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.