Book trailers are an odd thing.
I love trailers for movies. Though they often leave you wondering if all the good moments of a movie are in the trailer, you'd never have to worry about that with a book. There are no scenes for them to show. As some people have noted, books are like movies that you get to direct, cast, star in, and produce by yourself. No need to bother with someone else making you think it is supposed to look at certain way.
That is something that is important for people to remember about books and book trailers. You don't necessarily want to lead readers to think about it a certain way until after they've already started reading. Coloring their opinions of the books before you even start reading it is sure to turn some people off. I think that is where book trailers fail.
But with that in mind, having a big name individual, a movie star or a singer, as the advertising force can be a way to drum up more readers. If this person supports it, I'm sure to like it! Though that person is only doing what they're supposed to so they can get a check. Not many people think about that bit.
On a readers advisory level, sometimes these trailers are effective, sometimes they're not. It all depends on how many or what kind of appeal factors are used in the trailer. If it is a character in the book describing their life within it or telling a small plot summary, it might be effective. Vague generalities about the whole genre in relation to a specific book, not so effective.
Over all, I think book trailers are a big mixed bag. Some of them are good. I want to see what the book Matched is all about now that I've seen the trailer. And I wanted to read Packing for Mars before, but seeing the trailer makes me want to read it even more. But I still have no interest in those James Patterson books. Those trailers did not make me want to read them any more than I did before.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Penpenultimate
Week nine! The last week! Ahhhh!
Both the articles had some interesting things to say about book trailers. For my money, I have seen them very rarely. Usually they're on on daytime TV and I don't watch that much due to work. In any case, the ones I've seen have not been all that spectacular.
Nina Metz brings up a good point regarding the low budget and resulting low production value for many of these book trailers when that really doesn't need to be the case. Have you seen The Hunger Games? Did you actually enjoy that movie? Well try reading the book. It came first, you might like it better. This is the sort of thing book trailers so play on.
Pamela Paul, on the other hand, notes some of the more successful book trailers and how they utilize real life as a way to make them effective. Maybe book trailers would be better for nonfiction subjects. Cable TV channels like science channel and National Geographic could certainly market some of their own books using trailers as their commercials. It would probably work, too..
Both the articles had some interesting things to say about book trailers. For my money, I have seen them very rarely. Usually they're on on daytime TV and I don't watch that much due to work. In any case, the ones I've seen have not been all that spectacular.
Nina Metz brings up a good point regarding the low budget and resulting low production value for many of these book trailers when that really doesn't need to be the case. Have you seen The Hunger Games? Did you actually enjoy that movie? Well try reading the book. It came first, you might like it better. This is the sort of thing book trailers so play on.
Pamela Paul, on the other hand, notes some of the more successful book trailers and how they utilize real life as a way to make them effective. Maybe book trailers would be better for nonfiction subjects. Cable TV channels like science channel and National Geographic could certainly market some of their own books using trailers as their commercials. It would probably work, too..
– – – • • • • • • –
Time for some book talks!
Fifty Shades of Chicken is a delightfully humorous cookbook. Did you like the steamy action of Fifty Shades of Grey? Do you like to eat good chicken? Well look no further! This book combines the steaminess of one of the most popular book series in recent memory with the technical skills of cooking a whole bird. Author F.L. Fowler, which I'm assuming is a pseudonym, takes the recipes for various forms of cooked chicken and gives them creatively suggestive titles as well as introducing them with passages of a saucy romance between a chef and their chicken. Clearly designed as a parody, this book is a frantically fun way of making chicken all while enjoying the suggestive nature of romance books.
There are fewer and fewer people who realize that the White House as it exists today was not the one that John Adams first moved into in November of 1800. Not only was the house burned down during the War of 1812 and subsequently rebuilt but new additions were put on in later years. All of this led to the house being in generally poor condition by the time Harry Truman moved in 1945. Robert Klara's book The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America's Most Famous Residence examines what happened after Truman moved in.
Famous for the fact that it is the President's residence, the house was in such bad repair that the Trumans had to move out for several years while it was rebuilt. The inside of the house was completely torn out. All that remained were the famous outer walls, a husk of the building. Steel was added, as was concrete, and the house grew inside while the outside remained unchanged. Along the way various strong personalities, not least of which was Harry Truman's, butted heads to get the job done. In the end, they rebuilt the most famous house in the nation to withstand many more years to come.
Fifty Shades of Chicken is a delightfully humorous cookbook. Did you like the steamy action of Fifty Shades of Grey? Do you like to eat good chicken? Well look no further! This book combines the steaminess of one of the most popular book series in recent memory with the technical skills of cooking a whole bird. Author F.L. Fowler, which I'm assuming is a pseudonym, takes the recipes for various forms of cooked chicken and gives them creatively suggestive titles as well as introducing them with passages of a saucy romance between a chef and their chicken. Clearly designed as a parody, this book is a frantically fun way of making chicken all while enjoying the suggestive nature of romance books.
There are fewer and fewer people who realize that the White House as it exists today was not the one that John Adams first moved into in November of 1800. Not only was the house burned down during the War of 1812 and subsequently rebuilt but new additions were put on in later years. All of this led to the house being in generally poor condition by the time Harry Truman moved in 1945. Robert Klara's book The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America's Most Famous Residence examines what happened after Truman moved in.
Famous for the fact that it is the President's residence, the house was in such bad repair that the Trumans had to move out for several years while it was rebuilt. The inside of the house was completely torn out. All that remained were the famous outer walls, a husk of the building. Steel was added, as was concrete, and the house grew inside while the outside remained unchanged. Along the way various strong personalities, not least of which was Harry Truman's, butted heads to get the job done. In the end, they rebuilt the most famous house in the nation to withstand many more years to come.
– – – • • • • • – –
The histories are usually in the 900s. Some of my favorites. I usually like the 940s, WWII. So good.
One of the history books I've been reading recently that I greatly enjoyed was The Hidden White House by Robert Klara (975.3 K). I think it would appeal greatly to a non-fiction reader.
Food! I love food! 640s! 641 in particular. For this category, I'd recommend the parody cookbook Fifty Shades of Chicken by F.L. Fowler (pseudonym?), 641.665 F.
What's next...
Biographies are often good and have their own section: the Bios! What would be a good bio to recommend...? How about The Other Wes Moore? A biography of discovery involving two men with the same name who grew up into vastly different people while only living a block apart.
Travel! Usually the early 900s. I think Alone in Antarctica by Felicity Aston (919.89 A) would be a good choice for anyone who reads fiction.
One of the history books I've been reading recently that I greatly enjoyed was The Hidden White House by Robert Klara (975.3 K). I think it would appeal greatly to a non-fiction reader.
Food! I love food! 640s! 641 in particular. For this category, I'd recommend the parody cookbook Fifty Shades of Chicken by F.L. Fowler (pseudonym?), 641.665 F.
What's next...
Biographies are often good and have their own section: the Bios! What would be a good bio to recommend...? How about The Other Wes Moore? A biography of discovery involving two men with the same name who grew up into vastly different people while only living a block apart.
