Hey, Blog!
As many training exercises (and most of college) often can be, this blog RA project thing was both a joy and a torture. I think the subject matter was good and important to know and such. Reader's advisory is a vital part of our service to the public and we should keep ourselves (and each other) as informed as possible. So all along the way I'm thinking, 'yes this is good, i should know this stuff' and I was happy about that. But of course, considering that I'm finishing this up on the last day possible, there is some disconnect between my theoretically being ready and willing to go and my actually doing stuff. I think the episodic nature of the blog posts and the potential for sharing between colleagues were both great. But I wish that these blogs had been created in a way to make them visible only to BCPL, and not to the internet at large. I made a decision a long time ago that I wouldn't have a blog for my own privacy but this assignment obligated me to have one anyway. In any case, I did learn from the assignments and I appreciate all the work that went into making this training engaging.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Operation Book Trailer, Part Du
Book Trailers exist, sadly. I've come across them a lot in romance and I didn't usually watch them. I always considered them lame and less than awesome. And I still think that most of them are, but some of the ones I found on Youtube (the ones that have won Mobys) are fairly decent. I can't really envision a way to use them for reader's advisory at the library without feeling ridiculous. 'Excuse me, but there's this great trailer for this book that you should watch, so let's stand here for 2minutes watching it together.' Weird.
But I think for heavy internet users who are looking for cool new books on their own, these videos could be a cool discovery tool. Maybe that's why teens use book trailers more than other groups for their own browsing.
But I think for heavy internet users who are looking for cool new books on their own, these videos could be a cool discovery tool. Maybe that's why teens use book trailers more than other groups for their own browsing.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Operation Nonfiction, Part Fyra
Hey, I do this all the time for the blog! I mean, the other blog. Ya know, the Between the Covers one. So....I'm hoping that that is enough. Here are the links to the aforementioned books' entries:
Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas
Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson
Facing the Wave by Gretel Erlich
Tubes: a journey to the center of the internet by Andrew Blum
Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas
Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson
Facing the Wave by Gretel Erlich
Tubes: a journey to the center of the internet by Andrew Blum
Operation Nonfiction, Part Tre
Nonfiction Genres:
Travel--917--Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas
Food--641--Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson
Contemporary Social Issues--360s--Facing the Wave by Gretel Erlich
Science--000s-010 (as well as 500s)--Tubes: a journey to the center of the internet by Andrew Blum
Travel--917--Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas
Food--641--Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson
Contemporary Social Issues--360s--Facing the Wave by Gretel Erlich
Science--000s-010 (as well as 500s)--Tubes: a journey to the center of the internet by Andrew Blum
Friday, July 26, 2013
Operation Teens, Part Apat
Teen Imprints:
Harlequin Teen
Paranormal is still going strong in this genre (as it is with adult fic as well). Not just limited to vampires and zombies any more, there are also monsters, ghosts, magical beings, werecreatures of different species, etc. Some are more fantasy and some are more scifi, and there are still some historical/steampunk books. Other trends are books similar to Gossip Girls or Pretty Little Liars with a contemporary clique-ish sort of feel. Also, there's a vein of what you might call street romance or urban romance coming through as well, where teens with issues and tough lives are drawn together.
Tor Teen (Starscape)
This is a more general imprint than Harlequin Teen, with a range of books for different ages. There's a lot of humorous novels for younger kids, and plenty of dystopian scifi/fantasy novels for older teens. Tor also publishes more serious realistic fiction for teens, as well as a few more straightforward adventure series. Popular backlist titles are also prevalent, especially if there is a movie release in the offing (Ender's Game).
Harlequin Teen
Paranormal is still going strong in this genre (as it is with adult fic as well). Not just limited to vampires and zombies any more, there are also monsters, ghosts, magical beings, werecreatures of different species, etc. Some are more fantasy and some are more scifi, and there are still some historical/steampunk books. Other trends are books similar to Gossip Girls or Pretty Little Liars with a contemporary clique-ish sort of feel. Also, there's a vein of what you might call street romance or urban romance coming through as well, where teens with issues and tough lives are drawn together.
Tor Teen (Starscape)
This is a more general imprint than Harlequin Teen, with a range of books for different ages. There's a lot of humorous novels for younger kids, and plenty of dystopian scifi/fantasy novels for older teens. Tor also publishes more serious realistic fiction for teens, as well as a few more straightforward adventure series. Popular backlist titles are also prevalent, especially if there is a movie release in the offing (Ender's Game).
Operation Teens, Part Tatlo
Teen Blogs!
