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.
Friday, June 28, 2013
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)