Week 6 Prompt

Innovative ways to promote Horror:

A catchy display

I would use sensory lights.  I would showcase a horror genre author on their birthday and then focus on his/her for at least a week.  Neil Gaiman’s   birth is November 10^th and I would include his books such as Coraline, Hansel & Gretel, The Graveyard Book, The DC Universe, and Odd and the Frost Giants.  I would print out the covers of the book s and put them on the floor going towards the display. I would use music as well. 

Passive Programming

I would create bookmarks and laminate them.  I would put those by the display and other areas in the library.  I would put information about the author on the website.  If my library has twitter or facebook, he would be on that as well.  I would organize a book reading of one of this books say, “The Graveyard Book”.  I would have signs up throughout the library with the tag line, “All about Neil Gaiman” and then write out a quote or fact about his body of works or his life.

Incorporate integrated Advisory

I would add the movie, Coraline with the book.  Also I would include graphic novels of the DC Comics.  The different versions of Hansel and Gretel would be integrated also.   The Thor movies and the History Channel, Vikings could be combined with Mr. Gaiman’s book, Odd and the Frost Giants.

Pitching an idea to your boss and write at least a paragraph in your prompt response

I want to spotlight horror authors on their birthday.  It would be for at least a week.  I would use lights and music in my display.  These elements will benefit the hearing and limited sight patrons as well.  I am also looking into offering a book reading of one of the author’s books.  In addition, I will be creating bookmarks and displaying facts and quotes about him around the library and through social media.  Oh, yes, I will be using the library’s website to promote the different authors. 

 

Secret Shopper Summary

I went to a library in another county to do my assignment.  The readers' advisory interview started off really well because she was asking me questions about what book I just read and why I liked it but then when I said that I wanted something different as opposed to what I had previously been reading, she stopped asking questions and even eye contact.  She disappeared without a word and I was left there just standing around waiting for her to (hopefully) return.  When she did return, she handed me two books and pointed to the section I requested and said if I needed anything from her to ask.  She never did come back to see how I was doing either.  Also the two books she had handed to me weren't even close to what I had wanted for my 'good book' request.

The library was really busy and I think she didn't know about the romance genre.  I am open to going back there to try another readers' advisory interview with another librarian. 

Kirkus Style Review

Revival   by Stephen King

Publication Date:  November 11^th, 2014

ISBN:  978-1-4767-7038-3

Publisher:  Scribner

The relationship spans over fifty years between Charles, the former minister and Jamie, the musician and former addict.  The themes of religion, obsession and revival by electricity to find loved ones in the afterlife are presented in this terrifying yet electrifying novel.  

The story starts in Harlow, Maine when Jaime is only three years old. He meets the Reverend Charles Jacob and a relationship forms between them.  I have always been interested in electricity so I could understand their mutual fascination with it.  Of course, something bad had to happen in a book of this nature.  I thought the accident involving his son and wife was particularly gruesome and I wasn’t sure if that was really necessary but maybe it had to be a freak accident and that horrible to have the Reverend denounce God and his faith.  Of course, he was fired after his infamous sermon.  Then it was years,  that  they didn’t  see each other and the story is focused on Jamie’s life growing up, falling in love, going to school, his family and finding his musical  talents and being in bands and then becoming addicted to narcotics.  The pace during all of these character development writing was a little slow to me at times because I really wanted to find out what Charles was up to and get to the really scary parts of the story which I knew were coming, I just didn’t’ know specifically when the moment would be in the story. I would have to add that I do feel some of it was necessary because that is one of the author’s strengths in his writing because you want to make the reader really care for the characters.  After they met up again at Joyland (which if you are a fan of Stephen’s King’s work will recognize the amusement park from his previously novel with the same title), I liked how he healed Jamie with electricity.  I was ‘hooked’ by that time and just wanted him to be better because he wasn’t’ a bad person.  Charles Jacob was a changed man because of his grief, angry and obsession.   When Jamie started experiencing strange behaviors after being cured and then he went seeking out others that had been cured by Charles as well, it reminded me of Frankenstein’s monster.  They were all of his monsters.   When Charles asked for Jamie’s help with an experiment in exchange to help his first love Astrid, he said yes even though he knew the chances of her actually being cured without any serious repercussions were very slim.  She is supposedly cured of cancer and then the experiment goes on.  This is where it got frighteningly and terrifying scary because Charles wanted to find his wife and son in the after world by using his electricity, Jamie and a terminally ill woman named Mary Fay.  They discover the afterworld doesn’t exist. There is only The Null who enslaves us and the leader named Mother who was trying to come out through Mary Fay but is prevented in doing so by Jamie.  The descriptions of the creatures and the setting in this world reminded me of old black and white science fiction movies depicting human like insects but when written in his descriptive prose, it is upsettingly scary.  Of course, it could also be because there might not be a Heaven or Hell and something like this could actually be waiting for us after we die.  Charles died of shock.  Jamie, lived waiting to join Mother.  Overall, this story was well written with character development so real that it drew you into this story and made you forget it was a horror novel until it was too late to turn back and it SCA