Travel! Usually the early 900s. I think Alone in Antarctica by Felicity Aston (919.89 A) would be a good choice for anyone who reads fiction.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
– – – • • • • – – –
Here are the topics covered by the video. Ah SLRC, how useful you are!
Biography
Memoir
History
Contemporary social issues
Politics
Science
Essays
Sports
Travel
Food
Crime
Faith
Overcoming adversity
Adventure
Disaster/survival
Medical
Biography
Memoir
History
Contemporary social issues
Politics
Science
Essays
Sports
Travel
Food
Crime
Faith
Overcoming adversity
Adventure
Disaster/survival
Medical
– – – • • • – – – –
I don't really know what to write for this. There probably isn't anything that actually needs to be written, but I like writing one for every assignment.
I liked reading these articles. They reminded me that some people may not think that nonfiction is worth reading, but there's a nonfiction book out there for everyone, much like there is a fiction book for everyone.
You like historical fiction? Try a history book and get a real story.
Enjoy a romance, try someone's biography or a memoir.
I liked reading these articles. They reminded me that some people may not think that nonfiction is worth reading, but there's a nonfiction book out there for everyone, much like there is a fiction book for everyone.
You like historical fiction? Try a history book and get a real story.
Enjoy a romance, try someone's biography or a memoir.
7, 4, 0
Teens at Random. That is a great name of a website!
Of course, it is called that due to being presented by Random House. But still. Made me chuckle.
First off the bat, I'm not that impressed by the way the site looks. It reminds me of some of those early 90s websites. But, I will note, those early 90s websites were very easy to navigate. Maybe that is their intention? I guess I'll find out.
Huh. Is Eragon still a thing? I thought that was over.
Love, Stargirl!?! Wow. Now I am feeling old. I'm pretty sure I read that in middle school. About 10 years ago.
Oh. That explains it. I think this site hasn't been updated since 2012. The most recent year in the date-of-birth selector is 2007. Meaning they're targeting 8 and up? I guess.
I guess they must still be updating it. Some of the popular post-apocalyptic wasteland movie tie-in books are on there. Most notably The Scorch Trials.
I got to say. Not impressed by this site. It reminds me of something from my childhood for good reason. Would not recommend.
3/10
Harlequin Teen? That sounds...dangerous.
I've never given much thought to teen romance.
I guess it would probably have less...raunchy writing.
Okay, so right off the bat it turns out that Harlequin doesn't do just romance. I never thought about that either. I guess it makes sense though. A publisher should diversify their holdings.
There are plenty of books here that look to inhabit the current grunge sort of look. Lots of grey metallics and filigree.
This is definitely a more simplistic way of viewing the teens materials. Just a straight up listing. No search function within the teen overworld, but that' okay. It might take you a while to find what you're looking for. But! It shows everything. All subgenres are intermingled. You might find something else you like on the way to the book you're actually looking for. Not bad.
7/10
Of course, it is called that due to being presented by Random House. But still. Made me chuckle.
First off the bat, I'm not that impressed by the way the site looks. It reminds me of some of those early 90s websites. But, I will note, those early 90s websites were very easy to navigate. Maybe that is their intention? I guess I'll find out.
Huh. Is Eragon still a thing? I thought that was over.
Love, Stargirl!?! Wow. Now I am feeling old. I'm pretty sure I read that in middle school. About 10 years ago.
Oh. That explains it. I think this site hasn't been updated since 2012. The most recent year in the date-of-birth selector is 2007. Meaning they're targeting 8 and up? I guess.
I guess they must still be updating it. Some of the popular post-apocalyptic wasteland movie tie-in books are on there. Most notably The Scorch Trials.
I got to say. Not impressed by this site. It reminds me of something from my childhood for good reason. Would not recommend.
3/10
Harlequin Teen? That sounds...dangerous.
I've never given much thought to teen romance.
I guess it would probably have less...raunchy writing.
Okay, so right off the bat it turns out that Harlequin doesn't do just romance. I never thought about that either. I guess it makes sense though. A publisher should diversify their holdings.
There are plenty of books here that look to inhabit the current grunge sort of look. Lots of grey metallics and filigree.
This is definitely a more simplistic way of viewing the teens materials. Just a straight up listing. No search function within the teen overworld, but that' okay. It might take you a while to find what you're looking for. But! It shows everything. All subgenres are intermingled. You might find something else you like on the way to the book you're actually looking for. Not bad.
7/10
7, 3, 0
John Green has long been one of my favorite...presenters. I guess that's the right way to put it. He delves into the interesting in the world around and presents his findings in a clear and concise manner.
I think his intended audience is everyone. That seems very general and vague but it is also accurate. He wants everyone to know the benefits of what he knows. He likes to share his knowledge. He is, in a sense, the opposite of a patent: he lets his knowledge go freely, while the patent holder keeps the knowledge to themselves. An odd way of thinking about it, I know....
Due to the very simply stated way he presents thing, I would say that John Green is quite successful in relaying information that he feels is important for everyone to know. His segment on how healthcare costs work was very elucidating, as was his presentation on why you shouldn't by mac and cheese from Wal-mart. He gets the point across and makes you eager to know more.
Ah! Shannon Hale's blog is so good! It is funny and it is well written. I should expect nothing less from a New York Times best selling author.
She likes to dig into the gender role issue fairly deeply. I'm working very hard here to try and describe this whole blog without sounding...mean. I don't know. It is hard to describe. Gender issues are real and big and I'm certainly not of the opinion that a woman can't do anything I can do. Heck, they can do a whole lot more than I can. And they deserve a lot of credit for it. But I feel like that is the issue. No one should have to be saying "they deserve a lot of credit." It should be implied. And I think Shannon Hale is of that same thought.
Who is this blog targeted towards? It looks like it can be read by most anyone, but I get the impression that teachers and female writer are the primary targeted audience. There are discussions about how to treat a visiting author. There is talk about how to ensure that your child audience listens to what you are saying without being rude. There is a lot about being a working mom.
I think this blog is very successful in connecting with audiences. It is easy to read. It is witty. It touches on hot topics and makes sure that you know it is okay to think about these things. It is, overall, a very good read. I may have to follow it more.
I think his intended audience is everyone. That seems very general and vague but it is also accurate. He wants everyone to know the benefits of what he knows. He likes to share his knowledge. He is, in a sense, the opposite of a patent: he lets his knowledge go freely, while the patent holder keeps the knowledge to themselves. An odd way of thinking about it, I know....
Due to the very simply stated way he presents thing, I would say that John Green is quite successful in relaying information that he feels is important for everyone to know. His segment on how healthcare costs work was very elucidating, as was his presentation on why you shouldn't by mac and cheese from Wal-mart. He gets the point across and makes you eager to know more.
Ah! Shannon Hale's blog is so good! It is funny and it is well written. I should expect nothing less from a New York Times best selling author.
