W7A2 - 2 articles

I choose the two most recent articles, one published in the New York Times and one in the Publisher Weekly.

A Not-so-Young Audience for Young Adult books by Meg Wolitzer starts with an observation. While teenagers are not interested by middle-aged problems and books, more and more adults read Young Adult literature. She refers to an article by critic Ruth Graham that states that young adult books are too simple for adults. They are written for teenagers, and adults should concentrate their little time on reading grown-up books. Wolitzer does not want to convict Graham, but she wants to explain why she disagreed with her. Firstly, Y.A. is so vast, it is almost impossible to dismiss, or to settle, the whole genre all together. What draw Wolitzer to Y.A. books, and even to a Y.A. book club for adults, is the quest for a particular feeling. Of course, nostalgia is part of it, but also the feeling of a respectful and authentic youth experience.

As a grown-up, she read Y.A. to reconnect to her teenager self, but always viewed from her present and mature self. Adults remind adults even when they read Y.A. It is not a quest for lost youth, but to be immersed in the good and not so good experiences of young characters. Just like any other books, the goal is to forget everything else in our life and to focus on one thing only: a fascinating story, Y.A. or not.

New Adult: Needless Marketing-Speak or Valued Subgenre? by Rachel Deahl has to do with a new genre publishers started to use: New Adult. Created in 2009 by the employees of St. Martin’s Press, New Adult is mostly a marketing tool. After the success of Y.A. books the last decade, publishers did not want to lose their young readers once they became adult. Young Adult is an intermediate category about adulthood. Nobody reinvented the wheel, those books about the beginning of adulthood always existed; they are just put into a new category for marketing purposes. The millions of teens who bought Hunger Games and Twilight and Harry Potter often discovered reading with those popular series. Editors want to keep offering books they will like, but as the readers grow up the books need to be a little bit more mature.

The only problem is while editors and publishers use this new category, it did not catch on with the retailers. Bookstores are reticent to use it, and are basically waiting to see if the category name will spread around. The tool can be useful among the industry people, but it does not yet mean anything for regular folks. More and more books are crossing the genres and the group ages, maybe New Adult is just the beginning of new hybrid genres.

What to Read Next

The flowchart is titled “What to Read Next” and it starts with one book: Hunger Games. The first suggestions are other very popular books similar to Hunger Games. Then it goes with books in the same vein, but newer instead of popular. Next, it presents survival and apocalypse books after an environmental disaster instead of total war. Then, more dystopia books with people fighting an authoritarian government, and more books with other forms of social control, or a touch of science-fiction. After, more books with a dose of paranormal, or fantasy. And finally there is some classics.

Starting with a one book (Hunger Games), the flowchart shows how many different books (more than 55 titles) one can suggest by staying with the same storyline (a dystopia plot) but changing a little bit the other factor appeals.

Mash-ups of subgenres

 

 

My first thought is about Edgar Allen Poe. Most Poe’s tales can be classified as Mystery because people are killed, or something disappears, etc, but there is definitely something else in his books. Something gore and strange. I will put Poe's works into Mystery- Horror psychological. There is no supernatural in Poe’s books, but there is dark side of human psyche and unexplainable phenomenon. Basically, humans are so complex and dangerous as if, Poe does not need aliens and paranormal stuff to make his stories full of horrors and bizarreness. But at the same time, detective Dupont is often looking for the clues criminals left behind, just like in a mystery.

 

My second idea is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. This book is a science-fiction book. It happens in the future and the main characters travel around the galaxy in a story full of adventures and technology. But at the same time, the book is extremely funny and close to home. Not a lot of science-fiction can say the same. In a way, the book really talks about our society and our culture, from a philosophical point of view. This is why I would put this book between Science-Fiction and Realistic Fiction – literary. The latter genre usually aspires to be universal and to a greater truth, and I think this is what Douglas in trying to do through parody and humor.

Third Subgenre

Third Subgenre

Thriller – Medical

Like the Romance-Paranormal, thriller-medical is very popular among TV shows, Dr. House being a perfect example. Medical is a subgenre of thriller. And like any thriller, it usually incorporate fast-paced action, suspense, details-oriented and likeable characters. It can included dark and violent situations, sometimes extremely vivid and realist. The medical subgenre specificity is mostly the setting of the thriller. Also the languages can vary. Thrillers are often full of details, but with the medical subgenre language can be technic and specialist to the medical field. To my knowledge, medical thriller are also realistic, they are at least plausible.

Examples:

 

 

Coma by Robin Cook

Almost any books by Robin Cook could fit in this genre. In fact, coma is often considered to be the first one of the genre. When numerous patients inexplicitly go into comas after minor operations, third year medical student Susan Wheeler try to find an answer to those cases. It becomes clear that somebody is behind for those comas, but how and why a person would do that. Susan will find out.

