Week Three Prompt

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 (#4) in this series is Lunatic Café. I located the title of this book by searching on Goodreads.com. 

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 would suggest you try If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler. According to Reader's Advisor Online, this book has a "well described setting," which might appeal to you. 

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!

If you are looking for a book set in Japan, I would suggest Shinju by Laura Joh Rowland.  This is the first book in the Sano Ichiro series, and one reviewer on Goodreads states that this book has a "description of seventeenth-century Japan that is rich and believable."

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?

If you enjoyed Well-Schooled in Murder, I would suggest The Man With a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes.  Grimes book provides a complex mystery similar to George, but with a bit of humor.  Another option would be another book in the Inspector Lynley series by George, such as A Suitable Vengeance. 

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?

According to Goodreads, a similar book on Zombies would be The Rising by Brian Keene.  This is one of the best selling Zombie novels of all time.  Also, Zombie Fallout by Mark Tufo is listed as a similar read on the Goodreads website. 

Personally, when I want to find a book for myself or a patron, I have a few different ways I locate a new book.  Unfortunately , our library does not have Novelist.  It sounds like a great resource!  When looking for a book for a patron at the library, I first look for options on our OPAC.  Then I go to either Goodreads.com or LibraryThing.com.  I have also used these for myself.  When I am looking for a new book for myself and have lots of time, I like to go to the stacks and browse through the physical books there.  It is nice to have time to spend with the actual book, and maybe read a few pages before picking one to check out. 

Reading Profile

I come from a family of readers and spent much of my free time as a child and teenager reading.  I am glad that I grew up in a house where TV and technology were not as readily available as it is now.  This left more time for exploring the world through the pages of a book!  When I became a mother, I spent hours reading to my children, and continued to enjoy reading as a hobby myself.  Now that my children are a little older,  I am working outside of the home, and am working on a Masters’s degree, it seems my time for reading is pretty much non-existent.  I am thankful for classes, like this one, that require me to read!

Through the years some of my favorite genres have been historical fiction and inspirational fiction.  I have read most everything written by Karen Kingsbury, Melody Carlson, Lauraine Snelling, Lori Wick, Rachel Hauck, and Lynn Austin.  It is so inspiring to read about families that traveled to America in the 1800's and created a home and life from virtually nothing.  I also really enjoy reading books set during World War II.  The Book Thief, My Mother’s Secret, and The Nightingale are among my favorite.  I am currently waiting to read All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

Another genre that I have recently discovered that I enjoy is Woman’s fiction, or “chic Lit.”  Some of my favorite authors are Elin Hilderbrand, Mary Kay Andrews, Liane Moriarty, and Nicholas Sparks. These books are usually light and fun and make for an escape from reality.   Occasionally, I broaden my horizons and read a biography, or a mystery.  Working in a library really helps me see all that is available.  It is a great experience to get engrossed in a book that it unlike what you normally would read.