Shannon Hale's Squeetus
Right now Hale's is running a chapter-by-chapter book club for one of her earlier books, The Goose Girl. Each day Hale goes through the chapter and gives extra details about the characters, the setting, different plot points, and generally lays open her thoughts about as much of the book as possible. This is great value-added material for fans, with the kind of details that get readers excited about the book and about the blog. Hale's tone is not geared towards a younger audience--when she has opinions about sensitive or complex subjects she doesn't hesitate to mention them. This is probably because she doesn't just write for teens, but also for adults. (Btw, a lot of her adult fic stuff is great crossover teen reading.) But neither does she use a lot of foul language or slang that might make certain people feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. From at least the posts this past week, and from the clear consistent voice that comes through in her prose, Hale must be running (or at least writing) this website herself. Who else would know so much about The Goose Girl?
Forever Young Adult
Now this is a website geared towards a New Adult audience. In their About Us section, they describe themselves as "A site for YA readers who are a little less Y and a bit more A." Slang and informal language abound; they even have a page (Lexicon) just for the site-specific acronyms and terminology. It seems that it is more for women than men (notice the pretty pink backsplash). This is not bad, don't get me wrong. This is actually awesome. Just awesome in a different way from Hale's Squeetus. They cover books mostly, but also movies and tv shows (most of which came from books). Plenty there to look at, and it seems really funny.
Shannon Hale's Squeetus
Right now Hale's is running a chapter-by-chapter book club for one of her earlier books, The Goose Girl. Each day Hale goes through the chapter and gives extra details about the characters, the setting, different plot points, and generally lays open her thoughts about as much of the book as possible. This is great value-added material for fans, with the kind of details that get readers excited about the book and about the blog. Hale's tone is not geared towards a younger audience--when she has opinions about sensitive or complex subjects she doesn't hesitate to mention them. This is probably because she doesn't just write for teens, but also for adults. (Btw, a lot of her adult fic stuff is great crossover teen reading.) But neither does she use a lot of foul language or slang that might make certain people feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. From at least the posts this past week, and from the clear consistent voice that comes through in her prose, Hale must be running (or at least writing) this website herself. Who else would know so much about The Goose Girl?
Forever Young Adult
Now this is a website geared towards a New Adult audience. In their About Us section, they describe themselves as "A site for YA readers who are a little less Y and a bit more A." Slang and informal language abound; they even have a page (Lexicon) just for the site-specific acronyms and terminology. It seems that it is more for women than men (notice the pretty pink backsplash). This is not bad, don't get me wrong. This is actually awesome. Just awesome in a different way from Hale's Squeetus. They cover books mostly, but also movies and tv shows (most of which came from books). Plenty there to look at, and it seems really funny.
Operation Teens, Part Dalawa
Articles! PW's "New Adult" and YALSA's "The Next Big Thing"
I love that YA has started to come into its own this past decade or so! There seems to be so much more variety and selection than I remember from when I was a teen, and I feel that YA's reputation as a lesser form of literature is definitely improving. It's great that Adult fiction authors are more and more writing in YA and even Children's fic. Not only do the authors get to cultivate young readers for life, but those readers who move from Children's to YA to Adult with the same author may be more likely to make a successful transition into Adult fic more broadly, which is great for authors, publishers and libraries. I think the label "New Adult" is a useful one for marketing and for descriptive purposes, but I don't think we need to create a new section in libraries that is strictly New Adult, since it is really just a transition slide between YA and Adult and (as one of the articles mentioned) that transition is very fluid. To me, the profile of YA as a section is finally starting to mirror all the characteristics of Adult fic, just maybe with younger characters and less explicit sex and language. There are scifi, fantasy, romances, mysteries, thrillers, urban fic, literary fic, and everything in between, often all bunched together in a single book. Adults reading YA and YA reading Adult--everyone is reading more, and how can that be bad?
Posted to Erika T. and Melanie D.
I love that YA has started to come into its own this past decade or so! There seems to be so much more variety and selection than I remember from when I was a teen, and I feel that YA's reputation as a lesser form of literature is definitely improving. It's great that Adult fiction authors are more and more writing in YA and even Children's fic. Not only do the authors get to cultivate young readers for life, but those readers who move from Children's to YA to Adult with the same author may be more likely to make a successful transition into Adult fic more broadly, which is great for authors, publishers and libraries. I think the label "New Adult" is a useful one for marketing and for descriptive purposes, but I don't think we need to create a new section in libraries that is strictly New Adult, since it is really just a transition slide between YA and Adult and (as one of the articles mentioned) that transition is very fluid. To me, the profile of YA as a section is finally starting to mirror all the characteristics of Adult fic, just maybe with younger characters and less explicit sex and language. There are scifi, fantasy, romances, mysteries, thrillers, urban fic, literary fic, and everything in between, often all bunched together in a single book. Adults reading YA and YA reading Adult--everyone is reading more, and how can that be bad?
