Week 7

Assignment 1:  Take a look at the “What to Read Next” flowchart from the Lawrence Public Library.

http://www.lawrence.lib.ks.us/2012/10/still-hungry-for-more-books-like-the-hunger-games/
I loved this chart.  I copied the link so I can find it again for readers advisory purposes.  It is amazing how many changes I've seen in YA books since I've started working here 20 years ago.  I remember reading books like Pigman and The Face on the Milk Carton.  My favorite book as a teen was Flowers for Algernon.  I loved and still LOVE realistic fiction.  But now, because of the big surge in dystopian societies, I'm getting sucked into the fantasy books too.  I am really developing an appreciation for them.  I like how this chart breaks the genre into categories.  I wish the branch had a hard copy of this for reader's advisory purposes.

Assignment 2:  I read New Adult: Needless Marketing-Speak Or Valued Subgenre? Publisher’s Weekly, Dec 14, 2012
and Who is Buying Teen Books? Christian Science Monitor Sep 14, 2012

Comments on the first article: I definitely think there is a need for the category of "New Adult" books.  I'm just not sure if we need to separate these out for the customers.  If we put new adult books in one section, should there be another section of "Senior adult" books that  are for age 65 and over?  And then what about middle age adults?  How far should we take this?  Personally, I usually read the description on the back of the book to see if it interests me, and that's really enough.  Even though I'm in my 50's, I still like Chick Lit and I loved reading Confessions of a Shopaholic by Kinsella.  But maybe a "new adult" may not be interested in reading "At Home in Mitford" by Jan Karon, but she can decide that based on the description on the back of the book.  I don't think it has to be a separate section in the library or the bookstore.  I DO think there is a need for more of those books, partly based on the reading habits of my teenage daughter.  She does not want to read YA books, possibly because of the label, maybe due to content.  She tends to read books about people who are older than teenagers and I have seen her read books that would possibly fit into this new category.

Comments on the second article:  I have to admit I was a bit surprised when I read that the largest group of readers purchasing titles labeled "young adult" are actually 30 to 44 years old.  The first time I realized that adults are reading teen books was when a woman in my book club (at home) selected Twilight for all of us to read.  I was not impressed with that book and didn't understand the big fuss; however, when I read the Hunger Games, I absolutely loved it and now understand why some adults read teen books (other than because they have to for work).  No wonder these books are such big hits -- they are action packed, creative and have great characters.  One of the reasons, I believe, that adults love these books, is because they can remember their adolescent years as if it were yesterday.  Some of the strongest feelings come from those years and we can really relate to the angst that these characters experience.

I posted comments on the blogs of Lori H. and Christina M.

Assignment 3:  Choose any two of the following blogs/websites. Follow them for a week. Post comments to your blog regarding who is writing it, who is the intended audience, is it successful, etc.
I looked at the two Tumblr blogs and the School Library Journal blog.

I didn't care for either of the Tumblr blogs.  They seem geared toward teens.  They were confusing to me -- and the short blurbs did not interest me -- they jumped too quickly from one subject to another. 
I liked the SLJ blog called One Day My Printz Will Come.  I had no idea that a non-fiction book could win the Printz award!  I like the long list of great YA books that this blog provides. This is a great place to start if someone wants the titles of some excellent YA books, but doesn't know the genre that well.

Assignment 4:  Choose any two of the following teen imprints and spend some time on their websites. Blog about any trends you find in either current or forthcoming teen fiction.
I looked at Little Brown and Random House.
The newest teen books seem to have one or all of these elements: Love relationship, super-powers, a rebellion or rivalry between opposing powers, or exotic settings. There is still a lot of realistic fiction dealing with topics such as friendship, family, divorce and death.  I think it would be great if these websites could include some quotes or first pages from the book.  Honestly, that's the only way I can tell if I will like it.  I went to Amazon and looked up Struck by Lightening by Chris Colfer and I was very impressed.  The description alone doesn't do much for me.

Week 6

Assignment 1:  Blog post about RT, the genre that I'm following.  This is a very current website  -- it is updated all the time.  I noticed that the patrons at one of the branches where I work part -time LOVE romance books.  I was going to merchandize a few new ones and I looked on this website to see what new books I could merchandize but they were all checked out!  I guess the customers beat me to it.

Assignment 2:  Explore Prezi link.  This was a great chart that lists subgenres of several types of fiction.  I have always thought that I have read many different types of fiction but there are so many that I haven't tried yet!

Assignment 3: Pick 3 subgenres.  Fantasy/ Epic    Mystery/Foreign intrigue   Adventure/Disaster
Find a fan website for each subgenre.
1)FANTASY/EPIC  www.fantasy-fan.org (googled epic fantasy book fans)
This might sound obvious, but I think that what excites fantasy readers is the idea of being removed from this world and taken into a completely new world. It's like escaping to a new, exciting place.
Title: A Dance with Dragons (Martin)
The appeal of this is that it is action packed and has a hero that faces many obstacles in this imaginary world.
2) MYSTERY/FOREIGN INTRIGUE  www.booksinc.net (googled Mystery book lovers foreign intrigue) The fans of this subgenre seem to love the idea of trying to predict what happens at the end.  They love the foreshadowing aspect and love the hints they are given so they can try and solve the mystery.
Title: Hotel Bosphorous (Aykol)  Appeal factors:  Funny, feisty heroine,  very suspenseful, exotic setting - Istanbul.
3) ADVENTURE/DISASTER  It was impossible to find a fan club for this subgenre.   I googled "disaster novels" and then fiction books about disasters for adults and tried many other searches too.  I ended up with reading lists on Amazon, Goodreads and The Library thing, which listed tons of older books but not many current ones.  This is not such a popular genre.
This genre overlaps with horror and science so I got a lot of titles from all of these genres.  The fans seem to enjoy reading about "What if?" and about people being wiped out by disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, comets, floods, nuclear accidents, etc... yet the heroes somehow manage to survive.  I don't read these books but I saw the movie "Airport" a long time ago and this is what it reminds me of.
Title:  Lucifer's Hammer by Niven  The appeal here is the struggle for survival -- beating the odds.

Mashups: Two titles which could cross over into another subgenre.  The first book, Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, takes place after the main character dies, so obviously this is fantasy; however most of the interactions and plot, once in heaven, are completely realistic; there is no magic, there are no strange creatures; just humans who communicate by talking to each other.  So this is a mix between fantasy and realistic fiction.  Another book, State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett, is also a mashup of realistic and fantasty.  The characters are extremely believable, and very well developed; but there is a special tree in this book, in the Amazon rainforest, whose bark, when eaten, helps women conceive.  That is really the only fantasy but the whole book is built around this notion.