Week 9

I can see why book trailers may be able to draw in those that are less likely to read a book because of their similarity to movie trailers and tv teasers. For readers heavy readers, I don't see how these trailers can help as they know the authors they like and who they will keep tabs on, and don't need a trailer to tell them when the next book is being released or even what it will be about. This is similar to film afficiantos that already know what movies ar ein a productiona dn their cast because they follow the trade papers and such. So reluctant readers and groups like teens I think could really thrive with book trailers.

I felt there were aspects that were quite helpful with Be More Bookish. My only true issue is the timing of this coinciding with the last few weeks of LATI and the start of summer reading.


Enjoy this as my final good bye to be more bookish

 

 

Week 8

I chose Science - Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (632.9 C), Sports - Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis (796.357 L), Crime - The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer by Philip Carlo (364.1523 C) and medical - The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks (616.8 S) as my four genres and the sugessted reads to those who normally read fiction.

Richard Kuklinski and his family.

The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer is a recollection and analysis of the memories of Richard Kuklinski. Philip Carlo spent months visiting him in prison, interviewing Richard about his childhood, his family life, his pinchant for crime and murder. The graphic details of the murders described in this book would really appeal to fans of more gorey fiction such as the works of Ted Dekker. The crime syndicate part of Richard's fascinating life would appeal strongly to those who are fan of Mario Puzo's works. The narrative bounces between first person tellings of the action taken from transcripts of the interviews with Mr Kuklinski and Mr Carlo filling in holes of the story Richard lef tout or analyzing the situation. Each chapter focuses on a specific time, crime, or event in Richard's life, almost like a short story. That writing style makes it a very fast, and easy read. Only the vivid descriptions and calm manner that Richard seems to tell stories of dismemberment and butchery can disturb and move even the most stoic reader.

 

 

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks is a very touching, intriguing, and heartfelt set of recollections of patients with odd mental disorders and their amazing lives and fascinating behaviors. The stories almost seem incredible, yet Oliver handles each patient with such dignity and care that their mental disaorder at times seems almost enviable, but comes at a sacrifice to other faculties that we may take for granted. The chapters each focus on a single case, which can help make this a read that can either go fast, but with the emotions of some of these stories, one chapter may be all you can read in one sitting.



Week 7, part deux: Reloaded

Forever Young Adult blog is clearly for those that are active fans of young adult fiction, featuring book reviews, movie teasers, and even a "Choose Your Own Adventure" style book for teens that is published on the site.

Stacked.com seems to be more for the fan and also those who serve the fans of YA fiction. The site is written by librarians and focuses mostly on constructing reading lists and providing in-depth reviews of titles featured on the blog.

After viewing Harlequin Teen and Harper Teen, two things stood out to me. Teen books tend to be coming out in series now, and a lot of the themes have become quite dark, dealing in either paranormal, or just tragic life events like death of a loved one or being ostracized by the community.

I personally still have a hard time reading this genre. I'm not quite sure why. At the same time, I don't feel this influences my ability to do reader's advisory in this genre at all.

Week 7 Part 1

My opinion of the crossover YA to Adult fiction or "new adult" (too confusing of a name for me) issue is more of a case of a marketing problem, and not a content problem. I'm not going to sound old and crotchety here, and while I was not an avid reader as a teen, this genre's existence seems new to me as it is. I understand the need to categorize a book for merchandising purposes, but it should not really sway an audience or limit the audience. It is good for us librarians to be aware of the intended audience of a book, but we should not let that steer us from recommending a title. When J.D. Salinger wrote A Catcher in the Rye, do you think he was intending to write that book for teens to read in high school? Or was he just trying to tell a fascinating story about youth in the world? Since schools believe that book is geared for teens, should we catalog it as such? Many people read Tolkien's works for the first time in their teens, yet BCPL has it as an adult novel. And yet, I have plenty of adult friends who thoroughly enjoyed Harry Potter and Twilight, and felt the books spoke to them. Do we go back and re-catalog these titles as well? My personal opinion is that to keep the YA reader reading, the young adult material must still focus on strengthening the reader's ability to read and reading comprehension. They should push the mind to handle more characters and more complex and emotional story lines. The material must expand their vocabulary while still remaining enjoyable so that when they reach that awkward crossover at age 19 or so, where they are done with YA materials, they can feel comfortable coming to a librarian ask for recommendations and also feel comfortable to move over to the fiction section that is only for "old people."