She likes to dig into the gender role issue fairly deeply. I'm working very hard here to try and describe this whole blog without sounding...mean. I don't know. It is hard to describe. Gender issues are real and big and I'm certainly not of the opinion that a woman can't do anything I can do. Heck, they can do a whole lot more than I can. And they deserve a lot of credit for it. But I feel like that is the issue. No one should have to be saying "they deserve a lot of credit." It should be implied. And I think Shannon Hale is of that same thought.
Who is this blog targeted towards? It looks like it can be read by most anyone, but I get the impression that teachers and female writer are the primary targeted audience. There are discussions about how to treat a visiting author. There is talk about how to ensure that your child audience listens to what you are saying without being rude. There is a lot about being a working mom.
I think this blog is very successful in connecting with audiences. It is easy to read. It is witty. It touches on hot topics and makes sure that you know it is okay to think about these things. It is, overall, a very good read. I may have to follow it more.
7, 2, 0
Meg Wolitzer's article on how it is not just teens reading teen books certainly reminded me of a certain book that was very popular amongst all the age ranges recently.
When I was working on the bookmobile, one of the most popular books for a while among the older segments of our customers was The Book Thief. In BCPL's collection, this item is a Teen novel. However, it was turned into a movie and like most books that were turned into movies, the popularity of the book skyrocketed across all age groups.
Wolitzer mentions another popular book, The Fault in Our Stars, which is also targeted toward teens when mentioning that a great deal of the appeal of these books is how tender they treat the characters portrayed. Having your heart broken when the person you love dies of cancer while you yourself are also dying of cancer is not an experience everyone has. But through these books, we can experience all the tender and heartbreaking moments.
Wolitzer's final comments are the mantra I follow when I'm reading a book: I don't care who it is written for, but if I get engrossed in it, why should I care?
Rachel Deahl correctly notes in her article that the term "young adult," especially when applied to reading audiences, is a very fluid term. While individuals may grow older, often their tastes do not change. They like what they like. It is possible that someone may grow into new literature, but that works both ways as many older individuals happily read works that were intended for younger audiences.
Deahl is against the term "new adult," however, and feels that it is the product of marketing departments. Is it necessary to separate "young adult" and "new adult" books? Unlikely. There is no need to further divide audiences as they read almost anything they want these days.
When I was working on the bookmobile, one of the most popular books for a while among the older segments of our customers was The Book Thief. In BCPL's collection, this item is a Teen novel. However, it was turned into a movie and like most books that were turned into movies, the popularity of the book skyrocketed across all age groups.
Wolitzer mentions another popular book, The Fault in Our Stars, which is also targeted toward teens when mentioning that a great deal of the appeal of these books is how tender they treat the characters portrayed. Having your heart broken when the person you love dies of cancer while you yourself are also dying of cancer is not an experience everyone has. But through these books, we can experience all the tender and heartbreaking moments.
Wolitzer's final comments are the mantra I follow when I'm reading a book: I don't care who it is written for, but if I get engrossed in it, why should I care?
Rachel Deahl correctly notes in her article that the term "young adult," especially when applied to reading audiences, is a very fluid term. While individuals may grow older, often their tastes do not change. They like what they like. It is possible that someone may grow into new literature, but that works both ways as many older individuals happily read works that were intended for younger audiences.
Deahl is against the term "new adult," however, and feels that it is the product of marketing departments. Is it necessary to separate "young adult" and "new adult" books? Unlikely. There is no need to further divide audiences as they read almost anything they want these days.
7, 1, 0
I love this what to read next flow chart. It is so handy. It actually introduced me to some new books I hadn't know were out there but are really cool looking. Some of these titles include:
America Pacifica: Ice Age disaster book? Neeeeeeat!
For Darkness Shows the Stars: Jane Austen sci-fi. What the what?!?
Across the Universe: Not about the Beetles, but sounds cool.
Wither: Disease, arranged marriage, reproduction. What an odd combination. I must know more.
I need more hours in the day so I can read all this stuff....
America Pacifica: Ice Age disaster book? Neeeeeeat!
For Darkness Shows the Stars: Jane Austen sci-fi. What the what?!?
Across the Universe: Not about the Beetles, but sounds cool.
Wither: Disease, arranged marriage, reproduction. What an odd combination. I must know more.
I need more hours in the day so I can read all this stuff....
Six Three
I am going to look at....
Westerns: Lawman
Horror: Psychological
Romance: Religious
Johnny Boggs seems to be the author for the lawman westerns. His description on Amazon.com notes that he has worked cattle, been thrown from horses, and spent hours pouring over microfilm all to write a good story. Clearly Boggs is a man who hones in on the details of the story, making sure the historical fiction narrative is accurate while still being entertaining.
Who is the epitome of Psychological Horror? Stephen King, of course. Two of the most well known books in the subgenre are also two of the most well known books by King: The Shining and Carrie. These are books that are full of suspense and mystery and gruesome details. The descriptions of the settings and characters and their actions are frightening and sickening. They get into your brain and give you nightmares. All thanks to the well crafted words of Stephen King.
Religious romance, or Christian Romance if you want to phrase it as such, is on the gentler side of the writing curve. Many of the covers of these books feature women in very conservative or antiquated dress. There is the espoused idea in them of chastity and a pure love that is separate from carnal desire. The love is instead on a more spiritual level, with both partners sharing faith, in each other as well as a higher power.
The religious romance works got me thinking about the mashup subgenres. I noticed that a fair amount of the books in the religious romance also seemed to have historical elements. Lady Maybe, for instance, seems to have a setting in the past. As such it could be considered both a historical fiction and a religious romance. Maybe a historical religious romance?
But what other good mashup subgenres could be found? Well there is a fairly obvious creation that could be made in the form of a thriller romance. In many of the thriller books, there is an attempt to bring two characters together romantically, but why not make that the objective of the book? Having a protagonist who is looking for a woman, feeling down and out. He's a cop. There's a murder the prime suspect is a cute girl. He doesn't think she did it. He proves she didn't do it! They get together after acknowledging their mutual attraction! It kind of makes me think of the TV series Luther....
Westerns: Lawman
Horror: Psychological
Romance: Religious
Johnny Boggs seems to be the author for the lawman westerns. His description on Amazon.com notes that he has worked cattle, been thrown from horses, and spent hours pouring over microfilm all to write a good story. Clearly Boggs is a man who hones in on the details of the story, making sure the historical fiction narrative is accurate while still being entertaining.
Who is the epitome of Psychological Horror? Stephen King, of course. Two of the most well known books in the subgenre are also two of the most well known books by King: The Shining and Carrie. These are books that are full of suspense and mystery and gruesome details. The descriptions of the settings and characters and their actions are frightening and sickening. They get into your brain and give you nightmares. All thanks to the well crafted words of Stephen King.
Religious romance, or Christian Romance if you want to phrase it as such, is on the gentler side of the writing curve. Many of the covers of these books feature women in very conservative or antiquated dress. There is the espoused idea in them of chastity and a pure love that is separate from carnal desire. The love is instead on a more spiritual level, with both partners sharing faith, in each other as well as a higher power.
