Week 5: Building Base Knowledge (Part II)

I've been following NPR Books and it is a fantastic resource for author interviews and book reviews. My favorite part, though, has been the book news through a feature called The Two-Way. Each day they give a roundup of book news, gossip and interviews from a variety of sources. This is where I found out that Lydia Davis had won the Man Booker International Prize and that Amazon will now be selling fan fiction. It is also where I read this great quote from a book review in the New York Times, "Calling a writer 'Midwestern' seems like a way to start up that familiar and imaginary battle between Plain Novels Full of People With Integrity and Dirty Fingernails versus Showoffy Books About People Having Martinis in Penthouses." I will definitely continue to use this site.

EarlyWord has so much information packed into one little site that it will take some time to sift through it all. One thing I found interesting to look at was the OverDrive 'best seller' list. It isn't something I'd seen before and is interesting to compare to other best seller lists, since not all books are available on OverDrive.

Happiness, Like Water, a debut story collection from Nigerian American author Chinelo Okparanta, caught my eye on the Huffington Post Best Books of 2013. This book may be of interest to readers who have enjoyed other recent works by Nigerian authors, including Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Open City by Teju Cole. It may also appeal to readers of short stories about women and families, including those by Alice Munro and Edna O'Brien.

Week 4: Building Base Knowledge (GoodReads)

I've been using Goodreads for quite a while, and have found it to be a great way to find out about new books and keep track of what I've read. At a previous job I even moderated an online book discussion group through the site. With the recent announcement that it's been purchased by Amazon, however, I've been rethinking my use of Goodreads. I haven't deleted my account yet, but I have cut back on how much information I give them about my reading preferences and habits. That being said, it can be a great RA tool. I particularly like the lists and I often use it to figure out the order of books in various series.

I connected with several colleagues on Goodreads and recommended The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie to Susan. She had read and enjoyed Wonder by R.J. Palacio and I thought she might also like this humorous and touching coming of age story.

Week 3: The Readers' Services Conversation

Customer #1

I would suggest Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Like Eat, Pray, Love, it is a memoir about a woman's self-discovery after a difficult time in her life. There would be a lot for a book club to discuss after reading this.

Customer #2

I would suggest Soulless by Gail Carriger. Unlike Twilight, this vampire novel, the first in a series, is full of clever humor and supernatural action--in the first chapter a vampire upsets a tea tray and is killed by a parasol wielding woman with no soul.

Customer #3

I would suggest Destiny of the Republic: a Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard. Written by the same author as The River of Doubt, this book focuses on the assassination of President James A. Garfield. It is a similarly fascinating, fast paced historical read.

Week 2: Appeal Factors

To the End of the Land by David Grossman

In this intense Israeli novel, two old friends, Ora and Avram, set off on a hiking trip to avoid news of the military action Ora's son is fighting in. As they walk, fragments of their complicated family history, which is inexorably connected to the history of their country, are revealed. Grossman has written a deeply personal and compelling story that gives insight into the psychological burden put on people living in war.





The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The life of Achilles as told by his companion Patroclus. This story of love and war explores themes of heroism and fate while including many interesting historical details. Miller writes with unforced lyricism that echos the original source material, but keeps the story moving at a steady pace.




UPDATE: I recommeded Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan and Housekeeping by Marilyn Robinson to M'Lissa based on her annoatations of The Expats by Chris Pavone and The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbaugh.