Week 9, Assignment 3

Congratulations! You’ve almost reached the end of the online training.

We hope that this has been informative and worthwhile. Please remember to check your tracking log to make sure that you have completed each element of the course. Also, please complete the online evaluation. If you are interested in doing more and would like some other resources to explore click here for a list.

Week 9 Assignment 3 Summarize your thoughts about this program in a blog post. What have you learned that was helpful?

You know, I do feel as though this was quite a useful learning tool. I have to say that Weeks 4, 7 and 8 were particularly helpful in enhancing my readers' advisory skills.

In Week 4, I discovered new uses for Goodreads, a site on which I'd had only a nominal membership in previous years. Prior to the training, my principal use for Goodreads was not even in accessing the site itself so much as in using the popularity ratings and descriptions that NoveList Plus database incorporated. The assignments in Week 4 compelled me to actually explore the site in a level of detail that I'd previously eschewed. Following my rating exercise I made the foray into customizable classification and found that I quite adore Goodreads as a resources for organizing my own concept of read-alikes. I'm sure we can all remember times when a customer has approached us uncertain of what to read next after they've seemingly consumed an entire genre. Or, in even more drastic circumstances, when a customer has approached us with no particular interest at all! For these customers, NoveList falls short. They've read all the read-alikes, or alternatively, they've no interest in anything they've read to date but expect a good solid recommendation anyway. When dealing with these customers I now find the intuitive classification system of Goodreads to be my stalwart friend in a time of RA need.
I've started creating lists of books that I've read, classifying them by mood, by sub-sub-subgenre, and by other obscure categories that I might in a pinch use to recommend an extraordinary title to the reader who's read it all or to the reader who's read next to nothing.

I leaped into the content of Week 7 with abandon. Already a keenly appreciative reader of many works appearing in our YA section, I'm nevertheless not always up to speed with the very latest and greatest in teen reads. This section provided not only a welcome clarification of the mysterious New Adult Fiction concept (which I had hitherto written off as splitting hairs) it also provided a golden link to the dear Lawrence Library and its comprehensive flowchart of teen reads. Apart from actively using this flowchart in my summer reading recommendations for teens, I also discovered that the Lawrence Library has another new nugget not mentioned in training: the Like, Try, Why posts. These thematic posts are related to the flowcharts in that they recommend additional books based on previous likes and explain why they recommended the new titles. They're a little different in that they're more like snippet charts, part of what could be a whole flow chart in the future, and in that they are more thematic. The current one features Historical Teen Fiction, for example.

I felt that Week 8 was thoroughly worth my time and actually would have liked to see this week appear a little earlier in training, perhaps just after Week 3's discussion of appeal terms. I just LOVED that the focus was on not merely appeal terms, but non-fiction readers' advisory. We have a sizable non-fiction collection just brimming with exciting titles that are surprisingly narrative in format, yet its easy for these titles to get lost or forgotten when it comes to readers' advisory. Though I have often made a point of selecting non-fiction titles for our staff picks display, still, it is easy to forget about the many extraordinary stories that sit, brilliant but humble amidst their more information-rich non-fiction companions. It's really been during Genre Boot Camps that I've discovered or rediscovered excellence in non-fiction, whether travel memoirs, historical dramas, etc. Week 8's assignments forced me to not only refresh my familiarity with classic appeal terms, but to use them in a creative way to persuade fiction-lovers to give narrative non-fiction a chance. This is a week that has definitely influenced my RA style and I plan to incorporate what I've learned from Week 8 into my continually expanding classification system on Goodreads.

The other weeks were fun and informative for the most part. Weeks 1, 2 and 3 were a nice way of easing into the meat of the training. I found the book matching exercise to be entertaining and the appeal factors assignments to be thought-provoking. I've already gushed about Week 4 above. Week 5 was fairly useful and I found some decent inspiration for book-related programs. Assignments 2 and 3 in Week 6 were a little arduous, since any of the sub-genres with which I was not already quite familiar were notably lacking in fan websites. I felt this week could have been a little more user-friendly and perhaps a little more detailed in some respects, like the mashups portion. Still, it was useful to explore a couple of sub genre definitions and generally get a better handle on some sorts of fiction with which I had been less than familiar. See above for my detailed delight in describing the usefulness of Weeks 7 and 8. Week 9 was just plain interesting. I don't really think that book trailers / video blurbs / bideos will influence my RA skills in any particular respect, since I don't imagine I'll refer customers to these resources when I can just give them recommendations from my own font of RA knowledge or using some of the tools described elsewhere in the training. It was an interesting set of articles though and I  did come to my own set of conclusions about the (ideal) future of these book trailers / video blurbs / bideos.

In summary, I consider this training to have been well worth my time and would like to see a variation on this training program in the future with the caveat that for practical reasons it really should be presented at any other time of year other than the Spring/Summer. I thank those who have contributed to the structure of the program and compliment them on having pulled together a quite worthwhile continuing education resource.


