1. I am looking for a book by Laurell K. Hamilton.
I just read the third book in the Anita Blake series and I can’t figure out
which one comes next!
The 4th book in the
Anita Blake series is “The Lunatic Café.” To find this, I typed Anita Blake
into the search box on Novelist, selected the series tab, chose the regular
series (not the graphic novel) and saw that number 4 was “The Lunatic Café.”
2. What have I read recently? Well, I just finished this
great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. I really liked the way it
was written, you know, the way she used language. I wouldn't mind something a
bit faster paced though.
The Gentleman Poet by Kathryn Johnson, Frog Music by Emma Donoghue, and The Miniaturist by Kunal Basu all have the lush and lyrical writing style they are looking for, with a faster pace! I was able to discover these titles by using the advanced search options
3. I like reading books set in different countries. I just read one set in China, could you help me find one set in Japan? No, not modern – historical. I like it when the author describes it so much it feels like I was there!
The Translation of Love by Lynne Kutsukake is set in post-World War II Japan. It follows the lives of a family who went back to Tokyo after being released from a Canadian internment camp. 4. I read this great mystery by Elizabeth George called Well-Schooled in Murder and I loved it. Then my dentist said that if I liked mysteries I would probably like John Sandford, but boy was he creepy I couldn't finish it! Do you have any suggestions?
I would suggest anything by P.D. James, Louise Penny, or Peter Robinson. They create the same complex characters that George does, but without the "creepy"-ness of John Sandford. Their books have flawed, but likable characters and there is a "strong sense of place" within them.
5. My husband has really gotten into zombies lately. He’s already read The Walking Dead and World War Z, is there anything else you can recommend?
6. I love books that get turned into movies, especially literary ones. Can you recommend some? Nothing too old, maybe just those from the last 5 years or so.
Girl on the
Train by Paula Hawkins, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, The Circle by Dave Eggers, Still Alice by Lisa Genova, and The Martian would be good choices. Both the books and the movies have come out within the past 5 years. To find these titles, I used a combination of Goodreads and Amazon.
7. I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast paced.
I would suggest Ted Dekker’s books such as BoneMan's Daughters and The Priest's Graveyard. They are all fast paced thrillers, but they have a Christian undertone, so there won't be foul language or sex scenes in these books.
How I find books to read
My main source is Goodreads. I have used it for so long and so often, it has become second nature. I use Amazon and Novelist to find
read-a-likes, if there is a certain topic or subject I am interested in. I also
use Bookpages. I try to read as many award winners as I can, especially the ones
that have received an award from the ALSC. I also take recommendations from friends. We have pretty similar tastes, so we are always giving each other suggestions!
Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteNice touch adding the book cover photos! We seemed to have found many of the same recommendations for these patron reader’s advisory requests. I wish I had remembered Still Alice. I watched the movie last year, however, completely forgot about the book. I like how you gave each patron multiple options for each request as well as how you obtained each book recommendation. I tried to do the same even if it was sometimes challenging. Goodreads is an excellent source. Especially for a more user-based review system, which is nice when you aren’t looking for reviews of the professional bend. It’s great you were able to predominantly use it for these prompts. I used Novelist for almost every question, with the exception of the last one. Speaking of which that was wise to search for novels with Christian overtones for the final question as you know those would refrain from anything too explicit, in the way of language and sex scenes.
I think it is so important to provide people with more than one option, which I noticed you did as well! Not every book that is suggested is going to suit the persons needs. I struggled with the last one a little bit, just because I don't mind foul language or sex scenes. I figured books with a religious overtone would be the safest bet. There are a lot of patrons at my library who enjoy Amish romances (bonnet rippers, if you will) because while there is the romance part, it isn't explicit. I'm sure there are Amish mysteries and thrillers out there that would be suitable for the last question, as well!
DeleteGoodreads is also my favorite way to find books. I sometimes have quarrels with the web design portion, but the information is so rich!
ReplyDeleteI have tried Library Thing in the past, since it is similar to GoodReads, but I couldn't get past the design portion of that. But, I hate that GoodReads differs so much between my phone, Kindle, and computer. I quickly found out that I can only use each device for a certain function, granted, it's mainly the computer I use to access the site, but it's still annoying to start a book on one and try to update the information on another device. But that's just me :)
DeleteExcellent job outlining how you found book recs from different sources. Full points!
ReplyDelete