Prompt Response – Week 16

Greetings Earthkind!

As part of this class, we are required to publish a weekly response to a prompt given by our professor. This is my tenth prompt response!

Prompt

Both of our readings this week talk about the culture of reading and the future of the book. So I have two questions for you as readers, pulling on your own experiences and all of the readings we have done over the semester: First, how have reading and books changed since you were a child, for you specifically? Second, talk a little about what you see in the future for reading, books, or publishing – say 20 years from now. Will we read more or less, will our reading become more interactive? What will happen to traditional publishing? This is  a very free-form question, feel free to wildly extrapolate or calmly state facts, as suits your mood!

Response

As an only child whose only activities other than reading were music and dancing, I spent a lot of my childhood reading and re-reading anything I could. I read books, I read newspaper articles I didn’t understand, I read cereal boxes, I read anything I could get my hands on. (All of that, and I didn’t realize my career calling until I was actually working in a library in college as part of a scholarship).

Mostly, five things have changed for me:

1. I read less because of time.
2. I have a Nook and occasionally read on it.
3. I only listen to books on audio if I have physically read them.
4. I have fallen in love with nonfiction.
5. I am open to reading (slightly) more than “my usual.”

I still read everything from cereal boxes to newspaper articles I don’t understand (but now they’re online!).

As we move forward, I believe reading will endure. I have a poster in my cubicle for my graduate assistantship that reads: “Man builds no structure that outlives a book.” I believe that it is very true.

I think about my husband, whose main source of reading comes from audiobooks and video games. He reads a lot, most of it is online, but he doesn’t read too many novels.

I believe that, as we move forward, our human instinct to share ideas will continue to manifest itself one way or another. We humans do like to “write like” we’re “running out of time” (Thanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda for giving me words for that idea).

Future novels may be in virtual or augmented reality, or they might take shape in a way we can’t even imagine.

Even with that, I still believe that traditional “books” will still exist, but the face of book publishing will change.

With our society becoming more internet-oriented, more authors are self-publishing. Readers are turning to their libraries to access the free material they’re used to seeing on the internet, and they’re looking for affordable options if they want to purchase.

Traditional publishing will likely endure in one way or another, but like all industries, they will have to adapt to the changing climate. I highly doubt we will continue to see them in their current state for very long.

Those are just my two cents, though. We will find a way to read and share ideas, one way or another.

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Thank you so much for a wonderful semester, Earthkind! Happy Reading!

Prompt Response – Week 15

Greetings Earthkind!

As part of this class, we are required to publish a weekly response to a prompt given by our professor. This is my ninth prompt response!

Prompt

What do you think are the best ways to market your library’s fiction collection? Name and describe three ways you do or would like to market your library or your future library’s fiction. These can be tools, programs, services, displays – anything that you see as getting the word out.

Response

So, part of my responsibilities at my job include online marketing, and I will be taking the Marketing for Libraries class this summer, so I will probably know more after that.

Anyway, here are the ways I would market my fiction collection:

• Displays
  • These displays would include images, a heading banner of some sort, and a handout with a list or something on it for patrons to refer back to.
  • Displays that fit with themes such as seasons or “national-insert-here” weeks.
  • Displays that highlight authors.
  • Displays that highlight similar series and readalikes.
  • Displays that highlight staff picks.
  • Displays that highlight patron picks.
  • “Popular” items display.
• Connect topic-relevant books to already-existing programming and include them in future programming – not as an afterthought.
  • Book club? Find and display similar titles, readalikes, and books by the same author during, before, and after the club. Promote the club and the fiction selection.
  • Crafty club? Find and display books that have to do with the craft (cozy mysteries often include hobby-related themes).
• Online Tools
  • Pinterest
    • Share ‘highlights of the collection’ or titles from a display. Could include blog posts, staff picks, etc.
  • Blogs
    • Staff Picks
      • Use in the library and online.
    • Patron Picks
      • Use in the library and online.
    • Share information about displays.
      • Inspiration, lists, etc.
  • Facebook
    • Share images of our displays.
    • Share posts from the blog.
• Lists
  • Whether or not these are annotated, I love having lists of authors, books, or series in a particular genre. My library has a few bookmarks with authors on them, so something similar might be good to have.

Those are a few of my ideas. What do you think?

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Thank you for taking the time to read this response, and until next time, Happy Reading!

Prompt Response – Week 14

Greetings Earthkind!

As part of this class, we are required to publish a weekly response to a prompt given by our professor. This is my eighth prompt response!

