Week 6 - Genreflecting!

Well I blogged about heroesandheartbreakers.com last week by mistake and will be blogging about it again this week too.  This week I noticed book trailers which appear to be the next big thing. I do enjoy watching them though it doesn't always make me want to read the book.  I was also able to read the first 18 pages of Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews, which I do not consider to be a romance but rather more of a chicklit read.  Go figure.

Three subgenres:

Paranormal Romance - paranormalromance.org (3,747 members)  One has to register to join so I didn't, but the site is devoted to speculative romantic fiction, including time travel, science fiction, vampires, shape-shifters, and futuristic romance. Some of the titles I discovered in this website include: A Seal in Wolf's Clothing by Terry Spear ("spellbound action packed romance), Silver Zombie by Carole Nelson Douglas and  by Joan Frances Turner.I found the website through a link from the Monroe County Public Library website of all places!

Urban Fantasy - allthingsuf.com  All Things Urban fantasy, where para is normal since 2009.  contains up to date book reviews of the latest paranormal fantasies of all kinds including romance, young adult, dystopian and steampunk. Lots of activity on this site with weekly book reviews and posts. Need to subscribe.  Three titles from this site are: Red Plague Affair by Lilith Saintcross, Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead, and Imposter by Susanne Winnacker. Found through a google search.

Science Thrillers - sciencethrillers.com Provides book reviews of medical and science thrillers with book giveaways. A very robust site with lots of chatter for those readers who enjoy authors like the late Michael Crichton. Titles from this site include: In the Matter of Nikola Tesla: A Romance of the Mind by Anthony Falcco, Island 731 by Jeremy Robinson, and the Proteus Cure by F. Paul Wilson. Discovered via my friend Google.


Mashup:

Steampunk Romance:



Steampunk, Burlesque, Secret Agent Re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast—are you intrigued yet?  “Beauty” has been replaced with grad-student-burlesque-dancer Jolie Benoit and the “beast” is secret agent/former soldier Wesley “Hauk” Haukon, who was horrifically burned and scarred. But even that description doesn’t begin to explain how great this series has turned out to be.  (from heroesandheartbreakers.com)


Legal/Christian Thriller (from the Genre Bootcamp!)

Life Support by Robert Whitlow



A legal thriller with a Christian bent. 
Alexia Lindale knows her new case is a matter of life and death. Baxter Richardson survived a fall from a cliff while hiding in the mountains. Whether he'll make it through the next few weeks is unclear because his survival depends on the machines that help him breathe. His haunted, unstable wife wants to pull the plug and hide her secrets. His doting father wants him alive for reasons of love and money. Conflicting legal documents send the fight to court. Alexia must navigate the mixed motives and warring facts to determine--and fight for--what's right for Baxter.  (stolen directly from the Genre Bootcamp annotation)


A few words about this week's assignment.  Not everything belongs in a Prezi and I felt that this assignment was one of those things.  A PowerPoint presentation would have been more helpful.. The information was good, useful and relevant.  Navigating the Prezi was a nightmare, no offense to Alex. Looking for fan groups of subgenres was a waste of time.  Stick to the basics of useful activities. I felt that this week's activities was mostly unnecessary "filler" and stuff I will never use.

Week 5, Halfway there!

I've (sporadically!) been following salon.com and heroesandheartbreakers.com.  Salon.com is certainly much more to  my liking since they review books that I might actually read as to romance novels which I definitely will not.  That being said heroesandheartbreakers appears to cover a wide variety of materials which I didn't consider for the Romance genre.  One example is Z: A novel of Zelda Fitzgerald. This site also keeps readers informed about TV shows such as Game of Thrones and the upcoming scoop on Downton Abbey.  There's lots here other than just romance which is a good thing.

I've been a subscriber to Early Word for a long time.  The highlights appear in my inbox on Friday and I'm very familiar with the website.  It has so many useful lists and links, all in one spot.  Popular fiction is very popular at Cockeysville.  Customers come in with the bestseller lists from the Baltimore Sunpapers and the New York Times.  If it's on a list, they want to read it.  They will also read the book version of movies, and often hope that there are book versions of movies even when there aren't.  Urban fiction tends to gather dust on our shelves here.  One resource not mentioned that I tend to use myself, and that is popular with our customers is the Book Page.  We can't keep that in stock.  I reserve quite a few titles from that myself.  I've given that out to any number of customers.

My pick for a highly anticipated title is:

This new novel by the hugely popular author, Khaled Hosseini, is a multi-generational family novel of love, loss and betrayal. Taking place throughout the globe from Kabul, Paris, San Francisco, and the Greek Island of Tinos, this novel follows the characters and the ramifications of the choices they have made. The lush description and language bring the novel to life. Hosseini is a master storyteller. I'm reading this novel now and I can't put it down! For those who like "epic" reads.

