Week Seven Prompt

I really enjoyed all of this week's readings.  They each discussed a unique issue dealing with various authors, celebrities and publishers in relation to the books they write or enjoy.  Many of these issues, or controversies, were things I personally have not really taken time to think about.  I have considered the influence that Oprah has on a book's popularity once it made her book club list.  She is a very influential woman, and many people respect her choices and opinions.  It was interesting to see how the article broke down the books on her list, and how the book's popularity changed, or wained over time.  Reading about fake memoirs was also enlightening to me.  Sometimes, I think that I must live under a rock, because I did not realize things like this occurred - to that degree.

For this response, however, I would like to discuss the article, "The James Patterson Business."  I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I have not read any books by this author.  However, I am very aware of his popularity.  His books are regularly checked out at my library, and he has a noticeable growing presence in the middle grades section of the youth department.  As someone that also likes to browse book stores, I see his novels taking up a significant amount of shelf space.  Also, he can be seen and heard in many television commercials promoting his books, or perhaps I should say, his brand.

After reading this article, I am more aware of how his name has become a brand.  Patterson does write an amazing amount of books, and it only makes sense that others are helping him accomplish this feat.  While his name is on the book, and the article does allude to the fact that he is involved in the planning and writing of each novel, it is obvious that no one is providing any details as to what extent he is involved in the writing of each book.  I would like to think that he is involved enough that the integrity of the writing matches only his best work.  It would appear that this is the case, since his books continue to fly off the shelves both at the library and at the bookstore.

Patterson has worked hard to accomplish all that he has in the book industry.  This is evident by reading about his life and growth as an author in the article.  He has obviously used his experience and knowledge in marketing to create and develop his brand at a seemingly rapid pace.  Since the writing of this article, he has increased his presence in the middle and younger grades.  I cannot help but think that James Patterson's brand will continue to grow over the next several years. 
 

Mystery Annotation

Author:  Janet Evanovich

Title:  Takedown Twenty

Genre:  Mystery

Publication Date:  2013

Number of Pages:  295

Geographical Setting:  Trenton, New Jersey

Time Period:  Present Day

Series:  Stephanie Plum

Plot Summary:
In Takedown Twenty we find female bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum living and working in Trenton, New Jersey, chasing criminals, trying to decide between two men, and solving the mystery of why a full grown giraffe is running around loose in the city.  All of this is done with a little mystery, a lot of humor and with the help of her sassy friend and partner, Lula.  Stephanie's attempts to find Salvatore "Uncle Sunny" Sunucchi are proving to be more difficult than she anticipated, especially when her boyfriend's grandmother does all she can to throw Stephanie off his trail.  On top of all this, Stephanie finds herself spending many evenings playing Bingo at the senior center, while trying to uncover who is killing little old ladies and throwing them in dumpsters. 

Subject Headings:
Plum, Stephanie--Fictitious Character 
Women bounty hunters--Fiction
Organized crime--New Jersey--Fiction

Appeal:
In this twentieth installment of the Stephanie Plum series, we learn a little more about the main character, and enjoy the funny, yet sassy sidekick's antics as well.  The story is set, once again in Trenton, New Jersey where we learn more about Stephanie's home and the area she lives in.  The mood is both lighthearted and funny, yet at times, serious and suspenseful.  The pacing of the story is quick, yet occasionally descriptive.   

Three terms that describe this book:  Humorous, fast-paced, suspenseful

Similar Authors and Works:
Non-Fiction
Mob - 200 Years of Organized Crime in New York by V. W. Peterson --  This book provides information on the mob, which is a main part of the storyline in Takedown Twenty.

Betrayal, Murder and Greed:  the true story of a bounty hunger and a bail bond agent by Pam Phree and Mike Beakley -- Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter, and much of the story is centered around her line of work.  Those interested in this type of job, might find useful information in this book.

The huntress:  the true saga of Dotti and Brandi Thorson, Modern day bounty hunters by Christopher Keane and Dotti Thorson -- This title offers a look into this area of the criminal justice system, and the inspiring story of two women who have prevailed in a world of men, fighting to the top of a tough and dangerous profession

Fiction
A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (or any book in the Kinsey Millhone series) -- Another mystery book series that includes a female protagonist with her share of problems and fast paced mysteries with plenty of twists and turns.

The Last Word by Lisa Lutz -- This book offers mystery, plot twists, a bit of humor, and drama created by working with family, all things found in Evanovich's book as well.

Body Movers by Stephanie Bond -- Similar to Takedown Twenty, this book provides mystery, suspense and humor. 

Any other book in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich

Week Six Prompt

A fairly popular genres at my local public library would be gentle reads.  However, I have noticed that many patrons tend to read several books by the same author.  I wanted to come up with an idea to promote not only this genre, but also to promote a variety of authors that write this genre.  This would help our patrons continue to read the genre they enjoy, but also introduce them to new authors.  I would also hope to introduce this genre to patrons that don't usually read gentle reads, as well. 