Prompt

Consider yourself part of the collection management committee of your local library, or a library at which you would like to work. You must decide whether or not to separate GBLTQ fiction and African American Fiction from the general collection to its own special place. Some patrons have requested this, yet many staff are uncomfortable with the idea – saying it promotes segregation and disrupts serendipitous discovery of an author who might be different from the reader. Do you separate them? Do you separate one and not the other? Why or why not? You must provide at least 3 reasons for or against your decision. Feel free to use outside sources – this is a weighty question that is answered differently in a lot of different libraries.

Response

Background

Before I answer this prompt with my ideas, I’ll share what my library does, though I don’t know how they came to their decision (I was not a part of this decision, but I feel it probably influenced my thoughts on this).

I work in a neighborhood where a large majority of our patrons are not white. We have a (relatively small, in my opinion) section of Urban Fiction that is placed at the beginning of our literary fiction section.

All of our adult fiction wraps the back walls of our library. This is the order:

• Mystery
• Non-English
• Large Type
• Urban
• All other fiction
• Science Fiction (recently separated)

Frequently, I’m asked where our Urban books are, and it’s helpful to be able to point patrons to our shelves. Even though we have it separated, there are times where Urbans end up shelved in with the other fiction, so I always recommend taking a look at the regular shelves, too.

In addition to this, our Urban shelf doesn’t just include the labelled books; it includes our unprocessed paperbacks that fall in the Urban genre.

However, we don’t separate within Urban between Urban Christian and others.

My library doesn’t separate LGBTQ+ books.

My Response

Okay, so now that’s out of the way, here’s my thoughts.

There are several things to consider:

• What is a genre?
  • What separates a genre from one thing or the other?
• Do I have the space to separate genres out anyway?
• Would it help patrons find things easier or would it confuse them?
• Am I separating a genre because I want it to be separated or because the patrons want it or assume it to be separated?
  • Or, am I separating it just for the sake of separating it?

When I completed the secret shopper assignment, I had a difficult time finding what I was looking for because the science fiction and fantasy genres were separated from the rest of the fiction, but they were mixed together.

I can definitely see the value in separating out genres to allow an easier time for patrons looking for something within that genre.

My choice to separate would be based on three things:

1. Patron need
2. Volume of the collection that would be separated
3. Space
   1. Where would the new section go?

Before I would do any re-shelving, I would want to do a survey. I would ask all of our staff members to write down a tally of every time they were asked for a specific genre (Mystery, Science Fiction, LGBTQ+, Urban, African American, etc.). However, I am aware that this won’t be 100% accurate of what our patrons want. Many patrons may not feel comfortable asking for a particular genre, but this still would give us an idea of what our patrons are looking for.

I might also have a submission box that would ask what genres would a patron like to see separated (no names of patrons would be asked, and it wouldn’t be placed on the desk of a staff member).

I would evaluate how many items from each particular genre I have and whether or not I have enough to warrant a separate space for it. If I didn’t have enough to warrant a full space to it, a list of authors or an annotated book list might prove more helpful. Also, would I choose to include audiobooks or movies in this genre separation?

If there was patron need and if I had enough copies, where would I shelve the items? Because some patrons might be proud they read from a genre and others might be scared to show they like a genre, placement would be important.

Reasons why I would not separate:

1. No demand
2. Not enough materials on hand
3. If where the collection would end up might dissuade readers from browsing openly (i.e. if patrons are uncomfortable admitting they read in a particular genre, they wouldn’t want to browse a shelf that had a giant sign proclaiming the genre above it)
4. The race of the author is the same. Genre ≠ Race of the Author.
   1. Maybe there could be a display for, say, Black History Month highlighting Black authors, but overall, I wouldn’t advocate for shelving books separately based on the race of the author. Again, maybe a list of authors from a particular race would be helpful, but that list might be broken down into genres.
      1. See Lynn Spencer’s article: “Why Do Stores Still Practice Segregation?“
   2. Additionally, I wouldn’t separate out books by LGBTQ+ authors unless they wrote in that genre.

This is a really complicated question, and my viewpoint on what to separate is based on where I am and what the patrons want. If the patrons want an easy way to find a certain genre, I will do what I can to give it to them. I don’t think I would separate genres unless there was a need to. I wouldn’t separate for the sake of separating.

I do think I need more time to think about this, but this is how I feel at this time.

I would recommend reading:

• A House Divided? Two Views on Genre Separation by Barry Trott and Vicki Novak
• Why Do Stores Still Practice Segregation? by Lynn Spencer

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Thank you for taking the time to read this response, and until next time, Happy Reading!

Prompt Response – Week 13

Greetings Earthkind!

