
Assignment 2 -
The genre Prezi created by Alex Herzberg & Sarah Jane Miller is just the tip of the genre-subgenre iceberg.
Assignment 3 -
Urban fiction> Hip Hop, Literary, & Christian
(An aside: This is an overwhelming genre & assignment, not made to explore quickly or find pat, instant answers. From what I've discovered so far, it will take some time to fully explore & understand it. Perhaps I should have picked an easier subgenre - this can make your head spin! I absolutely think this is worthwhile, but the breadth & depth of it makes it better suited for a college course. I am fascinated by what I'm finding, but it only scratches the surface, & I'm frustrated that I can't give it my full time & attention. I have to skip this for now & return to it later. Getting too bogged down in Assignment 3/Week 6 - on to Week 7 to clear my head; I'll have to return to 6 later.)
Finding fansites was not a particularly easy task. Many were abandoned (2010, 2011), sites for book sales, or simply not especially useful. Interestingly, Goodreads came up most frequently when doing a general search. I spent a lot of time combing through fansites I couldn't use in the end.
Hip Hop Fic & Literary urban fic seem to be interchangeable, depending on who is explaining or describing it. Here's one description: "Lit Hop is a hybrid art form that combines themes from traditional literature and storytelling with the music and poetics of hip-hop. The term is sometimes used to describe literature that is influenced by hip-hop music and culture, and sometimes used to describe highly literate or lyrically sophisticated hip-hop music. Lit hop is also used as a shorthand for any perceived thematic link between literature and hip-hop." Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines are well-known for 70's classic, early urban fic or pulp fiction; Sister Souljah is another popular female author in this genre.
Urban Christian Fiction "is a genre in which conflicting stories of emotion and vividness mixes God, the urban church, and faith. Violence and sex is not purposely excluded, but are included whenever necessary for the story line. God is the center of the characters lives in Urban Christian Fiction and these stories usually portray African-American or Latino urban culture." And if that wasn't exciting enough, there are yet more subdivisions of urban Christian, such as urban renaissance and urban soul.
Well-known authors of this sub-genre include Kimberla Lawson Roby, Tony Dungy, & Serita Jakes (T.D. Jakes' wife).
Mashups of subgenres, e.g. steampunk westerns, are becoming increasingly popular.
Steamfunk = a philosophy or style of writing that combines the African and / or African American culture and approach to life with that of the steampunk philosophy and / or steampunk fiction.
1. Moses: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman by Balogun Ojetade - set in Civil War period, alternate reality, supernatural action-adventure, dark fantasy
2. Redeemer by Balogun Ojetade - science fiction urban gangster saga, time travel, adventure, fantasy
Readers of any one of these genres might be interested in these crossovers - it's like experimenting & mixing all your favorite flavors into a big tasty drink - & steamfunk definitely has its niche readers. It's different & unique, & as with many things in the creative world, it likely appeals to those who like to be on the cutting edge of new or different. Urban Christian Fiction would have its niche followers, but might cross-over for those also reading "traditional" urban fiction. While the Urban Fiction genre & sub-genres are certainly popular among American black culture, they have an increasingly broad appeal and pull in not only American Latino, white, & other U.S. subcultures, but world-wide cultures, in particular those living an urban lifestyle.
I blogged aboutTor-Affliction in a prior assignment, so I'll share some highlights from some of the other reading resources I said I'd check out.
Street Fiction Site - for my taste, this is well-designed & easy to use; some of the others are more cumbersome & not as useful without enough time to thoroughly peruse them. I like the explanations for Street Fic, Urban Nonfic, Urban Christian Fic, & Urban Teen Fic, & the differences between them. It also features a Librarian's resource list, including booklists. This is a site I would use more often.
Stop You're Killing Me - like my colleague, I find this site to be well-done & full of helpful information, including: Stop, You’re Killing Me! is a resource for lovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books. We list over 4,100 authors, with chronological lists of their books (over 47,000 titles), both series (4,800+) and non-series. Use the alphabetical author and character links above
or the special indexes in the left column. It's kind of like being in a candy store!Locus - is a scifi & fantasy resource; some of its highlights include info on classics reprints, new in paper back, & the 2013 Audie Award winners for these & closely related genres - so many of our customers look for audio books & this is one useful resource.
Assignment 2 -
The genre Prezi created by Alex Herzberg & Sarah Jane Miller is just the tip of the genre-subgenre iceberg.
