Week Three Prompt Response
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 fourth book in Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series is The Lunatic Cafe.
Two books like Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer that similarly cover themes of environmentalism and preservation, but are faster paced, are The History of Bees by Maja Lunde and The Wolf Border by Sarah Hall. According to a Booklist review in The History of Bees, “the text cycles through each narrative at a rapid pace” (NoveList, n.d.). NoveList describes the writing in The Wolf Border as “compelling” (NoveList, n.d.), “lyrical” (NoveList, n.d.), “stylistically complex” (NoveList, n.d.), and “thoughtful” (NoveList, n.d.). In addition to The Wolf Border, NoveList also uses the term “lyrical” (NoveList, n.d.). to describe the writing style in Prodigal Summer, along with “descriptive” (NoveList, n.d.) and “lush” (NoveList, n.d.).
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!
Two historical novels set in Japan in the late 1930s, and early 1940s, at the end of World War II, are The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama and An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro. Of important note is that Tsukiyama is an American author born to Japanese and Chinese parents (Tsukiyama, n.d.), and Ishiguro is a Japanese author currently residing in England (Nobel Prize, 2017). Tsukiyama’s novel is about two young Japanese boys and their grandparents, who must weather the aftermath of World War II; Ishiguro’s novel is about an older male artist who is also coping with the aftermath of World War II. NoveList describes both novels as having a “lyrical writing style” (NoveList, n.d.). Their description of the writing style corresponds to a Publishers’ Weekly review that regards Tsukiyama’s writing in The Street of a Thousand Blossoms, particularly her attention to the “historical and geographical detail” (NoveList, n.d.), as “enrich[ing] the narrative” (NoveList, n.d.). A Kirkus Review echoes this sentiment, stating that Tsukiyama “creates a vivid portrait of war-time Tokyo and the city's rebuilding” (NoveList, n.d.). One review for Ishiguro’s An Artist of the Floating World, from Publishers’ Weekly describes the protagonist as “a relic of traditional Japan, of teahouses, geishas and patterned gardens not yet destroyed by industry and Westernized thinking” (NoveList, n.d.), implying that culture, which is a significant component in a novel set in a previous time and location, is an important element in Ishiguro’s work.
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?
A book you might enjoy if you liked Well-Schooled in Murder is Michelle Davies’ False Witness, the third book in the Detective Constable Maggie Neville series. This novel is about a child who dies on school property and the resulting investigation into whether his death was accidental or deliberate. Both novels fall into the genre of “mysteries” (NoveList, n.d.) and “police procedurals” (NoveList, n.d.) and share the common subjects of a “murder investigation” (NoveList, n.d.), “schools” (NoveList, n.d.), and “women detectives” (NoveList, n.d.). Another book you might enjoy is Kylie Logan’s The Secret of Bones, the second novel in the Jazz Ramsey series, about the investigation by a female detective into the death of a teacher who used to work at an all-female school. This book, too, shares the subjects of a “murder investigation” (NoveList, n.d.), “schools” (NoveList, n.d.), and female detectives (NoveList, n.d.) with Well-Schooled in Murder.
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?
Three recommendations based on The Walking Dead and World War Z are The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks From the Apocalypse by Steven C. Schlozman and Dead Inside: Do Not Enter: Notes From the Zombie Apocalypse. Both books are graphic novels. Schlozman’s book is most like World War Z, whereas Dead Inside: Do Not Enter: Notes From the Zombie Apocalypse is similar to The Walking Dead. Walking Dead, World War Z, The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks From the Apocalypse, and Dead Inside: Do Not Enter: Notes From the Zombie Apocalypse all, as many of the titles suggest, cover the topic of “zombies” (NoveList, n.d.) or “zombie apocalypses” (NoveList, n.d.) and epidemics” (NoveList, n.d.). and all are part of the horror genre (NoveList, n.d.).