As part of this class, we are required to publish a weekly response to a prompt given by our professor. This is my seventh prompt response!

Prompt

Though this week’s group of “genres” (Young Adult, New Adult, & Graphic Novels) all seem very different, they all have in common the fact that many people don’t feel that they are legitimate literary choices and libraries shouldn’t be spending money on them or promoting them to adults. The common belief is that adults still don’t or shouldn’t read that stuff. How can we as librarians, work to ensure that we are able to serve adults who enjoy YA literature or graphic novels? Or should we?

Response

This is a complicated issue, mainly because it’s new to many people. I grew up with YA being a thing, so it’s not that big of a deal to me. I also grew up with the belief that any reading is better than not reading at all and to not judge others based on what they like to read.

There are three parts to this issue, in my opinion:

1. How we categorize the genres.
2. How we as library professionals view the genres.
3. How we validate readers of the genres.

How we categorize the genres

In my library system, most YA is shelved as “Teen Fiction.” I feel like this type of categorizing might dissuade readers not in their teens.

However, our teen and adult Graphic Novels recently just got merged together into one category (the kids GN books are still separate).

I think that works.

On the flip side, I’m not sure that shelving YA and NA in with the adult or kids books is right, either. Perhaps the genres could be shelved on their own, separate from the teen label.

In thinking about ways to promote them (outside of the genre titles), I think it’s about appeal.

Displays could highlight appeal terms and focus less on the “genre” and more of what’s in the book.

With YA and GNs especially, integrated advisory seems like it would work. Many YA novels and Graphic Novels are being turned into films or television series, so a display or recommendation list could include movies, CD’s, and books.

How we as library professionals view the genres

As library professionals, we do NOT get to choose what is a legitimate genre or not. If my patrons want to read it, I will fight to keep those items on my shelves.

We also don’t get to choose who we think is allowed to read the genre. I still read (and thoroughly enjoy) children’s fiction. I shouldn’t have to feel devalued as a reader because of my reading tastes.

If I seem fired up about it; I am.

People read for many different reasons, and I don’t get to choose what I think they should read and enjoy. That’s not my job.

My job is to encourage them to read what they want to read and to feel good doing it.

How we validate readers of the genres

In thinking about ways to validate readers of these genres, I believe we should make them known and seem popular.

Patrons shouldn’t feel like they have to sneak over into the “young people’s area” to pick up a book. We should pull them out and highlight them.

In addition to that, I would recommend using staff picks, patron picks, and other similar display tactics to show patrons the books are enjoyed by all sorts of people, and that’s perfectly okay.

Overall, yes, I do think we should “work to ensure that we are able to serve adults who enjoy YA literature or graphic novels.”

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Thank you for taking the time to read this response, and until next time, Happy Reading!

Prompt Response – Week 12

Greetings Earthkind!

As part of this class, we are required to publish a weekly response to a prompt given by our professor. This is my sixth prompt response!

Prompt

For your prompt this week, please complete the Readers’ Advisory Matrix, found on the last page of the reading title RA Guide to Nonfiction in the Canvas files, about a non-fiction book you have read.

Response

For this response, I will be using The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. You can read the annotation for this book by clicking here.

