Week Three Prompt

For this assignment, I used Goodreads.com.

1. I am looking for a book by Laurell K. Hamilton. I just read the third book in the Anita Blake series and I can't figure out which one comes next!

• For this search, I typed "Anita Blake" into the search field. I was taken to a page with a list of Laurell K. Hamilton books where I found and clicked on The Lunatic Cafe which is the fourth book of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. All of the books in the series were listed in order.

2. What have I read recently? Well, I just finished this great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. I really liked the way it was written, you know, the way she used language. I wouldn't mind something a bit faster paced though.

• I would suggest the book Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos. It is more fast paced, only involving two main characters, but both Broken For You and Prodigal Summer introduce characters who were leading a solitary life and then their paths intertwine with new people. Broken For You uses vivid language as well that I think the patron would like.

3.  I like reading books set in different countries. I just read one set in China, could you help me find one set in Japan? No, not modern - historical. I like it when the author describes it so much it feels like I was there!

• Historical fiction is one my favorite genres! Although I do not have much knowledge of historical fiction books set in Japan, the one I could think of was Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. From there, I looked at the readalikes, and found Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka. Cloud of Sparrows is the first book of Matsuoka's Samurai series. Sparrows is set in 1861, when Japan begins to open its lands to the West (aka the U.S.). A group of American missionaries travel to Japan to help spread the word of God. 
• Another suggestion is Pearl Harbor and More - Stories of World War II: December 1941 by R.V. Doon, Vanessa Couchman, Alexa Kang, Dianne Ascroft, Margaret Tanner, Marion Kummerow, Robyn Echols, and Robert Kingsley (phew! A bunch of authors). All of the authors have written wartime fiction, and contribute eight stories to this book. Each story tells of different people in different places, both in the U.S. and in Europe, but all on the same day, December 7th, 1941. 

4. I read this great mystery by Elizabeth George called Well-Schooled in Murder and I loved it. Then my dentist said that if I liked mysteries I would probably like John Sanford, but boy was he creepy I couldn't finish it! Do you have any suggestions?

• A Suitable Vengeance by Elizabeth George is the fourth book of the Inspector Lynley series. This book does not relate to the same case subject as the last Elizabeth George book that the patron has read but still follows the same inspector and his partner, forensic scientist Simon Allcourt-St. James. It seems to be written with the same language, and both Lynley and Allcourt-St. James are pursuing a case outside of their jurisdiction, but the case hits very close to home. This time, the case ends up revealing that the killer is in Lynley's family.
• The Man With a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes is also a reading suggestion for this patron. Detective Chief Inspector Richard Jury of Scotland Yard is called in to help with two murders are two different pubs in the area of Long Piddleton. This is book one of the Richard Jury series, similar to George's Inspector Lynley series.

5. My husband has really gotten into zombies lately. He's already read The Walking Dead and World War Z, is there anything else you can recommend?

• The Living Dead is a book that compiles different zombie stories from an array of authors like Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Laurell K. Hamilton, and others. This book brings together zombie literature from the last 30 years. All of the authors are highly praised for books of fantasy, horror, and the zombie apocalypse. 
• A readalike to World War Z, Monster Island by David Wellington is written about the aftermath of the global zombie disaster. Not many humans are left on the Earth, and in New York City, the dead are walking the streets, thirsty for vibrant living things. There is an interesting twist though; Gary Fleck shares the appetite of the mindless zombies but somehow has retained his human intelligence. On the other side of the Earth, young schoolgirl soldiers are heading to the U.S. to find medications for this zombie illness, and will stop at nothing until they reach their destination.

6. I love books that get turned into movies, especially literary ones. Can you recommend some? Nothing too old, maybe just those from the last 5 years or so.

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is one of my favorite books but oddly enough, I have not seen the movie! (Need to get on that) - The main character, Charlie, is trying to come out of his quiet, geeky, and shy shell while going through the trials and tribulations of high school. While trying to becoming more outgoing, he still stands on the sidelines.
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is another suggestion. Also another title I need to read and I need to watch the movie. Nick Dunne's wife Amy disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary and Nick deals with pressure from the police, the media, and Amy's parents, who are all wondering where Amy is and if Nick is suspect in her disappearance and possible death.

7. I love thrillers but hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast paced.

• Just pulling from my own mind, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is a very thrilling book, without sex scenes and little-to-no foul language.
• Out of curiosity, I looked to see what Amazon had to offer, and there is a discussion about "Mystery Thrillers Without Vulgar or Profane Language" and found Cozy Mysteries to be a common suggestion. Going back to Goodreads.com, I searched "cozy mystery" and found a bunch of books such as; Cat Got Your Diamonds by Julie Chase, Jed Had to Die by Tara Sivec,   and First Degree Mudder by Kate E. Dyer-Seeley, just to name a few!

I have been using Goodreads for a while, and I actually had to create a list of books that I have read for another MLIS course. I like the way it offers suggestions for pretty much any book that you search. The list I made helps me keep track of the books I have read, and I can find books that I want to read, too. Unfortunately, I do not have access to Novelist, and I am jealous of those who do! I would have liked to take advantage of the advanced settings on Novelist and be able to dig a little deeper when answering the prompt questions. Occasionally, I use LibraryThing but I don't like the interface as much as I like Goodreads. Another site I use (not listed) is Amazon!

Readers' Profile

Since a young age, I have always had a love for reading. My mother is a librarian at our local university, so I grew up in a library setting. My mom used to take me to ALA conferences where I could join her in the convention center and find books (for free) to take back to the hotel and dive into. Being immersed in the library world helped my love for reading blossom. I mostly like to read science fiction, young adult, realistic fiction, and historical fiction. You could say I love to live in the world of make believe. With the development of technology, I have learned to love reading on my iPad but nothing really compares to having the hard copy of a book in my hands. I like the feel of the pages as I turn them and the weight of the book as I hold it. 

The genres I like to read a pretty spread out. My favorite series is (and will always be) J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. I feel like I was able to grow up with Harry and his friends as they grew up each year and returned to Hogwarts. I also enjoyed reading the Hunger Games series. Hopping to historical fiction, a few years ago I read (and sometimes pick up in my spare time) Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth: a book about a cocky White House staffer named Zach Barrows who gets partnered with secret agent Nathaniel Cade, who is not only an agent, but a vampire, sworn to protect each President of the United States. With the help of a Children's Literature course, I was able to read some more books that I did not even know existed, like The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. Alexander's Crossover is a story about two twin boys who play basketball at their middle school, and the entire story is written with beautiful rhymes that provide vivid imagery for the reader. This was the first book I read that was written in poems only. As you can see, my reading preferences are scattered. 

With the help of this Readers' Advisory class, I hope to broaden my horizons and read genres that I have not read before. I have such a love for fiction but I want to be able to get away from fiction and possibly venture into non-fiction or suspense/thriller books. 

Edit: Since I have picked out my genres for our Reader's Advisory class, I have decided to read some new genres; women's fiction, romance, urban fiction, and romantic suspense. I cannot wait to read some good titles of these genres!