Week Three

Assignment 1:  “The RA Conversation” by Neal Wyatt.

Interesting article.  I am not at all hesitant to approach library customers to offer assistance! 

Assignment 2:  Nancy Pearl Podcast.

I love the way Nancy Pearl uses appeal terms to highlight books.

Assignment 3:  Patron’s descriptions:

Conversation 1:

What I ‘hear’ in appeal terms:

“draws me in”=engaging

“interesting woman and so brave”=likable characters

“descriptions of the countries she went to and what she did while there”=place is important

“shared her inner thoughts”=personal narrative

“funny”=humorous

Book Recommendation: Cheryl Strayed’s Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Conversation 2:

What I deduced:

“way too slow”=wants more fast paced

“teen love story – way too much angst!”= wants adult characters & less youthful dithering

Book Recommendation: If the customer is okay with romance – the Argeneau Series by Lynsay Sands.  The first book in the series is Quick Bites.  If less romance is desired, I would suggest the author Anne Rice.

Conversation 3:

“ill fated expedition”=adventure tale

Fast paced

Nonfiction history

“one of their crew was a murderer”-suspenseful

“fascinating”=compelling

Book Recommendation: Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II by Vicki Croke.  Or if the customer wanted another expedition-adventure tale, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann.

Week Two

Annotations of three books utilizing “Appeal Factors”

    At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen

Sara Gruen’s newest historical fiction novel, At the Water’s Edge, finds three wealthy Americans searching for proof that a Loch Ness Monster exists to restore their sullied ‘honor.'  As the horrors of World War II rages on the three Americans, spoiled, unlikable and flawed, are oblivious to the hardships endured by the small Scottish village they move to or those of the world at large.  The young American woman must break out of her life’s constraints to remove herself from a love triangle and become her true self.  This engaging novel starts off slow, but builds to a climatic ending.  Readers who enjoyed Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole or The Postmistress by Sara Blake will also like this novel.

     The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History by Boris Johnson

Accessible and witty, Boris Johnson’s biography The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History, grabs readers’ attention and makes them want to know the details of Winston Churchill’s life!  The setting is 1874-1965 Great Britain, spanning the lifetime of the iconic Winston Churchill and his influence of world affairs.  The author clearly intends to inform readers of the immense breadth and scope of Churchill’s personality and politics to include his staunch conviction to defeat the Nazis through coining the phrase “Iron Curtain.”  Book Readalikes include The Mantle of Command by Nigel Hamilton and Lincoln Unbound: How an Ambitious Young Rail Splitter Saved the American Dream by Richard Lowry.

      The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale is a moving WWII historical fiction novel set in France and told through the perspectives of two courageous sisters.  Their compelling stories are revealed through character narratives as each woman capitalizes on personality strengths to endure the horrific events of war.  Although love stories weave throughout the tale, the action is produced by a society at war and the resistance of the French people to Nazi control.  Dramatic ethical and moral dilemmas, as well as reconciliation within dysfunctional families are also themes.  A title readalike would be All the Light We Cannot See by Anothy Doerr.

Week One

Assignment 1:  I do judge books by their covers!  I knew many more children’s books by just their covers than adult books.


Assignment 2:  Nice covers!  The subgenres of fantasy & science fiction were more difficult for me to figure out.

Assignment 3:  These “Golden Rules of Readers Advisory Services” resonate with me.  The one that stands out to me today is “don’t pigeonhole readers.”  Making quick assumptions about reading preferences can be a detriment.  I use Goodreads.com to keep track of books I’ve read and find it a very handy tool.

Assignment 4:  From the Recommended Links I selected EarlyWord as I am unfamiliar with this resource and I find the the layout of the website attractive.  I’ve selected RT Book Reviews as the genre link I’ll monitor.  Romance is a genre I don’t read, but think it will be fun to explore!

Assignment 5:  Reading "Just for fun," was fun!