Assignment 3

I'm not completely sure I could find fan websites for the folowing three subgenres Cyberpunk, Steampunk and Dystopia, however, I was able to research them and gather information through websites that follow that subgenre.   Cyberpunk had a website called Cyberpunk Project that had an informational database.  I believe some of the books that were on this database were as follows; Count Zero, Agrippa and Mona Lisa.  Not knowing much about this subgenre, I would imagine that these books would be relating to cyber  travel.  The Steampunk website that I discovered was called Steampunk Workshop and linked to a website called Coilhouse that appears to be a worldwide website for followers of Steampunk.  Another was Porkpie Hatters, interesting.  Some of the titles promoted were OSAMA, Warm Bodies and The Hollow City.  The third subgenre I researched was Dystopia.  This one was much more familiar to me.  It deals with oppressive societies, some set in the future.  With the popularity of The Hunger Game series and the somewhat older, but now classic 1984 and Brave New World, this subgenre was much easier for me to understand.  I found it very interesting that these were all subgenres of Romance.

Assignment 2

Prezi Link was most interesting to follow, particularly when I discovered that romance also covered a religious sub-genre.

Week 6

Assignment 1

I have been following RT, as I stated previously, because it is a genre, I thought was unfamilliar to me.  However, I discovered that because of the crossover with historical fiction that it is not that unfamiliar. Therefore, I learned that it isn't all the books that I believed were strictly romance.  Also I discovered that followers of RT have great parties!

Assignment 3

Some of the books that were on Early Word that seemed very interesting were Real Santini by Pat Conroy.  This is the nonfiction account that parallels the fictional The Great Santini. For those Pat Conroy fans, it will be interesting to read the factual account about growing up with an abusive parent as opposed to the fictionalized version.  Another poplular author who generally writes for adults is Lisa Lutz.  She seems to use the same type of humor in her Spellman series for the children's book, How to Negotiate Everything.  This should be fun to read.  The other two that, I found interesting were We Need New Names, by NoViolet Bulawayo.  This one deals with the very heavy subject of child abduction and disappearance.  Then the book S.H.I.E.L.D which will be launched in time for the TV show

Week 5
Assignment 2

Most of our customers opt for the NYT best seller list which always seems to include James Patterson, Clive Cussler, Nora Roberts, etc.  In other words the very prolific, popular authors.  Since that is the case, we try to follow that list and others on our website that show what will be the newest published by those authors.  I have not, in my imited experience found that customers would prefer to read a book before the movie comes out.  I have found that they either ask specifically for the movie, or book or audio.

Week 5
Assignment 1
After following RT, mostly because I was not familiar with romance books, I learned that it isn't all the books that I believed were strictly romance.  There is a fair amount of crossover with historical fiction.  Also I discovered that followers of RT have great parties!

Week 4

Learned more about navigating through Goodreads.  I often use their website for recommendations.  I have also included as friends several colleagues and also recommended to Melanie D a childrens' book entitled The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas that I thougth she might enjoy given that she is currently reading childres' literature/

Week 4
This is an easy one as I have joined Goodreads several years ago!

Finished week 3!

Week 3

Conversation 3

This reader might enjoy the two fairly new books by Bill O'Reilly Killling Lincoln and Killing Kennedy.  Although they do not have any murders, they tell us some important times in the lives of these two presidents. They are full of historical events that many of us already know, but do not have the same insight that O'Reilly lends to the story.

Week 3

Conversation 2

I would recommend The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice.  It is written more on an adult level.  this book is the first in a series of vampire books by Anne Rice.  Almost one of the orignal books that fascinated people about vampires.

Week 3  Assignment 3

First suggestion.

The customer enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love about a strong woman's adventure.  Another book worth reading is Breaking Night  by Liz Murray.  Also a non-fiction book about a woman's journey.  Her journey is also one about finding answers.  However, it is a journey through the difficulties of life.  An amazing story that keeps you wanting to find out exactly how she survives.

Some book club suggestions:
Snowflower and the Secret Fan  Lisa See
Also a book about strong women and their journey through life.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Jamie Ford
A "bitter sweet" story about a love affair which takes places during and beyond the internment of Japanese Americans during World War2.

Week 3  Assignment 2

Nancy Pearl is able to give an enormous amount of information about a book in a very short period of time.  I wanted to read each one of the books she suggested!  I was also interested in the information about reprinting of books and the role that Amazon can play.

Week 3

Read Neal Wyatt's article.  It is pretty much what we already do to assist readers in finding books.

Made suggestions for books she might like to Kim B.