Wek 7: Assignment 4

I saw a lot of fantasy at Little Brown (much of it shading into horror) and at Random House. Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction seem to be going strong. Harper showcased realistic settings. It was disappointing that Random House offers separate lists for girls and guys. Of course I can't put my hands on it now, but there was a recent article about how if you take gender (including obscuring any gendered cover material) out of the book talk kids will respond with equal enthusiasm.

Week 7: Assignment 3

I was impressed with the post on Shannon Hale's blog about the genre-neutral book talks and the reaction the revelation of the "gendered" sparked. I expect more buy-in to the "girl" vs "boy" books at a much younger age, but the narrow-mindedness of parents of older children was astonishing.

Yay for the posts about the development of Shadowhunt on Cassandra Clare's blog. Assuming you're already following her, they would seem to increase the anticipation for the next book. If you're not already following her, it seems like a waste of time and effort, rather like the book tour that forever takes away from writing the next book.

Week 7: Assignment 2

While I see the reasoning behind Young Adult/Teen as a category, I'm not going to spend a lot of thought on New Adult and whether it should further segment a library's collection. I can see the phenomenon of adults reading Teen fiction as either a passive backlash against heavy literary fiction and gritty Scandinavian police procedurals or the coming of age of a cohort that did not read much as children or as a simple relief from the pressures of work and other time spenders. I could even be that publishers have simply woken up to the discovery a previously untapped market. Perhaps Teen fiction is analogous to Chick Lit. It probably doesn't much matter. What does matter is knowing about these books and offering them to the appropriate customers, no matter what their age.

Week 7: Assignment 1

I'm not the only one who loves a good book flowchart. The comments on the Lawrence Public Library show I have lots of company.

Week 6: Assignment 3

High Seas Adventure

I looked at the Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures series by Dewey Lambdin, the Kydd series by Julian Stockwin, and the Mainwaring series by Victor Southern. As you'd expect from a subgenre of the Adventure category, these books seem fast-paced and packed with action. The high seas setting is important, as is the main character's personality.

Contemporary Western

Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire series, Tony Hillerman's Navajo Mystery series, and Margaret Coel's Wind River Mystery series are set in the present day, with Mystery elements. The western setting is important, as is character, and these particular series also feature American Indian elements. The tone seems to be gritty and realistic, even when there are overtones of the supernatural.

Culinary Caper

Just from the covers you can guess that these fall on the lighthearted end of the mystery spectrum. I looked at the Charlotte Denver series by Sherri Bryan, the Rose Strickland series by Terri Austin, and the Samantha Sweet series by Connie Shelton. From what I can tell, the food aspect is more of a hook or a plot point than anything essential to the story. The setting is of marginal importance, but the characters need to be quirky and the sense of humor is prominent.

Mashup: Steampunk Romance

The Iron Seas series by Meljean Brook combines elements of old-school romance and science fiction with adventure set against a background "history" that informs present-day action. The London Steampunk series by Bec McMaster and the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carrier combine urban fantasy with romance and some historical fiction elements. The developing romances play out in the science fiction and fantasy setting.

Week 6: Assignment 2

I do love a good book flowchart! I have a serious problem with Fantasy being shown as an offshoot of Science Fiction, however, as would any earnest fan of either genre.   The breakdown of Westerns and Horror I found organizationally helpful, but I question whether Culinary Capers and Pet Investigators shouldn't be subgenre of the Cozy Mystery.

Week 6: Assignment 1

Urban Reviews appealed to me because, when I first looked at it, I noticed several reviews that mentioned writing and editing qualities. I can guess why quality is not often addressed in reviews, but I regret the lack, especially with urban fiction, which is so often self-published or published by houses that seem to have minuscule editing budgets.

For personal reading, you might find and follow a reviewer whose taste aligns with your own; for advisory interactions, however, quality may or may not be a factor. Still, I prefer reviews that address writing and editing quality as well as provide a simple description of plot. Smart Bitches Trashy Books is my go-to for romance reviews because they give letter grades and do not hesitate to call out inconsistencies, historical inaccuracies, etc.