Assignment 3 -
Urban fiction> Hip Hop, Literary, & Christian
(An aside: This is an overwhelming genre & assignment, not made to explore quickly or find pat, instant answers. From what I've discovered so far, it will take some time to fully explore & understand it. Perhaps I should have picked an easier subgenre - this can make your head spin! I absolutely think this is worthwhile, but the breadth & depth of it makes it better suited for a college course. I am fascinated by what I'm finding, but it only scratches the surface, & I'm frustrated that I can't give it my full time & attention. I have to skip this for now & return to it later. Getting too bogged down in Assignment 3/Week 6 - on to Week 7 to clear my head; I'll have to return to 6 later.)
Finding fansites was not a particularly easy task. Many were abandoned (2010, 2011), sites for book sales, or simply not especially useful. Interestingly, Goodreads came up most frequently when doing a general search. I spent a lot of time combing through fansites I couldn't use in the end.
Hip Hop Fic & Literary urban fic seem to be interchangeable, depending on who is explaining or describing it. Here's one description: "Lit Hop is a hybrid art form that combines themes from traditional literature and storytelling with the music and poetics of hip-hop. The term is sometimes used to describe literature that is influenced by hip-hop music and culture, and sometimes used to describe highly literate or lyrically sophisticated hip-hop music. Lit hop is also used as a shorthand for any perceived thematic link between literature and hip-hop." Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines are well-known for 70's classic, early urban fic or pulp fiction; Sister Souljah is another popular female author in this genre.
Urban Christian Fiction "is a genre in which conflicting stories of emotion and vividness mixes God, the urban church, and faith. Violence and sex is not purposely excluded, but are included whenever necessary for the story line. God is the center of the characters lives in Urban Christian Fiction and these stories usually portray African-American or Latino urban culture." And if that wasn't exciting enough, there are yet more subdivisions of urban Christian, such as urban renaissance and urban soul.
Well-known authors of this sub-genre include Kimberla Lawson Roby, Tony Dungy, & Serita Jakes (T.D. Jakes' wife).
Mashups of subgenres, e.g. steampunk westerns, are becoming increasingly popular.
Steamfunk = a philosophy or style of writing that combines the African and / or African American culture and approach to life with that of the steampunk philosophy and / or steampunk fiction.
1. Moses: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman by Balogun Ojetade - set in Civil War period, alternate reality, supernatural action-adventure, dark fantasy
2. Redeemer by Balogun Ojetade - science fiction urban gangster saga, time travel, adventure, fantasy
Readers of any one of these genres might be interested in these crossovers - it's like experimenting & mixing all your favorite flavors into a big tasty drink - & steamfunk definitely has its niche readers. It's different & unique, & as with many things in the creative world, it likely appeals to those who like to be on the cutting edge of new or different. Urban Christian Fiction would have its niche followers, but might cross-over for those also reading "traditional" urban fiction. While the Urban Fiction genre & sub-genres are certainly popular among American black culture, they have an increasingly broad appeal and pull in not only American Latino, white, & other U.S. subcultures, but world-wide cultures, in particular those living an urban lifestyle.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Week 5 - Building Base Knowledge - Part Deux
Assignment 1 & 2:
I've been monitoring TOR- Affliction Fiction, but also other resources to get a sampling of the different genre blogs. Reading coworkers' blogs also gives a nice cross-section of genres & new & interesting finds. I've added earlyword to my regular resources, signed up for the newsletter, & have recommended it to a handful of customers.
From Earlyword I found Flavorwire, which covers the latest book-to-television series titles, movies and more. Many of our customers are interested in AV materials & I do a lot of readers' advisory for it.
Like Flavorwire, TOR highlights series re-watches, encouraging readers to watch along & discuss. Currently they are rewatching the first season of The X-Files (a series I missed - horrors!), currently streaming on Netflix & Hulu. For sci-fi geeks this is exciting stuff. TOR also features original stories, comics, & artwork - readers may be part of the process when the next big thing blows up.
It's been fun to check the different resources & share new info with fellow staff. My coworker, Debbie K., working on Week 6, was excited to find new things on Stop You're Killing Me - here's an excerpt from her blog - I chose to use SYKM for my genre site. It's chock-full of information "for lovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books." The lists are endless...authors, titles, series, awards, reviews, characters, locations, read-alikes, etc. It's fun to explore, but it can be overwhelming. The sheer volume of characters indexed is astonishing! I know what site I'll be checking out next!
