Week Three Prompt Response

Part I:

1.

            The answer to this first question is complicated. Apparently, the third book in the Anita Blake series is probably not the third book in the Anita Blake series. According to the Novelist database, the third book is actually the fifth book in terms of the sequence of events of the Anita Blake series (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). This piece of information is displayed as a simple number next to the category titled, “Series” (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). This novel is titled, Anita Blake, vampire hunter: the laughing corpse, book 3: executioner, and it was published in December of 2010 (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). The third book is actually called, Anita Blake, vampire hunter: the laughing corpse, book 1: animator; this graphic novel was published in April of 2009 (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). These books actually exhibit different numbers because the first book was actually considered a volume. The first book was titled, Anita Blake, vampire hunter: guilty pleasures, vol. 1, and it was published in January of 2007 (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). The second book is also a volume. The second book was titled, Anita Blake, vampire hunter: guilty pleasures, vol. 2, and it was published in August of 2008 (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Since you specifically mentioned that you wanted to find a book directly after the third novel, I can only assume that you were misinformed by the fifth book’s title. Since the fifth book was titled, Anita Blake, vampire hunter: the laughing corpse, book 3: executioner, you gathered information from this title and assumed that the book was the third one in the series. This was incorrect information. So, you are actually asking for the sixth book in the series, and the book does not specifically identify itself as being the fourth book in the series with a discrete number on its title. This book is titled, Anita Blake, vampire hunter: Circus of the damned, book 1: the charmer, and it was published in February of 2011 (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

            However, if you were correctly informed about the main order of the Anita Blake series and were being vague in the details of your question, then the book that you were asking for was titled, Anita Blake, vampire hunter: the laughing corpse, book 2: necromancer. This book was published in January 2010, and it exhibits the number four next to its category titled, “Series” (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Based on my previous assumption, the probability of this book actually being the fourth book that you wanted is unlikely. So, the novel titled, Anita Blake, vampire hunter: Circus of the damned, book 1: the charmer, is probably the novel that you were asking for.

            The chronological sequence of the published dates of these novels also supports my claim to an extent, since most of the books in the Anita Blake series were published in order after one another. The only exception is the prequel to the series that is titled, Anita Blake, vampire hunter: the first death; this novel was published in January of 2009 (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Technically, Anita Blake, vampire hunter: the first death is the second book in the series in terms of being published in a chronological order. However, the novel is considered a prequel, so it is not within the main order of the Anita Blake series and serves to presumably explain the backstory or the other adventures of the character of Anita Blake.

2.

            I chose the novel labeled, Yellow emperor's cure, for my answer. Since you didn’t explicitly ask for a book by the same author, I looked for books that had been written by other authors. The author of Yellow emperor's cure is Kanul Basu (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). I initially searched for the novel of Prodigal Summer, and I looked at its details. Based on your words of liking the language or the manner of how Prodigal Summer by Barabara Kingsolver was written, it seemed that you wanted a book with the exact writing style as Prodigal Summer. So, I wrote down the aspects of the writing style that the Prodigal Summer exhibited; these aspects were: descriptive, lush, and lyrical (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Then, I limited my search results for aspects that were descriptive, lush, and lyrical. I also added the aspect of fast-paced to the category of pace in my search results. Four different results appeared with a descriptive, lush, and lyrical writing style and a fast-paced pace. However, some of the results contained more elements than just a descriptive, lush, and lyrical writing style, so I tried to select the novel that was the most restricted to a descriptive, lush, and lyrical writing style with a fast-paced pace. So, I chose Yellow emperor's cure, since it contained a descriptive, lush, and lyrical writing style and a fast-paced pace (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). The only major deviation the Yellow emperor's cure exhibited was an additional aspect of being richly detailed for the novel’s writing style (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Otherwise, I found the Yellow emperor's cure to be a suitable choice.

3.

