Week 5

                            

                                    

Assignment 1

I blame Early Word for the plethora of books that are currently sitting on my desk and on the hold shelf. It’s the kid in the candy store syndrome –only instead of a tummy ache from over indulging, I’m filled with longing for more time to devour and digest the riches. Many will wind up on my Goodreads “To Read” shelf- a shelf  that is buckling under the weight of stored desire-sigh.  Early Word did alert me to the novel that is presently sitting by my bedside.  It is “The Other Typist” by Suzanne Rindell.  I was intrigued by the reviewer likening it to “a pitch black comedy with a dollop of Alfred Hitchcock and a dollop of Patricia Highsmith” and also the 1920’s setting with the promise of shocking flapper behavior.  It sounded reminiscent of another book I’ve read and enjoyed- “Rules of Civility” by Amor Towles.  I’ve also started “Dollbones” by Holly Black.  It is a middle grade horror story and the title and cover alone were enough to lure me in. 

                    

Week 4

GoodReads

I've been a member of Goodreads for a while and come to rely on it more and more to jog my memory. I do get frustrated with the often slow loading time of the site though.  Listopia is fun to play with- I entered "books narrated by animals" in the list search and got back "The Cat's Meow" (67 books), "Dog's Eye View (40 books) amd Animal Narrators in Adult Novels (21 books).  Clearly, cats have won again! Just kidding-I love dogs just as much!  I found the "Best Books Ever" list disconcerting.  The Hunger Games is #1 on the list-huh???!  I enjoyed that book, but c'mon- Best Book Ever?


I sent a book rec to Heather Mays:

"Hi- I think you would enjoy this book
based on your five star rating for The Thirteenth Tale. It shares the mysterious tone and elements of the macabre along with a rich setting and complex storyline."

Week 3

Conversation 1 

It sounds as though this customer likes tales that fuse literal and emotional journeys.

Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor has the warmth, humor and introspection that the customer so enjoyed from reading Eat, Pray, Love.  Another

travel memoir with those elements is Wild by Cheryl Strayed.

                                                                                                                                     

Conversation 2

This customer wants to avoid the teen soap opera feel of Twilight and also wants something faster paced. The Carpathian series by Christina Feehan is suspenseful, dark and biting!  The first in the series is Dark Prince.  Another vampire series that fits the bill is the Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse saga that the television show True Blood is based on. The first in the series is Dead Until Dark.

Conversation 3

This customer wants a true historic tale that has elements of suspense,and incredulity.  I would recommend Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larsen and Unbroken: A World War II story of Survival , Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand.                                                           

Week 2

The article on appeal factors brought to mind a few considerations that I did not think were addressed. A few other aspects that might affect a person's like or dislike of a book are:

- Viewpoint- Is the book told in the first person or third person?  I have had customers that liked one way but not the other.  Also, is the book told from one person's perspective or different characters' perspectives?

- Timeline- Does the book jump back in forth between different periods of time or is it more linear?

- Bias- Some titles have a political or social agenda.  If it does not line up with the customer's ideals, they may not appreciate the recommendation.

 

Annotation 1:

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbaugh is a novel filled with complex characters facing emotional, moral and physical dilemmas.  The story centers on Henry, a star shortstop on his Wisconsin college baseball team who has had a long streak of no error games.  That ends when he throws a wayward ball that injures a teammate and sets off  an excruciating period of doubt and loss of ability. The book is rich with literary allusion and meditations on some of life's big questions.  Even non-baseball fans will relate to this coming of age story that burrows deep into the psyche while you root, root , root for the home team.

Annotation 2:

 The Ex-Pats is a fast-paced thriller filled with unexpected twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.  It follows an American family who are living in Luxembourg under the pretense that the husband's job has caused them to relocate. This plot driven novel incorporates the world of high finance and a cast of characters who are never who they say they are. 

I recommended two books on Debbie Bastacky's blog- The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker and The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

Week 1

I've enjoyed the quizzes and I look forward to expanding my Reader's Advisory knowledge and skills.  My daughter introduced me to Sporkle some time ago- try playing Famous Faces Badly Drawn-it's a hoot!  I'm going to follow Early Word- it's exciting and makes me feel like I get the early scoop on upcoming titles.  My genre pick is Urban Fiction because Randallstown has a heavy readership in this area and I haven't read too much UF yet- plus it'll help increase my street cred- I do live in the city!  I'll be using Street Fiction- I like how it has the breakdown of the subgenres.