My other coworker, Karen H. found a kid's link on earlyword that said, "If you get music stuck in your head, do not push this button!" So much to read, so little time! :-)
Many of our customers at PI enjoy popular fiction and authors, particularly thrillers and suspense fiction. They may be counted on for reserving all the On-Order titles for Patterson, Baldacci, Silva, Scottoline, Archer, Child, etc. We have a display dedicated to this genre & are endlessly restocking it. We also have a dedicated nonfiction display that is very popular - bios/memoirs, narrative non-fiction are most popular. Our Staff Picks rounds out the dedicated display trio - on that you'll often find popular fiction, mysteries, book-club titles, literary fiction, & a smattering of other things like Sci-fi and audiobooks.
Assignment 3:
Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell.
Collection of short paranormal/fantasy stories, lyrical language, magical, mystical characters and settings. Readers of Russell's first novel, the highly acclaimed Swamplandia, are likely to read Vampires, as both have many of the same characteristics (listed above), plus Vampires is a collection of short stories - an appeal all its own.
As an aside, Amazon has a handy feature whereby customers can see other titles liked by customers who bought a particular title. That is one quick-y cheat when doing R.A. on the fly.
I've been monitoring TOR- Affliction Fiction, but also other resources to get a sampling of the different genre blogs. Reading coworkers' blogs also gives a nice cross-section of genres & new & interesting finds. I've added earlyword to my regular resources, signed up for the newsletter, & have recommended it to a handful of customers.
From Earlyword I found Flavorwire, which covers the latest book-to-television series titles, movies and more. Many of our customers are interested in AV materials & I do a lot of readers' advisory for it.
Like Flavorwire, TOR highlights series re-watches, encouraging readers to watch along & discuss. Currently they are rewatching the first season of The X-Files (a series I missed - horrors!), currently streaming on Netflix & Hulu. For sci-fi geeks this is exciting stuff. TOR also features original stories, comics, & artwork - readers may be part of the process when the next big thing blows up.
It's been fun to check the different resources & share new info with fellow staff. My coworker, Debbie K., working on Week 6, was excited to find new things on Stop You're Killing Me - here's an excerpt from her blog - I chose to use SYKM for my genre site. It's chock-full of information "for lovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books." The lists are endless...authors, titles, series, awards, reviews, characters, locations, read-alikes, etc. It's fun to explore, but it can be overwhelming. The sheer volume of characters indexed is astonishing! I know what site I'll be checking out next!
My other coworker, Karen H. found a kid's link on earlyword that said, "If you get music stuck in your head, do not push this button!" So much to read, so little time! :-)
Many of our customers at PI enjoy popular fiction and authors, particularly thrillers and suspense fiction. They may be counted on for reserving all the On-Order titles for Patterson, Baldacci, Silva, Scottoline, Archer, Child, etc. We have a display dedicated to this genre & are endlessly restocking it. We also have a dedicated nonfiction display that is very popular - bios/memoirs, narrative non-fiction are most popular. Our Staff Picks rounds out the dedicated display trio - on that you'll often find popular fiction, mysteries, book-club titles, literary fiction, & a smattering of other things like Sci-fi and audiobooks.
Assignment 3:
Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell.
Collection of short paranormal/fantasy stories, lyrical language, magical, mystical characters and settings. Readers of Russell's first novel, the highly acclaimed Swamplandia, are likely to read Vampires, as both have many of the same characteristics (listed above), plus Vampires is a collection of short stories - an appeal all its own.
As an aside, Amazon has a handy feature whereby customers can see other titles liked by customers who bought a particular title. That is one quick-y cheat when doing R.A. on the fly.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Week 4: Goodreads
I have a good cross-section of friends, coworkers, & colleagues on Goodreads. It's like having a widely-read team sharing lots of new and different titles.
I'm hearing about hot titles, classics, unique reads, under-the-radar items, and more. Somedays it's great, other days it's a lot to keep up with! ;-)
I've made a number shelves which are filling, especially my Want to Read shelf!
I made a recommendation to Becky Hass as she is currently reading (& enjoying!)
Here is my recommendation:
Goodreads is a fun tool, but isn't necessarily intuitive or easy for all users. My coworker, as an example.
I'm hearing about hot titles, classics, unique reads, under-the-radar items, and more. Somedays it's great, other days it's a lot to keep up with! ;-)
I've made a number shelves which are filling, especially my Want to Read shelf!
I made a recommendation to Becky Hass as she is currently reading (& enjoying!)