Week 4 - Goodreads - Good Reading!

Well I've been busy on Goodreads this week.  I joined a year ago and posted absolutely nothing, so I had to get cracking for this assignment. In the past three days I rated 142 books (much to the chagrin of my Facebook friends - sorry about the feed!), and while I had many friends already, as of today I have 79.  I sent and accepted several requests for Goodreads friends. I made two special shelves in addition to the shelves provided, and those are "chicklit" and "overrated-drivel."  The dreaded Fifty Shades is in the overrated-drivel category with one lonely star.

I recommended Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight to Chris Mitchell who was looking for a fast paced contemporary women's fiction read.  This title fit the bill for her.  I looked at many of the book recommendations, many of which I had already read and forgotten about.  I also explored some of the suggested lists, including 'Books That Need to Die Painfully" which included all of the Twilight series and many of Jodi Picoult's books.  The incredible Paula Willey suggested a young adult title to me which I will actually read. Thanks Paula!

I don't know that I will necessarily keep up with Goodreads.  It may be a handy way for me to keep a reading log of titles I have read.  For actual reviews I still will consult Amazon and look at what the trade journals have said, or take a look at Polaris which tells me the same thing. I didn't find Goodreads to be particularly intuitive to use.  I enjoyed this exercise, but it's another Internet addiction I don't need.

Week 3 - Let's Have a Conversation!!

Conversation #1

If you liked Eat, Pray Love by Gilbert I suggest you try Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman. At the age of 48 Gelman gives up her comfotable California lifestyle, her crumbling marriage, sells her possessions and becomes a citizen of the world.  She's lived in such far flung places such as Mexico, Israel, Bali, and the Galapagos Islands. The most interesting thing is that she's still traveling! This lifestyle choice can make for a spirited book club conversation.


Conversation #2

You don't like Twilight and all that teenage angst, try the classic Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice. Told in the first person by the vampire Louis, he becomes a sympathetic figure though the reader knows he's a predator.  The rich language makes for a mesmorizing read. The characters are well developed and the reader is transported to New Orleans and Paris and gets a great feeling of those cities. Watch the movie and move on to the rest of the Vampire Chronicles series!


Conversation #3

If you enjoyed The River of Doubt, you might like to try The Mapmaker's Wife: A True Tale of Love, Murder and Survival in the Amazon by Robert Whitaker.  In the early 18th century a group of mapmmakers set of for a decade long expedition to South America to measure the shape of the earth. A murder, fever, and a wrenching twenty year separation of the husband and wife team on opposite ends of the Amazon makes this is a riveting tale of adventure, intrigue and scientific achievement. This book has been described as "the greatest expedition the world has ever known."

My Posts

Yes, I completed the homework!  I provided reading recommendations to John Curreri and Chris Mitchell.  I also want to note that posting is rather cumbersome.  My tired old eyes have difficulty making out some of those wonky letters.

A few words about this week's assignment!  I enjoyed reading about appeal characteristics but had a very difficult time describing my book selections using just the appeal characteristics instead of the plot line.  I fear that my post was more of a plot line with more adjectives thrown in.  I see I'll have to work on this in the future.

How Appealing! Appeal Factors - Week 2

The View From Penthouse B by Elinor Lipman

A quirky relationship story of three lost souls sharing a penthouse in Greenwich village, piecing their lives back together.  Sisters Margot and Gwen-Laura are opposites sides of the coin. Margot, a bitter divorcee has lost her money in the Madoff Ponzi scheme, vents her anger in a little read blog. Meek sister Gwen-Laura, widowed and still grieving after two years, spends her time attending her support group and planning her "Chaste Dates" business for those interested in companionship only. The trio is rounded out by cheerful Anthony, a cupcake baking gay twenty something year old laid off from Lehman Brothers who tries to shake the sisters out of their lethargy.  Enter Margot's ex-husband Charles Pierrpont, released from prison after serving time for inseminating  patients with his own sperm at his fertility clinics and the plot thickens! A touchingly funny story of family dynamics, middle age love, friendship and forgiveness.

The Wrong Man by David Ellis

Jason Kolarich defends a troubled Iraq war veteran suffering from schizophrenia and PTSD in what looks like an air tight case in the shooting death of a paralegal. During his investigation, he discovers many others who could have wanted the paralegal dead.  Armed with information about warring Mafia families, homegrown terrorists, and a rogue hit man named "Gin Rummy," it's a race against time before Jason is targeted himself.  A fast paced legal thriller, featuring a flawed protagonist and a shocking ending.