• Where is the book on the narrative continuum?
  • High
  • There is lots of dialogue between the author and Winnie the Pooh, and he tells various Winnie the Pooh and Taoist stories.
  • An Excerpt (from page 95 in my 158-page hardback copy):
    • “Well–here’s Rabbit. ‘Hello, Rabbit. What’s new?’
    • ‘I just got back from Owl’s,’ said Rabbit, slightly out of breath.
    • ‘Oh? You were certainly gone a long time.’
    • ‘Yes, well … Owl insisted on telling me a story about his Great-Uncle Philbert.’
    • ‘Oh, that’s why.’
    • ‘But anyway–Owl said that he hasn’t seen the Uncarved Block, either, but that Roo is probably playing with it. So I stopped off at Kanga’s house, but no one was there.’
    • ‘They’re out in the Forest, practicing jumps with Tigger,’ I said.
    • ‘Oh. Well, I’d better be going then.’
    • ‘That’s all right, Rabbit, because—‘
    • Where’d he go? That’s how it is you know–no rest for the Backson.
    • Let’s put it this way: if you want to be healthy, relaxed, and contented, just watch what a Bisy Backson does and then do the opposite.”
• What is the subject of the book?
  • Religion, Taoism
  • Call Number: 299.514 HOF 1982
  • This book is a short course in concepts of Taoism, explained by stories from Winnie the Pooh.
• What type of book is it?
  • This book is like an essay, with strong narrative elements.
• Articulate Appeal
  • What is the pacing of the book?
    • This is a relatively short book, but it moves at a leisurely pace, as though we were taking a stroll through the Hundred Acre Wood.
  • Describe the characters of the book.
    • The characters include:
      • The author (who writes in first person)
      • Winnie the Pooh
      • Rabbit
      • Piglet
      • Eeyore
      • Owl
    • Most of these are characters we are familiar with (if we watched or read Winnie the Pooh growing up). We know their behaviors and attitudes, so the author doesn’t have to describe them in much detail. The conversations that happen between the characters are fictional, but the concepts of Taoism are illustrated through the discussions.
    • The really interesting part about characterization in this book is that, even though we know the characters well, we learn more about them as the book goes on (especially how each of them embody certain parts of Taoism or how they don’t embody concepts of Taoism).
  • How does the story feel?
    • The story feels leisurely, pleasant, and whimsical.
    • The characters are all sitting by the author’s desk and not much happens in that setting, but we learn quite a bit throughout the book. How? Dialogue and retelling of parts of other stories.
  • What is the intent of the author?
    • To help us learn about Taoism.
      • To show us that we can live leisurely, pleasant lives.
    • To illustrate how Winnie the Pooh and Taoism are related.
  • What is the focus of the story?
    • The focus is on the lives of the main characters and how they demonstrate Taoist concepts.
  • Does the language matter?
    • Yes.
    • The author uses language and specific terms (made up or otherwise) to demonstrate the concepts.
  • Is the setting important and well described?
    • No and no.
    • The setting is irrelevant, though it leaves room for us to imagine it how we want. I pictured the author sitting in something of a hobbit-hole surrounded by the characters at an old writing desk.
  • Are there details and, if so, what?
    • The whole book is made up of details (just not details of the setting). It takes a through details about stories that demonstrate the Taoist concept of the chapter.
  • Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear?
    • There are illustrations by the wonderful Ernest H. Shepard, and they allow us to enjoy the book as though it were just a regular Winnie the Pooh tale.
  • Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience?
    • I would argue it doesn’t. This book seems like one to read over and over again to really get a full understanding of what it teaches. The author doesn’t explicitly say, “THIS is what you should get from this chapter.” You either get it or you don’t, and then the author moves on. There’s at least one moment in each chapter where the author just told a story, and then the character from that story walks into the author’s room and illustrates the point again.

Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)?

1. Characterization
2. Learning/Experiencing
3. Tone

 

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Thank you for taking the time to read this response, and until next time, Happy Reading!

Prompt Response – Week 11

Greetings Earthkind!

As part of this class, we are required to publish a weekly response to a prompt given by our professor. This is my fifth prompt response!

Prompt

Ebooks and audiobooks are a part of our landscape. What does the change in medium mean for appeal factors? If you can’t hold a book and feel the physical weight of it in your hands, how does that affect your knowledge of the genre? How about readers being able to change the font, line spacing, and color of text – how does that affect pacing and tone? How about audiobooks? Track length, narrator choice, is there music?  For this week, I want you to think about how ebooks and audiobooks affect appeal factors – also think about appeals that are unique to both mediums. Please feel free to use your own experience and that of your (anonymous of course) patrons. I look forward to reading these!

Response

To respond to the prompt, I will break it down by type.

Firstly, I have a Barnes and Noble Nook with Glowlight. I had bought it for travel, and I still use it every now and then. Mostly, I only re-read the books that I have already bought for it. It’s useful, though I will say that the page count is strange. Based on the font, page 181 could last five “page turn” swipes. That’s confusing and makes me impatient. Other than that, I enjoy using the Nook.

As eco-friendly and accessible ebooks are, I don’t think there should be ebook-only books. Books can start out as ebooks, but it should also be published in other formats eventually.

For audiobooks, I have a couple of experiences to talk about.

To start, I don’t listen to a book until I have read it first. Personally, I find audiobooks to be really engaging and so major events (sad things, etc.) affect me WAY more than reading it. Also, I usually am out somewhere (either driving or walking) when I listen, so I don’t want a sudden surprise in the novel to distract me from, say, driving.

I use OverDrive to download audiobooks to my phone and iPad. I also check out CD versions from the library, and I own some Harry Potter cassette tapes from Half-Price Books.

My husband is a very slow reader. He takes years to get through one book. This is problematic for our relationship sometimes, and we’ve found that audiobooks are a good way for us to enjoy books together. For example, after I read the Percy Jackson series for the first time, I was really excited to share them with him. However, there are 10 novels total, plus a bunch of smaller short story books. We decided we would listen to them so I could talk about them with him. We’re on book 7 of 10, so we’ve made a lot of progress.