Posted to Erika T. and Melanie D.
Operation Genres, Part San
Subgenre 1: Contemporary Western/Neo-Western
Okay, I found a few western fiction websites, Western Writers of America and Western Authors that seemed pretty good. Both were anxious to assert that westerns were still relevant to today's readers, and contemporary westerns are considered one of the bridges between more traditional westerns and today's popular culture (western romance and steampunk westerns being other examples). Although there is a feeling of nostalgia for these traditional westerns, most of the excitement and buzz centers around newer interpretations of the western, as in the subgenres mentioned above. I had known about Western Writers of America, since they host the list for the Spur Awards, but a simple Google search found me the second site.
I think of this genre as the post-post-modern western, where traditional themes and genre conventions are torn up and turned inside out, creating a much more uncertain, usually bleaker and harsher landscape. Often more violent, with no clear good or bad guys, these contemporary westerns make you question the characters and yourself, which is one of the things that makes these books so compelling.
Authors: Cormac McCarthy, Annie Proulx, James Carlos Blake
Genrebenders: Stephen King's Dark Tower series blends a lot of old-western themes and tropes with the fantasy of parallel universes and crazy technology. And Trigun, the manga series, is totally a spacey, kooky, occasionally apocalyptic, dark alien western fest (NB: although Cowboy Bebop is my favorite, it started out as a TV series, not manga).
Subgenre 2: Christian Urban Fiction
Website: http://christianfiction.blogspot.com/ and a few articles found with a Google search. Urban Christian Fiction seems to be a fairly straightforward blend of Urban Fiction and Christian Fiction. Characters still have tough lives and even tougher choices in these predominantly African American novels that have a gritty street life setting, but religious and biblical themes play an overt role in the characters' motivations and actions. Fans are excited about this relatively new genre and proactively search out new authors. Small presses and self-publishing are big in this growing genre.
Authors: E.N. Joy, Vanessa Davis Griggs, Vanessa Miller
Genrebenders: In such a new genre it can be difficult to find blends with other genres, but there at least seems to be a spectrum of books within the genre, with some based more on church life and some more on the violence of street life. There are also a subcategory of books that take traditional biblical stories and place them in an urban setting.
Subgenre 3: Inspriational Romance
This is probably the only corner of romance that I haven't managed to read anything in, so I thought it might be fun to cover it here. http://www.inspirationalromancewriters.com/index.cfm There seems to be a bunch of different flavors of Inspirational romance, including Amish, historical, and (surprise) Scifi. Just like with the Christian Urban Fic, it's the thread of faith-based motives and plot devices that infuse these works and differentiate them from other genre fiction. This genre has gained a lot of traction in recent years, and fans are enjoying the growing number of titles. As with many other romance subgenres, series play a significant role. Btw, just because a book is considered a part of this genre doesn't mean that it doesn't contain controversial themes or racy sex scenes.
Authors: Wanda E Brunstetter, Janette Oke, Olivia Newport
Genrebenders: A lot of books contain religious themes, but here are a few titles that are a little different. The Departed by Kathryn Mackel is a sort of scifi spiritual thriller. Also Winter is Past by Rutn Axtell Morren, which is a historical that deals with multiple faiths and some political intrigue.
Okay, I found a few western fiction websites, Western Writers of America and Western Authors that seemed pretty good. Both were anxious to assert that westerns were still relevant to today's readers, and contemporary westerns are considered one of the bridges between more traditional westerns and today's popular culture (western romance and steampunk westerns being other examples). Although there is a feeling of nostalgia for these traditional westerns, most of the excitement and buzz centers around newer interpretations of the western, as in the subgenres mentioned above. I had known about Western Writers of America, since they host the list for the Spur Awards, but a simple Google search found me the second site.
I think of this genre as the post-post-modern western, where traditional themes and genre conventions are torn up and turned inside out, creating a much more uncertain, usually bleaker and harsher landscape. Often more violent, with no clear good or bad guys, these contemporary westerns make you question the characters and yourself, which is one of the things that makes these books so compelling.
Authors: Cormac McCarthy, Annie Proulx, James Carlos Blake
Genrebenders: Stephen King's Dark Tower series blends a lot of old-western themes and tropes with the fantasy of parallel universes and crazy technology. And Trigun, the manga series, is totally a spacey, kooky, occasionally apocalyptic, dark alien western fest (NB: although Cowboy Bebop is my favorite, it started out as a TV series, not manga).