                                                                      ~ Fin ~

Week 9, Assignments 1-2

Week 9: Book Trailers and Training Wrap Up

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Jun 162013

June 17, 2013
Book trailers have become very popular over the past few years and are often a signal of how committed the publisher is in marketing a title. They can vary greatly in how they approach the subject, e.g. author interview, collage, or short films. In addition, some enthusiastic fans make their own trailers.

Week 9: Assignment 1Read these two articles on book trailers and watch the embedded videos from the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times. Go to You Tube and find some other book trailers and watch a few of the popular ones.

Check! Check and check! Onward to Assignment 2.


Week 9: Assignment 2Post to your blog your opinion about book trailers – do they succeed in marketing the books they are trying to promote? Are they useful for readers’ advisory?

For me, Nina Metz's article offered the most accessible and comprehensive examination of the nature of book trailers - who watches them, how to find them, how effective they can be (but more often aren't) and how they might be redesigned to better suit their intended purpose. Pamela Paul's article was also a nice supplement, but the less powerful of the two pieces on the subject.

In essence, Metz suggests that book trailers are by and large unsuccessful (thought they should be) for an amalgamation of several reasons: first, they're typically low-budget productions by the publishing houses or outside contractor, and it shows. Second, they tend to have trouble finding prominent placement in book resource hubs like Amazon (which gives them space only far down the page in the bowels of the mammoth online bookseller's screen) and in browser search results, such as Google. I will say though that when I performed a search, Google actually returned some pretty decent - and recently updated - results right off the bat, including www.booktrailersforreaders.com and www.slimekids.com/book-trailers/. Admittedly these were geared more toward kids though, and some of the other sites returned did fit Metz's profile of "half-hearted" and "clunky."

Metz goes on to explore two disparate ways in which book trailers might be improved. She offers the perspective of filmmaker Nick Davis, who contends that book trailers need not only a name makeover (he suggests "bideo") to separate them from the same expectations a movie trailer might raise, but also a powerful hook to make the video go viral. Going viral is a somewhat of a shot in the dark though, and Davis doesn't offer much detail on how to make that happen, apart from recommending that publishing houses invest in a single professional production company that is capable of consistently delivering.

At the other end of the spectrum, Metz entertains writer Robin Sloan's minimalist "Reading Rainbow" approach, in which an individual (author, politician, anyone famous or capable of delivering a book recommendation with charisma) essentially stands or sits on their own and enthusiastically describes a book, noting that they liked it, it was of darn fine quality, and here's why you might like it too. I have to say I found this 21st century video blurb to be an effective format and, after viewing Sloan's own Summer Reading videos I found myself responding to the informal setting, the fast-paced monologue, and the presenter's charisma. My only disappointment was that he seemed to stop his Summer Reading series after only two webisodes/video blurbs.

On the other hand, this format may not work universally well for those who are authors speaking about their own works. Though Sloan touches upon this as an option and Pamela Paul examines the growing practice in her article, I'm just not sure the author hawking his or her own work is the best antidote to cheesy book trailers.

Voice actors and narrators are professionals, some of whom win prestigious awards for their delivery. Asking an author, whose delivery shines in the written word - to take on the mantle of verbal or - heavens! - even visual performance is not an intuitive leap. As one who has a particular affinity for audio books, I can say that of the authors I've heard narrating their own works, I can think of perhaps one - maybe two - who did their own novel justice. It's just not their area of expertise.

Even the book trailer tauted in both Metz's and Paul's articles as such a success -  Thomas Pynchon's voice over to the trailer for Inherent Vice left me a little cold. While I appreciated the visuals - glimpses of the city and beach - and actually quite liked the text being read aloud, Pynchon's voice was distracting, an almost jarring mismatch to the character's own monologue. And the reason? It's twofold: first, his voice gives away his age, which serves to separate him by several decades from the California gumshoe (gum-sandal) whose snatch of dialogue he's performing. Second, and more importantly because this first give-away is by no means a deal-breaker for a professional narrator, his is just not a compelling voice. When I first read some of the dialogue quoted in Metz's article, I thought - this really sounds like an intriguing opening! But Pynchon's voice has none of the street-smart, somewhat sassy yet gravely voice I'd expected - no, needed! - to match the tone of the opening lines of monologue. The fact that he's famous seems to persuade Paul and even Metz that his voice is effective, but take away the background of his fame and his notoriety as a recluse and the voice alone is not sufficient to draw me in.  It's not Pynchon's fault; that's just not his training and it's not where he shines.

Paul's article, which examines the practice of putting authors in the awkward position of performing for the camera to sell their own book, highlights this potential flaw that renders the talking heads format a less than universal one.  For example, librarians have specific readers' advisory training: that which was first developed in grad school and supplemented by on-the-job experience and continuing education exercises like those in Be More Bookish, and we still don't nail every recommendation. Imagine having to sell your own work - your baby - on camera,  in an objective but personable light, before sitting down to obsess over the piddling number of views your book trailer has received.

