Week Five Fun!

#1 While following the Romantic Times website I was intrigued reading Romance industry news stories on the Industry Insider about new authors on the scene as well as the increase in novels to be published in the coming year. I was surprised to discover that the Romance category covers all interest areas from paranormal, historical, inspirational, contemporary, suspense to the bodice-ripper books, which seem to be the general impression of the genre. I have also enjoyed reading the RT Daily Blog. 

#2 I am embarrassed to admit that although the NY Times Best Sellers list has been displayed at branches where I have worked, I have never really looked at this resource before the Be More Bookish training. I now make an effort to evaluate this on a weekly basis. The list is a huge help when customers come in confused about a title that they are interested in putting on hold. I am definitely going to continue to monitor this list!

#3 The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson is the second novel in the Shades of London series. Teens are the target audience for this thrilling and suspenseful story about a teenage girl from Texas who has moved to a boarding school in London. Surviving a near death experience gives the heroine an ability to see and communicate with ghosts and she ultimately gets recruited by the “Shades” to help locate and dispatch murderous spirits haunting the city. The Kirkus Review appropriately describes this fast moving and fun novel a “creepy, clever and ambiguous.” I thoroughly enjoyed The Name of the Star last year, which was the first book of this series. By reading Early Word’s “Coming Soon/Season’s Previews” I became alerted to the fact that the sequel was available.

Wonderful Week Four

Recommendation for Rachael:

Hey Girlfriend!  I just finished this novel and LOVED it!  Your reading tastes are totally all over the place, but because of your appreciation of a well written book, you should totally give Little Wolves by Thomas Maltman a go.  It is a wonderful literary work set in a small town in the Midwest where a violent crime takes place leaving a devastated father to try to understand his son's senseless actions and suicide.  It is told with a parallel story of the preacher's wife and her own mysterious back story.  Like I said, AMAZING writing that I know you will appreciate.  Look for a full write up on "Between the Covers" soon!

I enjoyed discovering the “Explore Books” tab and the valuable features therein!   Book giveaways, reviews, and titles that are shooting up the charts make this a valuable resource in keeping in touch with what is hot!

Conversation Suggestions

Conversation 1:   Since this customer requested an idea for her book club, I mentioned the BCPL book club kits that boast popular titles (i.e. her comment “everyone was reading it”) and also comes with a handy discussion guide which would be helpful since the customer would be hosting the next selection.  From the list of possibilities I would recommend The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: a novel [kit] : book club kit / Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows.  This also features a strong female character and journeys to another part of the world for its setting.

Conversation 2:   So many vampire books are written for teens and will tend to revolve around their relationships and love interests.  To find a better fit for this customer I would fall back on my favorite series written by Anne Rice which begins with An Interview with a Vampire.  The in depth description of life as a vampire is the primary focus of the stories, and the captivating and beautiful manner in which they are written are certain to please this customer.

Conversation 3:  The customer enjoyed a real-life survival story and is interested in a similar type of story.  I would not hesitate to recommend The Endurance:  Shackleton’s legendary Antarctic Expedition by Caroline Alexander.  The added bonus to recommending this title is that BCPL also owns a DVD of the same title as well as additional nonfiction materials on different aspects of this amazing adventure.

Recommendations Posting

I posted a couple of recommendations to Melissa G.'s blog.  It was my opinion that The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe and What We Saw at Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard may be of interest considering the stories she had previously enjoyed.  I also plan to put her selections on my Goodreads list!

Week Two Work

“You can kill a person without touching them.”

 Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth is a darkly atmospheric novel set in London in the early 1990s.  The author’s description of frigid winter days, dysfunctional relationships, and deviancy, casts a spell of loneliness and isolation that permeates the story. The discovery of a body in a shallow grave during a ground breaking ceremony lead the main character Lola, and an old acquaintance to flashback to a winter years ago, and their mutual friend’s tragic death.  The pacing of the story is slow and methodical as the reader gradually discovers the truth behind those events.  This is a haunting story with effective characterization that leaves the reader just wanting to enfold Lola in your arms and give her a moment of peace.

 

A Good Old-fashioned Ghost Story

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill is a well written novel that’s creepy setting and old-fashioned use of language will send chills down your spine.  A solicitor must journey to a sparsely populated village in the English countryside to settle an estate.  Residents’ reactions to his destination allude to some past incident no one is willing to discuss with him.  Vivid imagery makes it easy for the reader to feel the ever increasing apprehension of the solicitor.  The sinister feeling of the old house, the apparition of a woman dressed in black, and screams in the night build to a climax that have the main character questioning his own sanity.  This is a ghost story at its best and will guarantee many sleepless nights!