Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Week 9: Book Trailers
Book trailers are super lame. It's difficult enough to get quality book covers that accurately and enticingly portray what's in a book - why would you push the envelope further? People like movie trailers because they are like book excerpts, or hearing an author read aloud from an upcoming book. They show a sneak peak of the actual material you are interested in consuming, and present it in an enticing way. Book trailers suck because they fake you out -they present stories in an entirely different medium than the actual content that's being sold. When they include the author talking I think it's especially bad - consumers want to figure out as quickly as possible if they are interested in content, they don't want to listen to someone talk about their own work when deciding whether to read it. They trust reviewers a lot more to tell them if the book is worth their time. Its like how usually no one wants to watch videos of a movie director talking about his movie production before they've even had a chance to watch it. When we decide what upcoming books or movies interest us, we want to see enticing juicy bits from the actual footage / writing, or read trusted reviews. I can't imagine book trailers becoming a real thing any time soon.
Week 7: Not Just for Teens
Assignment 2: I read "New Adult: Needless Marketing-Speak Or Valued Subgenre?" I thought this was an informative read -I'd never heard of "new adult" before. I like learning about how genres change according to what is in demand with readers, and I like imagineing "new adult" as potential genre to be marketed to this age group. I do agree with the bookstore owner, Kenny Brechner, who was quoted in the article. I think that the name "new adult" is confusing and not very catchy. I think it makes more sense to keep marketing to this age group within young adult or regular adult fiction, and that its not necessary to push for it as a new distinct category. Strict genre boundaries can be really limiting: writers who write outside of established genre, or in genre-bending ways can have a much harder time finding their intended audience, and are less likely to be published. It is tempting to just keep creating new genre labels for these writers to try and give them their own space and buzz in the market. But I think keeping to already existing genres and being open to more flexibility within / between these categories is the best way to go in this case, otherwise we could be inundated with new classifications.
The second article I read was "Who's buying teen books?" This article focused on the huge adult audience for YA that has sprung up. A lot of people have been very critical of adults reading YA / children's books, and I think these critics are stodgy. What I see is a trend of people questioning how strictly we define who a book's intended audience is. When I was a teen I thought YA was brain candy - I was embarrassed because I knew the intended audience of the books I picked up was young girls. Even though I was a young girl, I didn't want people to think I was immature, or silly. I wanted to seem like an adult, so I tried to only read heavy important books. A few heavy books in I had a little light bulb moment about "maturity," and letting the fear of how I'm perceived stop me from enjoying what I like. It's definitely fun for us as a society to continue toting those old hefty books around, celebrating our ever increasing weight and depth of experience. But appreciation of what, historically, we have deemed "important," shouldn't ever preclude our appreciation for what is new, different, racially diverse, LGBT, written for small children or medium sized children, young people, adults, or senior citizens. There is an awesome mix going on right now in young adult literature -lots of tension and synergy between exciting innovations and enduring, comforting tropes. I don't think there is one thing wrong with older people being drawn to that. It's excited that so many people seem to be willing to forgo the appearance of "maturity" in the pursuit of new stories they like to read.
Assignment 3:
I followed John Green Books and Forever Young Adult for a week. When I was 15-17 I was really really into John and Hank Green's Youtube vlog, and went to book signing events and participated in the "Nerdfighter" community before John's books really hit pop-culture. I was into the books because they were about nerdy kids like me experiencing and processing young adult life events, but also because there was this whole social movement with John and Hank that made me and my friends feel connected to other teens with similar interests all over the country. When The Fault in Our Stars became super popular, this cool special thing that my friends and I liked was suddenly being judged hardcore by adults. I feel the same way about Twilight too- Before it exploded in popularity, I randomly picked the book up as a young teen and read it with no expectations, thought, ok, that was cool, and moved on. After it became pop culture that adults were reading and writing about, I felt embarrassed that I had liked It's awesome for books written specifically for young teens to become popular enough that adults start reading them, like I mentioned above, but there's definitely a dark side to this attention. Adults get drawn in by the popularity and appeal, and then get disgruntled when the writing or character development or simplicity of the plot can't live up to their adult expectations. When adults criticize each other for enjoying books written for young teens, it sends a message to teens (who are struggling to figure out what it means to be mature, and want to be taken seriously) that enjoying those books is something to be embarrassed about.