 

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Like Robin Cook, Michael Crichton is also a physician turned writer. Better known for Jurassic Park, Crichton wrote and created the television show ER as well. In this book. Crichton mixed medical thriller with science fiction when a satellite accidently falls back on earth and people around the crash site started to die from a mysterious sickness. The government was already warmed that the sterilization procedures was not adequate for space contamination, and now it’s almost too late.

 

Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen

After the death of her husband, Dr. Claire Elliot moved with her son in a small town in Maine. Once winter settled in, the teenagers of the village started to act strangely, even violently. Upon investigating. Claire discovered this is not the first time that the village’s teenagers began to act on their violent impulsions, it happened exactly 50 years ago. Claire is convinced to find a biologic reason beyond it. Maybe the lake has something to do with it? Or maybe people are involved as well?

Second Subgenre

Second Subgenre

Romance – Paranormal

Of all Romance subgenres, paranormal looked the most odd and curious to me. But after I thought of it, I realized that some popular television series can fit right into this category. One can think of True Blood for example, in which vampire, human and sex are not only interwoven but they are the selling points. The factors appeals are very similar to romance in general; a passionate story line with an erotic and amorous language and tone. The setting and characters can be a little bit different for the paranormal subgenre, with an accent on supernatural beings and mysterious setting. Romance in general is not known for having unexpected and shocking plot, the reader usually knows where the story is going. The paranormal subgenre has the possibility to have a touch of surprising element within the story, it’s easier when supernatural element can appear at any moment during the book.

Examples:

 

 

  Siren’s Call by Jayne Castle

In a different world, the Island of Rainshadow is full of secrets and dangers. Rafe is hired to make the island safe again, before strange creatures started to lure human and kill them. To do so, he asked his old flame, a singer and a siren, to help him out. Working together can reactivate old feelings and desires, especially among dangers and mysteries.

 

Flight from death by Yasmine Galenorn

A blue dragon is exiled from her land and forced to work for a paranormal extermination and investigation agency. Not only she has to acclimate to human culture, but she has the hot for the owner. When a new patron call for help, many wishes and wants will be set free.

 

Bad Wolf by Jennifer Ashley

Broderick, a wolf shifter, has a busy schedule, and on top of that he is taking care of his three younger brothers. Meanwhile, he tries to impress a female human, Joanne. They cannot be more opposite. While Broderick is a fighter and like manual jobs, Joanne is shy and a computer programmer. Despite they differences, they are draw together and when Broderick is in trouble, Jeanne will use her skills to save him.

First Subgenre

First Subgenre

Adventures – High Seas

Adventures is already a subgenre of realistic fiction. High Seas is thus a sub-subgenre. The genre usually involves sailor’s life, naval rules and hierarchy, violence like wars between nations or piracy, treasures, adventures around the world, etc. The Prezi graph points out that the Napoleonic Wars are a popular setting for the High Seas genre, but it’s certainly not set in stone. The pacing could change significantly, just like the life at sea. It’s could be all quiet, which often give the author a chance to explain naval life and its specificities, or it could be a torrent of adventures one after an another. There is often one main character and around him/her a panoply of secondary characters, often presenting some sort of peculiarities. Language could also greatly vary. It can go from technical naval terms to vulgar sailor dialogue, and everything in between. Like the pace, the tone varies between exciting and detail-oriented. But most of the time there is a suspense because adventures can come and characters can do an about-face at any moment.

Example:

The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman

A young orphan, Philip, left London in a hurry to escape death. He signs on with a boat leaving for the English Colony of Newfoundland. At sea, pirates seize the boat and force our hero to participate to their violent expeditions. Against his will, Philip is now a pirate and must deal with the consequences.

 

Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life by Hermann Melville

Moby Dick would have been a good example, but Typee is less known. Also Typee include something else about the High-Seas Adventures genre: the crash of civilization. The nineteenth century was the age of the Pacific Ocean discovery and colonization. Melville went there as a young man and discovered the Polynesian simple and happy way of life. The cultural differences led to a series of reflection on good and evil, on nature and culture, on sexuality and frigidity. Typee explains very well this anthropological aspect of the genre.

 

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk

Set during WWII, The Caine Mutiny describes the (not-violent) mutiny abroad a destroyer during a horrible storm. Still at sea, the martial-court that follow occupies most of the plot of the book. Instead of pirates and adventures, this book focuses on the ethical dilemma that occur when a group of people live and work inside a small nut of wood in the middle of the ocean. Basically, things are not always the same at sea than on land.

Fiction Genres Prezi Graph

The Fiction Genres and Subgenres Prezi graph is very useful. I like the description for each subgenre and the book covers used as example. However, I ended up printing the Prezi graph as a list because it was hard, and to be honest a little bit nauseous, to switch between genres. I feel Prezi is better for narrative presentation, when someone has a story to tell from point A to point Z. The zoom in and zoom out start to make you dizzy if you don’t go anywhere with it and just play around.