From what I've seen, and I've viewed more book trailers, author interviews and talking head formats this week than in the past year,  the visual book blurb, so effective in describing other writers' works, is effective because it is genuine, objective and - most importantly - does not have the appearance of hawking one's own creation. Perhaps instead of creating visual extravaganzas, or seeking out reclusive authors or famous politicians to offer some glitz to a book trailer, publishing houses should try keeping a couple of charismatic librarians, professional narrators or both on contract to release 2-minute video blurbs for books they want to promote. It would be cheap, genuine, objective and standard in format - a true book blurb 2.0. 

Week 8, Assignments 1-4

June 10, 2013
Why do people read narrative nonfiction? Reasons are many and varied, not unlike reasons for reading fiction. Both have various appeal characteristics and genres and can work well together in readers’ advisory.



Week 8: Assignment 1Read the following two articles for an introduction to nonfiction readers’ advisory.

• Borderlands: Crossing between Nonfiction in Readers’ Advisory
• Reading Nonfiction for Pleasure: What Motivates Readers?

Borderlands was a nice supplement to the E-Learning video. I liked that the author provided some specific titles as well as some examples of how some considerably diverse types of appeal factors in narrative non-fiction that may wind up grouped together under the same category of, for example, travel non-fiction or true crime. 

Reading Nonficiton for Pleasure was a similarly helpful supplement. I like the strategy the author introduced of creating hybrid appeal factors that can be applied equally effectively to a readers fiction and nonfiction reading interests.



Week 8: Assignment 2View this E-Learning video produced by the Maryland State Library Resource Center.

Yes! I adore recommending non-fiction beyond the informational and this was a great resource for enhancing my general knowledge of narrative non-ficiton. Comprehensive but to the point and overall, just ideal.



Week 8: Assignment 3Choose any four of the 16 nonfiction genres presented in the video. In what Dewey area(s) did you find narrative nonfiction in these genres? List each of the four genres and their Dewey areas on your blog. Choose one book from each of these four genres that you could recommend to someone who normally reads only fiction. List these titles and their authors.

In order to offer a taste of how diverse these genres can be, I selected two books to represent each genre:

Genre 1: Biography - Amelia Lost! The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming (Children's Bio Earhart) and The Diary of Samuel Pepys by Samuel Pepys  (Bio Pepys)
Genre 2: History - usually upper 900s, as well as occasional outlying dewy areas, including the 640s - I selected Destiny of the Republic: a Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of at President by Candice Millard (973.099 M) and Bill Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life (643 B)
Genre 3: Travel - lower 900s - Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman (910.4 G) and The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost (919.595 T)
Genre 4: Disaster/Survival - Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (796.522 K) and Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson (976.4 L)



Week 8: Assignment 4 Using appeal factors, write a 1-2 paragraph book talk for two of the four titles you would recommend, noting who you would recommend them to and why. Post these on your blog.

Destiny of the Republic: a Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

I'd recommend this title in general for fans of historical fiction, true crime, and biographies. Destiny of the Republic is the dramatic, richly textured story of James Garfield, perhaps the most remarkable president history has ever forgotten. In equal measure it is also the story of Garfield's would-be assassin, a madman consumed by his own delusions of grandeur, and the astonishing medical blunders which ultimately brought down the nation's leader. Balanced pacing, a keenly developed narrative voice, and exquisitely reconstructed characters all serve to draw the reader into a page-turning, suspenseful journey through the extraordinary series of events leading up to the tragic fate of a beloved president.

I would specifically recommend this title to any customer who mentioned that they had enjoyed the following titles: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester and Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson.  

Each of these compelling, history-altering tales reflect American conventions and society during the latter half of the 19th century. They also have at their center a remarkable character plagued by criminal insanity who affects the course of history in one significant manner or another.


Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

I'd recommend this title in general for fans of suspenseful, tension-driven, man vs. nature and apocalypse stories, whether in fiction or non-ficiton. Isaac's Storm is the story of a storm of almost biblical proportions that devastated the Galveston, Texas region at the turn of the 20th century. Chronicling the greatest natural disaster in American history, Erik Larson brings Isaac's Storm alive again, drawing the reader in with fast pacing, suspenseful narrative timing, and attention to character details and survivor accounts Featuring anecdotes about and the personal predictions of Isaac Cline, chief observer for the Federal Weather Bureau in Galveston, this harrowing true tale of tragedy trumps any plot line mere fiction could offer.

I'd specifically recommend this title to any customer who had read and enjoyed The Perfect Storm: a True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger or Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester.

Each of these titles offer gripping, fast-paced, true accounts of the awesome power of nature and the utter devastation that results from natural disasters that were tragically under anticipated. *Caveat: Krakatoa is at times actually slightly slower in pace than the other two titles, but is fully as rich in detail about the aftermath of the natural disaster.

