Week 6: Building base Knowledge (Genres)

Week 6 Assignment #1:
 

For my genre link, I chose Tor.com, and for those who are unfamiliar with it, Tor has been a publisher for sci-fi/ fantasy for many years, and over time, the company has been bought and sold many times. Thus, I was glad to see a current blog site associated with this venerable name doing good work on the genre.

 

The first part of any site I like to review is the interface itself. They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but with so many options these days, the physical look and feel of a site can directly impact the user’s experience. For instance, I know folks love Earlyword.com, and it is a good site, but looking at its clutter and crowded visuals just give me so much anxiety... it's too far jumbled for me to want to navigate. Tor.com, on the other hand, is very balanced and uncluttered, with the graphics being bold without being overwhelming. As for the content, it does a really good job balancing the various aspects of sci-fi/ fantasy, which so many people just lump together into a single genre. The reviews are well thought of and treat the subjects with respect (which again, sci-fi/ fantasy often lacks). In addition, the inclusion of the books with their multimedia "partners" just makes sense... from touching on the tv and movie adaptations to the re-reads of the classics, it keeps the genre relevant to the classic fan, the modern reader AND viewer.



 

Week 6 Assignment #2:

 

Prezi sheet



 

Week 6 Assignment #3:

 

Paranormal Romance - Lord of the Wolfyn/ Jessica Anderson


 



Paranormal romances are romances, yes, which means that the characters are usually from different worlds or opposites in some way, which can ratchet up the interior psychological aspect, but the paranormal aspect lends itself to fantastical situations that often utilize long-held romantic or erotic archetypes... vampires, ghosts, and the like. This allows a more escapist form of reading that many readers will enjoy - while still allowing them to return back to their own worlds when closing the cover. Most books in this genre are fast paced, but the deft romance writer will be aware of the language... too often, if they try to "educate" the reader in the new world with a whole new vocabulary, the reader can get lost and lose the focus in the plot or dialogue. Most importantly, though, is the fact that the focus of the story is not just about the romance, but the need to transcend the two different worlds so that the romance can succeed.

 

Culinary Capers -  Diane Mott Davidson




 

Usually, culinary capers tend to feature quirky and charming characters that are very memorable, and the plotting, while a bit more intricate that most mysteries, is still comprehendible. The locales are also quirky and overly charming (think Cabot Cove), and less urbane than the big city. The dialogue is more external and there is less introspection, as plot drives this engine. And, as the name implies, there is usually a theme that rarely rises to the level of world-threatening scale, but still finds an importance in a person’s life.

 

Psychological Horror - Dennis Lehane




 

The appeal of psychological horror is not just the presence of a villain, but more so the fact that our hero has some sort of tie (conscious or not) to that villain (or vice versa) and the realization that evil can be found in not just a monster (human or otherwise) but the main character as well. This revelation often drives the story with a brisk plot, but also ornate language. There can be a strong sense of gore, but more so, it's what the mind leaps to that is the true horror... as in film when the most terrifying scare is when you don't see the monster, maybe just a hand or an eye. The pacing is usually fast but the main voice is internalized, which leads to deeper characterization and broader descriptions of the plot and setting.

 

 

Week 5: Building Base Knowledge Part II

Assignment #1




As for monitoring the blogs/ resources I chose, I would say NPR's been the go-to for the more erudite titles... and though many of the works seem interesting to me, NPR definitely maintains it's rep for dealing with the more "literary" tomes that have a very narrow, almost hipster-y focus. I think that if a librarian works in a very specific branch with a specific clientele, then their choice of review sources should be somewhat match their patrons. It's an age old dilemma, I know, and though one may try and get your customers to read "better" quality books (whatever that means!?!), you have to know who your people are and include them in your review process. In short, know where your bread is buttered!




Tor.com has been a bit better of a resource, as again, sci-fi and fantasy are popping up in all sorts of popular mediums... music and movies and TV. The books mentioned on that site just feel to be more in line with the zeitgeist. And it's not just books... there was a great article about a large sculpture of Kafka, which is "tangentially" related to books, but its a tangent that might interest someone who never made the connection between art and sci-fi and Kafka!






Assignment #2




Early Word is a good site, but I just have to say, the format is WAY to cluttered for me. I look at it and my anxiety goes thru the roof! That being said, there is an awful lot of info available on the site, but for my branch specifically, it's a lot of good info that might not be fully utilized. Most of our patrons are interested in DVD's and movies, and for that, IMDB.com or Io9.com are very good at getting the most recent up-to-date details.


As for their book interest, our patrons prefer urban fiction, and for that, I always try to use streetfiction.org, which has a lot of resources for that genre. However, I have noticed over the past few years that a lot of urban fiction authors are going the route of eBooks, so I utilize broader sites like Amazon.com or B&N.com to fill in the holes of what's coming out. Since a lot of these are self-published, the release dates are always suspect, but at least we can get the "most up to date' info from these sites to the patrons.