Romance Book Annotation

Romance Book Annotation

Someone to Love

By Mary Balogh

Synopsis: Anna Snow was raised in an orphanage.  She doesn’t know her parents.  She is now twenty-five years old and a teacher at the orphanage in Bath.  She has a benefactor that paid her expenses at the orphanage for as long as she stayed there.   

The story starts with Lady Riverdale asking Mr. Brumford the solicitor to the late Earl of Riverdale to track down the illegitimate daughter of her late husband that he supported for many years to give her a final payment and inform her of his death.   Well, unbeknownst to Ms. Snow, her life will be changing because she gets a letter from Brumford requesting her presence in London to discuss her future.  She is transported by carriage to her destination.  Avery Archer, the Duke of the Netherby has the meeting at his estate with the majority of the Riverdale family present as well as Anna Snow. The solicitor reveals that Anna is legitimate and because her mother was still alive when the late earl married the countess, his bigamy invalidates the second marriage.  All of the fortune goes to her alone and her half-sisters and their mother get nothing.  She offered to share the money with her half-sisters but it was rejected.   They hastily left London in disgrace and anger over the revelation. 

The next day, the other family members arrive to help educate Anna to become a lady.  Anna feels uncomfortable and stifled with her new family members but then, Avery steps up to assist her in learning the ‘rules’ of society.  This starts Avery and Anna’s unconventional courtship.  Avery constantly annoys and challenges Anna who in turn arouses something within him.  He does admire her character and poise but she is not sure what to make of him. 

Can Anna succeed in society?  Will she see through Avery’s veneer of boredom and indifference?  Will she be reunited with her family, and will Avery drop the façade and be himself with her? Read Someone to Love to find out!

Elements of Romance: 

Women are strong, bright, independent, and often beautiful:  Anna does fit that description.

Engaging details of time and place attract readers, and these historical, cultural, and social particulars often frame the stories.  The historical setting, the society morals, the clothing are presented in great detail within this novel. 

Language plays an important role in setting the stage. Adjectives are used quite a bit to describe the settings in places like Bath, London, the various houses , and the characters in their physical physique, mannerisms and what they are wearing in this novel.

Read A Likes:

A Loving Scoundrel by Johanna Lindsey

Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypass

Where the Heart Leads by Stephanie Laurens

How to Woo a Reluctant Lady by Sabrina Jeffries

Someone to Love by Mary Balogh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 5 Prompt

I.  Different publications review different types of books and they allow different types of conversations… How does this effect collection development?

It sounds like it’s a challenging endeavor to develop a cohesive, yet diverse collection because of the different reviewer’s approaches to book reviews.  I don’t know how they do it!  I don’t have any experience creating a collection but I think if I know which publication does what then that will help me to determine which ones to use to help development my collection. 