Week 7, Assignments 1-4

June 3, 2013
As we are all aware, there is a large amount of crossover between teen and adult fiction readership; therefore, it is helpful to be familiar with current titles and trends in teen literature. We all know about Twilight and The Hunger Games, but what’s next? Is it all just vampires and arena battles? Let’s spend this week finding out.

Week 7: Assignment 1Take a look at the “What to Read Next” flowchart from the Lawrence Public Library (also available in PDF format.)

This is perhaps one of my favorite resources so far on the Be More Bookish journey. I have copied the charts for personal and readers' advisory reference and have already used them to offer new recommendations.

Week 7: Assignment 2
Read any two of the following short articles. Post comments on your blog, and make comments on two colleagues’ blogs.

• New Adult: Needless Marketing-Speak Or Valued Subgenre? Publisher’s Weekly, Dec 14, 2012
• Who is Buying Teen Books? Christian Science Monitor Sep 14, 2012
• The Next Big Thing YALSA; The Hub, Oct 2012
• YA Comes of Age Publisher’s Weekly, Oct 3, 2011
• Not Just for Teens [PDF] Library Journal, Jun 15, 2011 (Note: Please retry this link if you have had difficulties. LJ moved the article so we have uploaded a PDF version.)

I selected YA Comes of Age and New Adult: Needless Marketing-Speak or Valued Subgenre. I found the New Adult article offered some clarification as to the nature of a term we've encountered more often this year. While I can't say that I think the moniker "New Adult" isn't potentially confusing for customers, I can see the particular usefulness of it as an in-house term for pinpointing those materials which might hold particular relevance and appeal for college-age readers and beyond - a readership which the author notes has contributed to the boom of the YA readership and is now starting to "age out." I found this to be a thoughtful article that provides some useful clarification as to the relevance of the term "New Adult," or at least its role in retail and marketing. YA Comes of Age did not impress me nearly as much and seemed to be more of a rehash of that which we have already observed about YA trends.

I opted to post to John Curreri's blog and to Karin Kinzel's.

Week 7: Assignment 3
Choose any two of the following blogs/websites. Follow them for a week. Post comments to your blog regarding who is writing it, who is the intended audience, is it successful, etc.

• John Green Books or John Green’s Tumblr
• Stacked
• Teenreads
• Forever Young Adult
• Cassandra Clare’s Tumblr
• School Library Journal: Someday My Printz Will Come (Seasonal)
• Squeetus Blog: Official Blog of Shannon Hale

I decided to follow Forever Young Adult and Stacked.
I love the description of Forever Young Adult, as a site for those who are "a little less Y and a little more A." I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the site: its book reports, its commentaries on upcoming movies and shows based on popular YA series, and even its throw-back mentions to some notable adult fiction with crossover appeal. I'll definitely keep this one on my radar.
One of my favorite features of Stacked is how balanced the posts are. Stacked kept my interest by incorporating a variety of different article formats, including interviews, one-sentence book reviews, in-depth reviews and personable commentaries on trends in YA lit. 

Week 7: Assignment 4 Choose any two of the following teen imprints and spend some time on their websites. Blog about any trends you find in either current or forthcoming teen fiction.

• Harlequin Teen
• Harper Teen
• Little, Brown Books for Teens
• Teens/Penguin Young Readers
• Teens at Random
• Tor Teen (Macmillan)

I opted to explore several of the links before settling on Little, Brown Books for Teens and Teens/Penguin Young Readers.  

Little Brown Books for Teens was moderately useful. I can't say it will stay on my radar in the same way that say Forever Young Adult will, but I explored it and enjoyed the way that the categories were mixed together yet tagged with subject-related icons (Books/Authors/For Fun/Community). The Books and Community sections provided some interesting forecasts of upcoming teen reads, but overall it was less informative and a little less well organized than some of the Be More Bookish resources I've reviewed recently. The For Fun category in particular could stand some improvement.
Teens at Random was considerably more useful and appealing overall. I appreciated the layout and found the categories to be comprehensive and well-organized. I found the mini-sites to be a whimsical touch and felt it was an effective way of keeping tabs on the latest news/publications, etc. in current teen series' without cluttering the main page with articles and news flashes.  I'll find the Minisites link and the Most Viewed Books  to be continually useful as the year progresses. I've already used the Minisites in readers' advisory. I do hope that they repair the link "Books for Boys," as when I tried to explore this potential goldmine it was inoperable. I'll keep an eye on the website in hopes of utilizing that particular feature soon. 

Week 6, Assignments 2 and 3

Week 6: Assignment 2
Explore this Prezi link of Fiction Genres and Subgenres

The Prezi Link was useful in rediscovering some old favorite subgenres. I also used it to help me decide on some subgenres that fall outside of my comfort zone.

Week 6: Assignment 3
Pick 3 subgenres that you are unfamiliar with.

