Week 9

Assignment 2
In general I do think that they are somewhat successful. They try to bring out certain characteristics of the books. I would have to say that none of the trailers listed in the Chicago Tribune made me want to pick up the book and start reading it right away. I enjoyed the trailer on The Glass Castle much more because I was able to understand what the book was about and I appreciate her story. I think books like Devotion, by Dani Shapiro, can draw people in if they have had or are going through similar situations.

Assignment 3

All in all, I think it is a decent program. I do think it is a bit drawn out and I couldn't say that my reader's advisory skills have been significantly improved by the Be More Bookish Training. I did appreciate the handful of helpful websites but I feel like they can be located on a branch's FAQ page as a quick resource. 

Week 8

Assignment 3

Memoirs: are mixed in with the Biography section
        Unbroken

History: 300s, 600s, 900s
       A Curious Madness

Sports: 700s, 900s
       Benchwarmer

Travel/ Adventure: 900s
       Eat, Pray, Love



Assignment 4

Eat, Pray, Love

This memoir that highlights the many ups and downs of Gilbert's personal journey to heal her soul. Along the way she meets many different characters that help her find herself through forgiveness and love. There are times where the reader may want to put the book down but Gilbert's style is entertaining and keeps the reader coming back for more. This may be a good book for anyone who is going through a tough time in their life... it may have a positive impact. (:



Unbroken
Hillenbrand's writing seems to be very detailed, deliberate, and packed with meaning. One of the reasons why I enjoyed the book so much is because the story is so much more than war and violence. It is a story about how much a person can endure. Zamperini's story is truly inspiring and is beautiful motivator.

Week 7

Assignment 2

From New Adult I can see how the YA genre is becoming popular with a older age group. This could be for a number of different reasons, one of them being that parents want to see what their children are reading. However there can still be a grey area between being YA crossover literature. Not Just for Teens brought up another factor playing into the YA audience. People that have started reading certain authors works when they first came out (10 years ago or so) are now adults how have just continued reading the author's recent works.


Assignment 3

John Green's Tumblr: This Tumblr account posts about recent stirring issues. It's very down-to-earth and I enjoy scrolling through posts for the day. The account also seems to support controversial issues that seem to be in favor of the Tumblr account users, which is more than likely a younger audience.

Cassandra Clare's Tumblr: This account seems to focus on answering followers' questions related to the series as well as inspirational quotes and pictures of anime. Again, this appears to drawn in a younger audience.

Assignment 4

LB Teens: Seems to focus on adventure and thrilling books and does not seem to highlight many good reads either.

Tor Teen: This site has a generally diverse range of books and a lot of options/ descriptions to scroll through.

Week 6

Assignment 1
I chose Street Fiction because it's one of the most popular genres and customers are always inquiring about what is up and coming. One service that I thought was helpful to authors on streetfiction.org is that they offer advertising for new book releases, including publishing interviews, presentations, and reviews.

Assignment 3
Part One

Wild Frontiers: traditionally action oriented, romance, guns/confrontation, historical scenes/ landmarks, relatively easy reads-

• The Wild Frontier by: K.M Rice
• Audubon; Painter of Birds in the Wild Frontier by: Jennifer Armstrong
• Fighting Indian Warriors by: E.A. Brininstool

Vampires: some level of horror, threatening, misunderstood creatures, elements of good vs. evil-

• Vampire Academy Collection by: Richelle Mead
• Carpe Corpus by: Rachel Caine
• Vampire Knight (vol.8) by: Matsuri Hino

Swords & Sorcery: classic fantasy, adventurous tales, magic, spells, Heroine/ Hero - good vs. evil, mystical creatures

• Harry Potter Series by: J.K. Rowling
• Rappan Athuk Reloaded by: Sword and Sorcery, Necromancer Games
• The Coming of the Light by: J. W. Baccaro

Part Two
Horror-westerns:

• Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West by: Cormac McCarthy
• Perfect Little Town by: Blake Crouch

 

Week 5

Assignment 1
Since I started with Be More Bookish, I have been following NPR & Street Fiction. I have enjoyed browsing  through 'this week's must reads' and listening to interview posts with NPR. I also chose Street Fiction because it's one of the most popular genres and customers are always inquiring about what is up and coming. One service that I thought was helpful to authors on streetfiction.org is that they offer advertising for new book releases, including publishing interviews, presentations, and reviews.


Assignment 2
So I have never used EarlyWord before and as of now I think it's the best thing since sliced bread. There is so much information on the site it's a tad overwhelming. As I am trying to think of what the site doesn't offer I realize that I only know what I know and this will now be a new go-to for me when I am looking for what's new, what's been popular in the past, genres. etc...


Assignment 3
Street Poison: The Biography of Iceberg Slim ByJustin Gifford
I feel his book will be popular because it illuminates the life of one of America's most infamous pimps, Iceberg Slim. The book travels throughout his rough and dangerous life in a straight forward fashion. Customers may be able relate to the character and his background story and how Iceberg Slim, Robert Beck, turned his life around. Gifford is also able to capture Becks lifestyle vividly in his writing.

Week 4

Assignment 1


I have never used Goodreads before now and so far it's been pretty helpful. I enjoy seeing what everyone is reading and scrolling through the ratings to see if a certain book would hold my interest. Goodreads voice is also intriguing because readers are able to see where authors received some of their inspiration to write certain books. The featured lists option is also another great resource when looking for books to recommend customers. However, I am not a fan of the comment feature on Goodreads. Some of the books I recommended if they read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn would maybe recommend Betsy and the Great World & Betsy's Wedding because it carries similar themes of adventure. Also, if you have read Life is Tremendous I would recommend reading University of Success because it continues the themes of achievement and perseverance.

Week 3

Assignment 1

Another article by Neal Wyatt! Yay! The points he makes are clear and concise and make for a good mental checklist when trying to have a good reader's advisory conversation. However, 15 seconds goes by really quickly when you're trying to think of a book they would like, while trying to  remember certain points to mention, while also trying to make the book sound appealing...

Assignment 2

Nancy Pearl's book talks are colorful, concise, and insightful for each of her descriptions. Her way of sharing these books is actively engaging and informative.

Assignment 3

Conversation 1
I would recommend the book Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert. The reader may be interested to see what happened next in the author's life if they enjoyed the book Eat, Pray, Love. Committed seems to carry the same themes of reflection and adventure, which the reader said she enjoyed. Another book that I would suggest is Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Wild was also recommend by Oprah's Book Club which the reader said she enjoyed.
In Oprah's words...“I was on the edge of my seat. . . . It is just a wild ride of a read . . . stimulating, thought-provoking, soul-enhancing.”
—Oprah Winfrey, on Wild, first selection of her Book Club 2.0

Conversation 2
I found this one a bit challenging because I think that any book would be better than the Twilight series and not a ton of information was given otherwise. However, I would maybe recommend the Vampire Chronicles. The series seems like it keeps the reader well entertained with more than just romance but world domination and revenge as well. Additionally, the Chronicles are well written and keep a faster pace then the Twilight series.

Conversation 3
In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides sounds like a book that this reader may enjoy. This is a non-fiction book filled with exploration and adventure that comes highly recommended. Also, the book was written about the same time period as Teddy Roosevelt (mid to late 1800s) which the reader said he enjoyed.