In order to promote gentle reads, I would create a display.  A few weeks before assembling the display, I would ask some of the library staff to read a book in this genre and to write a short review on the book - a brief synopsis and what they liked about the book.  I would display the book, the review and a few other titles by the same author for each staff's top pick for this genre. 

Kirkus Style Review

Winter Street
by Elin Hilderbrand

The island of Nantucket is looking forward to the annual Christmas party at Winter Street Inn, but plans change when Mitzi, the wife of Inn owner Kelly Quinn, runs off with Santa Claus.

The story centers around Winter Street Inn where owner Kelly Quinn and his family reside.  We meet his three children from a previous marriage to successful journalist Margaret Quinn.  Their daughter Ava is a school teacher with a boyfriend that pays her little attention, but a fellow co-worker, Scott, would love to spend more time getting to know her.  Son, Kevin works as a bartender and is secretly dating Isabelle, the Inn's manager and cook.  And then there is Patrick, who has recently pushed the limits in his investment job and now the feds are involved. Adding to the family drama is Bart, Kelly and Mitzi’s only child, who grew up spoiled and led a carefree life until he surprised everyone by joining the Marines.  He is currently stationed in Afghanistan and lack of communication with him has everyone a little bit on edge.  Christmas Eve starts off with a shock when Mitzi announces that she is in love with the Inn's Santa Claus, with whom she has been secretly having an affair for the past twelve years.  This story offers lots of seasonal sights and sounds, and is quite the page turner, however at times the chapters jump a little too quickly from one person to the next, and not a lot of character development takes place.  You want to root for each member of the family, and hope that they will enjoy a peaceful Christmas together, but the story ends abruptly and your left thinking, "what just happened?" 

This Christmas tale offers a lot of festive holiday spirit and family drama, in a somewhat choppy predictable read.

Week Five Prompt

Ebook only romantic suspense novel
I found it interesting that both reviewers had similar thoughts on the book.  After reading the description and reviews, my first thought was that the novel sounds like a Hallmark Christmas movie.  I don't know that I see an Amazon review as reliable.  It is nearly impossible to know who is writing the review and what their motivation is.  A review on a blog seems a bit more reliable if it is obvious that the blogger is a regular reviewer.  I do not think that The Billionaire's First Christmas is a romantic suspense novel.  It does not appear that the main female character in this story feels threatened, nor did either review mention anything suspenseful.  Based on the description, It is obviously a romance. If the romance genre was popular at my library, I would probably purchase this book.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
By reading the various reviews of this memoir, you really get a sense of what the book is about. It sounds like a very interesting story.  While the reviews all described the basic storyline, some provide different perspectives, or share different aspects of the book than others.  I feel that by reading the reviews a librarian can get a sense of what a poignant book this is. This book would be added to the collection based on the reviews available.

Reviewed books vs. non-reviewed books
It probably is not fair that some books are reviewed more than others. I think that a library would typically have more reviewed books than non reviewed books simply because the reviewed books are typically more prevalent and available.  At the library where I work, each book selected for purchase must have a review connected with it.  For this reason, I think it would be hard to get a non-reviewed book added to our collection.   I enjoy reading reviews.  I find it very helpful in making collection decisions.  This goes for both negative and positive reviews.  A negative review can be useful, as it can point out the weaker aspects of the book.  Some of my favorite sources are Kirkus, Library Journal, and Horn Book (for young adult). 

Romantic Suspense Annotation

Deadline by Sandra Brown

Author:  Sandra Brown

Title:  Deadline

Genre:  Romantic Suspense

Publication Date:  September 2013

Number of Pages:  416

Geographical Setting:  Savannah, Georgia

Time Period:  Current/Present day

Plot Summary:
Journalist, Dawson Scott has recently returned from Afghanistan, where he spent time reporting for a national news magazine. He continues to suffer from battle fatigue which affects every aspect of his life. Dawson gets a call from his godfather, who is an FBI agent, concerning a new development that has come about concerning the disappearance and presumed murder of former Marine Jeremy Wesson, the biological son of a pair of terrorists who remain on the FBI's Most Wanted list.  It could be the big story of Dawson's career. Dawson travels to Savannah, Georgia to begin covering the case and soon finds himself developing feelings for Wesson's ex-wife, Amelia, and her two young sons. The case takes a stunning new turn, when Amelia's nanny is found dead behind a local bar, with Dawson himself becoming a suspect. Haunted by his own demons, Dawson takes up the chase for the notorious outlaws, and discovers the surprising truth about himself.

Subject Headings:
Murder investigation
Family secrets
Women novelists

Appeal:
This book is fast paced, action packed and is written from the main (male) character's point of view.  The tone of the book is uneasy and suspenseful.  The dialogue is quick yet somewhat descriptive and contains some explicit language as well as a few romantic scenes.     