• Find a fan website for each subgenre and summarize the current buzz among fans. Why are they excited about this subgenre? How did you find the website?
• List three authors or titles that are associated with or typify each of these 3 subgenres. What are the hallmarks or appeal factors of each of the subgenres?
• Mashups of subgenres, e.g. steampunk westerns, are becoming increasingly popular. Find two titles, not shown on the flowchart, which could cross over into another subgenre. Describe your rationale.

Here's the problem I've run into: I selected several subgenres to investigate, but none of those I've chosen actually have legitimate fan websites. Now, I could find fan websites for subgenres with which I am already familiar, but that would rather defeat the purpose of expanding my readers' advisory and general knowledge of these subgenres. So, in place of official websites, I'll just provide for each subgenre a link to a site that I feel does a fine job of summarizing the nature of the subgenre at hand, then give my impression of the buzz as pulled from a varietey of forums, personal blogs and comment streams.

Subgenre 1: Medical Thrillers
I selected this subgenre because I really have never read or even sought out a medical thriller. Though I've happily never been pressed for recommendations from this subgenre, I'm sure a working knowledge of the subject would be useful in readers' advisory situations.
Fan Website:
Book Country - Medical Thriller
http://www.bookcountry.com/ReadAndReview/Books/GenreMap/Thriller/MedicalThriller.aspx I found Book Country's website had the most comprehensive and succinct summary of what a medical thriller is. I also decided that the representative authors and titles displayed on this website were far more apt choices than those found on say Facebook's Medical Thriller page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Medical-thriller/144107068938033?nr). Facebook, which I suppose you could argue is more representative of the opinions of fans, is decidedly skewed in favor of just plain popular material that doesn't necessarily have a great deal to do with the subgenre itself. For example on Facebook, Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code is first on the list for books in the medical thriller category, versus Richard Preston's The Cobra Event or Robin Cook's Coma, as mentioned on Book Country's Medical Thriller page.
For a more in-depth analysis of the Medical Thriller subgenre, see https://www.library.ns.ca/files/thrillers_1.pdf.

How I Found This Website:
In an effort to find medical thriller fan pages I started off with Facebook, was swiftly disappointed, and then reverted to broad-spectrum searches for "medical thriller" on several search engines.

The Buzz / Three authors or titles that typify Medical Thrillers:
Richard Preston is a wonderful example of an author of medical thrillers. From his chilling non-fiction The Hot Zone, to The Cobra Event and The Demon in the Freezer, Preston's medical thrillers will set his readers on edge and probably lead more than a few to arm themselves with Purel and disinfectant wipes. Robin Cook comes to the table with quite the array of medical thrillers to offer, including Fever, Coma, Vital Signs and Harvest. Finally, who can forget the late Michael Chriton, himself an MD by training, brought us The Terminal Man, The Andromedea Strain, and Jurassic Park, to name a fiew.

Hallmarks/Appeal Factors:
Plot-driven; fast-paced; protagonist/antagonist relationship (even if antagonist is a disease); medical or scientific background; occasional conspiracy, whether of government or medical community; accurate medical details are important for a sense of an inside look at the profession involved.

Mashups:
One popular mashup is the cross between detective mystery and medical thriller, as exemplified by Ian C.P. Irvine's helpfully titled Haunted From Within: A Mystery and Detective Medical Thriller. Deadly Syndrome, by Arline Todd is an example of another mashup, that of the Political/Medical Thriller.

Subgenre 2: Fractured Fairy Tales
I chose this subgenre because I have a soft-spot for fairy tales and am particularly delighted whenever a new interpretation or spin on a fairy tale or bit of folklore emerges, no matter the media. I've developed a mild obsession with the show Once Upon a Time and my favorite recent children's read is Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin. In any event, I chose this subgenre for personal enrichment and to enhance my children's and YA readers' advisory skills.

Fan Website:
Once more, not strictly speaking a fan website, but I found Tales of Faerie: Fairy Tale Retellings and Subgenres to offer a particuarly insightful view into the nature of the fractured fairytale: http://talesoffaerie.blogspot.com/2012/10/fairy-tale-retellings-and-subgenres.html. This blog offers working definitions and categories for what make an effective Fractured Fairy Tale:
a.) Expanded Fairy Tale
b.) Alternate Explanation
c.) Removal of Magic
d.) Expanding on a Single Element
e.) Sequel

How I Found This Website:
I coupled fractured fairy tale with subgenre and plugged these into several search engines. In the end it it was Bing that led me to the thoughtful blog cited above.

The Buzz /  Three authors or titles that typify Fractured Fairy Tales:
For the buzz, I will refer you to any Jungian interpretation of the shared consciousness. Fairy tales and folklore are a part of human culture, a part of our childhood, and a traditon that we pass on through the generations. Countless analyses of the role and import of these oral and literary traditions thoroughly explore the buzz about fairytales. The particular appeal of fractured fairy tales, which are perhaps not exclusively but certainly characteristically modern in origin, is, I gather a continuation of our curiosity about the characters who appear in these fantastic tales: their motivations and their behaviors.