Science-Fiction appeal factors (W6A1)

The last 5 weeks, I read reviews and interviews about science-fiction books and authors. In many ways, science-fiction as a genre is so vast, I still feel like a novice. However, the genre is not as opaque as it used to be. I discovered that even if storyline and characters are often set in the future or in a different world, their psychology is deeply human. What I mean is the actions can take place 5000 year from now and the characters can be half-human, or not human at all, they still often show human quality; like putting their own children before society, not only survival but striving, looking for love and meaning, etc. In a way, we still have to understand them and their motives. More often than not, the characters are complex and the plots detailed. Also, the setting is very important, most of the times the world in which the plot take place does not exist here on earth, but it is coherent and possible in his own way. The same is true about the language, language can be very realist, although invented. Tone and pacing can vary greatly. If there is a lot of action, the pace usually gets faster, but it can also have a gentler pace. Also, the tone can change from dark to optimist. Learning is also important appeal factor for science-fiction genre. Not learning about our world, but about other worlds. Because science-fiction is rich of details, people are curious about different ways of living, politics and cultures.

Science-fiction is not going anywhere. To the contrary, it is more and more popular and everywhere, from TV to movies and books. If someone ask me to describe science-fiction in few words, I would say is the mix of human imagination and science.

W5A3 - Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott

Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott is the story of a building in Brooklyn. An aging and widowed landlady, Edith, is slowly losing contact with reality, her mind is simply giving up. The tenants, a bunch of beautiful losers are fighting their eviction against her money-oriented son. The characters might be socially, emotionally or intellectually maladjusted, but they are deeply human. After all, their quest for home contains most human needs; love, security, significance, friendship, etc. More than a meticulous plot, Infinite Home mostly reveals a set of touching and authentic characters. The tone is kind and calming, like a daily routine in an uncomplicated life. Alcott’s writing was described as dreamy, but so are her characters.

This book would attract readers who like personal and touching stories, in which characters and their relationship are at the center. The setting of the book remains me of Life a user’s manual by George Perec, in which Perec described the inhabitants of a Parisian building. But while Perec tries to add layers over layers of intertwined stories, Alcott stays simple and on the human experience level. With that in mind, Alcott’s book is closer to Among the ten thousand things by Julia Pierpont, a story about family bonds and its resilience in face of adversity. Or Up in the Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell. Mitchell’s stories are nonfiction, but they portrayed delightfully the life of the has-beens, the cranks and the misfits of NYC.

EarlyWord

To begin with, I did not know anything about EarlyWord. Now, barely two weeks after I start using it, I can say it is certainly one of the most valuable resources I discover yet with this training, the other one being Publishers Weekly. First, I signed-up for the weekly newsletter. For the last two Friday, I received the EarlyWord newsletter and at a glance, I can learn about the main events and news from the publisher world. So far, my favorite section is “Ready for Next week” about the most expecting titles in all genres. The format is simple and effective. By clicking on the title, you are redirecting on the Edelweiss website, a cross-publisher catalog service, where you can find anything you need about the author, publisher and press releases. Also on “Ready for Next week”, you can read reviews from different websites and form a pretty good idea about the book.

As a librarian, I wanted to find out who created and keep the website alive. The source of the information is as important as the content, no!!! Well, I could not be more surprised. The founder and editor is Nora Rawlinson. Few clicks later, I realized she used to be the head of collection development here at BCPL from 1979 to 1988 under the directorship of Charles Robinson. She even published the well-known article “Give ‘Em What They Want” (click here to read the article) in reference to the new collection philosophy of those years. Incidentally, we are also using that same title for our new strategic plan X. After a stint as editor for the Library Journal and 12 years as head of Publishers Weekly (two very good sources of library information), she started her own website, EarlyWord.

On the website itself, there is many useful resources. For my previous post, I focused on science-fiction websites and found out that Locus was perhaps the best of them. Because EarlyWord does not limit itself to one genre and has so much resources, it is a very excellent one-stop shop for any questions about reader advisory. In fact the subtitle of the website is News for Collection Development and Readers Advisory Librarians. It included a ton of lists: list of awards, list of Best-Sellers, list of Book Coverage and media attention, list of Movies & TV based on Books, list of Publishers’ Catalogs, etc. I also like the left hand sidebar called Categories. Each article from the archives can be found by date, by also by categories or genres. This option just simplifies the search and make us discover new articles about new topic.

I will definitely keep reading the EarlyWord newsletters, because they are a good and short summarizes of the publishing world news. It is not a website to use on the spot with a customer, like Novelist or Book Seer are (if you like that you would also like this), but EarlyWord keep us inform and up-to-date with the actuality.