Week 3 - Prompt Response
Prompt 1
Use NoveList to answer the following questions and explain why you chose the books you did.
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 Lunatic Cafe
After searching for Laurell K. Hamilton under the 'author' drop down, and
selecting Anita Blake under the 'series' tab, I saw that this was the fourth book
in the series.
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.
The Legend of Charlie Fish by Josh Rountree
Champion of the Scarlet Wolf by Ginn Hale
Yellow Emperor's Cure by Kunal Basu
Since the patron enjoyed Kingsolver's use of language, but wanted to read
something with a faster pace, I searched using the same language terms within
Prodigal Summer (descriptive, lyrical, lush) and added the search filter 'fast-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!
The Dragon Scroll by I.J. Parker
The Thousand Autumns of Jaco De Zoet by David Mitchell
Claws of the Cat: A Shinobi Mystery by Susan Spann
These books are all set in historical-era Japan and claim writing styles such as,
'descriptive', 'richly detailed', and 'well-researched'.
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 like mysteries I would probably like John
Sandford, but boy was he creepy I couldn't finish it! Do you have any suggestions?
Roseanna by Maj Sjowall
The Missing File by Dror Mishani
Special Tracking Unit by Spencer Kope
Similarly to Well-Schooled In Murder, these books are police procedural
mysteries, involving likable characters, with intricate plots, suspenseful tone,
and compelling writing style. Since the patron found John Sandford creepy, I made
a point of excluding characteristics such as flawed character, violent tone, and
gritty writing style.
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?
Zombies: A Brief History of Decay by Olivier Peru
Zombie Generation (The Rage Volume 1) by Pierre Boisserie
The Living Dead by George A. Romero
Omega Days by John L. Campbell
I have offered two each of graphic novel and fiction options, all of which
revolve around a theme of a zombie apocalypse, are action-packed and/or
fast-paced, with gruesome/violent tone, along the same lines as both The
Walking Dead and World War Z.
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.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Netflix - November 2023)
The Color Purple by Alice Walker (Theaters - December 2023)
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh (Theaters - December 2023)
The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis (Theaters - December 2023)
NoveList has a general "Page to Screen" genre tag and Quick Link page,
specifically highlighting books-to-movies being released for the current year.
The choices I provided were all from the Quick Link page, and since the patron
expressed extra interest in the literary genre, these choices all have
relevant literary characteristics, including character-driven story, thought-
provoking/bleak/atmospheric tone, and lyrical/stylistically complex writing style.
7. I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean
and fast paced.
Acceleration by Graham McNamee
Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci
The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky
Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos
In order to find recommendations without foul language and sex scenes, I
searched using the 'Teen' age filter. The choices I selected from the results are
fast-paced, suspenseful, and compelling.
Prompt 2
How do you find books to read?
For many years, my go-to source for finding (and keeping track of) books has
been Goodreads. Before that, I would most often find new-to-me
authors/series by reading reviews/read-alike mentions within books I had already
read, asking those I knew with similar tastes to me for recommends, browsing the
New section at the library, and asking my local librarians. Since going back to
school for my MLIS, I've added a few more resources to my repertoire, including
What Should I Read Next? and Fantastic Fiction.
Hi Maryanne, It is interesting how different students used different methods when it comes to looking for a book without foul language and sex scenes. I saw one student searched NoveList using the terms "thriller" and "chaste". Another student knew of several religious authors that write thrillers that do not include language and sex. You have proposed a third scenario, where the thrillers are meant for teens. If the patron was looking for books without foul language or sex scenes because they are a Mormon, I do not know how Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos would go, because the main character talks about being gay.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right! That's one thing (of many) I find fascinating about those of us who work as information professionals - we are all so varied in taste and experience! I wouldn't have thought of using 'chaste' as a search term, but its a great option. And personally, I don't have a lot of experience with religious authors, but for those who do, it must be a great feeling to have that experience ready at hand to use for RA service!
DeleteI had trouble finding a good zombie book. There is endless movies and tv shows about zombies, but books were harder for me to find to recommend.
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