We’ve listened to other series on audiobooks together in the past, and we’ve found that we like them told only by one person. One time, we listened to a series that had a full cast of characters and music and it was very distracting to the story. It reminded me more of a radio drama than an audiobook.

The best audiobook narrators don’t distract listeners from the story; they enhance it.

Audiobook narrators need to be able to act. They can’t read the story dully, but they have to make sure they aren’t being over the top.

Essentially, audiobook narrators are the voice in our heads as we read through the books.

Something I’ve recently seen debated is whether audiobooks count as “reading” for non-visually-impared folks. I haven’t formed my opinion on this issue, but I understand the arguments both sides make.

Both audiobooks and ebooks enhance the reading experience in their own way, and I think that in terms of conveying the story, all three media do that in their own way.

Personally, for first exposure to a book, I would prefer to read a physical copy, but for everything after that first read, both ebooks and audiobooks are great choices.

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Thank you for taking the time to read this response, and until next time, Happy Reading!

Prompt Response – Week 7

Greetings Earthkind!

As part of this class, we are required to publish a weekly response to a prompt given by our professor. This is my fourth prompt response!

Prompt

For our prompt this week, I want you to think about fake memoirs, author mills, and celebrity inspired book clubs. Basically write a readers’ response to one of the articles you are reading for this week (see syllabus for readings) – or talk about a time when a book or author that made headlines affected you personally or your work.

Response

So this for this week, I read through the articles, and I really responded to “The James Patterson Business” by Jeff Zaleski.

I have known about James Patterson for quite some time, but I hadn’t really thought about him much until the Indiana Library Federation announced that he would be the speaker at their next annual conference.

I was excited; I knew James Patterson was probably the top selling author, and I was shocked that the ILF had actually secured him to speak.

While having breakfast with a friend, I happened to mention this, and she said something like, “I hope you ask him why he chooses to rip off so many new authors.”

This is a friend of mine who chooses to really only read realistic fiction or nonfiction and who spends most of her time travelling or doing awesome political internships. How she knew about something I should know is beyond me.

Regardless, I started reading more and more about the James Patterson brand and I even spoke to my coworkers about it.

Most people I spoke to weren’t bothered by it, but I’m fairly bothered by it. Reading this article doesn’t help. This article was published in 2002, which was fairly early on in Patterson’s career. Even then, people were critical of his co-authorship and branding.

I think I struggle with this mostly because I do write fiction, and I really wouldn’t want my name attached (in very small font) to a book I co-authored (though we don’t know how much writing is involved by either author) just because it’s sure to sell.

That’s not why I write. I write because I have a story in my head that needs let out. I’m not opposed to co-authorship, and I even have had ideas and conversations about co-authoring a book.

My livelihood isn’t depended on book sales though, and I can’t really criticize the authors who do work with James Patterson. The whole situation is so murky that I can’t really criticize it at all until I know more details.

However, from a reader’s perspective, I can see why his brand works. People come to love and trust authors, and they always want more from them. As long as it feels familiar, they’re happy.

People who love to read for the sake of reading probably enjoy these novels, and people who just want a story probably like them.

So, am I still excited James Patterson will be speaking at ILF next year? Of course. Any time I can learn from someone is worth it, and I’m sure I will learn something by listening to his speech.

Do I think that what he’s doing is wrong? It’s not really my place to judge. There are so many perspectives to take into account. Patterson’s, the other authors, and the readers. If all three are on board and satisfied, my opinion doesn’t really matter.

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Thanks for taking the time to read through this response, and until next time, Happy Reading!

 

Prompt Response – Week 6

Greetings Earthkind!

As part of this class, we are required to publish a weekly response to a prompt given by our professor. This is my third prompt response!

Prompt

For this week’s prompt, I would like you to think of an innovative way to promote romance, gentle reads or horror at your local library (pick one, just one!). What would be most effective? A catchy display? Some passive programming? In what ways could you incorporate integrated advisory? Pretend you’re pitching an idea to your boss and write at least a paragraph in your prompt response.

Response

Usually, when I pitch ideas to my boss, I tend to talk about it in person to her and then follow up with an email after I gauge her interest. In the email, I would restate my idea and then try to do as much as I can to show her that I’ve thought through my idea but am open to suggestions.

At our branch recently, our Adult Reference Librarian put together a successful Suspense Thrillers versus Cozy Mystery display. This display had a couple of signs with lists of cozy mysteries and suspense thriller novels and authors.

After putting the display up, I added the titles onto our Pinterest page and posted about it on our Facebook page.

