Week Three Prompt

1.       I am looking for a book by Laurell K. Hamilton. I just read the third book in the Anita Blake series and I can’t figure out which one comes next!

The fourth book in the Anita Blake series is called The Lunatic Café published in January 1996. Using Novelist I searched under authors and then went to series. Laurell K. Hamilton also has a graphic novel series based on the original Anita Blake series if you are interested in reading those!

2. What have I read recently? Well, I just finished this great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. I really liked the way it was written, you know, the way she used language. I wouldn't mind something a bit faster paced though.

I would recommend the book Anthill by Edward O. Wilson.  This novel follows the path of Raff who is described as a “modern-day Huck Finn.” I found this novel by searching for Prodigal Summer and looking through the read-a-likes to find something that was mainstream, ecofiction, but still had that lyrical and lush details the reader wanted while also being described as fast-paced and suspenseful.

2    3.  I like reading books set in different countries. I just read one set in China, could you help me find one set in Japan? No, not modern – historical. I like it when the author describes it so much it feels like I was there!

The iris fan: a novel of feudal Japan (Dec 2014) is a good option for a book set in historical Japan. This particular book is a mystery and set in 1709 where the shogun is stabbed with an iris fan. Novelist describes this book as a historical mystery that has a writing style of compelling and richly detailed. You get action and detail in one! I found this book by searching under keywords for historical japan and narrowing the search terms to adult and fiction works. I then found this book published within the last five years and thought it would be an interesting read for someone who enjoys a different setting while also being intrigued by fast-paced novels. I chose this book because it is supposed to have history, suspense, and rich and detailed background descriptions.

 4. I read this great mystery by Elizabeth George called Well-Schooled in Murder and I loved it. Then my dentist said that if I liked mysteries I would probably like John Sandford, but boy was he creepy I couldn't finish it! Do you have any suggestions?

I would recommend Still Life by Louise Penny. It is about a woman who was murdered in a small town (like in Geroge’s novel) and is character-driven and leisurely paced which would be similar to Well-Schooled in Murder. It is also the first book in the series and is a police detective series like Elizabeth George’s novel. I found this book by looking in the suggested readings on novelist and chose it because it has similar book appeal terms and similar plot where there was a murder in a small town and both authors have similar writing styles.  

5. My husband has really gotten into zombies lately. He’s already read The Walking Dead and World War Z, is there anything else you can recommend?

I would recommend The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks. Published in 2003, it is a humorous satirical book based on how to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. Readers who enjoy The Walking Dead and World War Z would more than likely enjoy reading how to prepare and learn defense strategies and learn about zombie behavior. I found this book by searching under the keyword “zombies” and then sorted the list by popularity to find the zombie books that others have found intriguing.

6. I love books that get turned into movies, especially literary ones. Can you recommend some? Nothing too old, maybe just those from the last 5 years or so. (movie in last 5 years).

While this book turned into movie is not necessarily considered a literary novel, it is very thought-provoking and has just recently been turned into a movie within the last five years. The book The Girl with All The Gifts by M.R. Carey is a story about a young girl named Melanie living in military based correction center. This book is set in an apocalyptic world and keeps the reader (or watcher) on their toes trying to figure out what happens and how the story ends. For Melanie is not necessarily who she seems to be! I chose this book and movie because it is one that I have personally read and enjoyed and know the movie is just as intriguing.

7. I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast paced.

I searched through google for thrillers that are clean reads and it lead me to Goodreads where they suggest authors such as Mary Higgins Clark, Victoria Holt, and Colleen Coble. Going off of authors that I know I would recommend Mary Higgins Clark or Colleen Coble. Both write clean books with little to no foul language and no sex scenes. I would recommend Beneath Copper Falls by Coleen Coble. Novelist labels it as Christian suspense but it is has the fast-paced story and compelling writing that are often associated with thrillers. This book is also a new released and was released in July 2017.

Second, after you get a chance to do the readings and explore Mary Chelton's list of tools, I want to hear about how you find books to read. It could be a site or a resource you've just discovered or one you've used for years, one you use for yourself or for your patrons or family and friends.

When I look for a new book to read I often look through Goodreads and Fantastic Fiction to find new releases or lists of the book series in order if it is a series I’m reading that isn’t labeled. I use these two site when searching for books for patrons at the library since we do not have access to Novelist. If we had regular access to this database it would be great to be able to search for similar reads based off of the book title and the similar appeals. I also use Booklist and Publisher’s Weekly to find new books that are popular at the time. I also just discovered Library Reads (libraryreads.org) where librarians share their favorite books of the month. I have added several of their books to my list of books to read.