I wasn't super into Forever Young Adult. They seem to be shooting for my age-group as an audience, but while I did like a couple of the book reviews that they've posted recently, I wasn't all that into the other stuff.
Assignment 4:
A big trend in teen fiction for awhile now is strong appeals towards female readers. It's awesome to see so many strong female protagonists, dealing with female-centric romances and relationships, because that's something that's missing a lot of the time in mainstream stories. And it makes sense that books written for young people might be a little more strongly gender performative - girls and boys are figuring out their identities and making decisions about what it means to be a woman, man, or non binary. It would be great to see more books exploring male perspectives at this age.
The second article I read was "Who's buying teen books?" This article focused on the huge adult audience for YA that has sprung up. A lot of people have been very critical of adults reading YA / children's books, and I think these critics are stodgy. What I see is a trend of people questioning how strictly we define who a book's intended audience is. When I was a teen I thought YA was brain candy - I was embarrassed because I knew the intended audience of the books I picked up was young girls. Even though I was a young girl, I didn't want people to think I was immature, or silly. I wanted to seem like an adult, so I tried to only read heavy important books. A few heavy books in I had a little light bulb moment about "maturity," and letting the fear of how I'm perceived stop me from enjoying what I like. It's definitely fun for us as a society to continue toting those old hefty books around, celebrating our ever increasing weight and depth of experience. But appreciation of what, historically, we have deemed "important," shouldn't ever preclude our appreciation for what is new, different, racially diverse, LGBT, written for small children or medium sized children, young people, adults, or senior citizens. There is an awesome mix going on right now in young adult literature -lots of tension and synergy between exciting innovations and enduring, comforting tropes. I don't think there is one thing wrong with older people being drawn to that. It's excited that so many people seem to be willing to forgo the appearance of "maturity" in the pursuit of new stories they like to read.
Assignment 3:
I followed John Green Books and Forever Young Adult for a week. When I was 15-17 I was really really into John and Hank Green's Youtube vlog, and went to book signing events and participated in the "Nerdfighter" community before John's books really hit pop-culture. I was into the books because they were about nerdy kids like me experiencing and processing young adult life events, but also because there was this whole social movement with John and Hank that made me and my friends feel connected to other teens with similar interests all over the country. When The Fault in Our Stars became super popular, this cool special thing that my friends and I liked was suddenly being judged hardcore by adults. I feel the same way about Twilight too- Before it exploded in popularity, I randomly picked the book up as a young teen and read it with no expectations, thought, ok, that was cool, and moved on. After it became pop culture that adults were reading and writing about, I felt embarrassed that I had liked It's awesome for books written specifically for young teens to become popular enough that adults start reading them, like I mentioned above, but there's definitely a dark side to this attention. Adults get drawn in by the popularity and appeal, and then get disgruntled when the writing or character development or simplicity of the plot can't live up to their adult expectations. When adults criticize each other for enjoying books written for young teens, it sends a message to teens (who are struggling to figure out what it means to be mature, and want to be taken seriously) that enjoying those books is something to be embarrassed about.
I wasn't super into Forever Young Adult. They seem to be shooting for my age-group as an audience, but while I did like a couple of the book reviews that they've posted recently, I wasn't all that into the other stuff.
Assignment 4:
A big trend in teen fiction for awhile now is strong appeals towards female readers. It's awesome to see so many strong female protagonists, dealing with female-centric romances and relationships, because that's something that's missing a lot of the time in mainstream stories. And it makes sense that books written for young people might be a little more strongly gender performative - girls and boys are figuring out their identities and making decisions about what it means to be a woman, man, or non binary. It would be great to see more books exploring male perspectives at this age.
