Week 9: Assignment 3

The Be More Bookish blog has been an interesting and eye-opening journey into readers' advisory. I liked that the activities were self-paced and I enjoyed learning about appeal factors; genres and subgenres and other readers' advisory resources.

Week 9: Assignment 2

I think book trailers are a nice marketing tool. Some of the trailers were good, but the fan ones were hilarious. I don't think I would use book trailers for a readers' advisory since we have so many other tools from which to choose. I feel book trailers definitely succeed in pulling in young adult readers.

Week 9: Assignment 1

I read the two articles about book trailers from the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times.  I watched some book trailers on You Tube.   I enjoyed the Packing for Mars book trailer.  I read the book year ago and the trailer gave me a chuckle.

Week 8: Assignment 4

The two titles are chose were Gross America by Richard Faulk and Stiff by Mary Roach.

I think Gross America by Faulk would appeal to teens and adults because of the subject matter.  For teens, they would want to find out where's the grossest place in America and can they get there.  For adults, I think genuine curiosity and maybe having a trivia nugget in their pocket would satisfy.

Stiff by Mary Roach would appeal to young adults and adults who are curious to what happens to our bodies after we die.  Maybe adults who are organ donors and wonder what their body will be used for and in what experiments. Ms. Roach has an engaging and witty style of writing that makes the subject matter accessible to all. People that like to read true crime would like this title.

Week 8: Assignment 3

The four nonfiction genres I chose were:

1. Science
2. Sports
3. Travel
4. Medical

The Dewey areas are:

1. 523.1H
2. 796.522 K
3. 917.3 F
4. 611 R

The titles I chose were:

1. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
2. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
3. Gross America: your coast-to-coast guide to all things gross by Richard Faulk
4. Stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers by Mary Roach

Week 8: Assignment 2

What a nice video about readers' advisory with nonfiction from the Maryland State Library Resource Center. I learned that - Readers choose nonfiction for:  Enrichment, Entertainment, Pleasure and Recreation. 

I will remember that Narrative Nonfiction:

-Tells a good story
-Develops Characters
-Sets a scene
-Creates suspense
-Is written in an engaging style

Appeal Characteristics for nonfiction are:

1. Illustrations/pictures
2. Bibliographies
3. Indexes
4. Checklists
5. Forms
6. Self-tests

Week 8: Assignment 1

I read two good articles about nonfiction readers' advisory.   I've learned that:

-Narrative fiction is the key to crossing between fiction and nonfiction.
-Truman Capote's In Cold Blood was the first example of narrative fiction.
-Subject matter is a powerful appeal factor that crosses freely between fiction and nonfiction.
-Sometimes readers don't want to do something; they just want to read about it.

Week 7: Assignment 4

I followed Little, Brown Book for Teens and Teens @ Random.

The  LB teen site had numerous book trailers, which I thought was a good way of capturing teens. They also had links to purchase the hardcover book or ebook, nothing like impulse buying for teens. There were sections for highlighting new, paperback and coming soon material.

There was an announcement that a screenwriter was hired for two different titles that will be made into movies: Daughter of smoke and Bone.


The Random House site for teens was similar to Little, Brown, but didn't seem as glitzy.  They had book trailer and sections for books, authors, fun, newsletters and news. You could even select the books by genre to explore. Once you selected a book, you had a number of options:

-read the review
-order the book from Amazon or Barnes and Noble
-go to Goodreads, Shelfari or Library Thing
-watch a related video
-print or email the page

Week 7: Assignment 3

I followed Stacked and Teen Reads. 

I liked Stacked because this successful site has many links and the content changes more frequently than Teen Reads.  I also like that kids can enter to win free books. Stacked is written by Kimberly Francisco and Kelly Jensen and is geared towards a the teen audience. 

Teen Reads is a nice site. The main page is full content, a little overwhelming. Teen Reads does have many current reviews and author contributions.  I think the "Coming Soon" link and their current summer contest.

Week 7: Assignment 2

I chose to comment on the following articles:

Who is Buying Teen Books? Christian Science Monitor Sep 14, 2012

I knew that adults were reading and buying teen fiction but not at the levels reported in the article.  I was particularly surprised by the age demographic for those buying the teen titles.  I will pay more attention to Amazon's "best of the month" picks for teen titles.