In regards to Earlyword.com, I do like the coming soon features for B&N (lots of commercially popular works), the Amazon Best of, as well as the PW calendar. I find I can find a lot of "golden nuggets" in PW's pages that really have a broad range of appeal.


And may I add that earlyword's feature on the Nebula winner Uprooted is great (http://www.earlyword.com/2016/05/20/uprooted-wins-nebula-award/)! I read that book last year and loved it. Granted, there were a few structural and plot kinks, but overall, a really beautiful story.

Assignment #3


For my selection from Amazon's list, I chose Tribe by Sebastian Junger.

Junger is an author who excels in telling strong non-fiction narratives that deal with extreme locales, situations, and the people who endure them. In this book, he turns his attention to the social concepts the "tribe" for the military in both a historical and current  context. His first and most popular book, The Perfect Storm, featured fast pacing and an exciting plot, and this one is sure to follow that trend. The movie, starring George Clooney, was also a smash hit and introduced his strong storytelling style to a wide public. For those folks who enjoy other non-fiction adventures like Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea or Into the Wild by Krakauer, Junger's newest book advances his normal style and delves into the sociology and psychology of the struggles that the nation's defenders undergo.

Week 4: Building Base Knowledge

I've had a love/ hate relationship with Goodreads over the years. I like the idea of the site and reviewing each and every tome I read, but I never like to delve too much into the books I've read and dissect them... I prefer to simply ruminate on the experience and process it mentally in its natural course. Yet, by the time I can write about it, I'm already on to the next book. I see it in much the way I have my bookcases at home... the books are not in any specific order, because for me, half the fun is to experience them "randomly."


I do like the idea of reader-based reviews vs those you come across via PW, NYT, or other major/ more commercial organizations. And I also like that you can have specific "friends" and cross-recommend titles - like a more erudite, book-orientated Facebook.






Book Recommendations


Endymion Spring
by Matthew Skelton

       

Andrew's review

May 17, 2016                                   

really liked it

Skelton's books is a great read for those who like the Rowling's work or the Narnia series. It's a bit more book-oriented that most intermediate readers titles, but it definitely appeals to the future librarian/ scholar type. I found that the text moves at a very brisk pace (but not too fast), and the adventure is wonderful and wholly unique in this genre. On the negative side, the characters are a bit too simple and one-dimensional, which I had hoped would be developed, but it never was.  My only gripe is that the book should have been stretched out to a sequel or a trilogy... there's too much content that ends of being rushed and glossed over, and this would have allowed the characters a bit more room to develop and breath.

Recommended to Katie Taylor and Tori Woodard

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
by Katherine Howe (Goodreads Author)

       

Andrew's review

May 17, 2016                                   

it was amazing

Just a great read from cover to cover. I was a bit leery about the romance aspect for the main character, but it never devolved into sappy cliché that so many of these type of books fall in to. I also love the fact that the author deliberately placed the "modern" half of the story in a period before the advent of the internet, so that any research and archival work had to work with the old fashioned card catalog. This seemed to ground the book into a much more "physical," immediate type of world. The "past" part of the story was also very engaging, and though it dances around a bit with the language of "yore" and "prithy," it never got too far afield and confused the plot.

Recommended to Katie Taylor and Tori Woodard

Week 3 - Assignment 3

Conversation #1




For this patron, my understanding is that she they are looking for a travel narrative with a strong sense of an author's personal introspection... I got this from both the tone of Gilbert's book as well as the patron's enjoyment of the various countries about the world. I would suggest maybe Under the Tuscan Sun by Mayes if they want something travel oriented with a lighter, breezier tone, or maybe something by Paul Theroux if they are looking for something a bit more cynical/ darker with a bit more bite, such as Riding the Iron Rooster or The Pillars of Hercules.


Conversation #2


If the patron is looking for a good, "traditional" vampire novel, I could recommend Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice. It's almost "the" clichéd answer, but it remains popular for a reason... the story is fast and energetic and though there is romance, it's not teen-oriented at all - the book is steeped in very adult-styled romance and couplings. Plus, the characters are rich in historical reference. Lastly, if they like the book and the characters, there are numerous others in that series that they can move on to. If they are dead set against a "traditional" answer, though, I would recommend one of the earlier books by Kim Harrison (Every Which Way but Dead) or Kostova's The Historian, which keeps a more traditional edge as a vampire story while maintaining the methodical pacing of a good modern thriller. It's size can be a bit daunting, but the book reads fast.