The religious romance works got me thinking about the mashup subgenres. I noticed that a fair amount of the books in the religious romance also seemed to have historical elements. Lady Maybe, for instance, seems to have a setting in the past. As such it could be considered both a historical fiction and a religious romance. Maybe a historical religious romance?
But what other good mashup subgenres could be found? Well there is a fairly obvious creation that could be made in the form of a thriller romance. In many of the thriller books, there is an attempt to bring two characters together romantically, but why not make that the objective of the book? Having a protagonist who is looking for a woman, feeling down and out. He's a cop. There's a murder the prime suspect is a cute girl. He doesn't think she did it. He proves she didn't do it! They get together after acknowledging their mutual attraction! It kind of makes me think of the TV series Luther....
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Six Two
And here I thought that Prezi thing was going to be a video or something.
That's not to say I didn't like it.
I hadn't realized that there is an actual defined military romance sub-genre. Now I know. And the superhuman sci-fi books. I guess I had just never thought of them.
Any way. A handy chart. I may have to refer back to it every once and a while. I just wish I had a version I could print out. And read. Because that would be pretty small text.
That's not to say I didn't like it.
I hadn't realized that there is an actual defined military romance sub-genre. Now I know. And the superhuman sci-fi books. I guess I had just never thought of them.
Any way. A handy chart. I may have to refer back to it every once and a while. I just wish I had a version I could print out. And read. Because that would be pretty small text.
Six One
Wow. I was just looking at my posts and I didn't make one for all of July. That's...disappointing. Any way.
So I've been following some of genre links since we started. Maybe not as faithfully I should have been, but I have been doing it. I really actually like the Happy Ever After...blog, I guess it is, from USA today.
I've never been a terribly big fan of romance works. I think they're hokey. But I understand why they might appeal to others. There is a fantastic dream they seem to embody. The idea that so undeniable spark of passion could be found in everyday life. Who knows. It might actually happen! In the meantime, the cover pictures tend to be just ridiculous. And here is where I encounter my first surprise.
Some of the covers featured on the Happy Ever After site are not at all what I'm expecting. I'm used to seeing all sorts of covers for romance, but they usually feature a woman and the man she is lusting after or some variation. But here I am seeing a raindrop as the focus of the cover. And some trendy artwork. Some flowers. Even just some writing. Very simple, maybe even slightly elegant.
And Happy Ever After also has cover reveals! That's neat! Excited about a new book? Wanna know if the cover's going to be any good? Check out this site!
There's a handy sidebar that stays with you as you scroll that is of the most popular books.
Did you know that books have trailers? I didn't. But you can see some of them on Happy Ever After. If they're romance books you're looking for, that is.
This is a great site. A good model for a genre specific site. I wish the sci-fi sites were as good....
So I've been following some of genre links since we started. Maybe not as faithfully I should have been, but I have been doing it. I really actually like the Happy Ever After...blog, I guess it is, from USA today.
I've never been a terribly big fan of romance works. I think they're hokey. But I understand why they might appeal to others. There is a fantastic dream they seem to embody. The idea that so undeniable spark of passion could be found in everyday life. Who knows. It might actually happen! In the meantime, the cover pictures tend to be just ridiculous. And here is where I encounter my first surprise.
Some of the covers featured on the Happy Ever After site are not at all what I'm expecting. I'm used to seeing all sorts of covers for romance, but they usually feature a woman and the man she is lusting after or some variation. But here I am seeing a raindrop as the focus of the cover. And some trendy artwork. Some flowers. Even just some writing. Very simple, maybe even slightly elegant.
And Happy Ever After also has cover reveals! That's neat! Excited about a new book? Wanna know if the cover's going to be any good? Check out this site!
There's a handy sidebar that stays with you as you scroll that is of the most popular books.
Did you know that books have trailers? I didn't. But you can see some of them on Happy Ever After. If they're romance books you're looking for, that is.
This is a great site. A good model for a genre specific site. I wish the sci-fi sites were as good....
Thursday, August 20, 2015
5/3
Okay, I chose a book to write about from Amazon's best of science fiction and fantasy list. Because that's my bread and butter. It's what I'm comfortable with. What did I choose?
The Martian.
This book has been HUGELY popular and the movie staring Matt Damon is coming out soon. What is so fantastic about this book? The details, mainly. Andy Weir is a former particle engineer. He wrote this book in his spare time wondering how a person would be able to survive on Mars on their own with an approximation of today's technology. Weir details how to grow crops in soil that has never grown crops before. One of the more disgusting yet informative pieces of information he gives is about why exactly it is that human waste, while full of the things needed for plant growth, is not generally considered a fertilizer while at the same time explaining that those issues don't matter when you're consuming plants grown with your own manure. Most importantly, Weir make the reader feel for the main character. You bond with Mark Watney as he works to survive and escape Mars so that he can come home. You feel every bump and bruise he takes. And you also feel for those who accidentally left him behind and those who are working around the clock to make sure he comes home. It is a stunning book full of detail, a dangerous and yet not frightening setting, and a main character whose irreverent attitude toward, well, everything, keeps the pace up. The movie has a lot to live up to.
So the question is why does it appeal and to whom? Well there's the human aspect of the story. It is a pretty important aspect. Mark Watney is a man trapped alone on another planet all by himself. If this were to actually happen, he would be the most isolated person ever. Alone with no one to talk to for over a year but himself. And yet, he manages to stay sane. Well, as sane as an astronaut can be. What makes it appealing to virtually everybody is not just how technically correct it is, but also how it makes you think what would happen to you in that situation. Or any situation where you are trapped alone by yourself. How would you cope? The broad appeal comes from the fact that everyone can relate to it, even if they've never been to Mars.
The Martian.
This book has been HUGELY popular and the movie staring Matt Damon is coming out soon. What is so fantastic about this book? The details, mainly. Andy Weir is a former particle engineer. He wrote this book in his spare time wondering how a person would be able to survive on Mars on their own with an approximation of today's technology. Weir details how to grow crops in soil that has never grown crops before. One of the more disgusting yet informative pieces of information he gives is about why exactly it is that human waste, while full of the things needed for plant growth, is not generally considered a fertilizer while at the same time explaining that those issues don't matter when you're consuming plants grown with your own manure. Most importantly, Weir make the reader feel for the main character. You bond with Mark Watney as he works to survive and escape Mars so that he can come home. You feel every bump and bruise he takes. And you also feel for those who accidentally left him behind and those who are working around the clock to make sure he comes home. It is a stunning book full of detail, a dangerous and yet not frightening setting, and a main character whose irreverent attitude toward, well, everything, keeps the pace up. The movie has a lot to live up to.