Week 8: Nonfiction
Assignment 3:
Biography (?) I would recommend "Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter" by Kate Larson
Memoir (?) "Running With Scissors"by Augusten Burroughs
Science (500's) "Grunt" by Mary Roach
Medical (610) "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi
Assignment 4:
"Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter"
This engaging book is about Rosemary Kennedy, who was born intellectually disabled and kept hidden by her family after receiving a lobotomy which rendered her incapacitated. I would recommend this book to people who are interested in the history of the Kennedy family, any one who is interested in the stigma of mental disabilities, or who is interested in the history of psycho-surgery. The tragedy of Rosemary's loss of capabilities following her lobotomy, and the reaction her family had to this tragedy is upsetting, but the portions about how Rosemary's sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver was inspired to fight for so many years for people with disabilities are uplifting. It
"When Breath Becomes Air"
This is a memoir written by a neurosurgeon diagnosed with terminal cancer. It is extremely engaging, tying together his prior professional experience with treating other people's terminal illness and his personal experience with cancer. He also draws this elegantly into a greater discussion about our human experience and mortality. Its greatest appeal is the way it offers both his own individual experience for readers to explore along with more collective understandings we all share about life and death.
Biography (?) I would recommend "Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter" by Kate Larson
Memoir (?) "Running With Scissors"by Augusten Burroughs
Science (500's) "Grunt" by Mary Roach
Medical (610) "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi
Assignment 4:
"Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter"
This engaging book is about Rosemary Kennedy, who was born intellectually disabled and kept hidden by her family after receiving a lobotomy which rendered her incapacitated. I would recommend this book to people who are interested in the history of the Kennedy family, any one who is interested in the stigma of mental disabilities, or who is interested in the history of psycho-surgery. The tragedy of Rosemary's loss of capabilities following her lobotomy, and the reaction her family had to this tragedy is upsetting, but the portions about how Rosemary's sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver was inspired to fight for so many years for people with disabilities are uplifting. It
"When Breath Becomes Air"
This is a memoir written by a neurosurgeon diagnosed with terminal cancer. It is extremely engaging, tying together his prior professional experience with treating other people's terminal illness and his personal experience with cancer. He also draws this elegantly into a greater discussion about our human experience and mortality. Its greatest appeal is the way it offers both his own individual experience for readers to explore along with more collective understandings we all share about life and death.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Week 6: Building Base Knowledge (Genres)
Assignment 1: The genre website that I chose to follow was RT Book Reviews. I chose this because I don't read a lot of romance and wanted to explore more about the genre. I love rom-com movies, but the only experience I have with romantic books has been Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Piccoult, neither of which I was psyched about. My experience following RT Book Reviews has broadened my horizons in terms of romance sub-genres. There is a lot of different directions the genre goes in. What I especially think is fun is that Romance is mostly girl-power, catering to female interest. It was fun learning more about a space that is produced primarily for a female audience.
Assignment 2 / 3:
Science Fiction Hallmarks / Appeal: Pushes the bounds of possibility in terms of science and technology, explores ethical considerations of scientific and technological progress. Character development is often driven by plot / circumstance. ex. The Knife of Never Letting Go, Ender's Game, and The Water Knife.
Fantasy Hallmarks / Appeal: Alternate worlds, heroic protagonists, and good vs. evil plot-lines. ex. A Wizard of Earth Sea, The Night Circus, and The Name of the Wind.
Urban Fiction Hallmarks / Appeal: An city setting with a gritty tone, explores troubled characters and cautionary plot-lines, usually about the urban African American experience. ex. The Coldest Winter Ever, True to the Game, and Soul Mates Dissipate.
Assignment 2 / 3:
Science Fiction Hallmarks / Appeal: Pushes the bounds of possibility in terms of science and technology, explores ethical considerations of scientific and technological progress. Character development is often driven by plot / circumstance. ex. The Knife of Never Letting Go, Ender's Game, and The Water Knife.
Fantasy Hallmarks / Appeal: Alternate worlds, heroic protagonists, and good vs. evil plot-lines. ex. A Wizard of Earth Sea, The Night Circus, and The Name of the Wind.
Urban Fiction Hallmarks / Appeal: An city setting with a gritty tone, explores troubled characters and cautionary plot-lines, usually about the urban African American experience. ex. The Coldest Winter Ever, True to the Game, and Soul Mates Dissipate.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Week 5: Building Base Knowledge (Part II)
Assignment One:
From looking at NPR books frequently for the past few weeks, I've developed a much better eye for picking up on appeal factors from reviews. I've often discovered that, depending on the reviewer's style, a book might sound SO awesome, but when I actually sit down to read it I find a clashing appeal factor like tone or pacing that turns me off. I also had a preconceived notion that NPR only reviews "snooty" books, and it was a little more diverse than I was expecting. And even if they aren't always showcasing books that I definitely want to read, the actual articles NPR wrote about the books were interesting on their own. I like when they include information about the story behind the book, or the author.