Hallmarks/Appeal Factors:
Fills in the details and offers answer for the curious behaviors of characters in classic fairy tales; alternate outcomes and twists in plot and character descriptions.

Mashups:
Fractured Fairy Tales in Young Adult and Children's Fiction formats -  for example Princess of the Silver Woods in YA, and Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin in Children's Fiction;

Subgenre 3: Locked Room Mysteries 

I've received a number of requests for recommendations from customers who are avid fans of mysteries and mystery series. While I do find that www.stopyourekillingme.com provides a wealth of information and clues as to what titles and series I might recommend next, I find myself at a bit of a loss when it comes to recommending Puzzle mysteries or Locked Room mysteries, hence my selection.

Fan Website: AbeBooks - Impossible Murders: Cracking the Locked Room Mysteries http://www.abebooks.com/books/crime-writing-impossible-killer-poe/locked-room-mysteries.shtml 
I also reveiwed material and opinions on several other websites, including www.goodreads.com, www.mysteryfile.com, and www.lockedroominternational.com. The last of these, while not cited as my official choice, provides an excellent selection of individual titles and and authors and succinctly summarizes the idea and/or plot behind each title.

How I found This (These) Website(s):
I performed a broad search to begin, starting simply with locked room AND subgenre. I tried the search on a couple of different search engines to see what sort of results could be garnered.

The Buzz / Three Authors That Typify the Locked Room Mystery:

- The Buzz: First really popularized by Edgar Allen Poe, Wilkie Collins and others in the 19th century, the 20th century really saw an upswing in popularity for this subgenre, and today many mystery authors contribute to the body of work that makes up the Locked Room subgenre. An Amazon subject search returns more than 1,300 titles, pulling from literature, short stories, anthologies, stand-alone mysteries and series, to name a few. I what may be the most exciting for readers is that they are involved - they can solve the seemingly impossible mystery even as (or before!) the detective or protagonist does. It's interactive, logical reading at its finest.

 - Three authors or titles that typify: Scott Laming, the author of the page above, credits John Dickson Carr, (aka  Carter Dickson) as the "king of the locked room mysteries" and cites The Hollow Man as THE BOOK to read for the best example of a locked room mystery. Fans the world over will agree that a second notable author in the subgenre is Edgar Allen Poe, whose The Murders in the Rougue Morgue is credited as an early example that really set the stage for the Locked Room subgenre. Finally, an appreciative nod to Edward D. Hoch, whose many and varied contributions to the subgenre are arranged in a short story format. Look for Hoch's Dr. Sam Hawthorne series for the greatest number of examples.

Hallmarks/Appeal Factors :
A locked room (literally); a seemingly impossible crime; interactive ficiton; logic-based puzzles or solutions.

Mashups:
While many of the initial Locked Room mysteries were standalone titles, one increasingly finds series mytery authors who give their series' protagonists repeated encounters with Locked Room scenarios. As mentioned earlier, Edward D. Hoch's Sam Hawthorne series is a prime example of this mashup.

Week 6, Assignment 1

Week 6: Assignment 1
In Week 1: Assignment 4, you began following one of the genre links on the right. Write a blog post about your discoveries.

I elected to follow several of the genre links, on the assumption that each seemed to have potential use for readers' advisory, genre boot camp preparation, or book review inspiration/reference. Of the three, (Stop, You're Killing Me, EarlyWord, and Locus), I found Stop, You're Killing Me to be the most effective ready reference guide. I routinely use this website, not only for series read-alike recommendations, but also to identify authors and series based on customers' at-time foggy descriptions of the some of the chief characters in the series. Beyond it's usefulness as a tool for locating specifically sought materials, Stop You're Killing Me is one of the best resources I've found for recommending titles and series based on subgenre (Genre Index), occupation (Job Index) setting (Locational Index), era (Historical Index) or even character/setting background (Diversity Index).

It's simple, straight-forward, no-frills and a top-notch reference tool. Though it is simple in layout, it is meaty and thoroughly comprehensive in the depth and breadth of mystery characters, subgenres, and appeal factor categories. I cannot recommend it thoroughly enough and I make a habit of showing curious customers how to utilize it on their own.

Week 5, Assignment 3

Week 5: Assignment 3 Pick a title from the highly anticipated titles of 2013, found under the righthand “Coming Soon- Season Previews” sidebar on Early Word. Write a blog post using appeal factors or read alikes to describe the title. Why is this title expected to be popular and to whom would it appeal?

For this assignment I looked to The Huffington Post for inspiration and meandered through their   Best Books Of 2013?: Our Picks For The Year's Biggest Reads.  I selected Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane to describe using appeal factors and readalikes. This title had already been on my radar, long before its June 18th publication, and so I was able to pull together some of the appeal factors and reasons that led to my own excitement about this title as a reader.  Another reason I chose this title was that I have now read the work and find the Huffington Post's summary to be a little lacking in punch. I hope to replicate Huffington's succinct style while providing a more inviting description.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane
From master wordsmith, Neil Gaiman comes a modern tale of timeless fantasy that treads the line between memoir and magical realism.  In its first layer, it is an atmospheric story about otherworldly happenings in commonplace settings. Beneath that, it is a story about sacrifice and the nature of true self. Finally, at its heart it is a tribute to memories; those which haunt us and those which have the power to bring us home again, if only for a little while. Those who have enjoyed The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker may find The Ocean at the End of the Lane particularly appealing - both atmospherically-charged titles take place in realistic settings and revolve in part around identity and the meaning of self and/or free will.

