Week Three

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!

• The next book in the series, according to Fantastic Fiction, is The Lunatic Cafe.

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 think you would enjoy The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Sol. It seems that the author has a similar writing style to what you enjoyed, and it looks like the characters may drive the story forward a bit faster in this one.

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!

• A recommendation I have personally read is Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, which is set in Japan and starts in the 1920's. Another recommendation I have is Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, which is praised for its ability to immerse the reader into the historical world.

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 Sandford, but boy was he creepy I couldn't finish it! Do you have any suggestions?

• You might enjoy Still Life by Louise Penny. It has wonderful characters and looks like its based on finding clues and solving the mystery rather than being creepy and unnerving. 

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?

• I would recommend The Rising by Brian Keene. 

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.

•  I would try Wrinkles by Paco Roca or The Martian by Andy Weir.

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

•  I think you would enjoy Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe by Kathy Lynn Emerson. It is described as a cozier mystery, but is paced quickly and focuses on the investigation and who-done-it aspect of the story.

I personally find books mainly through reading review sites like Bookpage and regularly reading paper editions of Library Journal and School Library Journal. I like historical novels, and my interest in different time periods will often prompt me just to search by keyword for whatever I'm interested in at the time.
I look at recommendations of others on Goodreads, as well as look at the books the site itself has recommended for me. Often, I find things I want to read simply by putting away new books at work! Although most of my work is in the Youth Services department, I work about once a week or so on a different floor where YA and adult books are kept, so I get to see a variety of material to add to my list.

Suspense - The Girl on the Train

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Summary:

• Rachel rides the train every day into London. Every day, at one stop, she observes a couple in the backyard and through the windows of their home, noting how very in love they are and craving the same sort of intimacy. She nicknames them Jason and Jess, creating stories for herself about their lives and what kind of people they are. Rachel is divorced, an alcoholic, and very unhappy with her life. But, when she one day sees "Jess" kissing another man from the window of the train, she finds herself in the middle of a terrible situation that also places her face-to-face with her ex-husband, his new family, and the home she was forced to leave behind. Jess is missing, and it may be up to Rachel to help find her- if Rachel can only remember what took place the night it happened. 

 Suspense Characteristics:

• Narrow time frame- the majority the story takes place over a matter of only a couple of months. 
• Flashbacks are shown to give context to current dramatic situations. 
• The reader knows more than the protagonist due to alternating perspectives, creating tension in the protagonist's actions. 
• A sense of uneasiness is present throughout most of the book.
• The reader empathizes with the protagonist. 
• Poor weather sets the tone- rain, storms, or oppressive heat for bad days, and pleasant weather for good memories. 
• There is a strong build-up towards one final confrontation between the protagonist and the fully-revealed antagonist. 
• The story pulls the reader along with short chapters, headed by dates and times of day.

Read-a-likes: 

• The Widow by Fiona Barton
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• The Pocket Wife by Susan Crawford
• Her Every Fear by Peter Barton
• I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Reader's Opinion: 

• Having both read the book and seen the movie for this story, I actually prefer the movie. The book was an interesting read and I can definitely see the appeal for readers- chapters often end on a cliffhanger, then there is a perspective or time shift, and the reader desperately wants to know what happens next. For me personally, I think this effect is well-achieved through film, and I think I prefer to watch my adrenaline-based stories instead of reading them. Overall, it was still a good book and I did actually recommend it to a patron who wanted something exciting and thought-provoking to get herself back into reading. 

Reading Profile

I am a reader that prefers to use reading as a form of travel and escapism, so I usually prefer fantasy books or those set in either historical settings or far in the future. I also enjoy some areas of non-fiction, including history, anthropology, biography, or natural sciences. Occasionally, I will pick up a horror novel, but tend not to like them if they have too much gore. I love novels that have interesting fantasy worlds, altered or accurate historical timelines, or dystopian themes. Character development is one of the most interesting parts of reading for me, so I also love many coming-of-age stories.

Some genres I dislike are most thrillers, romance, westerns, and mysteries. I have a bit of a grudge against best-selling authors that (in my opinion) follow formulas for most of their books and don't come up with much new material. Looking at you, James Patterson (and yes, I did try a book of his and read it to completion! Still not quite for me). While I know that there are thrillers outside of this formula category, the majority that I encountered during my time as a cataloger seemed to fall into it. I enjoy books that have romance or romantic subplots, but I don't like things that I would consider cheesy or overdone. I think I could enjoy a non-traditional western novel, but haven't found one yet that has caught my eye. I can't really say why I don't care for mysteries, but they've never been my cup of tea. 

Outside of genres, I tend to prefer books that focus on strong settings and strong characters. Even if a book is within a genre I enjoy, I don't like it if it is too action focused or if the author tells too much information rather than letting the reader infer things.

As a Youth Services librarian, I try to read a balance of juvenile, YA, and adult books. Some interesting books I've read lately include The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer (juvenile), Heartless by Marissa Meyer (YA), and Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed.

Some of my favorites include:

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (of course)
2. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
3. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
4. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
5. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
6. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
7. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
8. Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly
9. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
10. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card