Week 5 Prompt

Week 5 Prompt:  Different Types of Reviews                                                                                      

I’m not sure if I would order The Billionaire’s First Christmas.  I noticed both the Amazon Review and Blog Review are positive.  The Amazon Review found the book to be a beautiful, clean Christmas romance, so a patron did enjoy it. I was looking at the Blog Review. It seems like a free book, so I wonder if that affected its popularity.  I wondered if it was still free, but I couldn’t find it on Amazon now.  I did look for a professional book review, and I didn’t see one.  I did look on Goodreads, and most complaints were about writing mistakes in such a short book, and many people did not finish it.  Based on the Goodreads opinions, I wouldn’t buy it unless it was a free eBook.    

    While the Kirkus Review of Angela’s Ashes was harsh over McCourt's life, I would order it. One reason is that the book is very popular.  The last line of all five reviews discusses how remarkable this book is, and that is a book I would want in my collection.  I thought it was interesting to see the difference between the reviews.  Kirkus Review is critical of how tame and tepid the School Library Journal Review is.  I understand it was for children, but it is starkly different.  Library Journal and Booklist Review are less critical than the Kirkus Review.  

I don’t find it fair that one book will get many reviews and some get little or no coverage.  I think having all the available information when ordering a book is essential.  I order for the non-fiction section of my library, and if a book doesn’t get reviewed, it flies under my radar and won’t be ordered.  I would miss all these great books patrons could love reading by not putting them in the library's collection.  I use reviews all the time when I order books.   I like the negative reviews because I want the truth about a book. I feel not every book is three to four stars.

   I check numerous review books when I order.  Publishers Weekly is my favorite, and I love Booklist, for example. When ordering, I try to find the best of the best books to put in the collection. But I don’t just order books for the library.  I like reviews when looking for a book in my reading, too.   I check Goodreads when I look for books, Amazon reviews, and Barnes and Noble.   Sometimes, that fails, though.  I picked a Romance book for this class that had good reviews on Amazon but didn’t look at Goodreads.  There were a lot of people who did not finish the book, even though it had three and a half stars.  I didn’t think it would be a good pick for someone who doesn’t like Romance.  Sometimes, I find books by searching the internet from Facebook groups and googling the best books of the year by genre.  I find good books by listening to co-workers and posting Staff Reads on Facebook.     

Kirkus Review - One For The Money by Janet Evanovich

 

One for the Money  

by Janet Evanovich

Release date: August 26, 1994 

After hitting rock bottom, Stephanie Plum takes a job as a Bounty Hunter, and her first case is to bring her former flame, Joe Morelli, to justice.  Hilarious hijinks occur as Stephanie investigates and tries to bring him in for violating his bond on the charge of murder. 

Stephanie Plum is determined to get out of debt and find a job to pay her bills. She has convincedHe her creepy Uncle Vinnie to give her a job as a bounty hunter.  She sets her sights on Joe Morelli, who violated his bond order and would get her out of debt. Joe Morelli is an ex-police officer and the bad boy of Trenton. He is Stephanie’s former flame, who ran over him with her car when he didn’t call her. Soon, Stephanie realizes she is over her head and is referred to a seductive professional bondsman, Ranger, who takes her to a shooting range and buys her a gun.  

We soon meet Stephanie Plum’s family, and she finally tells them that she was fired from her lingerie job about four months ago.  While her mother wants her to meet a man and have babies, Grandma Mazure is thrilled that Stephanie is employed as a bounty hunter.  She is so delighted that she takes the gun and shoots the chicken they are eating on the table.  You can see where Stephanie gets her spunk and determination.  Even after getting a gun, Stephanie is outsmarted again and again by Joe Morelli, including Morelli handcuffing Stephanie naked to the shower rod and throwing the key in the garbage after she hijacks his vehicle and lets a nude male exhibitionist and FTA sit in his car. After playing humorous cat and mouse, they make a deal: she will help investigate his innocence and get $10,000. 

