such a problem!

Summary

One aspect of the be more bookish training that's been helpful has been adding coworkers as GoodReads friends. Now I get updates on what they're reading and can easily start conversations about books they've read and suggest them to patrons. I would have benefited by a BCPL staff Goodreads group to "meet" different librarians and see their suggestions.

As I'm finishing my training checklist, this has helped me feel more confident recommending books especially in genres I don't typically read. Also helped me pick out some good teen fiction to read (all in the name of research of course!). The assignments from "Building Base Knowledge" have introduced me to some great RA resources that I'll continue to follow.

week 4 catch-up

I wanted to be active on Goodreads for a while before publishing my thoughts on it. I love Goodreads and wish I had more time for keeping it updated and organizing titles into lists. I love that you can snap a pic of the book's upc to add it to a shelf.

I recommended "The Wishing Spell" on Paula's goodreads page because she reads a lot of children's books and this was a current one that I enjoyed (and wasn't already reviewed by her-she has thousands of titles listed!). This one is a modern fairy tale with a good sense of humor.

For Megan Skinner I recommended "The Silver Star". Because she like Jeannette Walls biography so much, I though she might enjoy her latest fiction foray with Walls' trademark dark humor and offbeat characterizations.

Week 9 assignment 2

I haven't viewed any book trailors prior to this assignment and am not sufficiently wowed by any I've seen since to seek them out on my own. Perhaps if there was a title I was really looking forward to and desired any information on it I could get I would search for one.

From a readers' advisory standpoint, they could be helpful for getting the tone of a book and who might enjoy it. Perhaps I'll watch ones for books I don't personally want to read but could recommend to other readers.

Week 8 Assignment 4

The disaster diaries : how I learned to stop worrying and love the apocalypse
This is a book I would recommend to fans of apocalyptic sci-fi and tales of rugged adventure (and anyone who watches "Doomsday Preppers"). In this engaging non-fiction read, Sam Sheridan begins his chapters with a hypothetical disaster situation such as zombies or gangs of looters and how one might extradite himself from the situation safely. The situations are thrilling and the advice is surprisingly informative.  I never new how important dental hygiene was to survival and now I know how to pull a 180 in my car should the need arise :)

Spiced : a pastry chef's true stories of trials by fire, after-hours exploits, and what really goes on in the kitchen would be an entertaining and informative read for anyone who enjoys browsing the cookbooks and has always wondered if they could hack it in the food industry. This eye-opening raucous read removes the romance of restaurant work and offers insight to what it's really like behind those swinging restaurant doors.

Week 8 Assignment 3 Nonfiction Genres

Food: These are typically found near the cookbooks in the 641s. Some are listed in bios if they center around a main chef or food writer.
Heat : an amateur's adventures as kitchen slave, line cook, pasta maker, and apprentice to a Dante-quoting butcher in Tuscany or
Spiced : a pastry chef's true stories of trials by fire, after-hours exploits, and what really goes on in the kitchen by Dalia Jurgersen

Travel: The nonfiction narratives are located in the 910-919s, interfiled with other travel books by region.
Eat, pray, love : one woman's search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert is a popular title among this genre that has attracted readers of women's fiction

Disaster/survival: These can be located in 2 main DDC spots. Most are in the 613s, the call number for personal health and safety, but some are in 796s for outdoor recreation. Here are books published by Field and Stream and focusing on how to make it in the great outdoors.
The disaster diaries : how I learned to stop worrying and love the apocalypse by Sam Sheridan is both entertaining and informative

Crime: True crime stories may be found in 364.1523, the call number is under social sciences and criminology. Ann Rule is a prolific author who dominates this category, but other stories like
The devil in the white city : murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America tell "I can't believe it's true" stories of crime

I wish they would have talked about more narrative nonfiction in the children's section as there are so many great examples of these wonderful teaching tools like "Sir Cumference and all the King's Tens" in various dewey areas.

Week 7 assignment 4 Teen Trends

From teen book publishers I'm seeing lots of extra material for fans through facebook and websites. Matched offers a party kit to throw a theme party based on the popular series, and there are quizzes to see who you would be matched with.  I loved the finishing school site for Etiquette and Espionage, a humorous tumblr with tips for genteel dress and weaponry.

For reading trends, there are still lots of dystopian reads with modern superheroes dressed like everyday people (only way cooler). Themes seem darker with the protagonist often struggling against the society they belong to.

Week 7 assignment 3

I followed the Someday my Printz Will Come blog from School Library Journal. I really liked this blog and am disappointed that it hasn't been updated in a while, perhaps it's more seasonal like some of their other blogs. The most recent post detailed how they currently find new books to review and ask for recommendations for better methods of discovery. Reviews, ARCs, goodreads and bookstores provide are their current sources but these methods are frustrating because books can easily fall through the cracks and there's no way they can read reviews for every book that's out.