Literary fiction books turned into films in the last five years that you might enjoy are Sally Rooney’s Normal People, published in 2019, with the film coming out in 2020, Miriam Toews’ Women Talking, published in 2018, with the movie coming out in 2020, and Norman Lebrecht’s The Song of Names, which came out in 2019, as did the film. These books are all literary fiction but also contain elements of other genres. Normal People, for instance, has elements of romance and deals with issues such as “social class” (NoveList, n.d.). Women Talking looks at the topical issues of religion and various forms of “violence against women” (NoveList, n.d.), and The Song of Names discusses important topics such as the “Holocaust” (NoveList, n.d.) and treatment of “Jewish peoples” (NoveList, n.d.), as well as “Polish refugees” (NoveList, n.d.). Covering themes from romance, interpersonal relationships, and history, these books (and their subsequent films) appeal to many different tastes.
7. I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast paced.
Two thrillers with no foul language or sex scenes you might enjoy are A Person of Interest by Susan Choi and The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett. A Person of Interest is a psychological thriller. A Booklist thriller states that “[s]ubtle humor, emotional acuity, and breathtaking plot twists keep this tale of wounding secrets rolling” (NoveList, n.d.), implying that this novel is fast-paced. The Chemistry of Death is a crime thriller described as being “plot-driven” (NoveList, n.d.), with a “compelling” (NoveList, n.d.) and “richly detailed writing style” (NoveList, n.d.) and “suspenseful” tone (NoveList, n.d.).
Second,
after you get a chance to do the readings and explore Mary Chelton's list of
tools, I want to hear about how you find books to read. It could be a site or a
resource you've just discovered or one you've used for years, one you use for
yourself or for your patrons or family and friends.
I primarily use Goodreads and Amazon, but I also use Barnes and Noble’s search filters and curated lists to find books to read. I appreciate the layout of Goodreads; the summaries are clear-cut, and the site is easy to maneuver. Amazon’s “look inside” feature is helpful because it introduces me to the tone, writing style, and characters so that I do not check out a book from the library or purchase a book online that I will not end up enjoying. Barnes and Noble allows me to filter my results by genre or subgenre and topic, which I find helpful if I am searching for a more specific book type rather than a more general search where I am more unsure of what I want to read.
References:
The Nobel Prize. (2017). Kazuo Ishiguro. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2017/ishiguro/biographical/
NoveList.
(n.d. – a). An Artist of the Floating World.
NoveList.
(n.d. – b). The Chemistry of Death
NoveList.
(n.d. – c). Dead Inside: Do Not Enter: Notes From the Zombie Apocalypse.
NoveList.
(n.d. – d). False Witness.
NoveList.
(n.d.- e). The History of Bees.
NoveList.
(n.d. – f). The Lunatic Café.
NoveList.
(n.d. – g). Normal People.
NoveList.
(n.d. – h). A Person of Interest.
NoveList.
(n.d. – i). Prodigal Summer.
NoveList.
(n.d. – j). The Secret of Bones.
NoveList.
(n.d. – k). The Song of Names
NoveList.
(n.d. – l). The Street of a Thousand Blossoms.
NoveList.
(n.d.).-m). The Walking Dead.
NoveList.
(n.d. – n). Well-Schooled in Murder
NoveList.
(n.d. – o). The Wolf Border.
NoveList.
(n.d. – p). Women Talking
NoveList.
(n.d.-q). World War Z
Novelist.
(n.d.-r). The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks From the Apocalypse
I liked how you made sure to consider the "appeal terms" that readalikes might have in common on their Novelist page. I find that those are really important, sometimes even more so than the book's hyperspecific topic. In your response about the Kingsolver, I liked that you broke the appeals into different aspects; there is the environmental aspect, the relationship, aspect, the writing style, etc.
ReplyDeleteDid you struggle with the seventh question? I've seen a lot of people that have (including myself). So many "clean" reads are religious, and I know not everyone likes that.
Hi Katie,
DeleteYes, I did struggle with the seventh question. My initial instinct when attempting to find an answer to that question was to look for religious books because I also associate "clean" reads with religion. However, I recognize that these two themes are not interdependent and can exist separately. Ultimately, I second-guessed myself and chose not to suggest a religious thriller, if you will. However, in reading classmates' posts, I wish I had kept my original suggestion in my post because it would have been acceptable.