This display was actually why I started reading cozy mysteries in the first place, and according to our librarian, circulation of cozy mysteries picked up significantly afterwards.

Anyway, my idea is inspired by that display.

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Spring is rapidly approaching, and with spring comes warmer weather and rain. Either way, gentle reads are perfect for any season.

This display would be located in the corner of our library that has a couple of big comfy chairs in front of it. It would have a main sign indicating the idea of the display, and there would be a couple of other signs and lists to accompany it as well.

I would put together a list of gentle reads that we have in our system (not just the ones on display), and I would also design a bookmark with a list on it as well.

On the bookmark and list, I would indicate which ones we have in audiobook, ebook, and e-audiobook formats as well.

There would also be a sign over the display to highlight the audiobook options. It would probably say something like, “Want to enjoy a gentle read on the go? Check out an audiobook!”

Lastly, I would promote the display on our Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter pages, and hopefully by that time, we will have a library blog where we can write about it, too.

To me, gentle reads are winter books, but I hope that this display would show that they’re enjoyable any season.

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Thank you for taking the time to read this response, and until next time, Happy Reading!

Prompt Response – Week 5

Greetings Earthkind!

As part of this class, we are required to publish a weekly response to a prompt given by our professor. This is the second prompt response!

There was no prompt response required for Week 4 due to the Secret Shopper assignment.

Prompt

I have posted two documents in the week five files. One is two reviews of an ebook only romantic suspense novel, one from a blog and one from Amazon. Look over the reviews – do you feel they are both reliable? How likely would you be to buy this book for your library? Is this ebook even romantic suspense?

The other document contains some reviews of Angela’s Ashes, by Frank McCourt, an incredibly popular memoir. These reviews are all from professional publications, feel free to find more on your own I just nabbed a few from the Book Review Digest database for you. How do these reviews make you feel about the possibility of adding Angela’s Ashes to your collection?

Do you think it’s fair that one type of book is reviewed to death and other types of books get little to no coverage? How does this affect a library’s collection?  And how do you feel about review sources that won’t print negative content? Do you think that’s appropriate? If you buy for your library, how often do you use reviews to make your decisions? If not, how do you feel about reviews for personal reading, and what are some of your favorite review sources?

Response

Part A

First, spoilers!!!!! Thanks, Amazon reviewer, but I did not find this review helpful. It totally violates John Updike’s 5 Guidelines for Writing Reviews, especially #4. “Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.” Oops.

Anyway, neither reviews are totally reliable, as they appear to be reviews done by regular readers. This means they are reliable in some ways and not in others.

The Amazon review essentially told the plot of the book, discussed how POV is used, and said they liked it. It almost seems as if the reviewer is writing it for themselves rather than other people. It’s not very helpful, though it is what I would expect from an Amazon review.

The blog reviewer had a little more credibility, in my opinion. It reads much like I would expect a review on a blog to read. It’s accessible for regular people.

It’s polished but not professional.

Based on the description provided by the blogger and the two reviews, I don’t believe the ebook is romantic suspense.

This book is described as “beautiful,” “sweet,” “light,” “clean,” “cozy,” etc. The point of view apparently switches between the female and the male characters.

Most Romantic Suspense, from my understanding of the genre, is described as “fast-paced,” “uneasy tone,” “told from the POV of the heroine,” “graphic details,” “trend towards more sex, violence, strong language,” “sensual descriptions,” and as the heroine being “threatened” and having to “choose between two men, one good, one bad.”

That description and the descriptions of the book don’t appear to be the same, so I would say, no. I don’t believe this novel is in the Romantic Suspense genre.

As a librarian, I would have difficulty choosing this ebook-only novel for my collection. The plot seems typical, but depending on the patrons I serve and whether or not they use our e-collection, I might choose it. It would be good to promote during the holidays (but not as Romantic Suspense).

Additionally, the lack of reviews for ebooks is ridiculous. I read several series which are only published in an e-format, and even though they are really good, actual reviews are scarce.

I believe that as ebooks grow in popularity and more authors choose to only publish in a digital format, more credible reviews will begin to appear.

Part B

The reviews for Angela’s Ashes were all professional, and by reading them, I can see why any library would add it to their collection.

How could they not, with one reviewer stating, “Many a lesser book gets the kind of publicity push that McCourt’s memoir is happily slated to receive. Expect demand, not only from those seduced by blurbs and interviews, but from word-of-mouth thereafter.”

I feel like this is a book I would add in the midst of its popularity because many people would want to read it at once. I feel like it would be a good book to read for a book club, which would add to the large discussion around it. I also feel like it’s one I would keep around for patrons like me, who tend to not read books during the time they’re most popular.

