Week 6: Rolling, rolling, rolling...

Assignment 1:

I chose to follow the Stop, You’re Killing Me! site. Honestly, it looked a lot more useful when I first started.  There are a ton of lists, thousands of authors and books, and you can find any type of book or new release – but it’s just not that useful for learning more about the genre or specific authors, or internalizing information. It’s hard to know where to start or how to absorb anything. The book reviews are useful. I would use it or show it to customers who are already into mysteries and just need to keep abreast of new releases, awards, etc.

Assignment 3:

Military Romance:

Using Google and Goodreads, I couldn’t find a site completely dedicated to this but in the spirit of “subgenres” I did find several “sub sites” within book websites which focused on military romances. One was a Goodreads group called “I Love a Man in Uniform”, which doesn’t appear to be terribly active but still has the occasional comment or new member joining (me!). It does have a decent bookshelf of titles. A lot of the members seem to be romance or action/adventure readers, so this is a good crossover. Several mention already liking cowboy or firefighter romances. Another sample site is: http://www.bookloversinc.com/2011/09/21/romance-and-me-military-romance/  where the site’s creator enthuses about the action, the danger, the romance, all made more intense by the urgency of the plot scenarios. In general, people appear to be excited about this genre because it combines the sexy and tough sides of the military, the plots are so action-heavy and intense, and there is always a feel of danger.

Three authors: Marliss Melton, Lora Leigh, Maya Banks

Appeal factors: fast-paced, intense, strong characters pushed to their limits, sense of urgency, particularly with the romance scenes

Hard-Boiled Mystery:

Hmmm, interestingly the mystery site I’m following – Stop, You’re Killing Me – doesn’t include this in their genre index. And finding a site or Goodreads page was difficult. What I found more of through Google were academic pages about the study and history of hard-boiled mystery or detective stories, or sites of dubious quality which consisted of one page of explanation and a list of authors.  One of the better ones: http://mysterypageturners.blogspot.com/2009/12/hard-boiled-mystery-novel.html  This one was helpful because of its bullet points and bibliography at the end. Another well-written one: http://www.openroadmedia.com/blog/2012-08-21/what-is-hard-boiled-crime-fiction-five-ways-to-know-it-when-you-read-it.aspx served basic information and author suggestions with quality. This sub-genre seems to appeal to men maybe a little more, but certainly is enjoyed by both genders: some of the authors, like Michael Connelly and Carl Hiaasen, I didn’t even think of, but I like them and it makes sense. Because the main characters in these stories are indeed “hardboiled”, people are not reading them for the warm fuzzies – they’re instead interested in the mystery, detective work, realistic setting or story, or suspense (or a combination of these things).

Three authors: Michael Connelly, Carl Hiaasen, Mickey Spillane

Appeal factors: gritty setting, grim tone, sometimes convoluted story lines where details are revealed slowly, flawed characters with a hard exterior – learn details about their past as you move through the book, not necessarily super-fast paced, but still a sense of urgency  when solving a mystery or case

Super Human Sci-Fi:

This one was easier, but again, finding an authoritative site that is truly a site dedicated to the sub genre proved elusive. I did find a good reads page which provided helpful titles: http://www.goodreads.com/genres/science-fiction-superhuman but not much explanation of who would actually be reading these books or why they find them appealing.  Another site I found through Miami Dade College Libraries provided some good book suggestions and an explanation of super human but again not much depth. Looking at the titles, I was surprised to find some I liked, since me and sci-fi rarely mix: Carrie, The Dead Zone, Firestarter (well, okay, maybe it’s just Stephen King J) It seems like fans of this subgenre would like more of the popular sci-fi titles, maybe not as fringe or hardcore. They may also be reading more for psychological or character development, as well as relationships, or interested more in supernatural elements as opposed to straight science fiction.

Three authors: Stephen King, Jus Accardo, Matt Myklusch

Appeal factors: fast-paced, suspenseful, about the character’s special powers but also recognizes them as a person and their struggles with the world, focus on science and/or technology

 

Subgenre Mash-ups:

I was a little surprised to see magical realism under fantasy – although there are magical or fantastical elements to the stories, I think of it as very “un-fantasy” in that the setting is completely realistic (i.e. not Middle Earth, not Planet Zelzar, etc).  Having been one of the magical realism facilitators for Genre Boot Camp, I learned that these books fit under multiple genres. You have ones that are magical realism/romance, like Like Water for Chocolate or Chocolat; ones that are magical realism/chick lit: Practical Magic or The Sugar Queen; magical realism/literary fiction: Swamplandia, The Tiger’s Wife, Midnight’s Children; magical realism/historical fiction: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, The Book Thief, Shadow of the Wind. And even within these titles there’s further cross-over: Midnight’s Children, for example, could be mr/literary/historical; Chocolat could be mr/romance/cozy. Endless possibilities!

Week 5: Early Word, Etc.

Assignment 1:

I’ve been monitoring The Daily Beast, although I find I often get caught up in the news stories before making it to the books section of the website.  When I do eventually meander to the books section, I find a lot of smart, sometimes “off the beaten path” reads which don’t necessarily show up on People or NYTB lists. All in all, I would say the site is really good for information – not necessarily the information I’m seeking when I go to the site – but always interesting.  Also, it has really good author interviews. It’s a fun site.

 

Assignment 2:

At PE, we have a lot of customers looking for popular fiction, NYTB, hot titles list. Many are self-sufficient and usually just come up to the desk for help finding a certain title or placing a hold. Our staff recommends are incredibly popular. Sometimes, I get the “can you recommend a good book” or read-alike questions.

I must say I’ve been a little skittish of Early Word – not sure why. I get the condensed newsletter, but when it shows up in my email it just looks really busy and scattered – I’m never sure where to start. But poking around on the site did endear me to it a little more. New and fun discoveries: links to Nancy Pearl information, Season Previews and Best Books. I’m always finding something interesting in the central news section, too (Tim Burton set to direct Miss Peregrine’s!  New book: Difficult Men!) Always something. All of these resources I will probably continue to use.

 

Assignment 3:

The Astronaut Wives’ Club: A True Story by Lily Koppel. Many wives of famous men are now getting their due (fabulous!), including Hadley Richardson Hemingway (The Paris Wife), Anne Lindbergh (The Aviator’s Wife), Zelda Fitzgerald (Z) and now the wives of pioneer astronauts in the late 1950s. For fans of the first three books, this would be a great read-alike, although this is a true story, not a work of historical fiction. Pacing is not fast – readers have time to learn about the women and appreciate the complexities of their lives. Characters are three-dimensional – one learns about their backgrounds, relationships and emotions, and it brings to life the women behind the publicity photos. The language, as one reviewer writes, is “breezy”, making it a good summer read, but the material can be poignant. Koppel also brings the setting to life by conveying how innovative and in many ways scary the whole field of space exploration was, and provides details about what it was really like behind the scenes for these wives. This book’s overall tone is on the light side, drawing readers in to a time in history, but also provides depth and moments of sadness and frustration. Readers will learn a lot about the complexities of the space program and what these women experienced.  

Why is it expected to be popular? People in recent years have been fascinated with bygone eras (Mad Men, Downton Abbey, etc), with psychologically-deep characters, and this book fits right in. It will appeal to fans of those television shows, as well as readers of the above-mentioned books, readers of biographies and historical fiction. It could also appeal to anyone interested in the early days of space exploration.