Subgenre 2: Christian Urban Fiction
Website: http://christianfiction.blogspot.com/ and a few articles found with a Google search. Urban Christian Fiction seems to be a fairly straightforward blend of Urban Fiction and Christian Fiction. Characters still have tough lives and even tougher choices in these predominantly African American novels that have a gritty street life setting, but religious and biblical themes play an overt role in the characters' motivations and actions. Fans are excited about this relatively new genre and proactively search out new authors. Small presses and self-publishing are big in this growing genre.
Authors: E.N. Joy, Vanessa Davis Griggs, Vanessa Miller
Genrebenders: In such a new genre it can be difficult to find blends with other genres, but there at least seems to be a spectrum of books within the genre, with some based more on church life and some more on the violence of street life. There are also a subcategory of books that take traditional biblical stories and place them in an urban setting.
Subgenre 3: Inspriational Romance
This is probably the only corner of romance that I haven't managed to read anything in, so I thought it might be fun to cover it here. http://www.inspirationalromancewriters.com/index.cfm There seems to be a bunch of different flavors of Inspirational romance, including Amish, historical, and (surprise) Scifi. Just like with the Christian Urban Fic, it's the thread of faith-based motives and plot devices that infuse these works and differentiate them from other genre fiction. This genre has gained a lot of traction in recent years, and fans are enjoying the growing number of titles. As with many other romance subgenres, series play a significant role. Btw, just because a book is considered a part of this genre doesn't mean that it doesn't contain controversial themes or racy sex scenes.
Authors: Wanda E Brunstetter, Janette Oke, Olivia Newport
Genrebenders: A lot of books contain religious themes, but here are a few titles that are a little different. The Departed by Kathryn Mackel is a sort of scifi spiritual thriller. Also Winter is Past by Rutn Axtell Morren, which is a historical that deals with multiple faiths and some political intrigue.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Operation Genres, Part Ichi
Genre Link of Note: Stop, You're Killing Me!
It's amazing how many different ways you can slice something, right? These mysteries are indexed on this site a bazillion different ways, presumably so that you can find precisely what you are looking for, although there is no cross-indexing or tagging system that might make it easier to find a book that is both a cozy mystery and set in Jamaica. You can search by location, by job of the main character, by time period, by diversity, by sub-genre, by authr name, by character name, etc...many many. This is definitely a site for the listmakers out there. I only wish that this were a little more like All About Romance with reviews for each book listed, although that takes a lot of maintenance.
As usual with these popular genres, like sci-fi and romance, mystery is based largely on book series it seems. I was surprised few subgenres were listed, considering all the genre bending that goes on nowadays. I'd probably reference this site for good read alikes and for complete series list order, but I'd use a more powerful database like Novelist or even Goodreads for title/author discovery.
It's amazing how many different ways you can slice something, right? These mysteries are indexed on this site a bazillion different ways, presumably so that you can find precisely what you are looking for, although there is no cross-indexing or tagging system that might make it easier to find a book that is both a cozy mystery and set in Jamaica. You can search by location, by job of the main character, by time period, by diversity, by sub-genre, by authr name, by character name, etc...many many. This is definitely a site for the listmakers out there. I only wish that this were a little more like All About Romance with reviews for each book listed, although that takes a lot of maintenance.
As usual with these popular genres, like sci-fi and romance, mystery is based largely on book series it seems. I was surprised few subgenres were listed, considering all the genre bending that goes on nowadays. I'd probably reference this site for good read alikes and for complete series list order, but I'd use a more powerful database like Novelist or even Goodreads for title/author discovery.
Operation Resources, Part Drei
Anticipated Title: A Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian
Part thriller, part interpersonal drama, this novel is deeply rooted in the historical context of post-WWII Italy. Interspersed with detailed descriptions of a devastated Italy, Bohjalian weaves a complex story of love, hatred, grief, and guilt that is as emotionally wrenching as it is historically accurate.
Read alikes:
The Sandcastle Girls by Bohjalian--Another sweeping story that has wonderful historical details and emotional resonance.
Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates--Historical fiction that blends thriller elements (murder) with complex characters who have intense emotional connections with one another.
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson--For those who want another story about people (and their relationships) on the wrong side of WWII, and it's true! Also includes a doomed love story with a German officer.
Part thriller, part interpersonal drama, this novel is deeply rooted in the historical context of post-WWII Italy. Interspersed with detailed descriptions of a devastated Italy, Bohjalian weaves a complex story of love, hatred, grief, and guilt that is as emotionally wrenching as it is historically accurate.
Read alikes:
The Sandcastle Girls by Bohjalian--Another sweeping story that has wonderful historical details and emotional resonance.
Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates--Historical fiction that blends thriller elements (murder) with complex characters who have intense emotional connections with one another.
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson--For those who want another story about people (and their relationships) on the wrong side of WWII, and it's true! Also includes a doomed love story with a German officer.
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