The Next Big Thing YALSA; The Hub, Oct 2012

I like reading teen fiction.  I was pleased when my favorite author, Adriana Trigiani, wrote a teen book.  I was at first surprised to see James Patterson and his Maximum Ride series when it first came out.  I like these titles more than his adult ones.  I love Carl Hiaasen's books in both adult and teen.

Week 7: Assignment 1

I enjoyed the flow chart for "What to Read Next".  I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had read at least 8 titles from the list.  I liked the tabs that told you the focus of the book.

Week 6: Assignment 2 & 3

I reviewed the Prezi link for Romance and discovered 7 subgenres.

The romance subgenre I chose was inspirational romance.  I found a fan website called "Edgy Inspirational Romance and occasional YA".  The current buzz is for a title "Catch a Falling Star" by Beth Vogt.  This sweet romance combines a career woman and an Air Force pilot. I found this website by googling inspirational romance websites.

Three authors & titles of inspirational romance are:

1. The lightkeeper's daughter by Colleen Coble.  This is a fast-paced, suspenseful read.
2.  A promise to believe in by Tracie Peterson.  The writing is engaging and atmospheric.
3.  Come walk with me by Joan Medicott.  This is a leisurely pacedm heartwarmign story.

The hallmarks of inspirational romance are stories where the heart matters more than the libido.

Three authors & titles of miltary romance are:

1. In love and war by Merline Lovelace.  This story is filled with suspense, passion, and betrayal.
2. Wet & Wild by Sandra Hill.  A time travel, comedic romance that's also steamy. 
3. Surrender by Brenda Jackson.  A character-driven story with an engaging writing style.

Military romance are modern tales of love and lust with servicemen.

Three authors & titles of modern romance are:

1. Moonlight in the morning by Jude Deveraux.  An upbeat and engaging summer romance. 
2. Along came trouble by Sherryl Woods. Character filled story that's leisurely paced.
3. Life skills by Katie Fforde. A leisurely paced, heartwarming and witty tale.


The hallmarks of modern romance are independent women who find unlikely love.


These are two mashups of romance.

1. Time-travel romance (Romance tales set across two different time periods, with one or more characters "time-traveling" between both).

----"I'll Be Seeing You Through Time" by Jennifer Conner.

       It’s 1942 and the world is at war. It’s difficult, but engaged couple, Jewel and Glenn, know they must say goodbye.    Tomorrow, Glenn is shipping out on to the South Pacific. That is until he stops the Second Chance Bookstore on the way back to the base.

Suddenly, Glenn finds himself in 2013 with the woman he loves a half-century away.

Can the Dimension Keepers find an answer, or will Glenn and Jewel be ripped apart by the fabric of time forever?

2. Futuristic Romance (Romance stories set in the far future and containing some science fictional or fantastical elements. Mostly classified in the "paranormal" sub-genre, Futuristic Romances are gaining in popularity and thus some publishers may classify this sub-category as its own sub-genre).
----"Naked in Death" by J.D. Robb
 
It is the year 2058, and technology now completely rules the world. But New York City Detective Eve Dallas knows that the irresistible impulses of the human heart are still ruled by just one thing-passion.

Week 6: Assignment 1

I have been following the RT Book Reviews site.  This site has helped me to provide great reader's advisory service to customers.

I like how the site breaks down romance into all of its sub-genres, such as:

Mystery
Paranormal
Young Adult
Inspirational
Mainstream
Science Fiction
Erotica

The site also high-lights titles in each sub-genre and list top picks.  There are also links to Authors & Books; industry Magazines; romance Community & News; and the RT Convention.


What I love the most about the RT Book Reviews site is that you can search for over 40,000 reviews by author or title.

The RT Book Reviews site has piqued my curiosity to pick up a romance book : )

Week 5: Assignment 3

I went to the highly anticipated titles of 2013 on Early Word and selected the Atlantic site.  

  

I chose "Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King which is due to be released September 24th.