            I selected the novel, Child of vengeance, for my answer. The book is by David Kirk and was published in March of 2013 (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). However, the book exhibits the genre of historical fiction and the location of Japan, so it adequately satisfies your requirements (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). In addition, Child of vengeance takes place within the time period of the 16^th century and the 17^th century, so the novel can also be considered part of the historical fiction genre by these aspects of the time period (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

4.

            Novelist’s suggestions for authors similar to Elizabeth George were only partially helpful. I had to scour through aspects of writing that these similar authors were known for and then compare some of those aspects to Elizabeth George’s aspects of writing. In addition, I wrote down aspects of John Sandford’s writing to compare with the authors who were similar to Elizabeth George with their aspects of writing. I had to be certain that these authors didn’t utilize a tone similar to a creepy tone, such as a menacing tone. Also, I ensured to not utilize authors who exhibited darkly humorous or offbeat tones in their novels, since John Sandford’s works contained darkly humorous and offbeat tones (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). I also believe that a darkly humorous tone or an offbeat tone can create the impression of a creepy tone for readers, so I did not choose authors who applied a darkly humorous tone or an offbeat tone in their works. In addition, I used authors who wrote books within the genre of mysteries. It was significant to find authors who utilized the genre of mysteries, which focus on offering “clues while withholding vital information from the reader” (Saricks, 2009, p. 51). 

            Novelist listed nine other authors who used similar aspects of writing to Elizabeth George. I ended up eliminating four of these authors, since the authors’ aspects of genre and tone didn’t match up with Elizabeth George’s aspects of genre and tone. These authors were: Peter Robinson, Tana French, P. D. James, and Carol Goodman (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Peter Robinson utilized a menacing tone in his stories, so I eliminated him from my list of suggestions (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Tana French’s works exhibited a disturbing tone and were not directly focused on the genre of mysteries, so I did not place Tana French on my list of suggestions (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). P. D. James’ novels contained a menacing tone, and I did not include P. D. James on the list (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Also, I did not include Carol Goodman on the list, since she was only involved with the psychological suspense genre (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). So, I decided to suggest these authors for using the genre of mysteries and other aspects of tone in Elizabeth George’s works: Ruth Rendell, Louise Penny, Deborah Crombie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Erin Hart (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). The authors also wrote in similar fashion to Elizabeth George, so these authors were suitable choices for this answer.   

5.

            In respect to my answer, I decided to not choose individual books that were specifically similar to The Walking Dead series. I chose to format my selection according to this format because I believe that The Walking Dead series was a series of books and was not just comprised of individual titles. Therefore, I utilized specific series that were similar to The Walking Dead graphic novels. So, I chose the B.P.R.D. series, the Rage series, the Hack/Slash series, the Night of the living dead graphic novels, the Crossed. Main series, Stephen King's The Stand series, the Crossed. Wish you were here series, and the Sweet tooth series (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

            Specifically, I chose the B.P.R.D. series for a recommendation, since they are gritty and violent, deal with global supernatural disasters, and are associated with the subjects of demons, occult crime, and paranormal phenomena (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). While the subject of the undead or zombies is not explicitly discussed for the B.P.R.D. series, the B.P.R.D. series still contains content that is associated with the subject of the undead, such as global supernatural disasters, violence, and paranormal phenomena (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). So, I believe that the B.P.R.D. series is a fairly suitable recommendation. Also, I selected the Rage series for a recommendation, since the Rage series is focused on zombie epidemics (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). In addition, I determined that the Hack/Slash series was appropriate for the recommendation, since the series included the subject of the undead, incorporated a great amount of gore, and exhibited the aspect of horror for its genre (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