While Janet Evanovich’s book is heavy on humor, it is more than that. It contains mystery and violence. While investigating, Stephanie seeks the help of prostitutes Lula and Jackie, who might know where to find Carmen Sanchez, whose apartment was the scene of the crime.  While investigating, she crosses paths with Benito Ramirez, a violent boxing champ and sexual predator who tries to rape Stephanie. Morelli intervenes with a gunshot, ruining his chance to go undercover. Everyone Stephanie talks to about the crime, someone kills or silences the witnesses. She also has the boxer, Benito Ramirez, harassing her; he knows where she lives. After Stephanie gives Lula food, he rapes and cuts Lulu and then ties her to Stephanie’s fire escape for talking.  Instead of running away, Stephanie doubles down on solving the crime, proving Morelli's innocence, and making a lot of money to survive.  This is the first book in a long series and a great introduction to the quirky characters in the Stephanie Plum series set in Trenton, New Jersey.    

One for the Money is an entertaining romp, using humor and mystery to create a story you would want to read repeatedly.  Perfect for anyone who wants a mystery with a bit of humor.   

 

Secret Shopper Assignment

 

I went to the other local library where I live and didn’t know anyone.  I browsed for a little while and then went to the desk.  I wanted to make sure the librarian wasn’t super busy.  The librarian greeted me with a smile and was very friendly.  I asked, “if she could find me a good romance book.”  She came around the counter and asked, “What was the last book genre I read?”.   I told her,” young adult.”  We went to the shelf that contained young adult novels.  She admitted that “she wasn’t very familiar with the young adult books and never read one. And I felt terrible for her; I have been in the same situation and blanked out, too!  But she tried and made it more of a conversation while looking for a book, with her showing me books and with me saying yes or no if I was interested.

The first pick was the series “The 100” by Kass Morgan.

        Title:  The 100

        Author:  Kass Morgan

        Genre:  Young Adult, Action & Adventure, Survival Stories

        Series:  100 Series:  Book one 

 

I didn’t like the suggestion because I wasn’t interested in it. It was too science fiction for me, and survival on a spaceship doesn’t keep my attention, especially in a dystopian world.  Plus, I didn’t think it fit in the romance category.   The librarian asked, “if I liked fantasy or something else.”   I told her I liked fantasy.  She looked at the shelves and showed me what she found.  We picked one book.  “Ash Princess” by Laura Sebastian.

    Title:  Ash Princess

    Author:  Laura Sebastian

    Genre:  Fantasy, Young Adult

    Series:  Ash Princess:  Book one

 

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It has romance, and it is a book I would read if I saw it on the shelf.  The book is on my to-

Read pile.   So, I accepted that one.  She saw another close by that was similar, and it was 

the same author, but in the same series called “Lady Smoke.”

    Title:  Lady Smoke

    Author:  Laura Sebastian

    Genre:  Fantasy, Young Adult

    Series:  Ash Princess:  Book two 

 

 

I agreed and took that book, too!  I like to read series close together so I don’t forget the plot.   

I was surprised that she didn’t search on her computer but took me to the bookshelves instead.  Especially since she wasn’t familiar with young adult books, I would go to the bookshelves if I were more familiar with the genre, but not if I didn’t know anything about it.  But the library was tiny, and maybe it was easier to go to the shelves to check if they had it than to try to find a book and then go to the collection. But she successfully picked out a book for me to read in the future.  I did steer her into young adults and not strictly the genre with romance, but I should have made a better cover story in my secret shopper persona.   I think I would give the librarian a second chance in another category.     

Prompt Responses #1

 

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!

I checked under books in Novelist, and the fourth in the series is “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.

I went to Novelist and picked through the choices, and I thought “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens would be a good suggestion.  It is similar to Prodigal Summer in the use of language but at a leisurely pace.   

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!

Novelist listed under Japan, Gai-Jin: A Novel of Japan. I thought “Shogun” by James Clavell would be a good pick. When I think of Japan and history, I think of the Geisha culture.      

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?

“Still Life” by Louise Penny is what I would recommend.  Police procedure seemed to be her defining picture of what they wanted to read, so I wanted to go with that fact.  Louise Penny is a highly regarded author; people always request or say it is their favorite in our library. Hopefully, the person finds Still Life not so creepy.               

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?

