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"

Week 3 - 3 conversations

For conversation 1 dealing with Eat, Pray, Love, I would recommend "Un amico italiano: eat, pray, love in Rome" because it is by the same author and similar concept, except focusing on travels in Rome, Italy. I would also suggest "Day of honey: a memoir of food, love, and war" by Annia Ciezadlo as its premise is similar, but focuses on cooking during a time of war and tribulation. It is also a memoir.

Conversation 2, I would suggest "Vittorio, the vampire: new tales of the vampires" by Anne Rice. This book is face paced and is classified as horror, as opposed to a romance. It is an adult story. It is a face-paced, non-romantic angst-y title, still featuring vampire and vampire lore, unlike Twilight.

For conversation 3, I would recommend The Big Burn by Timothy Egan. While it is also about Teddy Roosevelt and his preservation of forests policies, it also about the dangerous forest fire of 1910, and extinguishing it and the dangers the rangers faced during the fire. This could provide the same amount of thrill the reader enjoyed in the "River of Doubt" while still being historically accurate.