 

 

Week 5, Assignment 2

Week 5: Assignment 2 What’s popular in your branch? If it’s “popular” or “commercial” fiction then you want be sure to look at The New York Times Best Seller List or People Magazine. For forthcoming titles check the Publisher’s Weekly On Sale calendar. If literary fiction and narrative nonfiction is popular, you can monitor the Indie Next Best Seller List (formerly BookSense) and NPR. Do your customers want to read the book before the movie comes out? More than likely, you have a diverse mix of customers who have equally diverse reading preferences, but all of these resources are available via Early Word. Take a look at the site and click around; there are lots of links in both sidebars. Post to your blog: What resources are new discoveries for you? What do you think that you will continue to use?

Well, since EarlyWord was the resource I have chosen to monitor from Week 1, I've already related some of my impressions about the resources to be found there. In terms of new discoveries, I'll reiterate how useful I have found the Books & Movies category to be in providing inspiration for future teen programs for the fall and winter. Please see Week 5, Assignment 1 for details.

In terms of that which I believe I will continue to use, I must say (or rather, say again) that I was quite impressed with the highly visible, easily accessible archival pages that are conveniently listed not in a series of drop-down menu, pulling one progressively farther from the main page, but in a legible, prominently placed listing on the left-hand side of the page. The order of these archival categories is comprehensive and detailed without being overly long, and I appreciate being able to to easily navigate from the current entry in say, "Steal These Ideas" to past entries without having to perform a search for the archives in question.

Note: When I mention the archives, I do not mean the official monthly archives. Instead I refer to the "Categories" section above the "Archives." Once I click on a give category though, the heading at the top of the page specifies that this is an archival section, reading something along the lines of (for example): "Archives for New Title Radar Category"

Week 5, Assignment 1

Week 5: Assignment 1 What useful information have you learned from the resource that you have been monitoring since week one? Blog about it.

I elected to monitor two resources, EarlyWord and Locus. I actually ended up utilizing information from EarlyWord on a more regular basis.  EarlyWord has kept me apprised of upcoming children's titles and adult fiction titles about which I either have already or intend to read and review for Between the Covers. Oddly enough, EarlyWord has also provided inspiration for future teen programs as well. By keeping abreast of all of the upcoming book-to-film announcements, I have come up with several ideas for book-to-movie themed teen events which I hope to incorporate this Fall and in the Winter to come.

One feature of EarlyWord that I find especially (potentially) appealing is the "Ideas to Steal" archive. I think this archive could be a great way of sharing ideas for programs, news, trends and more. Unfortunately, at this time the archive is a little sparse, displaying only a couple of "Ideas to Steal" features each year. Still, I'll be monitoring it from time to time for inspiration.

Another page I enjoy perusing is the "Review Sources" archives. From there I've learned about such gems as "Rotten Tomatoes for Books" (aka "I Dream Books") and more, mentioned on the EarlyWord over the years.

Actually, I have to say, the practice of prominently displaying so many well-defined archival pages is one of my favorite features of EarlyWord. If I particularly like a sort of article, I don't have to perform clumsy searches or sift through drop down menus to find more of the same.

Week 4, Assignment 1 - Goodreads

Week 4: Assignment 1 
I have rated over 50 titles and have grouped them all into shelves. I appreciate the customizable nature of the shelf names. I've created such basics as "classic" and "books made into movies" but have also been able to create shelves that will serve me particularly well, whether in readers' advisory or for my own purposes, such as "gives one the shivers" "you have to be in the right mood" or "the allure of art."

I have to say, although I'd been a member of Goodreads for some time, I'd not previously taken the time to organize my books into shelves and I do find that this is not only an enjoyable process but also a highly useful tool for readers' advisory. I love the recommendation feature. Many of the recommended books turn out to be titles I've already read and had simply forgotten to list, so it's useful in that regard. I've also encountered a few recommended titles that I've yet to read but certainly intend to now. Listopia is a fantastic resource for when it comes to recommending readalikes that for titles I've never read myself. Explore was a fairly comprehensive useful tool for navigating the website, being succinct rather than overly expansive.

When it came to recommending a title to a colleague, I found that it was the bookshelves - and in particular the names of the bookshelves - more than individual titles that led me to my chosen recommendations. The "Favorite Books" section was similarly useful. I ended up recommending Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin to Meliss, whose reading tastes encompass works that are inspired by fairy tales and folklore.