So the question is why does it appeal and to whom? Well there's the human aspect of the story. It is a pretty important aspect. Mark Watney is a man trapped alone on another planet all by himself. If this were to actually happen, he would be the most isolated person ever. Alone with no one to talk to for over a year but himself. And yet, he manages to stay sane. Well, as sane as an astronaut can be. What makes it appealing to virtually everybody is not just how technically correct it is, but also how it makes you think what would happen to you in that situation. Or any situation where you are trapped alone by yourself. How would you cope? The broad appeal comes from the fact that everyone can relate to it, even if they've never been to Mars.
5/2
EarlyWord is cool.
I think I'm going to have to subscribe to their newsletter. No. You know what? I'm doing it right now.
*** time passes ***
Done.
I love being able to just pull up the list of up-coming titles. That's handy. Some of them look pretty great too!
I clicked on the history link under non-fiction and found a really neat bit about the number of hold on the book Daughters of the Samurai rising to 3 holds for every copy at the library they checked. That's really cool!
I searched holds alert after I saw this and found that one of the books I have on hold, one with a large number of holds here at BCPL, has a holds alert. Ah! So good to know!
That does it. I am a total fan of EarlyWord.
I think I'm going to have to subscribe to their newsletter. No. You know what? I'm doing it right now.
*** time passes ***
Done.
I love being able to just pull up the list of up-coming titles. That's handy. Some of them look pretty great too!
I clicked on the history link under non-fiction and found a really neat bit about the number of hold on the book Daughters of the Samurai rising to 3 holds for every copy at the library they checked. That's really cool!
I searched holds alert after I saw this and found that one of the books I have on hold, one with a large number of holds here at BCPL, has a holds alert. Ah! So good to know!
That does it. I am a total fan of EarlyWord.
5/1
I have been keeping an eye on a few of the sites in the sidebar. Mostly I've been looking at Goodreads and NPR, but the other get cursory glances fairly frequently.
An interesting thing has popped up during this blog: I've been reading the collection blog on BCPL's intranet more often. There are new things every week that are always interesting to read. New books, sometime there are announcements about book being delayed or dropped from publication. I find this quite fun to read.
One of the better fantasy books about dragons, one about the science of dragons, called The Natural History of Dragons, was discovered using the collection blog. It is a fantastic read set in a parallel world. There are nations like ours that have languages the same as ours, but with different names on a different map. And all the while, the main character, the future Lady Trent, is working to learn the secrets of dragons.
What does a site like Goodreads tell me about this book, I wonder.
It tells me that one of my friends has read it and another has the book on their to-read list.
It tells me that there are four books in the series. (Four? Oh. Huh. I guess I should probably read the third one before I buy the forth one, right?)
Goodreads tells me that, based on 6,940 ratings, this book has a score of 3.78/5. That's not bad. The majority, 40% of the ratings, have been four-star.
There are 1,164 reviews for this book on Goodreads, but none of them are mine.
I should probably write one. Hmmmm.
All in all, there is a lot of information about the book on Goodreads ranging from the objective data such as page count and ISBN number to the subjective like the 160 people who gave the book a single star rating. I love this site.
An interesting thing has popped up during this blog: I've been reading the collection blog on BCPL's intranet more often. There are new things every week that are always interesting to read. New books, sometime there are announcements about book being delayed or dropped from publication. I find this quite fun to read.
One of the better fantasy books about dragons, one about the science of dragons, called The Natural History of Dragons, was discovered using the collection blog. It is a fantastic read set in a parallel world. There are nations like ours that have languages the same as ours, but with different names on a different map. And all the while, the main character, the future Lady Trent, is working to learn the secrets of dragons.
What does a site like Goodreads tell me about this book, I wonder.
It tells me that one of my friends has read it and another has the book on their to-read list.
It tells me that there are four books in the series. (Four? Oh. Huh. I guess I should probably read the third one before I buy the forth one, right?)
Goodreads tells me that, based on 6,940 ratings, this book has a score of 3.78/5. That's not bad. The majority, 40% of the ratings, have been four-star.
There are 1,164 reviews for this book on Goodreads, but none of them are mine.
I should probably write one. Hmmmm.
All in all, there is a lot of information about the book on Goodreads ranging from the objective data such as page count and ISBN number to the subjective like the 160 people who gave the book a single star rating. I love this site.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
FOUR!
I don't know if the golf reference came through in that title or not. Anyway....
I love Goodreads! It is a fantastic thing. I have often described it to others as Facebook with books. And I feel like that really is the best way to describe it.
Right off the bat, I've got some of these objectives finished. Since I've been a Goodreads member for a while, I alreayd have some bookshelves. Okay, I've only made one shelf of my own, the rest were already present thanks to the site. The one shelve I have made is a listing of the books I have on my kindle. Though it isn't that up to date. I should fix that...later. I have a post to get through!
That is one of the great advantages of Goodreads. Thanks to a (relatively) recent update to my kindle, Goodreads already know what books I've bought from Amazon.com on my kindle. Or, at least, it should. I think it still does....
I've already made friends on Goodreads with a number of colleagues, including some of those who are doing this training with me right now! How handy. Now to make some recommendations....
Recommendation 1
"Okay Kristy. I am actually surprised you haven't read this. Though it is possible you've read it and just haven't added it. In any case, I think you would LOVE this book. It is very much in your taste given that I know you love Star Trek. Well guess what. This book is based on Star Trek. That's right! We've got the (almost) Enterprise. We've got the (almost) Capt. Kirk. But best of all: We've got the red-shirts. That's right, the expendable characters are actually the main characters of this story. And in this story, they're using the future knowledge to figure out why so many of them keep dying. It is pretty well paced and, if you take my advice, give the audiobook a try. Wil Wheaton reads it adding even more irony to the story."
Recommendation 2
Doug! A book! For you! I don't know how much of Kim Stanley Robinson you've read, but he is a fantastic sci-fi writer. He wrote a really great trilogy years back about the colonization and eventual terraforming of Mars. This book is a fun alternate history book involving the plague. A series of smaller stores discuss what would have happened if the Black Death had killed off 90% of Europe's population instead of the 30% it actually did. An interesting thought, no? It is set in the same places we know and love, but radically changed. There is no Baltimore or New York. Instead, the Chinese eventually colonized North America and had interactions with Native Americans. Wars were different. Countries are different. Art and music are different. I highly recommend this book!
Ah, Goodreads. They have great reviews too!
I love Goodreads! It is a fantastic thing. I have often described it to others as Facebook with books. And I feel like that really is the best way to describe it.
Right off the bat, I've got some of these objectives finished. Since I've been a Goodreads member for a while, I alreayd have some bookshelves. Okay, I've only made one shelf of my own, the rest were already present thanks to the site. The one shelve I have made is a listing of the books I have on my kindle. Though it isn't that up to date. I should fix that...later. I have a post to get through!
That is one of the great advantages of Goodreads. Thanks to a (relatively) recent update to my kindle, Goodreads already know what books I've bought from Amazon.com on my kindle. Or, at least, it should. I think it still does....
I've already made friends on Goodreads with a number of colleagues, including some of those who are doing this training with me right now! How handy. Now to make some recommendations....