Becky Hass is currently reading
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Goodreads is a fun tool, but isn't necessarily intuitive or easy for all users. My coworker, as an example.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Week 3: Readers' Services Conversations
Conversation 1:
You're right, that's a really popular travel narrative. There are actually many interesting, funny, compelling, exciting travel narratives, both classic and contemporary - it's a great genre.
Eat, Pray, Love combined the adventure of world travel, a strong, independent woman, & the honest, personal accounts of her experiences. If you'd like something similar, you might enjoy Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman.
In summary, midlife crisis and wanderlust take a middle-aged housewife from LA on a trip of a lifetime, first to Mexico and eventually across several continents. Similar to EPL, the setting includes diverse and exotic locales, and Gelman shares deeply personal, sometimes painful realizations and observations of self and others, culminating in her personal discovery and growth.
Conversation 2:
The good news is that there are indeed other vampire stories besides Twilight! So, avoiding slow-paced, vampire teen angst, let me tell you about a couple different titles that might appeal to you.
There is no shortage of vampire stories - classic and contemporary titles, historic and modern settings, horror, paranormal romance, science fiction, fantasy, teen, adult - there are lots of choices.
If you like classic horror you might try these B.T. (before Twilight) adult titles: Bram Stoker's Dracula or Anne Rice's modern interpretation with the Vampire LeStat series. If you like humorous try Christopher Moore's tongue-in-cheek vampire "love stories" - Bite Me or You Suck, or Charlaine Harris' southern-flavored Sookie Stackhouse series (which were made into the popular True Blood HBO series). These are just a few, so let me know where you're leaning & we'll go from there....
Conversation 3:
That sounds like a great read! There are actually many interesting, funny, compelling, exciting travel narratives, both classic and contemporary - it's a great genre.
As for River of Doubt it sounds like you enjoyed these basic elements: historical, fast-paced action-adventure, exotic, dangerous locale. Based on that, I think you might enjoy a classic true travel adventure,
Journey without Maps by
Graham Greene.
In 1935 Greene and his cousin Barbara set off on a 350-mile, 4-week walk-about through Liberia hoping to find the "heart of darkness" in Africa. Using a vague U.S. government map, the two rely on the kindness of strangers as they explore the interior marked only as "cannibals".
This historical account is old-school adventure travel, complete with exotic, dangerous locale and vivid descriptions of people, time, and events.
You're right, that's a really popular travel narrative. There are actually many interesting, funny, compelling, exciting travel narratives, both classic and contemporary - it's a great genre.
Eat, Pray, Love combined the adventure of world travel, a strong, independent woman, & the honest, personal accounts of her experiences. If you'd like something similar, you might enjoy Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman.
In summary, midlife crisis and wanderlust take a middle-aged housewife from LA on a trip of a lifetime, first to Mexico and eventually across several continents. Similar to EPL, the setting includes diverse and exotic locales, and Gelman shares deeply personal, sometimes painful realizations and observations of self and others, culminating in her personal discovery and growth.
Conversation 2:
The good news is that there are indeed other vampire stories besides Twilight! So, avoiding slow-paced, vampire teen angst, let me tell you about a couple different titles that might appeal to you.
There is no shortage of vampire stories - classic and contemporary titles, historic and modern settings, horror, paranormal romance, science fiction, fantasy, teen, adult - there are lots of choices.
If you like classic horror you might try these B.T. (before Twilight) adult titles: Bram Stoker's Dracula or Anne Rice's modern interpretation with the Vampire LeStat series. If you like humorous try Christopher Moore's tongue-in-cheek vampire "love stories" - Bite Me or You Suck, or Charlaine Harris' southern-flavored Sookie Stackhouse series (which were made into the popular True Blood HBO series). These are just a few, so let me know where you're leaning & we'll go from there....
Conversation 3:
That sounds like a great read! There are actually many interesting, funny, compelling, exciting travel narratives, both classic and contemporary - it's a great genre.
As for River of Doubt it sounds like you enjoyed these basic elements: historical, fast-paced action-adventure, exotic, dangerous locale. Based on that, I think you might enjoy a classic true travel adventure,
Journey without Maps by
Graham Greene.
In 1935 Greene and his cousin Barbara set off on a 350-mile, 4-week walk-about through Liberia hoping to find the "heart of darkness" in Africa. Using a vague U.S. government map, the two rely on the kindness of strangers as they explore the interior marked only as "cannibals".
This historical account is old-school adventure travel, complete with exotic, dangerous locale and vivid descriptions of people, time, and events.
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