This book is a follow-up to Stephen King's 1977 novel, The Shining. With the success of the movie, this book has been long- awaited.  Dan Torrence, the little boy, has grown up and is using his "shining" gifts to comfort the terminally ill and dying in the New England area. Dan meets another person that "shines" and he fights to save them. Loyal readers of Stephen King will definitely make this book popular. The draw of this title will likely be what made The Shining a hit; it’s suspenseful; creepy and has supernatural elements. Fans of horror and suspense will have this title on their list for the fall.

Week 5: Assignment 2

Early Word is a smorgasbord of information.

There are numerous book lists that even covers self-published books.

The GalleyChat is a new discovery for me. But the chat hours are not convenient.

I also liked the archive of the People magazine book reviews.  These reviews are easy to browse.

The Seasons Preview lists gives you a nice sneak peek at upcoming titles.

Early Word also has a very detailed award list which I will definitely be referring to in the future.

Week 5: Assignment 1

I have enjoyed viewing the Daily Beast. This is a great site to keep up on hot titles and trends in books.  The Daily Beast is filled with current information. I love that the tag line is "Read This - Skip That". 

There are some key parts to the site that I like:

-This Week Hot Reads
-Cheat Sheet Books
-Videos about books

The Daily Beast also has links to other book sites:

The Book Forum
Galleycat
NPR Books

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The RT Book Reviews site has greatly helped me to provide reader's advisory service to customers of romance.

I love how the site breaks down romance into all of its sub-genres.

The site Spot-light titles in each sub-genre and list top picks.


*I'm still learning about both websites.

Week 4: Assignment 1

I was a member of Goodreads already and had created book shelves. 

I recommended "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See to Pat P.

 

Goodreads is an easy way to keep track of the books I have or want to read.  I love the recommendations that are generated by the site and from colleagues.

 

I like Listopia and I'm always referring to the lists and the different genres.

Week 3: Assignment 3

Conversation #1

I heard the customer likes a good story, about interesting women.  She enjoyed the descriptions of the countries.  Likes the character to be reflective.     

I would suggest "The Provence cure for the brokenhearted" by Bridget Asher.


Conversation #2

The customer wants to read about vampires that doesn't have teen angst in the storyline.

I'm suggesting, "Vampire zero: a gruesome vampire tale" by David Wellington. 


Conversation #3

I heard the customer wanting a fast-paced story with murder, and for the tale to be a true story.

I'm recommending, : "The devil in the white city: murder, magic, and madness at the fait that changed America", by Eric Larson.

Week 3: Assignment 2

I listened to the podcast of Nancy Pearl.  Nice conversation.

Week 3: Assignment 1

I read the insightful article on "The RA Conservation" by Neal Wyatt.

Week 2: Assignment 3

I suggested two titles for  Melanie D.

Week 2: Assignment 2

Family Pictures by Jane Green

Appeal Factors:

1.  This book was leisurely paced.
2.  The characters were moving and reflective
3.  The story line was domestic fiction.
4.  The story unfolded on the East and West coasts.



The Power Trip by Jackie Collins

Appeal Factors:

1.  The was a very fast-paced tale
2.  Numerous, well developed characters
5. The story was set around the world in different locales.
7. This was a very dramatic and suspenseful story

 

Week 2: Assignment 1

I thought Neal Wyatt's Appeal Factors article was very informative.  It's good to be reminded how to endorse a book.

Week 1: What You Already Know

Assignment 1:  Sporcle Website

I was fairly pleased with my memory of book covers.  I scored 18/24 for adult and 15/20 for children book covers.

Assignment 2:  Blank covers genres

I was able to select 8/12 genres based on the book covers.

Assignment 3:  Golden Rules of Readers' Advisory

I felt Ms. Orr gave many great tips.  I particularly liked rules #7 and #12.

Assignment 4:  Recommended Links & Genre

I have decided to follow the Daily Beast and read RT Book Reviews.  I'm not a Romance reader, so let the fun begin.

Assignment 5:  Judging a book by its cover

I loved her musing and felt she did a great job describing how the covers made her feel.

Week 1 - My new blog

Hi,

It's been a few years since I created a blog.  Much easier than I remembered.