Recommendation 1
"Okay Kristy. I am actually surprised you haven't read this. Though it is possible you've read it and just haven't added it. In any case, I think you would LOVE this book. It is very much in your taste given that I know you love Star Trek. Well guess what. This book is based on Star Trek. That's right! We've got the (almost) Enterprise. We've got the (almost) Capt. Kirk. But best of all: We've got the red-shirts. That's right, the expendable characters are actually the main characters of this story. And in this story, they're using the future knowledge to figure out why so many of them keep dying. It is pretty well paced and, if you take my advice, give the audiobook a try. Wil Wheaton reads it adding even more irony to the story."
Recommendation 2
Doug! A book! For you! I don't know how much of Kim Stanley Robinson you've read, but he is a fantastic sci-fi writer. He wrote a really great trilogy years back about the colonization and eventual terraforming of Mars. This book is a fun alternate history book involving the plague. A series of smaller stores discuss what would have happened if the Black Death had killed off 90% of Europe's population instead of the 30% it actually did. An interesting thought, no? It is set in the same places we know and love, but radically changed. There is no Baltimore or New York. Instead, the Chinese eventually colonized North America and had interactions with Native Americans. Wars were different. Countries are different. Art and music are different. I highly recommend this book!
Ah, Goodreads. They have great reviews too!
03-003
Ah the old book conversation! Let me see what books I can recommend!
***time passes***
Conversation 1
You might try Cheryl Strayed's Wild. Like Eat, Pray, Love there is a strong element of unhappiness and sadness that kicks the book off along with a journey of self-discovery. Wild is a memoir as well and was quite popular for while. I think your whole book club would enjoy it and I think it lends itself well to being outdoors when you discuss it. Maybe have the book club meeting in a park or on a porch this time, mix it up. But I'm sure you will enjoy this book.
Conversation 2
I might recommend a cross-section of vampire stories. A good place to start would be with the original: Bram Stoker's Dracula. It's hard to go wrong with such a classic, though it can be a little dense at times. Another good one would be Anne Rice's An Interview with a Vampire. You might have heard of that one. They made a movie out of it a few years back featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. You could even watch the movie after you've read the book and compare the two. There are also several good graphic novels that would be worth looking into. The first one that comes to mind is Blade which is about a half-vampire who kills other vampires. That one was also made into a movie series with Wesley Snipes. I think those three would be a great way to get back to the roots of vampires with some really well developed characters and settings.
Conversation 3
A few books come to mind. Fast paced historic works can be hard to come by, but one good one is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. It is a semi-biographical work on Sir Thomas Cromwell set during Henry VII's reign and discusses the rise and fall of Cromwell in association with Anne Boleyn. Now, for a completely non-fiction choice, I might recommend The Map Thief. The subject of the book is a man who got in over his head and started taking rare and old maps from libraries and selling them on the black market. And some of the maps are a little ridiculous! There are even some that show California as an island!
How did I do?
It's hard to tell. I'm not good at being objective of myself for some fairly obvious reasons. In any case, I definitely think I could have done better if I had more material to work with. Some of these book I am recommending, I have not read because they're no necessarily the kinds of books I usually read. But they're ones that I've heard of and know at least a little about. The third one was the hardest.
***time passes***
Conversation 1
You might try Cheryl Strayed's Wild. Like Eat, Pray, Love there is a strong element of unhappiness and sadness that kicks the book off along with a journey of self-discovery. Wild is a memoir as well and was quite popular for while. I think your whole book club would enjoy it and I think it lends itself well to being outdoors when you discuss it. Maybe have the book club meeting in a park or on a porch this time, mix it up. But I'm sure you will enjoy this book.
Conversation 2
I might recommend a cross-section of vampire stories. A good place to start would be with the original: Bram Stoker's Dracula. It's hard to go wrong with such a classic, though it can be a little dense at times. Another good one would be Anne Rice's An Interview with a Vampire. You might have heard of that one. They made a movie out of it a few years back featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. You could even watch the movie after you've read the book and compare the two. There are also several good graphic novels that would be worth looking into. The first one that comes to mind is Blade which is about a half-vampire who kills other vampires. That one was also made into a movie series with Wesley Snipes. I think those three would be a great way to get back to the roots of vampires with some really well developed characters and settings.
Conversation 3
A few books come to mind. Fast paced historic works can be hard to come by, but one good one is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. It is a semi-biographical work on Sir Thomas Cromwell set during Henry VII's reign and discusses the rise and fall of Cromwell in association with Anne Boleyn. Now, for a completely non-fiction choice, I might recommend The Map Thief. The subject of the book is a man who got in over his head and started taking rare and old maps from libraries and selling them on the black market. And some of the maps are a little ridiculous! There are even some that show California as an island!
How did I do?
It's hard to tell. I'm not good at being objective of myself for some fairly obvious reasons. In any case, I definitely think I could have done better if I had more material to work with. Some of these book I am recommending, I have not read because they're no necessarily the kinds of books I usually read. But they're ones that I've heard of and know at least a little about. The third one was the hardest.
03-002
Nancy Pearl is a wonderful book talker. I'd very much read any book she recommends to me. AI think part what make her such an effective talker is the fact that she makes it personal. She relates the book to how she felt while reading it while also using the appeal characteristics. Most notably, she is good at talking about the plots without giving away too much of the details. She tells you what it is about but still makes you want to read it. Nancy Pearl is a book talker to look up to, for sure.
Friday, August 14, 2015
03-001
Reader's Advisory. It is actually one of my favorite aspects of being a librarian. I like the fact that it is really just conversation between two people where one person winds up helping the other. Sometimes other people will interrupt and add their own thoughts which can also be helpful (though not always).
Despite being someone who has had trouble interacting with people in past, I actually find that approaching the readers is fairly straight forward. In other situations, such as asking out that cute girl over there, you might not know how the other person is going to respond and that can cause a lot of anxiety. But when approaching a reader, you generally know exactly what they are needing: a book. And that's what we as librarians specialize in. It puts us immediately in our comfort zone even if the genre in question is not. It is still just a book that they are looking for.
Engaging with the reader is therefore rather easy. "You want a book? I can find you a book. What do you like?" That last question opens the floodgate. The reader will tell you all about what they like to read and what they don't like. As you listen you will pick out the individual bits that are key to recommending the right book. They said they like books that involve mystery, blood and gore. Well there is a section for that. Ah, but they also want something about a fun city. Hmmmmm, we're narrowing it down. Any good female writers? Ah! I have just the thing.
This is when you get to share books with the reader. This person would probably enjoy Laura Lippman's books. She's a mystery writer writing about Baltimore. Less on the blood and gore front, but that can easily be fixed by finding another book. Chances are they'll be interested in more than one. Especially if both books do a good job of covering most of the appeal factors.
Despite being someone who has had trouble interacting with people in past, I actually find that approaching the readers is fairly straight forward. In other situations, such as asking out that cute girl over there, you might not know how the other person is going to respond and that can cause a lot of anxiety. But when approaching a reader, you generally know exactly what they are needing: a book. And that's what we as librarians specialize in. It puts us immediately in our comfort zone even if the genre in question is not. It is still just a book that they are looking for.
