I was having such a difficult time with Week 4--mostly wrestling with Goodreads in order to just get started--that I put it aside in order to move along. Trying again here.
My Goodreads account is several years old but little used. Revisiting it for this assignment had me looking at the site more closely. The chore of managing and maintaining an account to a certain level of usefulness seems large; I'd rather spend time reading than entering authors to follow, deciding on groups to join, and combing through comments.
I really like that hovering the mouse gets a window describing a title. This is much more friendly than leaving the current page. One of my favorite subgenres, historical fantasy, seems to be given little attention compared to some other subgenres. Recommendations, no matter where they come from, almost always fall short for me--they simply do not consider all the factors I'm interested in. I've had customers get very excited about the various lists people post, however, so Goodreads is a good resource in that regard.
Recommendations:
I'd recommend author Susanna Kearsley to those who enjoyed Daphne du Maurier's House on the Strand. They often feature a heroine who gets glimpses of other times, and there's a strong romantic element. Her books move slowly with excellent attention to period detail. Characters behave realistically even given the fantasy elements and touch of modern gothic.
For those who enjoyed Princeless by Jeremy Whitley I'd recommend the Enchanted Forest Chronicles books by Patricia Wrede. They are not graphic novels, but the concept of a princess saving herself carries through to the series for somewhat older children. Cimorene runs away from her family's expectations for her, finds a job working for the king of the dragons, and refuses to be rescued. Both series are humorous, both princesses face adversaries and defeat them with the help of their wits and their friends.
