Week 3 Prompt Questions and Answers

Below are questions proposed Professor Cataldi about readers advisory and my responses.

 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!

After checking Laurell Hamilton's website I found the series, however they are not numbered.  I can assume that they are in order, however to double check I went to GoodReads and found a list.  It states that The Lunatic Cafe is the next book in the series.  I also found the answer on the website FictionDB, https://www.fictiondb.com/author/laurell-k-hamilton~series~anita-blake-vampire-hunter~2401.htm

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.

Novelist gives some recommendations based on Genre, Character, Tone, and Writing Style elements with a bit faster read.  But I was not sure what book to choose based on author or book read alikes.  So, I decided to take it a step further and read more about the book Prodigal Summer.  After reading the summary of the book and some insightful reviews from the New York Times Book Review, Newsweek (both from Barbara Kingsolver's website) and Library Journal, Kirkus, and Booklist (from Novelist) I have a better feeling for this book.

So, in the end I would advise reading The Loop (1998) by Nicholas Evena, because it makes the patrons overall criteria and has a similar feel to Prodigal Summer book.

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!

After doing a search on Novelist for Japan as a subject and historical setting and richly detailed as search criteria I found the Sano Ichiro series by Laura Rowland.  The book is set in 17th century Japan with rich details makes this sound like a good fit.  I would suggest starting with the first book Shinju from 1994.

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?

Since the patron likes this author I would check and see if Elizabeth George has a website with a listing of her books, summaries and reviews.  After looking through her website I found that this book is part of the Inspector Thomas Lynley mystery series.  I would suggest starting with the first book in the series, A Great Deliverance.  If the patron wanted to know more about the the rest of the books in the series I would print up the titles and book summaries.

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?

Since the Walking Dead started as a comic book series I would verify that her husband would like comics/graphic novels.  If so, as a comic book nerd I familiar with graphic novels in the zombie genre so, I would suggest The 30 Days of Night series.  It is gritty and violent with a human survival element similar to the Walking Dead series.  

6. I love books that get turned into movies, especially literary ones. Can you recommend some? Nothing too old, maybe just those from the last 5 years or so.

I found this one really tricky.  I checked the Chelton list and found "Based on the Book" at Midcontinent Library.  This list can be broken down by years and that makes it helpful, however it does not break it down by genre.  I checked a few lists IMDB and they break it down by literary or classics and this can be broken down by recent years.  However, these lists only list the favorites of the person who made the list.  GoodReads also gives several lists, but I am not sure what the patron is really looking for.  So, for this question I would need to delve into the reference interview to find what the person means by the phrase "especially literary ones".  Does she mean classics like Jane Eyre and Alice in Wonderland or more modern stories like The Girl on the Train and Twelve Years a Slave?  From her responses I would be better able to assist with her finding a good movie to watch. 

7. I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast paced.

After doing a search on Novelist for a book containing Pace: Fast & Tone: Chaste and Suspenseful the results came back with several choices, however the book that sounded most like a thriller is Lock & Key (2013) by Traci Hunter Abramson.  

 

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.

I use a variety of sites to find books that I like to read or to order for my library. I like GoodReads, because the books are reviewed by readers.  Amazon.com user reviews can be good, but I recommend reading the whole review for what it is, because sometimes someone will rate a book low because the book was damaged or late delivery, instead of reviewing the books actual literary content. Booklist, Library Journal, and the New York Times book reviews are good sources.  I also like to check out the ALA websites for award nominated and winning books. 

As a huge a graphic novel fan I like to browse title sections at publishers like DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, IDW, Devils Due, Zenescope, etc.  This gives me information about titles of graphic novels I have not heard of or forgot about.  From there I do some research into these books.  Also, local comic book stores are great for asking about what is currently hot in comics.

While professional reviews are great I like to search for book reviews on blogs from readers.  Similar to GoodReads these are often people who just love reading and will give an honest opinion about books.

After reviewing the Chelton handout I found some helpful websites that I like.  Here are a few highlights:

BookBowse.com, BookReporter.com, FictionDB.com, Novelist, Audio File Magazine, Christy Awards, Indie book Awards, Lair Graphic Novels, Monster Librarian, Cozy Mystery List, and more.