The intended audience for this blog is library professionals that serve teen readers. Each post has anywhere from 11 to 30 comments, the most popular was one where the writer live-blogged while watching the teen book awards.

The second site I ventured to was http://cassandraclare.tumblr.com/ but I immediately closed it out because I haven't read her books yet and wanted to avoid spoilers!

The author Shannon Hale's site gave less content away and I was happy to browse her personable blog. She offers frequent updates and her latest post informed readers of her books and projects for the next 2 years. She also give an insider view and pictures of conferences that she's attended. Seems very popular with hundreds of facebook likes for each post. Her blog is geared more towards the readers of her books.

another page for good recommendations is from Yalsa on the ala site

Week 7, Assignment 2

Jennifer Rummel describes the Next Big Thing being adults reading teen books. She included studies that proved adults are usually the ones purchasing these titles, often for themselves and listed 10 reasons why young adult books are so appealing to adults. Nostalgia and the popularity of titles like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games with their movie tie-ins make YA books irresistible. She suggests teen books to adults looking for something great and new in their favorite genre or to complement their tastes in television.

The second article I read was Publisher's Weekly take on a a new genre some publishers are pushing called New Adult. Here, the focus is on the "post-YA reader" who's just out of her teens and is looking for a read that deals with issues eighteen to twenty-somethings experience. While I don't see BCPL adopting a "New Adult" shelf, it's an important category to be familiar with. Also, it's worthwhile for the publishers to promote these books to potential readers to let them know it's available. This distinction informs the customer that these books are too mature for teen readers and will appeal to those looking for themes they're familiar with, in a voice similar to their own.

I posted comments on P Deany and J Hartzell's blogs

Week 6 assignment 3: Subgenres

Culinary Mysteries: Stories of delicious food and murder! These cozy mysteries often include recipes that tie in to the story and are often solved by amateur sleuths with ties to the food industry (caterers, bakers and the like). Expect graphic details about the meals, not the murders in these gossipy tomes

http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/ is a website that ties recipes and books together run by food-savvy mystery writers. Most of the recipes are comfort food favorites and decadent treats, lots of cupcakes even a savory lasagna one, while health foods are largely ignored.

Popular Authors: Joanne Fluke, Peter King, Diane Mott Davidson

Urban Fiction Hip Hop: Often fast-paced and character-driven, these books also rely on an urban setting to set the atmosphere. Usually centered around rappers, video vixens, or others in the hip hop music industry
http://www.streetfiction.org/ offers reviews of new releases and allows you to search by category or topic such as "family" or "pimps". There's a lot of crossover books mentioned to appeal to teens or fans of paranormal stories in addition to more serious topics such as suicide, gangs and homelessness

Popular Authors: Wahida Clark, Noire, Zane


Beach Reads: These can be fast-paced and action-packed or leisurely paced books that are typically lighter reads that aren't too complex to get into.

http://booksforthebeach.blogspot.com/ seems historical fiction is still a popular beach-reading genre along with the usual chick-lit and anything else that engrosses the reader into the book's plot.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/beach-reads is Huff post's compilation of all their beach reading lists from dark thrillers to lighter page-turners

Popular Authors: Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, Nora Roberts

Mashups: The cursed blends paranormal romance with fast-paced action in the battle of good vs. evil

11 22 63 by Stephen King is a mash-up thriller that is in the alternate history subgenre of science fiction as a man travels back in time to prevent Kennedy's assassination. The rich details of true events make it read like a historical fiction and the race against time makes this a thrilling read
                           

A good site to find book bloggers is:
http://bookbloggerdirectory.wordpress.com/fiction-blogs/paranormal-romance-urban-fantasy/pnruf-book-blogs-n-z/

and for crime genre suggestions, check out:
http://www.historyofthemystery.com/index.php?page=30

Week 6 Assignment 2

I like the prezi chart, it explained the appeal of some popular authors whose work I've seen but am not as familiar with. I also get a kick out of all the romance subgenres and their descriptions.

Week 6 Assignment 1

As I mentioned earlier, I really enjoy Earlyword and all their links and lists. I've been a little under-whelmed with the sci-fi sites, especially http://www.sfsite.com/ The page isn't updated frequently enough for me and the content is very limited. Many of their links to blogs are no longer valid. This has made me realize I like sites with splashy feeds to give me quick glimpses of information and entertain me too. Hearing so much about http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/ from everyone else's blogs makes me want to check it out.

Michael Pollan's Cooked-week 5 assignment 3

One of the most highly anticipated books of 2013 is Michael Pollan's latest Cooked : a natural history of transformation. Here he once again uses his journalism background to discuss the history, culture and science of food. Informative and entertaining he advocates for Americans to take back control of their kitchens and the food they eat. This book will appeal to foodies and memoir lovers alike as each section he personally investigates the major elements of cooking. Readers of his previous books will finally learn what they can do to change our food systems.