I’ve read both books, so I looked up good zombie books on Google.  One of the choices was “Rot & Ruin” by Jonathan Maberry. I started this book with a good premise but was reading too many books to let it slip the radar.  I checked Novelist, and it felt like I had good and bad mentions of zombie fiction.  A few suggestions were George Romano's “Living Dead” or “Warm Bodies” by Isaac Marion.         

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.  I recommend three literary books turned into movies, which I googled.  So, I recommended “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker and “Ballad of Songbirds and Snake” by Suzanne Collins. The third is “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr.  I thought all three were strong contenders. I liked The Hunger Games, so the prequel looked interesting. I used the judgment that I enjoyed it, and so I used that as justification.  “All The Light We Cannot See” is on my to-be-read list.          

7. I love thrillers, but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast-paced.

I had a problem with this one and Novelist.  The only way I could figure it out was to use Christian thrillers.  Such as “The Terminal List” by Jack Carr and Colleen Coble's book “Fragile Designs.”  

 I recommended three books, “Pretty Girls” by Karin Slaughter, “Sometimes I Lie” by Alice Feeney, and “Before I Go to Sleep” by S.J Watson.  On Google,  I looked up thrillers and clean novels; they were in their recommendations.     

I have several ways where I learn about books.  My favorite is Fantastic Fiction because it shows books in series order and the estimated date of when a book will come out in the series. I like using GoodReads to search for books!  It is a great place to get book suggestions from my co-workers since I put up Staff Picks for my library’s Facebook page, or they tell me of a good book.   I look at book reviews as a part of my job when ordering, like Kirkus Reviews and Publisher’s Weekly, so I find books that way.  I find books by scrolling through Facebook, other Social Media sites, and Local News.                    

Annotated Book Review-Girls Weekend

 

Title:  Girls Weekend

Author:  Jody Gehrman

Genre:  Thriller/Suspense

Publication Date:  2022

Number of pages:  327 pages

Geographic Setting:  Deceptive Pass, Washington. At Sadie MacTavish Estate.    

Period:  Contemporary period. 

Series:  Standalone

Plot Summary:

June Moody suffered a heartless breakup by text, so what does she do?  She goes on a girl's weekend getaway with her friends.  The problem is the location of the getaway, which is at her rival’s estate from college, Sadie MacTavish. June is both anxious and dreading the “perfect” Sadie.  The idyllic estate doesn’t help this jealousy.  They are both rivals in all parts of their lives.  They are both writers; June is more journalistic and an English teacher.  Sadie wrote Dakota’s Garden, a blockbuster children’s series named after her daughter.   June said no to the marriage for a green card, but Sadie said yes. Sadie seems to have the perfect marriage, estate, and daughter.

But, all is not what it seems.  Sadie seems to control everyone’s lives around her.   We are introduced to the rest of the girls and the landscaping man in a yurt, Leo.  Each of them carries a secret anger at Sadie.  While drinking, the girls experience a hangover like no other.  They can’t remember last evening, trying to assemble their drunken spree's pieces. The blood smear on the wall and the missing statue are even more concerning. Someone is missing, Sadie. 

Each one has a reason to harm Sadie.  June Moody's reason is Ethan. She meets him on arrival at the estate at midnight.  Ethan because he is in an unhappy marriage with Sadie. Sadie’s daughter, Dakota, wants out from under Sadie’s thumb and goes to college that she wants.  Amy, the bipolar wild child, is currently pregnant but fears Sadie will raise the baby. Since Amy lives at the estate, she is financially tied to Sadie.        Em, June’s roommate in college.  She told Sadie her secret, and now it is about to be exposed in a manuscript that Sadie wrote.  Kimiko borrowed money from Sadie for her marijuana business, and Sadie wants the money back.  June saw Leo argue with Sadie as she was leaving his Yurt.   Each one has a motive to harm Sadie. 

          

Subject Headings:

Thriller or Suspense

Mystery

Female Friendship

Locked Room Mystery

Appeal:

Tone: Dark and Moody.  It starts with anxiety about seeing Sadie.  Then, it continues with the missing person, and no one seems to remember the drunken night before.  Anxiety is mood. For example, what happened to Sadie?  Is she alive?  Did I do it and can’t remember?   There is some violence in the book. 