Part C

I see just how powerful reviews can be, and I’m actually mad about how unfair it is that some books get so many reviews (good or bad, they generate content for the conversation and drive circulation) when other books struggle to get one professional review. It makes me want to learn about how professional reviewers and publications choose what they review and why.

It might be impossible to read and review every book, but I want more details on why certain books are chosen and other books left out.

I feel like if librarians only went with what professional reviewers say, libraries would have a biased collection.

Though I find these professional reviews interesting, I wonder what voices are missing from the conversation. What do actual readers think of the book?

I think librarians that can glance through both professional, semi-professional, and general reviews are the ones that might have a more balanced collection, though that is a daunting task, with so many books out there (and so little reviews for some books).

On a personal note, I tend to avoid reviews when selecting something to read. I love reading very short and general reviews along with a summary, but I try to avoid full reviews. I enjoy glancing through Goodreads and listening to my friend’s recommendations, but I really enjoy reading reviews after I finish the book. They tend to ask questions I didn’t even think about, and they provide a lot more post-read thoughts for me.

I guess I tend not to trust reviews for books for myself, but I’m pretty picky with what I like, so I’m not surprised. Luckily, I’m really good at empathy and placing myself in the shoes of others, so I don’t see that as an issue if ever I become a selector.

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Thank you for taking the time to read this response, and until next time, Happy Reading!

Prompt Response – Week 3

Greetings Earthkind!

As part of the class, we are required to publish a weekly response to a prompt given by our professor. This is the first prompt response!

Prompt Part 1

Answer the following questions using Novelist (or other RA site) as much as you can. Explain why you chose the books you did.

1. I am looking for a book by Laurell K. Hamilton. I just read the third book in the Anita Blake series and I can’t figure out which one comes next!

Assuming we are looking for the novels and not the graphic novels and assuming the books are published in the order they need to be read, I choose to suggest The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton.

I chose this novel by searching for “Anita Blake” in the keyword search. I then clicked on the “Series” tab, which gave me the option of viewing the novel series or the graphic novel series. I clicked the novel series, which took me to a chronological list of the novels.

Number 4 on the list was The Lunatic Cafe, and I clicked on the book to make sure it is indeed the fourth book.

2. What have I read recently? Well, I just finished this great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. I really liked the way it was written, you know, the way she used language. I wouldn’t mind something a bit faster paced though.

This one was really hard for me. I tried and tried to find a novel that was fast-paced and descriptive. I even took a break from it, answered everything else, and went back to it, but I’m still having issues.

I believe it would help to know more about why the patron liked Prodigal Summer. Most of the read-alikes included animal/environmental themes, and I’m not sure if that’s what they are looking for.

Rather than suggest specific novels, I will suggest a couple of authors, and if this were a real-life patron, I would likely take their email or phone number and continue to search.

Here are my suggestions:

• Annie Dillard
  • I found this author from the author read-alike feature.
  • The read-alike description says: “Like Kingsolver, Dillard pays close attention to detail and exploration of the natural world in both her fiction and her nonfiction. Her fictional characters are shaped by the natural world as well as by their interpersonal relationships. — Katherine Johnson”
• William Faulkner
  • I also found this author from the author read-alike feature.
  • The read-alike description says: “Family and community relationships affected by dramatic events are common subjects in the character-driven novels and series of these authors. Their settings have an atmospheric sense of small town America, earlier in the 20th Century South for Faulkner, later in the West for Kingsolver. Both wield a lyrical, descriptive style. — Matthew Ransom”

3. I like reading books set in different countries. I just read one set in China, could you help me find one set in Japan? No, not modern – historical. I like it when the author describes it so much it feels like I was there!

Without being to ask more about the novel they just read and how modern is too modern, I have a couple of suggestions, listed in order:

1. The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery
   • This novel is set in 19th century Japan.
   • Part of the description includes, “Pasts shrouded in secrets and mysterious traditions rocked by modernization make The teahouse fire a compelling and provocative story, lush in details and epic in scope.”
   • The listed writing style includes: “Descriptive; Engaging; Lyrical; Richly detailed.”
2. Blossoms and Shadows by Liam Hearn
   • This one was listed by Novelist, but it took some digging outside of it to get a description.
   • This novel is set in 19th century Japan, specifically the mid 1860s.
   • It is listed as being “descriptive” and “richly detailed” and having a “strong sense of place.”
3. The Pure Land by Alan Spence
   • This novel is also set in 19th century Japan.
   • This one isn’t my first suggestion, but it is said to be descriptive and have a “strong sense of place.”

