Week 9

Assignment 1:
Read these two articles on book trailers and watch the embedded videos from the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times. Go to You Tube and find some other book trailers and watch a few of the popular ones.

Assignment 2: Post to your blog your opinion about book trailers – do they succeed in marketing the books they are trying to promote? Are they useful for readers’ advisory? 

Do trailers succeed in marketing the books they are trying to promote?
     It depends.  For me, the book has to sound interesting and the author must be likeable.  Gary Shteyngart's "Super Sad True Love Story" trailer did not excite me at all.  I thought the author was very strange and I don't want to read the book.  On the other hand, I once watched Tracy Chevalier being  interviewed about several of her books.  Ms. Chevalier was likeable and interesting but her books (other than Girl With a Pearl Earring, which I've already read) sounded boring to me, so I don't want to read them.  For me, the book trailers have to pass both tests.
     Having said that, I think book trailers can be a  good marketing tool if done well. Since many authors are "snores" (according to one of the articles), then a good interviewer might help stimulate some interest.  I also think it would be necessary for someone to read a passage from the book and show the book cover.  The more creative, the better.  According to the NY Times article, 45% of teenagers bought a book after watching the trailer, so maybe teens would be the best target for trailers.
Are trailers useful for reader's advisory?
     Again, it depends.  I can't really picture showing patrons book trailers when they ask for recommendations, due to the time factor.  If the library had links on its web page to particular book trailers, then patrons may decide to watch them.  For example, if there was a link to the trailer immediately after a book review on the Between the Covers blog, there would be more of a chance that the customer would watch the trailer.  Honestly, I don't think most people really want to spend that much time researching books (just the heavy duty readers).

Assignment 3
Summarize your thoughts about this program in a blog post. What have you learned that was helpful? 
Most of it was helpful to me.  Even though I don't get continuing education credits, (because I'm a part-timer), there is always something new to learn and I want to keep up with all of it!  This assignment helped me to do that. 
     I LOVE the www.earlyword.com  website.  I will try to use that often.  I also learned that even if a patron asks for fiction, you may recommend nonfiction or vice versa.  The other thing I really liked was the chart that showed all of the subgenres.  I really didn't realize that all of those subgenres existed.  Knowing there are special websites and fan clubs for each genre, I will remember to make more use of them for readers who favor a particular genre.  Lastly, I will use my blog as a resource too.

Week 8

Assignment 1: Read the following two articles for an introduction to nonfiction readers’ advisory.

• Borderlands: Crossing between Nonfiction in Readers’ Advisory
• Reading Nonfiction for Pleasure: What Motivates Readers?

Assignment 2: View this E-Learning video produced by the Maryland State Library Resource Center.

Assignment 3: 

Choose any four of the 16 nonfiction genres presented in the video. In what Dewey area(s) did you find narrative nonfiction in these genres? List each of the four genres and their Dewey areas on your blog. Choose one book from each of these four genres that you could recommend to someone who normally reads only fiction. List these titles and their authors.

I have selected, Travel, (900's),  Medical (613 and nearby), Food (641's) and Historical (varies depending upon the time period)  Nonfiction.

Travel:  Undress me in the temple of heaven (Susan Gilman) 915.1 G

Food: Blood, Bones and Butter (Gabrielle Hamilton) 641.5092 H

Medical: Unquiet Mind (Kay Jamison) 616.895J

Historical:  Unbroken: A World War II story of survival, resilience and redemption (BIO Zamperini)

Assigment 4: 
Using appeal factors, write a 1-2 paragraph book talk for two of the four titles you would recommend, noting who you would recommend them to and why. Post these on your blog.
 Unbroken: A World War II story of survival, resilience and redemption

This biography is written by bestselling author Laura Hillenbrand. It is plot based with so much action that it's hard to put down.  Although the beginning is slow moving, the book soon morphs into a very intense World War II suspense story.  There are many people hanging on to their lives in this true story and the author's writing is so descriptive that you feel you are right there with the hero of the story, Louis Zamperini.  He goes from one dangerous adventure to the next, including his plane being shot down, living on a life raft for weeks and ending up in a Japanese POW camp.  It makes you wonder, how can someone survive after going through all of this?  The book answers this question and provides so much detailed information that you can't help getting an education.  This is the type of book that would appeal to both men and women.

Undress me in the Temple of Heaven  For those who are looking for a fun place to travel, this is NOT the book for you!  But if you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary, then read on.  The setting is very different from any place I have ever traveled to.  The author writes about her nightmarish trip to communist China.  Immediately after graduating from college, she embarks on this journey with a college friend, both of them optimistic, idealistic and wide-eyed with curiosity.  Unexpectedly, this trip put the two girls in dangerous, life-threatening situations.  It is fast paced, an easy read yet educational. It is  probably more interesting to those older than 25 years old because the technology that the teenagers have now was not around back then and they may not be able to relate to the helplessness of the girls' situations.