Characterization: The characters are well-developed.   You can feel June's tension toward the other characters, her inner turmoil of jealousy, and her self-hate. While we were briefly introduced to Sadie, the author described that character well and how she interacted with the other characters in the novel.        

Storyline: Girls Weekend is a fast-paced thriller where we are introduced to the cast of characters. It barrels along, trying to figure out who and, of course, where the missing person was located and whether they were harmed. The problem is that none of the girls remember the night before. And as we continued on this journey to find out, there were a few twists along the way.    

Setting: Deceptive Pass, Washington. At Sadie MacTavish Estate.   

Pacing:   Anxiety is mood. The pace is fast, creating a sense of panic.

Three terms that best describe this book:

Girls Getaway, Missing Person, Locked Room Mystery

Similar Authors and Works (Why are they similar?)

3 Relevant fiction works and authors;

1. "The Engagement Party" by Darby Kane.  Old Friends gather.  One of them was killed.  It is similar to Girl’s Getaway by being a locked room mystery.  

 2. "In Friends Like These" by Kimberly McCreight, Old college friends gather; one is missing, assumed dead.  People who like thrillers would like this fast-paced book.

  

3. "In Such a Quiet Place" by Megan Miranda. A person who thought of murdering someone returns to the neighborhood and finds what secrets lie and who told the truth about the murder.     

    

3 Relevant non-fiction works and authors

1. Alanis Morrisette. "Jagged Little Pill".  Angry Girl rock anthem. June and Ana listen to the same music on the way to Sadie’s Estate.

2.  "Principles of Forensic Toxicology" by Barry S. Levine. Learn the science behind Date Rape Drugs. Do they cause the individual to forget everything that happens? 

3.  "Exploring Deception Pass: An Insider's Guide to Washington's Favorite State Park" by Jack. Learn about the scenic views and what makes Deception Pass famous.  See where they

 kayaked on Deception Pass and where the setting was.   

   

  

 

       

 

My Personal Reading Profile

 My Personal Reading Profile

I always love to read.  Unfortunately, my grandmother was anti-reading, and I got grounded a lot for buying books.  I felt like Matilda but without a library.  But it was worth getting grounded for books! Due to this, I would read anything I could get my hands on.  It didn’t matter what.  I grew up before the internet, so I would read the back of the cereal box and be happy. 

I grew into the reader I am today.  I wouldn’t say I was a prolific reader, but I could read a book in a day if I wanted and had to.   Because of work and school, I don’t read as much as I want to.  But it does give me an incentive to end a book when I am not enjoying it. Why waste my time on a book I don’t like when there are so many other choices? However, my reading has suffered a bit due to school and work, and my to-read pile is growing out of control. 

When I do read, I enjoy Mysteries.  I am fascinated with “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie and have read books similar to locked-room plots. And just for fun, I like humorous and cozy mysteries.  I enjoy Thrillers and Suspense books.  I like the quick action pace that James Patterson puts in his books.  If I have a favorite, it is the Alex Cross Series.  I also love Vampire Novels.  I fell in love with the genre when “Interview with the Vampire” by Anne Rice.  While not my favorite, the glittering vampires have a place in my heart.  When the Twilight series was popular, I made a booklist for Vampire Literature, and when my coworkers were stuck, they would ask me for a reader’s advisory on vampires.   Since many vampire fiction is young adult fiction, I grew to love the young adult genre.  One area I am particularly interested in is dystopian fiction.  At the end of the world, as we know it, I find it compelling whether an underdog can save the world.  I love horror.  I like slashers in particular.  I liked the movie Scream, so I look out for other books that are similar to it.

What do I not like?  I don’t like overly gushy romance novels.  It's just not my style.  I don’t mind book romance, but I don’t like bodice busters. Another genre I don’t like is Historical Fiction.  It is just not my cup of tea.  But I am waiting for a book that might change my mind.  Lastly, I don’t like Westerns too much, either. 

   

Top 10 Favorite Books and Series

·        Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

·        Stand by Stephen King

·        School of Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

·        House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.

·        Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

·        House of Night by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

·        Morganville Vampire Series by Rachelle Caine

·        Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich

·        Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

·        The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer