W5A1

Since Week 1, I have been following three science fiction web sites: SF Site, Locus Online and Tor - Affliction.

SF Site:

This site used to be a major reference for the science-fiction genre. Twice a month, news, interviews, reviews and fiction excerpts were posted on the website. Unfortunately, in December 2013, it stopped being updated regularly, due to the lack of funding and the decline of advertising revenue. Now, it remains on artificial life, the website is still up with its archive, but new links and news will seldom be posted. Nowadays, the main feature is precisely its archives: more than 100 interviews with science fiction writers, a list of authors with biography and bibliography, topics and awards lists and book reviews going back to 1999. For those reasons, SF Site is not the best site to access new trends and books in the science fiction world, but it is a good reference site to get familiarize with the big names and stars of science-fiction literature.

The main founder of the SF Site, John O’Neil, ended up starting a different webzine: Black Gate. In the same vein of SF Site, Black Gate focuses on fantasy literature instead of science fiction.

Tor – Affliction:

Contrary to SF Site, Tor is alive and well. Tor- Affliction basically consists of monthly releases by Suzanne Johnson. Every month, she posts lists of the newest publications in Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Genre-Benders, Science-Fiction and Fantasy genres. Little bit like our own BCPL Collection Blog but more specialized, we can learn the latest news in science-fiction in a single page, she even divided the list in 4 weeks so we know what to weekly expect. I really like this format. It’s fast and easy. One can find the book title, its author and a small summary; just enough to know about it, without being too much particular. She usually put the cover of the four most anticipated books, but I would like to see the other covers as well. Or maybe I am just used to the Collection Blog approach. Because Tor – Affliction focuses on the upcoming books, I feel it is more geared toward professional and diehard fans.

Tor also offers numerous other functions. One can learn about the latest book in a series (God knows science-fiction had countless series; one book is never enough to describe a new imaginary world). The forum section is very active. And the site is full of creative writing. There is a section of excerpts from published books, most of the time the first chapter is available to give us a taste of the book. There is also a fiction section where one can find original short stories, novellas and non-fiction texts. Tor is thus more than a book reviews website, it’s a hub where science fiction fans can exchange ideas, books, and texts.

Locus Online:

Locus Online is definitely the best of the three websites. It just has everything one can ask about science-fiction literature. In a way, it is a little bit like the SF Site and the Tor combine together. It includes news, upcoming releases, books, TVs and movies reviews, editorials and resources like bestsellers and awards lists or links toward more science-fiction websites. It even has an obituary section!!! Active since 1997, the website is a “semi-autonomous” version of the print magazine Locus, which has been around since 1968. They even award a 15 Locus awards every year. The website is easy to use and not too cramped (for some reasons, science-fiction website are often text heavy). Locus is good for upcoming books and for reference about science-fiction. There is so much information that it took me a while to be familiarize with the website and know how to move around. The website is helpful for the science-fiction novices, like myself, as well as experts in the field. 

To Danielle about Wild by Cheryl Strayed

I never read Wild by Cheryl Strayed, but I heard a lot about it. The story is one of self-discovery where the details are omnipresent. When the main character is walking by herself along the pacific coast, not a lot of exterior incitements happen, everything comes from memory or current feelings. Still, the outside world is often portrait as hostile and a place where one needs to survive until inner peace is found. Those characteristics remind me of books like Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer or The Alchemist by Pablo Coelho. The former is also a sort of a memoir in which the main character left the work rat race behind to be closer to nature and himself. The latter is the story of a shepherd’s quest to find a treasure he had dream about. Again, the physical journey reflect the inner journey. On a different level, Orange is the new black by Piper Kerman corresponds to the same appeal factors. It’s a memoir, and the main character tries to find herself within a lonely and something dangerous environment. Same journey, same character.

To Jane about 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

I really enjoyed this book as well. I found it witty and clever. The storyline is almost missing, the New-Yorker Helene Hanff wants more book from the Londoner bookseller Frank Noel. But the characters are very charming and one can easier see the affection developing between those two. Being an epistolary book, the tone is familiar, or rather it became familiar along with their friendship. I would recommend you the Persian Letters by Montesquieu. A Persian living in 17^th century Paris is sending letters back home. Those missives are full of culture clash and make us rethink certain westerner habits. It’s a fresh look on ourselves. In the same vein of epistolary literature, The dangerous liaisons by de Laclos is also set in 17^th century France. It narrates the love triangle between members of the aristocracy. Contrary to 84, Charing Cross Road, both novels are fiction, but like 84, Charing Cross Road, they are funny, witty and characters based. 

Goodreads

I did open a Goodreads account few years ago, but I never did anything with it. I may have looked at it maybe twice in two years. So this time, I started by updating my information, added all my colleagues from Be More Bookish as friends (at least the one I could find), and rated books. I started with Letters from a Stoic by Seneca (I did not look for it, it was there in front of me on the screen), then it directed me toward more philosophy books, up to the Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. After this title, the suggestions moved in the direction of classic titles, and once I liked Night by Elie Wiesel, it displayed Maus by Art Spiegelman and other graphic novels. Consequently, I created three bookshelves to contain the books I rated: philosophy, classics and graphic novels.

I explored Goodreads and its features for an hour or so. The Listopia option is fun and easy to use. There is a great variety of lists to look at. Some are straightforward genre lists (Best Young Adult Books), others are more silly or comic (What Book Would You Like To Live In? or The Most Begun “Read but Unfinished” Books Ever), while others are just peculiar (ooks I Think I Read But Have No Recollection Of or TV Readings). I think the Listopia can be a good tool for reader advisory with customers. Personally, I like more the interactive and community side of Goodreads. One can see what a friend had read, but also the reverse. If I discover a book, I can immediately see if a friend of mine had commented on it. Those functions invite conversations and exchanges.

I did have a hard time to judge a book with the stars system –what is the real difference between a three and a four star? I often like one aspect of a book and not so much a different side of it. I just always had difficulty to judge something as a whole. I can say what characteristic I like or dislike about something, but to assign a grade for the whole is a different story. As far as Goodreads recommendations go, the titles were … predictable. More philosophy books for my philosophy bookshelf, more graphic novels for my graphic novels bookshelf and more classics for my classic bookshelf. Maybe my selves were simply too clear-cut and limited. I did only rate two dozen books very similar to one another after all, but the suggestions look more like genre lists. Of course, I also know Goodreads uses algorithms, still I was surprised by the lack of originality and imagination of the recommendations. Though, I really like the “Readers Also Read” section, it reminds me of the “Customer Who Bought This Item Also Bough” by Amazon. I think those recommendations are more based on a personal taste (like the appeals factors) than on the books genre. It’s not because you like mystery that you want to read mystery all the time. It’s more about the characteristic appeals, like well-drawn characters, fast read, good setting for example.

Recommendation

Since I am going to the Books of the Beast in October, I decided to read The Fair Garden and The swarm of Beasts – The Library and the Young Adult by Margaret A. Edwards, a librarian at Pratt Library for more than 30 years. She basically created one of the first Young Adult Department in the country. Even if the book is a very bit old, it was first published in 1969, Edwards gives excellent tricks to approach young readers and how to make them comfortable in a library setting. It is a good book to learn all the soft skills related to reader advisory.

Readers' Services Conversation

W3A1

Straight off the bat, Wyatt talks about the roving model, where librarians approach and help customers where they are, usually in the stacks. If it sounds familiar it’s because it is also our BCPL model.

I like the idea that RA is just a conversation between two readers, even if one of them is working as a librarian. It is still a dialogue about book and a desire to share what one did like about it. Also, based on my experience, the 15 seconds rule to sell a book to a reader is true. Formerly I was trying to explain the nuances of the book, its merits and weaknesses. But I soon realized, people rapidly lost interest, they just want a short resume and know pretty fast if they want to give a book a chance or not.

For me, approaching the readers is the most delicate step of RA. Some customers do not want to be bother, some are too shy to ask for help, or too proud, etc. I always try to be tactful and make my presence visible. When someone ignores me on purpose, I know s/he does not want to be disturbed. Otherwise, as soon as I made eyes contact I offer my assistance and my help. Like Wyatt points out, once the reader is engaged listening is the key to offer good RA. I listen for the clues the reader says when s/he describes a book, and I integrated them to the appeal factors.

W3A2

Four novels (A Gay and Melancholy Sound by Merle Miller, Treasure Island!!! By Sara Levine, Lost by Michael Robotham and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain) in a little bit more than 7 minutes, that is less than 2 minutes for each book. Nancy Pearl only gave a brief and vague idea of the plot, but focus her time on the setting, characters and theme of the books. By being vague about the plots, she teases us and we are intrigued to go read the book. Basically, she gave us just enough to know if we are interested or not by the book, without spoiling the plot for the future readers.

W3A3

Conversation 1

This customer seems to like popular books (what everyone is reading, Oprah books). Even if Eat, Pray, Love is a non-fiction, she still enjoys the inner world or struggles of the main character, so I think she would also like novel with the same stream of consciousness technic. Furthermore, she is looking for something entertaining, but with some thought about the life, love and death. The first book that came in my mind is Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. The story of a young man who left everything in search of something authentic and genius. On the fiction side, I was thinking about Catching in the Rye by J.D. Salinger or Life of Pie by Yann Martel. Both books are full of insights about life and the responsibilities of the adult world, without falling into specialized vocabulary, like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance does at times for example.

Conversation 2

Only two criteria: a vampire novel and not Twilight. An easy answer would be the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, the first volume is Interview with the Vampire and was made famous by the movie with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. It’s written well and the story does not fall into a kitsch love story. Of course, this is just one example, and a quick search will find hundreds of vampire novels. They are quite popular nowadays.

Conversation 3

Based on his comments, this customer likes true stories, adventures and presidential biographies. An easy suggestion would be the first book by Candice Millard, the author of the River of Doubt. Destiny of Republic is the story of James Garfield, the 20^th President of the United States. From a poor childhood in Ohio to the Oval Office, the book narrates the phenomenal rise of a born politician. In the same vein, I was also thinking of Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. A true story set during the Chicago World Fair of 1893. Larson links the story of Daniel Burnham, the famous architect of the Flatiron Building in NYC and the Grand Basin of the Chicago Fair, and Herman Mudgett, the first serial murderer of modern time. Or maybe Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt about the events leading to the murder of a young man by a famous socialite of Savannah. Or maybe Cold Blood by Truman Capote. The last three books are unbelievable true stories full of details and historical facts.