II.  Do  you feel they are both reliable?  How likely would you be to buy this book for your library?  Is this ebook even romantic suspense?

Reliable?  If I was just a person who was just looking for a good book to read, I think it would be all right.  Yes, I would be misinformed about the genre but that can be easily corrected.  Now if I was a librarian building a collection, I am not sure I would rely solely on a blog and an Amazon review (I have heard that some reviewers get paid to review) to purchase books for my library.  I would like to add if the blog was from a reliable source such as a librarian, I would still want to pursue other sources just to make sure it is a book that belongs in my collection. 

III.  How do these reviews make you feel about the possibility of adding Angela’s Ashes to your collection?

The Kirkus Review, Library Journey Review and Booklist Review publications are well known and reliable sources to obtain reviews about books so I would definitely order copies of this inspirational memoir by Frank McCourt.  I would like to add that the other example with the Amazon review and blog could have been written in the style like this reviews but I still would have wanted to seek out other resources because I wasn’t sure they were reliably.

IIII.  Do you think it’s fair that one type of book is reviewed to death and other types of books get little to no coverage?  How does this affect a library’s collection? Any how do you feel about review sources that won’t print negative content?  Do you think that’s appropriate? If not, how do you feel about reviews for personal reading, and what are some of your favorite review sources?

No, it isn’t fair but that it how it use to be for indie/independent movies versus blockbuster ones.  It’s changed a lot and I feel book reviewing will be evolving as well.  I don’t think this fact should make any difference accept it’ll just be more challenging to find the ones you want but currently aren’t well known as yet.  It’s their choice not to print negative content just like it’s my choice to read it or not!  Personally, I like how there are different choices out there for us either to use or ignore.  I don’t have any specific review sources.   

 

 

Horror Book Annotation

Synopsis: 

Louis is a 200 year old vampire talking to a mortal reporter (referred to as the boy) about his life in a rundown motel.  He was a plantation owner in Louisiana until in 1791, he was turned into a vampire by Lestat de Lioncourt.  They lived there at his plantation until the slaves started becoming suspicious that they weren’t human and wanted to kill them.  Then the pair moved to a residency in New Orleans. Louis doesn’t want to kill humans but instead he feeds on animals to keep himself alive.  He dislikes how Lestat enjoys hunting and killing humans.  Louis wants to know more about the origins of the vampires but Lestat doesn’t disclose a lot of information on the subject to him.  He tells Lestat that he is leaving him.  Lestat decided to make a child vampire for him.  She is a young child and her name is Claudia.  Well, decades pass and Louis grows to love her.  She shows no remorse in killing like Lestat.  She is a grown woman trapped in a child’s body and starts to ask questions such as who made her.  She finds out that Louis fed on her but Lestat killed her and made her a vampire.  She hates him for it.  They make a plan to kill him but will they succeed?  Will Louis ever reconcile his feeling about being a vampire and killing humans?  Will Louis find out more information about vampires?  Please read this book to find out.

Characteristics of Horror:

Evoking a strong emotional response from the reader-   The entire book is emotional because Louis is telling his story and it is full of remorse, sadness, and pain.  He is so melancholy. 

Monsters of some kind frame the stories, along with supernatural and paranormal phenomena.  Graphic violence.  Vampires are can be considered with ‘monsters’ or supernatural beings.  The dead of Louis when he was becoming a vampire was descriptive as well as all of the killings.

Endings are unresolved.  The reporter referred to as ‘boy’ wants to be turned into a vampire but Louis refuses to do so but Lestat might be granting his request.

Language is rich in adjectives and description- Yes, the entire book is filled with descriptive language so that the reader and see and feel what the author is trying to convey with her words.  It is just a beautifully written book. 

Protagonists are often haunted, shattered individuals. Antagonists are always sinister and often monsters in some form, whether real or imaginary.  Louis is the haunted protagonist and Lestat is the sinister character. 