Week 6

Locus provides not just links to sci-fi book reviews but also links to everything sci-fi, such as popular blogs, and sci-fi news aggregators. It also provides a calendar of known sci-fi and horror conventions. It also keeps an index of science fiction awards and recommended reading lists for previous years. Locus also keeps a list of upcoming releases of reprinted classic sci-fi titles.

I'm not very familiar with Beach reads, Chick lit, or High seas fiction.

Chick Lit -
     http://www.wattpad.com/chicklit - This is a site that lists upcoming titles and also allows open submission of works from amateur writers of chick lit. Some writers of chick lit include: Marian Keyes, Sophia Kinsella, and Jane Green

Beach Reads -
     http://momadvice.com/blog/2013/06/beach-reads-20-books-to-add-to-your-beach-bag-this-summer?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheMotherLoad+(The+MotherLoad%3A+The+MomAdvice.com+Blog) - This site has a nice list of recommended summer reads with some anticipated titles to read. It seems this subgenre is really subjective in its definition as there are some thrillers and mysteries listed. Some beach read authors include: Elin Hilderbrand, Mary Alice Monroe, Alix Kates Shulman

High Seas Fiction -
     http://www.historicnavalfiction.com/ - This site provides a great list of nautical fiction authors, reviews of titles, and a listing of subgenres within nautical historic fiction, including privateer, pirate fiction, and modern era nautical fiction. Some authors include: Adam Hardy, Garland Roark, Linda Collison.

Week 5

So far, I have found Loucs very informative about what is coming out not just in Sci-Fi but also in horror and young adult. Locus also tracks how different titles in those genres are performing in stores. The reviews written on Locus are also written to not necessarily address the specific reader but the pusher (salesman or librarian) of the book. They tend to focus on selling points to mention when discussing the book, rather than just giving a book talk themselves.

The Kids New Title radar is a great resource to see what is on the way and to get an early peek at children's books that are on the way or just came out. One interesting title is the sequel to the Newbery honor title, One Crazy Summer. The title is P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia.  It's another historical fiction set in the 60's told through letters to the children to heed the warning to not grow up too fast. This book would be great for younger children trying to rush the aging process. Also obviously it would be great for those that read and enjoyed the first title.

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult is bound to be a very hot title this winter. This will be another gripping story based in history and raising moral questions in the reader. This one would be particularly strong with its handling of a holocaust survivor's daughter and a former Nazi befriending one another.

Not a Goodreads fan, but I do enjoy a good Graphic Novel

As a somewhat long time member of Goodreads, I honestly have never used it for reader's services with customers. I find it takes too long when I could easily just use Novelist for the information I am needing. Its a fun thing to use to see what my friends are reading and to keep track of my own reading, but I fail to see it as a professional tool. I am also not comfortable logging into the social network while on an information desk terminal to try and find a recommendation. Not to mention, their algorithms are designed to make recommendations off what I've read, not off of what my customer has read. I am sure others find the listopia area of the site helpful and such, but to me, it doesn't stand up to what Novelist can provide, or just getting into the stacks and judging books by their covers and flaps.

I did leave Matt Keifer a suggestion  to his reading of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, "Matt, as a graphic novel based on superheoes and vigilante justice, you may enjoy Watchmen by Alan Moore. While it doesn't involve the traditional characters, it does analyze the archetypes of each type of superhero"