3 Terms that describe book:  Fast paced, suspenseful, emotional

Similar Authors and Works
Non-fiction:
Enemies: a History of the FBI by Tim Weiner -- Enemies is the story of how presidents have used the FBI to conduct political warfare, and how the Bureau became the most powerful intelligence service the United States possesses.  This book might be of interest to those intrigued by the FBI aspect of Sandra Brown's Deadline.

The FBI: a History by Rhodri Jeffreys Jones -- Jeffreys-Jones, a well-known expert on U.S. intelligence agencies, tells the bureaus story in the context of American history.  Another book that offers information and insight on the FBI and it's history.

The PTSD Breakthrough:  The Revolutionary, Science-Based Compass Reset Program by Dr. Frank Lawlis -- Dr. Lawlis' book offers new hope for PTSD sufferers and their families with approaches that can be used at home where the real problems occur and persist.  PTSD was a theme and major factor in Deadline and readers may be interested in this disorder and strategies to help those dealing with PTSD. 

Fiction:
Dangerous refuge by Elizabeth Lowell -- An Environmental conservancy advocate, Shaye, and Tanner, a cop work together to uncover the truth behind his uncle's death. Shaye becomes a killer's target and Tanner realizes he'd give up anything to protect her.  Murder, suspense, romance, and a strong female character - all similarities qualities of Sandra Brown's Deadline.

Risky business by Nora Roberts --  This book offers suspense, romance, and lots of action.  Business owner, Liz Palmer discovers the body of her newest employee, and finds herself the target for murder as well.  Jonas, the dead man's brother involves her in his intent to discover more about the murder and they both are drawn into a dangerous criminal underworld.

Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson -- This story involves an FBI agent, criminal investigation, love interest and secrets, all similar themes in Sandra Brown's Deadline.

Secret Shopper

I found myself both nervous and excited to complete this assignment.  I was nervous, because it is totally out of character for me to ask for help at a library (or a store for that matter).  I tend to like to figure things out myself and not bother those working.  I realize this is a little strange, because at the library where I work, I love to help our patrons, and assist them in finding the resources that they want or need.  I was excited because I chose to visit a library in a neighboring county tat I had not had the chance to visit, and had been wanting to explore their facilities.

Once inside the front door, I found myself immediately at the circulation desk. There were two staff members on duty to assist patrons.  Both of the librarians were busy at the time, so I chose to look around the library for a few minutes before seeking assistance from them.     

After spending some time exploring the library, I walked up to the circulation desk and said “hello” to the staff member there.  She was busy on computer, and waited a full 30 seconds to acknowledge me.  I was starting to think this was not a good sign.  When she did look up and acknowledge me, she asked if I needed something.  I asked her if she could help me find a book.  She then asked what I was looking for.  I explained that I enjoy reading historical fiction, but was looking for a new author to read.  She promptly returned to her computer.  I was not sure what she was doing, nor did she ask me any further questions.  I guess at this point I could not stand the quiet so I told her a few authors that I have enjoyed reading – Lauraine Snelling, Tracey Peterson, and Lynn Austin, but that I have already read most of the books by these authors that are currently available at the library.  The librarian continued to do something on her computer, which I assumed involved a search.    Finally, she told me that she looked up historical fiction and “pioneer” on the libraries online catalog and found several books that might be of interest. She still did not ask me any questions, nor did she tell me the names of any of the authors she located while completing her search.  The librarian simply suggested that I go to one of their computers and do the same.  She informed me that she only reads non-fiction, so she doesn’t have much knowledge about historical fiction. 

I asked her what search terms she used to locate historical fiction books for me.  She explained how she completed her search and provided the search terms for me.  I wanted to try and get a little more out of this experience, so I went on to ask her about non-fictions books, since she indicated that she has more experience with reading this genre.  I told her that I enjoy books about World War II and might be interested in reading something about this time in history.  She consulted the online catalog once again, and then offered that they had several books on World War II available and that I should look in the non-fiction section of the library in the 940’s.  This was not the help I was hoping for.   

This pretty much sums up my experience with this librarian.  I would not say that she was overly happy to help me.  She seemed a little nervous throughout the whole experience.  There was no interview, and very few questions were asked concerning my interests in a book.  I do not believe that this staff member has had much readers’ advisory training.  Perhaps she is fairly new to the job and is still learning about this area of librarianship?

I would say that this was very much a learning experience for me.  It helped me realize the importance of asking the right questions, and going through the interview process in order to help the patron and to make the experience a good one for all involved.  I believe as librarians, we want the community to value the library. Having knowledgeable and friendly staff members is an important part of the relationship.  Having this experience as a student, I felt bad for the librarian I encountered.  I wanted to help her, and I guess I did that a little by offering information for which she did not ask.  However, if I was a regular patron coming in with a real need, I don’t think that I would be impressed with simply being told to look up the information myself on the OPAC.