I also followed RT Book Reviews, which is romance genre reviews. Romance is a genre that I rarely read, so it was nice to expand my knowledge about what is new and popular. Reading the reviews helped orientate me to appeal factors in romance, and to some of the nuances of the sub-genres.
Assignment Two:
I thought the EarlyWord section for books being made into movies was super helpful. Normally I just find this information through word of mouth, so its neat to have it consolidated in one place. The bestsellers list all linked together there is also awesome, and I will definitely continue to use that.
Assignment Three:
I picked "Everything is Teeth" a graphic novel in the Amazon Best Books of the Month. This book seems like it has some universal appeal because it deals with the common human experiences of love, loss, and family. The style of illustration will greatly affect the tone, and from other people's reviews it sounds like it is dark and foreboding. It will be best fitted for people who like non-traditional / literary style narrative graphic novels.
From looking at NPR books frequently for the past few weeks, I've developed a much better eye for picking up on appeal factors from reviews. I've often discovered that, depending on the reviewer's style, a book might sound SO awesome, but when I actually sit down to read it I find a clashing appeal factor like tone or pacing that turns me off. I also had a preconceived notion that NPR only reviews "snooty" books, and it was a little more diverse than I was expecting. And even if they aren't always showcasing books that I definitely want to read, the actual articles NPR wrote about the books were interesting on their own. I like when they include information about the story behind the book, or the author.
I also followed RT Book Reviews, which is romance genre reviews. Romance is a genre that I rarely read, so it was nice to expand my knowledge about what is new and popular. Reading the reviews helped orientate me to appeal factors in romance, and to some of the nuances of the sub-genres.
Assignment Two:
I thought the EarlyWord section for books being made into movies was super helpful. Normally I just find this information through word of mouth, so its neat to have it consolidated in one place. The bestsellers list all linked together there is also awesome, and I will definitely continue to use that.
Assignment Three:
I picked "Everything is Teeth" a graphic novel in the Amazon Best Books of the Month. This book seems like it has some universal appeal because it deals with the common human experiences of love, loss, and family. The style of illustration will greatly affect the tone, and from other people's reviews it sounds like it is dark and foreboding. It will be best fitted for people who like non-traditional / literary style narrative graphic novels.
Week 4: Building Base Knowledge
I discovered Goodreads in high school and haven't been active on it since, so it was fun to see the old stuff left over compared with what I'm reading now. I like lists and categorizing and keeping record of things, but its pretty tough for me to stay active with Goodreads. I think that it will be more fun / helpful when I add more friends.
Goodreads recommended "Olive's Ocean" because I read "Pictures of Hollis Woods," which I thought was a great recommendation. Both books are about children dealing with loss and trauma, and are gentle and uplifting in tone. "Crown Duel" was recommended because I read "Ella Enchanted," which sounds awesome and like something I would really enjoy reading.
I'm recommending "Midnight Riot" to Jason, because of his interest in Harry Potter and "The Cuckoo's Calling." "Midnight Riot" starts as a British crime drama and starts becoming more and more magical, until eventually the main character is training to be a wizard. He's introduced to a whole new magical world like Harry Potter. The pace is fast and the tone thrilling / magical realism. I am going to recommend a collection of Pablo Neruda's poems to Sara because she read "Vivas to Those Who Have Failed" by Martin Espada. Pablo Neruda has had such a big influence on Spanish language poetry and politics in poetry that his work would be a good reference when reading / thinking about Martin Espada.
Goodreads recommended "Olive's Ocean" because I read "Pictures of Hollis Woods," which I thought was a great recommendation. Both books are about children dealing with loss and trauma, and are gentle and uplifting in tone. "Crown Duel" was recommended because I read "Ella Enchanted," which sounds awesome and like something I would really enjoy reading.