Engaging with the reader is therefore rather easy. "You want a book? I can find you a book. What do you like?" That last question opens the floodgate. The reader will tell you all about what they like to read and what they don't like. As you listen you will pick out the individual bits that are key to recommending the right book. They said they like books that involve mystery, blood and gore. Well there is a section for that. Ah, but they also want something about a fun city. Hmmmmm, we're narrowing it down. Any good female writers? Ah! I have just the thing.
This is when you get to share books with the reader. This person would probably enjoy Laura Lippman's books. She's a mystery writer writing about Baltimore. Less on the blood and gore front, but that can easily be fixed by finding another book. Chances are they'll be interested in more than one. Especially if both books do a good job of covering most of the appeal factors.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Week 2, Part 2
Books that I've greatly enjoyed. Let me see if I might be able to step a bit out of my usual comfort zone....
This is hard...
***time passes***
Okay, fail on that count. Books I really liked!
Let's go with...
Thud!
King of Torts
and...Ready Player One
Thud! is the 34th novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and 8th City Watch story. The City Watch books tend to be more character driven, and this one is no different. It focuses primarily on the head of the City Watch, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes. A key to this story are the details. One particular detail makes all the difference in this story full of biting wit and masterful use of the English language. At the outset, Thud! has a slow pace and a laid back tone, treating the primary plot line a simple police case. As the story continues, the pace picks up and the tone becomes much more serious. Much of the story involves the characters learning new things about the already irreverently fantastic setting that Pratchett was so fond of writing.
King of Torts is one of John Grisham's classic legal stories. The story is focused on a single character, a down-on-his-luck public defender who dreams of grander things. When offered the chance to make a lot of money very quickly by starting business as a tort lawyer with massive damages, the pace quickens. The details of the story, the small bits that are almost side mentions, wind up being the catalyst for the final chapter. According to the Saricks Method, this book would likey qualify as either Adrenaline or Intellect, with more of a leaning toward Adenaline. Who knew lawyers could have such an adventourus life?
Ready Player One lends itself to the doorway method quite nicely. I recognize that not everyone enjoys video games, but here's the thing: Ready Player One is as much a mystery as anything else. The focus of the story is on a puzzle. A giant, life changing puzzle that nearly everyone on the Earth is involved in trying to solve. The one who solves this puzzle, who wins the contest, becomes the richest person in the world instantly. The language is strong, with lots of descriptive detail and pace that will leave readers at all levels satisfied. If you like science fiction, this book is for you. If you like mysteries and puzzle books, this book for you. If you lived in and/or enjoyed the 1980s, this book is for you. Would you like to chekc it out?
This is hard...
***time passes***
Okay, fail on that count. Books I really liked!
Let's go with...
Thud!
King of Torts
and...Ready Player One
Thud! is the 34th novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and 8th City Watch story. The City Watch books tend to be more character driven, and this one is no different. It focuses primarily on the head of the City Watch, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes. A key to this story are the details. One particular detail makes all the difference in this story full of biting wit and masterful use of the English language. At the outset, Thud! has a slow pace and a laid back tone, treating the primary plot line a simple police case. As the story continues, the pace picks up and the tone becomes much more serious. Much of the story involves the characters learning new things about the already irreverently fantastic setting that Pratchett was so fond of writing.
King of Torts is one of John Grisham's classic legal stories. The story is focused on a single character, a down-on-his-luck public defender who dreams of grander things. When offered the chance to make a lot of money very quickly by starting business as a tort lawyer with massive damages, the pace quickens. The details of the story, the small bits that are almost side mentions, wind up being the catalyst for the final chapter. According to the Saricks Method, this book would likey qualify as either Adrenaline or Intellect, with more of a leaning toward Adenaline. Who knew lawyers could have such an adventourus life?
Ready Player One lends itself to the doorway method quite nicely. I recognize that not everyone enjoys video games, but here's the thing: Ready Player One is as much a mystery as anything else. The focus of the story is on a puzzle. A giant, life changing puzzle that nearly everyone on the Earth is involved in trying to solve. The one who solves this puzzle, who wins the contest, becomes the richest person in the world instantly. The language is strong, with lots of descriptive detail and pace that will leave readers at all levels satisfied. If you like science fiction, this book is for you. If you like mysteries and puzzle books, this book for you. If you lived in and/or enjoyed the 1980s, this book is for you. Would you like to chekc it out?
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Week 2, part 1
Hmmmm. Getting that article to open properly turned out to be a lot harder than I had planned. For whatever reason, clicking the link just took me to EBSCO's logon page. But! when I logged on to NoveList first, it fixed it. This was on a staff computer, mind you. Very odd. In any case....
Appeal factors! Woooooooo! This strongly appeals to me.
Thinking about this in my usual semi-serious manner, I'm led to believe that appeal factors are often the origin of the "judge a book by its cover" cliche. I type this keeping in mind that I haven't actually read the article. The will be a time passes device.
*** 20 minutes later ***
Pacing: you were going how fast? Game of Thrones is relatively fast paced, but the story is (almost painfully) slow to unfold. Raising Steam is a quickly unfolding story, but the characters and locations don't change very much giving it a slower pace.
Characterization: who are these people? We look to develop a connection with at least one character throughout a work and sometimes it isn't who (or what) we expect. Jon Snow may be your go to guy, but did you ever think you'd form more of a connection with the Enterprise than with Capt. Kirk? That can happen. Inanimate objects can be as important characters in a story then the real people. Just ask Harold Crick....
Story line: what is this all about? The basic story is all we want. Everything will be filled in later. If the basic story sounds interesting, you're almost sure to like the details.
Language: they said what? "This is a fantastically well written book! But the story is slow and plodding."
"I loved the story, but the author needs to be beaten with the adverb stick. Waaaaay to many of them."
The quality of writing can have just as much an effect on the enjoyment of a book as any other factor. Good grammar is sexy, after all.
Setting: where is that again? The Lord of the Rings books are full of wonderful descriptions of the fictional landscape of Middle-Earth but The Martian leaves the reader to fill in the gaps using their own imaginative view of the martian landscape. Both of these places are fantastical settings, but the books go about presenting them to the reader in two different ways which appeal to some but not to others.
Detail: would you look at that? Precision is one thing, but too much detail and person can get lost. Spend 15 pages talking about the way a person moves and you might lose readers. At them same time, there may be some readers that find the description of ballerina balancing on the tip of their toes before turning into the most intricate of spirals to be the most inspiring thing they ever read and lead them to become a ballerina.
Tone: what did that mean? Books have different meanings depending on the tone presented by the author. The same sentence in a dystopian teen novel would have a much different meaning when read in a popular comedian's biography. Probably. Hmmm. Those could actually very similar depending on the comedian. But I digress....