Conversation #3


For this patron, I am hearing that they like the historical aspects of the story, and also the pacing of a good modern-day thriller. I would try and avoid some of the more "easy" responses and suggest something like Thunderstruck by Larson or City of Falling Angels by John Berendt. Both of these books are firmly grounded in historical fact but move with a quick pace and are extremely engaging. In addition, these books are tied to an aspect of American history with a bit of the "world at large" thrown in, which makes them a bit more cosmopolitan than others.

NPR Review

http://www.npr.org/2016/04/27/475021942/plain-houses-is-a-spellbinding-story-of-witchcraft-and-disobedience



This one sounds rather interesting... echoes of the Physick Book of Deliverance Dane??

Week 2/ Assignment 2: Appeal Factors and Annotations

Bryson, Bill. At Home: A Short History of Private Life. New York: Doubleday, 2010.

 

In this non-fiction book by Bill Bryson, author of A Walk in the Woods, the author uses his own home - a refurbished manor house in a rural English village - as a backdrop to explore, expand, and expound on the many aspects of human society in terms of history, anthropology, architecture, and more. Every aspect of the physical structure of the house, from the location of the kitchen to the placement of the toilets, is the sum of a vast story of how and why humans came to gather into communities and then into a solitary residence.

 

With a light and meandering tone that never spins too far out into minutiae, Bryson touches on all manner of historical facts and origins with a deft, light stroke. Every room gets it's own chapter, and just as in an actual house, the reader will soon begin to see how one room leads to another other. And, just when you think you'll lose yourself in the scope of so many facts, Bryson cleverly manages to bring it all back and anchor it in something solidly comical or comically grotesque - either way, you'll laugh! For Anglophiles or historians or just those who want to know why the color green is green, At Home is a must-read.

 

Salvatore, R. A. The Halfling's Gem. New York: Wizards of the Coast, 1990.

 

R.A. Salvatore, master of dungeon crawling high fantasy popularized by the world of role playing, begins a trilogy that exemplifies the genre while staking out it's own unique storytelling boundaries. With a cast of characters as fantastical as they are relatable, the author mines new territory by bending standard, clichéd personas and forging them into new and unexpected forms.

 

As an author, Salvatore has a whole mythical world from which to draw, which he does while never allowing the story to suffer or become stale. With a keen sense of self-awareness, his characters exhibit a vastly modern sense of doubt and emotion than one usually does not find in fantasy, yet he never allows it to overtake the fiction. He keeps the pace of his book light and fast, and never allows the reader a moment to grow bored. With a story that focuses on a young and bright Halfling saddled with a highly-sought after enchanted gem, Salvatore uses his story of adventure to further introduce the character of Drizz't Do'Urden, who will eventually become his most lasting and famous character to date.It is also with great skill that Salvatore describes and writes about the art and craft of magic itself without falling into the endless metaphysical mumbo-jumbo one finds so often in modern fantasy. Much like the enchanted rapier of one of his characters, Salvatore's words cut through the standard writing to keep the story sharp and on point.

 

 

Blum, Deborah. The Poisoner's Handbook: murder and the birth of forensic medicine in Jazz Age New York. New York: Penguin press, 2010.

 

With a clear eye and a stronger stomach, author Deborah Blum brings the reader into the murky world of prohibition-era New York City, a time when crime was rampant and science was still suspect. Through keen research and a sharp eye, she focuses on two figures in the city's police force and their efforts to solve those crimes so sensationalized in the media. Through the team's efforts fighting crime and the city's bureaucracy, they help to birth the fields of forensic pathology, forever changing the world of criminal investigation.

 

Blum, who spent years researching the history of forensics in the US, manages to keep the gore and jargon at a minimum without ever pandering to the audience. She ratchets up the excitement with lurid tales of murder and the speakeasy as the central figures fight to catch criminals and help those who are subjected to a brave new world of chemical "miracles." Each chapter of Blum's book is dedicated to a specific poison, such as cyanide or arsenic, and the efforts to reveal the harmful effects of so many substances that were previously  considered by the world to be "beneficial." From cases of marital discord "solved" by using poison to the tale of the Radium-girls of a New Jersey watch factory, Blum pings and bounces from chemical to compound, all against the backdrop of the Jazz-age New York. With each chapter containing a self-contained story unto itself, the author allows the reader to come to the book time and again without losing the central story, which makes for a more satisfying experience and a better understanding of forensics and it's development. A must-read for those with an eye for science and stomach for the grotesque.

Another SciFi/ Fantasy Resource

Another resource for those who are curious about scifi/ fantasy titles, check out io9.com:


http://io9.gizmodo.com/


They post a lot of info on various awards for scifi and fantasy titles (i.e. the Nebulas, the Eisner's, etc.), but also for graphic novels, movies, and zines. In addition, they have a periodic book club where they discuss new titles in the related genres!


The site is extremely handy for the scifi fan's reader's advisory, as well as viewer's advisory for related films (rumors, spoilers, etc.).