I'm recommending "Midnight Riot" to Jason, because of his interest in Harry Potter and "The Cuckoo's Calling." "Midnight Riot" starts as a British crime drama and starts becoming more and more magical, until eventually the main character is training to be a wizard. He's introduced to a whole new magical world like Harry Potter. The pace is fast and the tone thrilling / magical realism. I am going to recommend a collection of Pablo Neruda's poems to Sara because she read "Vivas to Those Who Have Failed" by Martin Espada. Pablo Neruda has had such a big influence on Spanish language poetry and politics in poetry that his work would be a good reference when reading / thinking about Martin Espada.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Week 3: The Reader's Services Conversation
Conversation 1:
It sounds like this person is looking for something light but introspective, with a lot of detail about the setting / destination. I would suggest "Traveling with Pomegranates" to this person. This book is by and about Sue Monk Kidd, who has written several "Oprah Books." The story is about the journey she and her daughter take, and their changing relationship. It's a memoir, so it's very introspective, and includes a lot of detail about the places they travel to.
Conversation 2:
It sounds like this person is fed up with the Twilight hype, and might want something with more adult themes. I would first recommend "Let Me In," by John Lindqvist. This is horror about vampires, and I would check with the person to make sure they are ok with a super dark plot. If not, I would also recommend "An Unattractive Vampire," which is light and funny. It pokes fun at the myriad of modern vampire tropes that have sprung up after the craze about "Twilight." The main character is an old, ugly, traditional vampire. It's a really fun look at how what we think of as "vampire" has changed. I would also recommend Anne Rice's vampire books, which I think of as Twilight for adults. They are very romantic, but with more horror, and sexual themes for adults. I would check to see if the person is ok with the lovey dovey stuff, or if they just don't like romantic vampire lit. in general. I would ask them what it is about vampire stories that they really like, because there are a lot of other old folk-lore / monster stories to branch out to if its the horror element they like, and a lot of adult vampire / monster romance too if that's the direction they want.
Conversation 3:
This person sounds like they are interested in expedition / adventure in history, and for something that is fast-paced and more focused on the "plot" of the journey than in a ton of extraneous historical detail. I would recommend a book that was written for non-history majors but that tackles an exciting account of adventure and expedition. I would recommend old-school Everest mountain climbing stories, something about Shackleton's expedition, Lewis and Clark, or the Age of Discovery in general. Something with a quick pace is "Over the Edge of the World" by Laurence Bergreen. It's about Magellan, and reads like epic adventure fiction rather than nonfiction. It is also impressively researched / supported factually, which seems like something this patron really liked about "River of Doubt."
It sounds like this person is looking for something light but introspective, with a lot of detail about the setting / destination. I would suggest "Traveling with Pomegranates" to this person. This book is by and about Sue Monk Kidd, who has written several "Oprah Books." The story is about the journey she and her daughter take, and their changing relationship. It's a memoir, so it's very introspective, and includes a lot of detail about the places they travel to.
Conversation 2:
It sounds like this person is fed up with the Twilight hype, and might want something with more adult themes. I would first recommend "Let Me In," by John Lindqvist. This is horror about vampires, and I would check with the person to make sure they are ok with a super dark plot. If not, I would also recommend "An Unattractive Vampire," which is light and funny. It pokes fun at the myriad of modern vampire tropes that have sprung up after the craze about "Twilight." The main character is an old, ugly, traditional vampire. It's a really fun look at how what we think of as "vampire" has changed. I would also recommend Anne Rice's vampire books, which I think of as Twilight for adults. They are very romantic, but with more horror, and sexual themes for adults. I would check to see if the person is ok with the lovey dovey stuff, or if they just don't like romantic vampire lit. in general. I would ask them what it is about vampire stories that they really like, because there are a lot of other old folk-lore / monster stories to branch out to if its the horror element they like, and a lot of adult vampire / monster romance too if that's the direction they want.
Conversation 3:
This person sounds like they are interested in expedition / adventure in history, and for something that is fast-paced and more focused on the "plot" of the journey than in a ton of extraneous historical detail. I would recommend a book that was written for non-history majors but that tackles an exciting account of adventure and expedition. I would recommend old-school Everest mountain climbing stories, something about Shackleton's expedition, Lewis and Clark, or the Age of Discovery in general. Something with a quick pace is "Over the Edge of the World" by Laurence Bergreen. It's about Magellan, and reads like epic adventure fiction rather than nonfiction. It is also impressively researched / supported factually, which seems like something this patron really liked about "River of Doubt."
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