            I also selected the Night of the living dead graphic novels, since the novels’ tone was bleak and gruesome (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). The Night of the living dead graphic novels additionally included the genres of apocalyptic comics and horror comics and the subjects of zombies and survival after epidemics (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). In addition, I included the Crossed. Main series in my recommendation because it incorporated the subjects of epidemics and survival after epidemics, contained a disturbing, gruesome, and violent tone, and exhibited the genres of horror comics and apocalyptic comics (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Also, I chose Stephen King's The Stand series, since the series contained the genre of horror comics and exhibited the subjects of epidemics, plague, and survival after epidemics (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). I chose the Crossed. Wish you were here series, since the series contained the genres of horror comics and apocalyptic comics and displayed the subject headings of epidemics and survival after epidemics (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). In addition, I selected the Sweet Tooth series, since the series included the genre of horror comics, bleak and violent tones, and the subject of survival after epidemics (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

            In relation to World War Z, I selected individual books that were similar to the individual World War Z book, since World War Z was not a series of books. I chose The zombie autopsies novel, the I am legend book, The passage novel, and The dead run book for my list of recommendations of books similar to World War Z and that involve the idea of zombies in some manner (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). I selected The zombie autopsies book, since it contained the genres of horror and apocalyptic fiction and the subjects of epidemics and zombies (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Also, I chose I am legend, since it exhibited the genre of horror comics and the subject headings of survival and plague, which were involved with the idea of zombies (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). In addition, I selected The passage novel for my recommendation, since the novel deals with the genres of apocalyptic fiction and horror and the subjects of survival, violence, and viruses (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Also, I determined that The dead run book was suitable for my recommendation, since it involved the genre of horror and the genre of thrillers and suspense and the subject of the supernatural (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

6.

            I would recommend Catching Fire, since it was adapted into The Hunger Games: Catching Fire film in 2013 (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014a, n.p.). In addition, I would recommend Mockingjay, since it was adapted into The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 in 2014 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 in 2015 (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014b, n.p.; Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014c, n.p.). Also, I recommend The Sea of Monsters, since the novel was adapted into the Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters film in 2013 (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014a, n.p.). In addition, I would recommend The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, since it was adapted into The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones film in 2013 (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014a, n.p.). I would suggest Stephen King’s Carrie, since it was recently given another film adaption in 2013 (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014a, n.p.). Additionally, I would suggest Ender's Game, since it was adapted into a film in 2013 (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014a, n.p.). The Book Thief is another good book that was adapted into a film in 2013 (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014a, n.p.). I would also recommend Vampire Academy, since it was made into a film in 2014 (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014b, n.p.). I would highly recommend Divergent, which was made into a film in 2014 (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014b, n.p.). In addition, I would recommend The Giver, since it was adapted into a 2014 film (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014b, n.p.).

            I chose all of these novels for my recommendation, since I believe that they are quite popular novels and exhibit a basic literary quality, especially in relation to the young adult genre. Other novels, such as The Giver or Ender’s Game, exhibit a literary quality in relation to their use within schools and the esteem that they have been given through certain literary awards.

            In terms of works within the specific literary genre that have been adapted into recent films, the film Romeo & Juliet is a 2013 film adaptation of the Romeo and Juliet play by Shakespeare (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014a, n.p.). I believe that Romeo and Juliet can be considered a literary work, since the play’s transcript has been accepted into literature for a number of years. Much Ado About Nothing is a Shakespeare play that can also be considered a literary work, since the play’s transcript has been accepted into literature for a number of years. Much Ado About Nothing was released in North America in 2013 as a film. Beauty and the Beast is another literary work that has been loosely adapted into a 2014 French film and a 2017 film by Disney (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014d, n.p.). I would also recommend Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, since it was adapted into Wild, a 2014 film (Mid-Continent Public Library, 2014b, n.p.). Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail is a creative nonfiction novel, so the novel can be considered part of the literary genre.

7.