4. I read this great mystery by Elizabeth George called Well-Schooled in Murder and I loved it. Then my dentist said that if I liked mysteries I would probably like John Sandford, but boy was he creepy I couldn’t finish it! Do you have any suggestions?

I would hope to ask more about the appeal factors and whether or not she would like to read more from Elizabeth George (such as finish the Thomas Lynley series). I would also ask about whether or not she is looking for an author or a book (or both).

Here’s a few other suggestions with the information I have:

• Ruth Rendell, author.
  • The top-rated read-alike author.
• Louise Penny, author.
  • Highly-rated read-alike author.
  • Also appeared in results from the “Search for More” feature.
  • Check out the Chief Inspector Gamache novels.
• A Possibility of Violence by Dror Mishani
  • Top-rated read-alike novel.
  • “Parents and administrators with complex motives are the prime suspects in these intricately plotted, atmospheric, and slow-building police procedurals, both featuring psychologically tense investigations into violent crimes occurring in school settings. — Derek Keyser”

Nearly everything else I searched for under the “Search for More” feature, including “Mystery Stories,” “Leisurely Paced,” “Likeable” characters, and variations on the search turned me back towards more Elizabeth George novels.

5. My husband has really gotten into zombies lately. He’s already read The Walking Dead and World War Z, is there anything else you can recommend?

I had difficulties locating the read-alike options suggested through NoveList for both novels/series. Most options either did not include zombies or did not seem to be what the patron was looking for.

Additionally, if I were able to talk to the patron (which can’t happen because their partner is asking the question and this is a fictional assignment), I would ask about the writing styles. World War Z and The Walking Dead are written differently and from different perspectives (World War Z has an interview-style approach, where the author is interviewing the survivors).

Here are my suggestions:

• Devil’s Wake by Steven Barnes
  • Description: “An unprecedented infection has swept across the world, bringing an epidemic of mindless biting attacks from the infected that leave their victims “changed.” The victims are more than mindless zombies. They are the result of a sinister alien life-form.Humanity ultimately becomes enmeshed in a brutal struggle for control of Earth.”
  • I found this one through the read-alike feature for The Walking Dead.
• The Remaining by D.J. Molles
  • Description: “After a bacterium turns ninety percent of the world’s population into violent predators, Captain Lee Harden, who has been trained for this type of scenario, emerges from his bunker and tries to rally survivors and restore order.”
  • It’s described as “fast-paced apocalyptic fiction.
  • Chosen through the read-alike feature for The Walking Dead.
• The Passage by Justin Cronin
  • Description: “The latest test subject in a covert government experiment, abandoned six-year-old Amy is rescued by an FBI agent who hides them in the Oregon hills, from which Amy emerges a century later to save the human race from a terrifying virus.”
  • Zombies in this novel are called “virals.”
  • Chosen through the read-alike feature for The Walking Dead.
• Dawn of the Dead by George A. Romero
  • This author was one that kept cropping up, but I couldn’t find anything specific that would work other than this novel. However, it might be worth it to dig deeper beyond Novelist.
  • Description: “Their numbers increasing along with their hunger for human flesh, the Living Dead walk again and overrun a shopping mall, where four dissimilar people try to find safety.”
  • I found this novel through a subject search for “zombies,” and I recognized the author from a read-alike page.

Prompt Part 2

Second, after you get a chance to do the readings and explore Mary Chelton’s list of tools, I want to hear about how you find books to read. It could be a site or a resource you’ve just discovered or one you’ve used for years, one you use for yourself or for your patrons or family and friends.

In the past, because I do tend to read and re-read novels, I didn’t actually search for new novels to read. I usually stumbled upon them on accident.

I also used/use NPR. Occasionally, they write an article or have a story about a novel, and I will either request it or mark it as “to-read.” So far, I’ve read two awesome books I heard on NPR, The Lonely War by Nazila Fathi and A Map of Betrayal by Ha Jin.

Check out their NPR Stories here and here, respectively.

I started using Goodreads about a year ago, and I love it. It’s good for finding books that look interesting to read. I have only requested a few items based off of Goodreads finds, but I’ve had good results thus far. Also, I find it especially useful to find good nonfiction reads.

Other than that, I am very lucky to work at a library. Most of the books I’ve read recently have been books that have come across the circulation desk. My personal discovery of cozy mysteries was due to our librarian setting up a display of them and me taking an interest in ones that feature cats in libraries.

I had never used NoveList before, but I’m really liking it… I will probably start using it with patrons, though I haven’t had too many RA questions yet.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!