I love recommending foodie memoirs to customers browsing the latest cookbooks. Some read alikes for Cooked include: Catching fire : how cooking made us human that explains how cooking civilized humans (good for history/sociology buffs), On food and cooking : the science and lore of the kitchen offers tips on preparation and considers the scientific aspects of the food we eat

week 5 assignment 2

I appreciate the diversity of reading lists EarlyWord provides and the convenience of having them all in one place. Links to publisher blogs or Library Journal help me keep up with trends and highly-anticipated new releases. Lists from amazon and Entertainment Weekly let me know what people are reading right now. Viewing these sites give us a snapshot of multiple genres and can clue me in to books that I wouldn't otherwise see because they're held up by patron requests. Knowing these helps me help customers find the titles they heard about.

I expect these lists will come in handy when patrons start looking for good vacation reads. For now, we at Towson are helping readers find titles for school projects and book reports and the Goodreads lists are very helpful for that.

Blogging about Blogs, Week 5

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13936072 is my goodreads profile. I've combed my BCPL reading history to beef up my bookshelves and have begun following coworkers' reads. It's interesting to see books we have in common and how others have rated titles.

I enjoy seeing the recommendations for each of my shelves and look forward to seeing how they progress.

When a customer has a question about a series, author, or genre recommendations I've found it helpful to do a general google search and add "goodreads" to limit my results to lists from their site. For example, googling "Charlaine Harris goodreads" will access her GR account listing her bio, books written, and her series. This is especially helpful for when it's a common name shared by another celebrity and you ONLY want book-y responses.

http://www.earlyword.com/ is helpful book news that's updated frequently and shares info on upcoming movies based on books. My husband just finished Ender's game and was very happy to learn about the movie and watch the trailer I forwarded from the site. This helps us anticipate older books gaining new found popularity.

getting credit :) for week 2

I offered suggestions on both Laura G. and Matthew K's blogs.

The Physick book of Deliverance Dane is very similar to "A Discovery of Witches" About a Harvard graduate student working on her thesis finds that she's descended from a long line of witches

Arcadia by Lauren Groff is a great book about different children who grow up in an American commune. It's also character driven and as they grow into adults they reflect on how their unusual upbringing shaped who they are. Very bittersweet and thoughtful

bookish conversations

I would suggest Wild : from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail to anyone who enjoyed Eat Pray Love. A woman decides to walk 1,100 miles by herself in a journey of self-discovery full of laugh out loud situations. Serious self reflection with a hint of self-deprecating wit.

The last werewolf is a werewolf/vampire novel that is definitely more grown-up! If you're a fan of the "True Blood" series, you may like the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Less racy, more serious choices would be Ann Rice's Interview with the vampire or A Discovery of Witches both featuring more sophisticated storylines.

Destiny of the Republic : a tale of madness, medicine and the murder of a president is another too crazy to be true story by the same author. This one's about the attempted assasination of President Garfield and the affect on the nation. In the garden of beasts : love, terror, and an American family in Hitler's Berlin is a fast paced, impossible to put down book about Hitler's rise to power

exploring ecosystems

Your backyard is wild by Jeff Corwin centers around 2 siblings who go to visit their cousin in New York City. While there, they explore major city landmarks and observe the wildlife that lives in the city. The tone of the book is quite educational (did you know that potato bugs are the only crustaceans that live entirely on land and that falcons help limit pigeon numbers?) A fun read that will appeal to junior explorers and their parents.

Appeal factors

I chose the book Fever by Mary Beth Keane. This historical fiction set in New York early in the twentieth century follows the cook who later became infamously known as Typhoid Mary. Lush details transport the reader to the gritty reality of life of an unmarried working class woman. Simple details convey deeper emotions as the reader can't help but root for this stubbornly tragic character as she evades a villanous medical researcher. The meandering pace allows the reader to follow her personal history of the outbreaks and understand her complicated feelings of responsibility. This is an intriguing read for those who appreciate fiction based on facts and the personal aspects that contribute to history.

Recommended Links and Genres

I chose Science Fiction for my genre link to keep up with. I was torn between that and mystery because neither are genres I normally read. Sci-fi won out because it has so many sub-genres I'm interested in learning about. Learning these and general sci-fi titles will help me help patrons find books they might not otherwise. There's a lot of crossover and someone who typically likes romance or mysteries may find their next favorite read on shelves otherwise foreign to them. I look forward to surprising customers and getting them to try something new. Also, sci-fi seems to be forever growing in popularity. I decided to go with http://www.sfsite.com/

The recommended book links were all tempting choices and I plan to scan them during slow desk times. The trouble is they add so many title to my "to read" list! I chose to go with GoodReads because it's so interactive and popular. I already have an account with them but am interested in utilizing the site more and taking full advantage. Now I can create an actual (well, digital) to-read list!