Week Three Prompt Response

Using Novelist: 

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!

    It looks like the third book in the Anita Blake series was Circus of the Damned. The next book in the series, and the one you are looking for is The Lunatic Cafe. I have never used Novelist but I began by typing in the author's name. After that I selected "series", and then chose the Anita Blake series. The fourth book was easy to find!   

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.

    I first searched for the book Prodigal Summer. I debated searching the author first, but I know this person enjoyed reading the way this particular title was written. It is possible this author writes in another style that this person would not like. So I begin here, and look for title read-a-likes. I chose The Overstory by Richard Powers because it shares a similar style of language. Unfortunately, I am not sure how to guarantee that it is faster paced... 

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 would recommend Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. It is set in Japan and is considered historical fiction. It follows the story of a young girl who is sold into slavery and the overall narrative is richly detailed. Just like the person requests, this story is set in Japan, is historical, and is very detailed.

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?

    It looks like Well-Schooled in Murder is the third book in the Thomas Lynley mysteries. I would suggest the first book in the series if you enjoyed the third one so much. The first title in the series is called A Great Deliverance. I can also recommend other titles by Elizabeth George as well. If they enjoyed one book by this author, it makes sense to stick with that author. Even better, it turns out the book they enjoyed is a part of a series!

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 recommend The Living Dead by George A. Romero. This title also has a central theme of a zombie apocalypse like the other titles your husband has read. Like the titles he has already read, this is face-paced. It follows stories about zombies and is written in the same styles as the other two books mentioned.

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 would recommend reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. It was published in 2013 and is considered literary fiction. It was turned into a movie in 2019, just a few years ago. This book fits the genre the person is looking for and is also relatively recent.  

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

    I recommend The Rooster Bar by John Grisham. It is a face-paced legal thriller. It is suspenseful and issue-driven. It should stay clear of foul language and sex scenes. I wanted to find a title that was either a standalone book or the beginning of a series. I chose this book because it is issue-driven and seemed specific to the problem at hand, not something only filled with sex scenes. 

How I find books to read: 

    I have worked at a public library the last three years, and am used to seeing what titles patrons want to place on hold. Some of the most popular titles that are placed on request will eventually fall into my lap after they lose a bit of hype. One website I do look at every now and then is for IndyPL's new titles, although most of the time I find a new book when I am processing a request or checking our new materials in. I always have a list of books that I would like to read so I do not often find myself actively looking for my next favorite read. This can get me into trouble because I can easily check a book out at work and take it home to add to the pile of five other books I am trying to read!

    It was not until I looked at Readers Advisory Tools for Adult Readers: A Five-Year Retrospective Selected Bibliography, With a Few Earlier Exceptions, that I realized I also pick up a copy of Book Page each month from the branch I work at. I have an ongoing list of new books that I have been writing in a notebook, but have yet to place on request. When I first began working in a public library a coworker of mine showed me Goodreads, which was mentioned in Bethanie O'dell's article. What I enjoy about Goodreads is the ability to easily create lists or find a list with what you are looking for. It is nice to see actual reviews from readers to get a better sense of what they liked or disliked about a novel. 

·       Chelton, M.K. (2020, December 7) Readers advisory tools for adult readers: A five-year retrospective selected bibliography, with a few earlier exceptions. Web Junction. https://www.webjunction.org/content/dam/WebJunction/Documents/webJunction/RAToolsMaster10_08_1_.pdf

·       O'Dell, B. (2017). Reader’s advisory: four sites that will help you fake it. Computers in Libraries, 37(6), 27-32. [Research Library]