Learning/Experiencing: why did they do that? Learning doesn't just come from non-fiction books. Aesop's Fables taught us that centuries ago. People want books to be something to help them grow in intellect or skill or in character. Many books have messages hidden within them (whether the author actually put them there or not) that are studied by students in various schools all around the world to improve themselves and maybe the rest of humanity as well.
In terms of the ways of working with appeal...
...I've often used the first method as a reference interview question to get things rolling. It is a good way to find out, generally, what a reader wants.
The Saricks method is also very useful, though I think it is probably pretty limited. Most of the four groups could intermingle genres.
The Pearl method would probably be the hardest fr me to work with, mostly because I don't understand the doorways. With a little time, I could probably figure it out.
I might see what I can do about using all three method for the next assignment. Stay posted.
Appeal factors! Woooooooo! This strongly appeals to me.
Thinking about this in my usual semi-serious manner, I'm led to believe that appeal factors are often the origin of the "judge a book by its cover" cliche. I type this keeping in mind that I haven't actually read the article. The will be a time passes device.
*** 20 minutes later ***
Pacing: you were going how fast? Game of Thrones is relatively fast paced, but the story is (almost painfully) slow to unfold. Raising Steam is a quickly unfolding story, but the characters and locations don't change very much giving it a slower pace.
Characterization: who are these people? We look to develop a connection with at least one character throughout a work and sometimes it isn't who (or what) we expect. Jon Snow may be your go to guy, but did you ever think you'd form more of a connection with the Enterprise than with Capt. Kirk? That can happen. Inanimate objects can be as important characters in a story then the real people. Just ask Harold Crick....
Story line: what is this all about? The basic story is all we want. Everything will be filled in later. If the basic story sounds interesting, you're almost sure to like the details.
Language: they said what? "This is a fantastically well written book! But the story is slow and plodding."
"I loved the story, but the author needs to be beaten with the adverb stick. Waaaaay to many of them."
The quality of writing can have just as much an effect on the enjoyment of a book as any other factor. Good grammar is sexy, after all.
Setting: where is that again? The Lord of the Rings books are full of wonderful descriptions of the fictional landscape of Middle-Earth but The Martian leaves the reader to fill in the gaps using their own imaginative view of the martian landscape. Both of these places are fantastical settings, but the books go about presenting them to the reader in two different ways which appeal to some but not to others.
Detail: would you look at that? Precision is one thing, but too much detail and person can get lost. Spend 15 pages talking about the way a person moves and you might lose readers. At them same time, there may be some readers that find the description of ballerina balancing on the tip of their toes before turning into the most intricate of spirals to be the most inspiring thing they ever read and lead them to become a ballerina.
Tone: what did that mean? Books have different meanings depending on the tone presented by the author. The same sentence in a dystopian teen novel would have a much different meaning when read in a popular comedian's biography. Probably. Hmmm. Those could actually very similar depending on the comedian. But I digress....
Learning/Experiencing: why did they do that? Learning doesn't just come from non-fiction books. Aesop's Fables taught us that centuries ago. People want books to be something to help them grow in intellect or skill or in character. Many books have messages hidden within them (whether the author actually put them there or not) that are studied by students in various schools all around the world to improve themselves and maybe the rest of humanity as well.
In terms of the ways of working with appeal...
...I've often used the first method as a reference interview question to get things rolling. It is a good way to find out, generally, what a reader wants.
The Saricks method is also very useful, though I think it is probably pretty limited. Most of the four groups could intermingle genres.
The Pearl method would probably be the hardest fr me to work with, mostly because I don't understand the doorways. With a little time, I could probably figure it out.
I might see what I can do about using all three method for the next assignment. Stay posted.
Week, the first: assignment, the fifth!
I guess this isn't exactly an assignment. Just something fun. I liked it. It reminded me a lot of myself. Some would say that's narcissistic, but others would say that's because I'm really a six-year-old in the body of a twenty-eight-year-old. Meh.
Week, the first: assignment, the forth!
Wow. So that didn't really work out the way I wanted it to. But that's okay. I'm back! And I have a plan! (And I promise I'm not a Cylon...that you can prove.)
So for this assignment we have to choose some of the resources on the sidebar to make use of for the coming assignments. I will admit, I am an NPR junkie, so I think I will definitely be checking that fairly frequently. And I should be checking Goodreads more often. Hey, there's nothing to say we can't do more than one.
Reasonings!: NPR is a highly trusted and authoritative news source. Much like the New York Times, they have various review departments that contribute to the overall mission of educating the public. And I've been listening to NPR and their various reviews since forever. I like their style. I like their holds-no-bar attitude toward reviewing. I think I can seriously get into it.
Goodreads is like the facebook of readers. It really is. There are great reviews. There are bad reviews. There are extremely mediocre reviews (I will admit to writing this style of review. I'm really not as good as I would like to be.) Also, it links to your Amazon.com account so all the books I buy from them show up there! How handy. Maybe I can review more books on Goodreads and get better at it....
As for the genre choices, there is only one I would be "excluded" from reading on a regular basis: sci-fi. This is because I don't read many of the other genres listed. it is usually sci-fi and non-fiction. So with that in mind, I think I'll do one from each of the three categories in question: Stop You're Killing Me, Heroes and Heartbreakers, and Street Fiction.
Reasonings!: Honestly, mostly it is because of the names. I know. I'm being cliche. I'm judging books (blogs) by their covers (names). But I don't care! I think they're going to be fun! They certainly sound like it. And isn't that the point? Instant interest, that's what a fun title implies. And I am going to trust in that marketing strategy.
So for this assignment we have to choose some of the resources on the sidebar to make use of for the coming assignments. I will admit, I am an NPR junkie, so I think I will definitely be checking that fairly frequently. And I should be checking Goodreads more often. Hey, there's nothing to say we can't do more than one.
Reasonings!: NPR is a highly trusted and authoritative news source. Much like the New York Times, they have various review departments that contribute to the overall mission of educating the public. And I've been listening to NPR and their various reviews since forever. I like their style. I like their holds-no-bar attitude toward reviewing. I think I can seriously get into it.
Goodreads is like the facebook of readers. It really is. There are great reviews. There are bad reviews. There are extremely mediocre reviews (I will admit to writing this style of review. I'm really not as good as I would like to be.) Also, it links to your Amazon.com account so all the books I buy from them show up there! How handy. Maybe I can review more books on Goodreads and get better at it....
As for the genre choices, there is only one I would be "excluded" from reading on a regular basis: sci-fi. This is because I don't read many of the other genres listed. it is usually sci-fi and non-fiction. So with that in mind, I think I'll do one from each of the three categories in question: Stop You're Killing Me, Heroes and Heartbreakers, and Street Fiction.
Reasonings!: Honestly, mostly it is because of the names. I know. I'm being cliche. I'm judging books (blogs) by their covers (names). But I don't care! I think they're going to be fun! They certainly sound like it. And isn't that the point? Instant interest, that's what a fun title implies. And I am going to trust in that marketing strategy.
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