Meliss, because you display a certain penchant for fairy tales and folklore, and since you don't shy away from fiction that isn't strictly for adults, I really must recommend Leisel Shurtliff's delightful fractured fairytale, "Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin."

It is an amusing, plot-driven read that will appeal both to children and to adults who are familiar with traditional variations on the Rumpelstiltskin story. Trading the protagonist of the miller's daughter for Rumpelstiltskin himself, Leisel Shurtliff boldly re-imagines a world where your name is your destiny and follows the difficult road of a decidedly unlikely hero, Rump.   

Week 3, Assignment 3 - Conversations 1, 2 and 3

 

Conversation 1:

Librarian: Hi, is there anything I can suggest?

Customer: I’m looking for a good story, you know, something that draws me in. But I don’t know where to start looking.

Librarian: What was the last book you read? Could you share something you liked about it?

Customer: The last book I read was Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Everyone is reading it so I had to pick it up. It was lovely. She is such an interesting woman and so brave. I enjoyed the descriptions of the countries she went to and what she did while she was there, of course, but I think what I liked most was how she shared her inner thoughts — so reflective but funny too. I thought it might be just light fluff or all me, me, me, me, but it was so much more than that. I read all the Oprah books and just love them. Anyway I wanted to ask you for a few suggestions for my book group. It’s my turn to pick the title.

So the descriptions of places and encounters was appealing to you and you liked the author's sense of humor, but what you enjoyed most what her personal experience during the journey - how she grew, in what ways the places she visited touched her, and ultimately how she came to a better understanding of herself. I can think of a few recommendations for your book club based on these elements:

My first recommendation is Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World, by Rita Gelman. Like Eat, Pray Love, Gelman's memoir begins with a woman who similarly seems to have it all but feels she has yet to find her true self. At 48, a successful children's author, wife and mother of two grown children, Gelman finds herself at a crossroads and discovers a need to leave behind the conventional life she has always known. Traveling with little money and no companion, Gelman adopts the lifestyle of a nomad, living in Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua and Bali, among other countries. To support herself, she writes and takes on jobs as they appear. What was intended to be a one-year sabbatical to discover and replenish her inner self turns into a continuous way of life. To this day, Gelman remains a nomad. She returns from time to time to her family in America, but ultimately she remains without a permanent home or the conventional boundaries that tie one to a home. Gelman's continuing journey might serve well as a contrast to Eat Pray Love, whose author ultimately finds that a year is enough to find the inner balance that motivated her to travel in the first place.

You also mentioned that you enjoy Oprah's book club selections. I think that the following thoughtful memoirs from Oprah's book club list might also be quite suitable: A Kiss Before You Go by Danny Gregory; Oddly Normal by John Schwartz; and Bend, Not Break by Pin Fu.

Conversation 2:

Customer: Can you recommend any vampire books that are nothing like the Twilight series?

Librarian: Let me see how I can help you. What don’t you like about Twilight?

Customer: Everything, but especially that teen love story – way too much angst! And way too slow. Have you read any good vampire stories lately?

Based on what I'm hearing from you, I would recommend two possible vampire series that are short on angst and have nary a teen in sight.

The first of these is Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series (a.k.a. the Southern Vampire mystery series). This action-packed mystery series is a real genre jumper and the basis for the HBO series True Blood. Forget teen drama and tortured souls - these characters are refreshingly realistic and flawed - vampire and human alike! Set in the backwoods of Bon Temps, Louisiana, each book in the Sookie Stackhouse series incorporates humor, a strong and sassy clairvoyant heroine and paranormal romance, all topped off with an edgy mystery. Start with Dead Until Dark.

For a fast-paced departure from the drama of typical vampiric encounters, try Christopher Moore's offbeat and decidedly funny series Vampire Love Stories. Set in contemporary San Francisco, Moore's series features clever dialogue and a humorous take on the practicalities of vampire/human relationships, Exhibiting a cheekiness seldom found in vampire stories, it's a surefire antidote for the slow-paced melodrama you're hoping to avoid. Start with Bloodsucking Fiends.

Conversation 3:

Librarian: Hi, are you looking for anything in particular?

Customer: I just read this great book The River of Doubt. It was about Teddy Roosevelt and this ill-fated expedition to chart an uncharted river in the Amazon. They lost almost all their provisions, the president was injured, and it turns out one of their crew was a murderer since there was a murder. And the most amazing thing was that it true. It was fascinating and really fast paced. Do you have anything to recommend that is like that?

Okay, so some of the most appealing elements for you seem to have been a certain drama, more than a hint of danger, and in particular that this story was based on real events. Right off the top of my head I'm going to have to recommend Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. This tension-filled memoir detailing a similarly ill-fated expedition to climb Mount Everest is as terrifying as it is poignant. The antagonist in this story is the "murderous storm" that engulfs a group of climbers on an already perilous 1996 expedition. The account brings to waking life the harrowing events of the climbers' experience, the acts of heroism on the part of some and the all-too-human mistakes made along the way.