The first customer might enjoy Claiming Ground, another book about a woman's journey of self discovery, or the movie Babette's Feast.
The second customer might enjoy the vampires in the Sookie Steakhouse or Mercy Thompson books, but it sounds like the All Souls trilogy would move too slowly for her tastes.
The third customer might enjoy Through the Brazilian Wilderness, Roosevelt's own description of the same trip, or books about Ernest Shakelton's expedition.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Week 3: Assignment 2
Nancy Pearl is the Queen of Readers Advisory! She can talk in paragraphs about books! She talks more about what the books feel like than what happens in them, what the characters are like and how they fit into the environment of the book. I really admire her fluency in discussing books.
Week 3: Assignment 1
It was easy enough to identify what each reader in Exercise 1 wanted from his or her next book. Harder was coming up with suitable specific suggestions. The advice to read widely is solid. The Ice Station customer would probably go for any number of techno thrillers; the Eat Pray Love customer might enjoy other journeys of self discovery, especially those with a touch of humor; and the Born in Fire customer might want to complete the Born In trilogy as well as exploring other books with well defined characters.
Exercise 2 makes me think I perhaps strip a bit much from my descriptions of books in order not to go too long. I should summarize better. Exercise 3 shows a more specific way of approaching customers than "Are you finding what you need?" Exercises 4 and 5 sound like good ways to practice.
Exercise 2 makes me think I perhaps strip a bit much from my descriptions of books in order not to go too long. I should summarize better. Exercise 3 shows a more specific way of approaching customers than "Are you finding what you need?" Exercises 4 and 5 sound like good ways to practice.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Week 2: Assignment 2
Suddenly One Summer by Julie James, is a contemporary romance about a divorce lawyer and her new neighbor, an investigative journalist, searching for the journalist's sister's child's father.
The characters are easy to identify with; They're flawed, but not so flawed as to be unreal. The author's language is not literary, but she does write well. While the book is set in Chicago, and we get some Chicago-specific detail, the book could be set in just about any big city. The tone is fun with some mild suspense as the two main characters search for the child's father and begin to deal with each other's flaws; the divorce lawyer's panic attacks provide a dimension of unease. With that Romance spine label, you know there'll be a Happily Ever After. While the panic attacks, for example, are given their due, this is not what I'd call a heavy Learning/Experiencing book.
Masterminds by Gordon Korman, is a children's book about kids in an isolated town discovering what their exact backgrounds and circumstances really are.
The pacing is quick, and each of the child characters has his or her own personality, making them easily distinguishable; the adults are less well characterized. Much is made of the town's isolation and quirks and how the children are treated. Descriptions are brief and brisk, never slowing down the pace. The tone varies: sometimes light and sometimes suspenseful. There is minimal learning/experiencing.
The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James is a mystery during which a psychic investigates the murder of one of her rivals.
The pacing is moderate, interspersed with episodes of suspense as the psychic gets closer to discovering the murderer. The psychic is the most vivid character, but she keenly observes the other characters. The language of the book leans slightly toward literary, but it is not heavy. The book is mostly set in London, but the city is not itself a character: Details are supplied for flavor rather than for mental stimulation. The tone is suspenseful and scary, mixing everyday events with supernatural ones. While some details about detecting fake psychics are given, there is little learning/experiencing.
The characters are easy to identify with; They're flawed, but not so flawed as to be unreal. The author's language is not literary, but she does write well. While the book is set in Chicago, and we get some Chicago-specific detail, the book could be set in just about any big city. The tone is fun with some mild suspense as the two main characters search for the child's father and begin to deal with each other's flaws; the divorce lawyer's panic attacks provide a dimension of unease. With that Romance spine label, you know there'll be a Happily Ever After. While the panic attacks, for example, are given their due, this is not what I'd call a heavy Learning/Experiencing book.
Masterminds by Gordon Korman, is a children's book about kids in an isolated town discovering what their exact backgrounds and circumstances really are.
The pacing is quick, and each of the child characters has his or her own personality, making them easily distinguishable; the adults are less well characterized. Much is made of the town's isolation and quirks and how the children are treated. Descriptions are brief and brisk, never slowing down the pace. The tone varies: sometimes light and sometimes suspenseful. There is minimal learning/experiencing.
The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James is a mystery during which a psychic investigates the murder of one of her rivals.
The pacing is moderate, interspersed with episodes of suspense as the psychic gets closer to discovering the murderer. The psychic is the most vivid character, but she keenly observes the other characters. The language of the book leans slightly toward literary, but it is not heavy. The book is mostly set in London, but the city is not itself a character: Details are supplied for flavor rather than for mental stimulation. The tone is suspenseful and scary, mixing everyday events with supernatural ones. While some details about detecting fake psychics are given, there is little learning/experiencing.
Week2: Assignment 1
Reading through Wyatt's article, I thought of those flow charts for book recommendations. I wish my memory operated like that, so I could rapidly sort through what materials correspond with what desired characteristics.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Week 1: Assignment 5
Fun was had. That Gatsby cover is really awful; the theme park idea makes it a bit better.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Week 1: Assignment 4
I chose Early Word and Urban Reviews, Early Word because I'd seen mentions of it on blogs but had not explored it yet, and Urban Reviews because I don't read much urban fiction and because I noticed it includes ratings that talk about, among other matters, poor writing and editing. Tor's Fiction Affliction also looks like fun, so I'll probably look at that one as well.
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