Unexpected appearances and attacks,…- There are quite a few ‘unexpected appearances’ in this novel like when Lestat shows up twice after supposedly being dead.  In addition, the killing of Claudia and Madeline with the sun was a surprise.  I should mention killing Lestat the first time was unexpected as well.

Read-A-Likes:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

A Flame in Byzantium by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

 

 Interview with a Vampire

By Anne Rice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week Three Prompt:

Well, I wasn’t able to access Novelist on IUPUI’s library website but fortunately my local library did have it so I was able to complete this ‘prompt’ assignment.  It was my first time using it and I definitely will continue to use it.

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!

The fourth one is called The Lunatic Café and the fifth book in the Anita Blake series is Bloody Bones.  I just typed the author’s name Laurell K. Hamilton into the search box and clicked on author’s name and she came up. 

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.

If the patron hadn’t read, Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver then I would recommend Feeding Christine by Barbara Chepaitis  because it is in the same genre as Prodigal Summer with portrayals of strong women in it.  Another option because it is in the “Read- Alikes” section was The Loop by Nicholas Evans because it is in the same genre and subject area ( women and wildlife biologists).

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!

I recommended the book, The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng based on its Goodreads reviews.  The readers said it was lyrical, perfect, descriptive and though provoking.  It did meet the criteria of location (Malayan in Japan) and it has three different historical periods. 

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?

I would recommend from the “Read-Alikes” section- Still Life by Louise Penny.  It’s part of a series ( the first one), the Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries.  The book the patron liked was also part of a series so I think he/she will like that as well.

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?

I would need to know if he had all of The Walking Dead series books by Robert Kirkman which consist of the following: 1. The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor.  2.  The Road to Woodbury.  3.  The Fall of the Governor.  If so, I would ask if he liked short stories and if he did, I would recommend, The Mammoth Book of Zombie Apocalypse!, edited by Stephen Jones.  It is a collection of stories focusing on zombies.  If her husband doesn’t like short stories, I would recommend the Black Tide Rising series by John Ringo because of his fondness for zombies. It also received good reviews on Goodreads.  The first book in the series is Under a Graveyard Sky, The second one is A Sail a Darkling Sea, the third one is titled, Islands of Rage and Hope and the last one is Strands of Sorrow. 

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. 

This prompt was the most challenging for me.  I used the limited publication dates, keywords- “books made into movies” and I was not successful.  Then I used the Advanced Search with the same limited publication dates and “books” “made” “movies” as the key words.  I found Made into Movies: Fiction A-Z in the Books to Movies/ Labelled Readers’ Advisory Lists which I could tell was created by a staff member at the library.  I realized that this must be a limited version of the database because it shouldn’t be that difficult in finding this information.  The five books made to movies list:  1. A Dog’s Purpose by Bruce W. Cameron 2.  The Ambassador’s Wife  by Jennifer Steil.  3.  All the Wrong Places by Ann Gallagher.  4.  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkings. 5.  The Martian by Andy Weir.

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

I would recommend from my personal experience, the author Julia Spencer-Fleming books.  The Rev. Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series is excellent and fits the criteria that the patron is asking for without foul language or sex scenes.  I feel they are fast paced and definitely clean!  The first one is called In the Bleak Midwinter which was published in 2002.  There are currently eight books in the series with the last one, Through the Evil Days published in 2013.

Question:  How do you find books to read? 

Well, I don’t really have a particular system.  I read a lot of information throughout the day and if something catches my eye, I will seek more information about it and then either go to Barnes and Nobles (usually I will call and have the sales associate reserve and then have my family member pick it up) or I will purchase from Amazon.  When I was single, I use to purchase the hardcover of a new book but now I try to wait until it comes out in the paperback version to save money.  I need to say that I do keep a wish list of sorts of the books that I am planning on purchasing soon here.  Also when I go shopping I will always go to the book section and check out what is available. I will definitely be using Novelist again.