Week 7 - Assignment 3

I explored Teenreads - I really liked Teenreads, especially the book reviews, the section of books that are being made into films, and the section that has actual young adults from all different grades and from different parts of the U.S. They talk about their favorite titles and review YA titles.

If I was a young adult age it would really appeal to me that people my own age are discussing YA books and reviewing titles. I would like to know what my peers are interested in and what they think of certain titles.

Week 7 - Assignment 2

YA Comes of Age - Publisher’s Weekly

I found this article interesting. I was amazed that hardback YA titles are the norm, and that the YA readers will buy the the titles. It makes me think that there is a possibility that the readers do not think the library carries the titles, or they do not feel comfortable using the library. Of course there could be other reasons, but it makes me think that maybe the public library could promote the YA area and titles further and try to bring in the readers to borrow rather than buy the newest titles.

I know there could be other reasons why the YA readers would rather buy the books, but I feel that we in the public library should maybe analyze to see if our YA readers are not using us as much as possible and if not try to get the word out that we have what the book stores have.

I am not surprised that adults are interested in YA. I tend to think that the stories are now beyond the basic YA angst, relationship problems and parent problems. Maybe the more fictional, no real; paranormal, dystopias, etc. are taking the readers away from their problems and into a fantasy that can give them some down time from any problems. Maybe?

The Next Big Thing - YALSA; The Hub

I have always felt that YA titles are good reads for adults as well. To me it seems that it has become more that way with many of the adult authors writing also in YA, and since Hunger Games and Twilight, as the article discusses. The movies have helped that cause as well.

I think when customers do not know how good YA can be it may be a great opportunity to open up a new area of reading for them and helping us with readers advisory.

Week 7 - Assignment 1

I like the flowchart from Lawrence Library. It is a quick way to see some of the more popular and new teen fiction. I would go back to this to see what I want to read in teen fiction and the category it is in. I could certainly branch off from here.

Week 6 - Assignment 3

Genre/Westerns - Subgenre/Mountain Men

I found a discussion on Amazon that basically was talking about the mountain men subgenre being mostly about freedom and self-reliance. The characters, mountain men, needed to be free and live their lives the way they wanted, not following anyone else's rules. They did not need to rely on anyone else to survive.

They settled things with others without the law involved, since, outside the towns, the law was almost non existant. This subgenre makes me think of the movie Jeremiah Johnson.


Authors - William W. Johnstone
                  Terry C. Johnston
                  L. J. Martin

Appeal Factors - Action-packed; Issue-oriented; Plot-driven, Fast-paced, Atmospheric; Violent, Descriptive

Genre/Mystery - Subgenre/Police Procedural

I found the site www.mysteryguild.com. The site had a seperate section for the police prodedural and that was broken into city cops, country and police and professionals. In each of those sections there were books listed that fell into that subgenre. They had titles listed with information and reviews about each title.

Nice site and would be great to direct someone who likes mysteries and wants to explore subsgenres or knows one they like and want to find some titles.

Authors/Titles - Robert Crais - Suspect
                            J. D. Robb - Calculated in Death
                            Richard Castle - Storm Front

Appeal Factors - Suspenceful, fast paced, violent, plot driven

Genre/Realistic - Subgenre/Historical

Found an interesting site called write-better-fiction.com. Though it is more about writing fiction it gives a great overview of what historical fiction is all about. There are headings such as How to create realistic fiction and thoughts like, The bulk of the reality of the fiction is conveyed in the emotions and thoughts of the characters.

Authors/Titles - Kathryn Stockett - The Help
                            Anita Diamant - Red Tent
                            Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird

Appeal Factors - Could be very different depending on the title. There are such a wide variety of subjects.

Mashups

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies  by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith - I think the title tells all about this mashup.
The Ghosts of Watt O’Hugh by Steven S. Drachman - This review says it all.

“[An] engaging tale of Western science fiction and amazing fantasy…. Drachman pens a standout lead in the character of Watt O’Hugh. The cool hero’s tale is told in charming, romping detail, from the magical adventurer’s poor childhood in the Five Points and the Tomb[s], to his notorious, gun-toting dalliances in the Wild West and his wilder exploits through time itself. … Adding legitimate historical figures, such as the esteemed author Oscar Wilde, to the fictional mix builds levels of believability to the time-traveling romp’s fast-paced flavor. … this introductory tale of a planned trilogy often has the fleeting pace found in many of the historic Western pulps authored in the 1800s. Fast-paced, energetic and fun; a dime novel for modern intellectuals.” - Kirkus Reviews
              

Week 6 - Assignment 2

I liked exploring the different subgenres on the Prezi. Many were new to me and I would not have known about them as a subgenre. I usually just consider them as part of the main genre not thinking of them as a separate item.
 
Subgenres make it helpful to do RA if you can determine the one a reader may like and then look for those specifically. The reader may not even be aware that there are subgenres and that they like a particular one. Then recommendations may be even more to their liking.

The RA Conversation - #1

I went right to our "You might also like these..." section of our catalog to see what was similar to Eat, Pray, Love. I would recommend Wild by Cheryl Strayed. The appeal factors are similar.

Week 6 - Assignment 1

I decided to follow the Stop Your Killing Me site. I like the site; it is uncluttered and easy to navigate. I think the reviews are good with enough detail to whet your appetite. It can also be helpful for recommending to customers and just learning some basics about the mystery suspense genre.

I really liked the genre index that gives subgenres and authors and titles that write in those subgenres.

Week 5 - Assignment 3

The Woman Upstairs - A character driven haunting story about Nora a third grade school teacher that becomes obsessed with one of her student's family. Told in first person, at a leisurely pace, this story will have readers asking what is real and what is fantasy.