            Tom Clancy’s Duty and honor, which was published in June of 2016, appears to lack foul language and sex scenes (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). The novel exhibits a fast-paced pace and contains the genre of political thrillers and the genre of thrillers and suspense (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Also, the novel’s relevant subjects of betrayal, engineers, fathers and sons, intelligence service, international intrigue, missing men, railroads, and secrets do not indicate that there is any foul language or sex scenes in the novel (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). In addition, Tom Clancy’s Duty and honor contains a suspenseful tone (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). This suspenseful tone indicates that the novel exhibits the thriller genre, since thrillers “require an element of suspense” (Saricks, 2009, p. 72). So, these aspects make this novel a suitable choice for you.

Part II:

            Personally, I don’t typically discover books to read through specific tools or unique websites. When I was a young individual in grade school, the school would occasionally deliver a paper catalog, which may have been a catalog for Scholastic, for students to order materials from. So, I’ve ordered young adult and informational books from that catalog during my childhood. Also, I have primarily found books to read through the Allen County Public Library’s search engine for the library’s unique catalog. Honesty, I’ve found at least a few books by manually searching a bookstore’s physical inventory of purchasable materials. Besides rarely using the Barnes & Noble website and Amazon.com to find books and book reviews, I haven’t really looked at specific online websites to find books to read or purchase. Also, during my utilization of the Barnes & Noble website I will generally not glance at the website's combined list of “best sellers for mystery, thrillers, and suspense” (Saricks, 2016, p. 17). I generally search for individual titles or stumble across books on accident when using the Barnes & Noble website.

            However, I will typically use a Bing or Google search engine on the internet to find books. In addition, I’ve utilized the Goodreads website as a tool to discover different novels that I’m very unfamiliar with or that I’ve never known about before to a certain extent. I’ve also utilized the Indiana Evergreen catalog to seek out certain books.

References:
EBSCO Industries, Inc. (2018). NoveList Plus. Retrieved 
            from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/novp/search/novbasic?vid=0&sid=d0cd2253-0f6b-42be- 
            9303-e22fd00e7729%40sessionmgr101

Mid-Continent Public Library (2014a). Based on the Book. Retrieved from

            http://www.mymcpl.org/cfapps/botb/year.cfm?id=2013

Mid-Continent Public Library (2014b). Based on the Book. Retrieved from

            http://www.mymcpl.org/cfapps/botb/year.cfm?id=2014

Mid-Continent Public Library (2014c). Based on the Book. Retrieved from

            http://www.mymcpl.org/cfapps/botb/year.cfm?id=2015

Mid-Continent Public Library (2014d). Based on the Book. Retrieved from

            http://www.mymcpl.org/cfapps/botb/year.cfm?id=2017

Saricks, J. (2016). At leisure with Joyce Saricks: suspenseful thrillers and thrilling

suspense. Booklist, (17). 17. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.ulib.uits.iu.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=4ac983dc-98f0-4bd8-ac53-f835daff7ff5@sessionmgr102

Saricks, J. G. (2009). The readers’ advisory guide to genre fiction (2^nd ed.). Chicago, IL:

            American Library Association.

Reading Profile

            First of all, I want to discuss my stance on books. I will explain my feelings to a great degree, since it’s significant for librarians “to be open to all possible appeals and audiences” (Saricks, 2009a, p. 25). I exhibit mixed feelings on books. I really dislike a lot of books outside of the nonfiction genre. I often don’t appreciate reading fictional novels, unless they are biographical in some manner. I generally dislike historical fiction because it betrays reality. Although, historical fiction can reveal what a specific period of time may have appeared as through the depicted technologies and lifestyle of ordinary individuals.

            Personally, I believe that librarians, writers, and the general public love novels far too much. If books are not strictly being utilized for informational purposes, they are fairly useless, aside from being utilized for typical entertainment or persuasion purposes. I really loathe the idea of the nerdy or obsessed individual who reads novels, since that kind of individual rarely provides useful or critical analysis. While I can comprehend that “there is a book for every mood and need” (Saricks, 2009b, p. 11), attaching myself to fictional or fantasy books is usually not my first answer for a solution to a crisis in life. Admittedly, I believe that I am not much different in some ways to these nerdy fans. I analyze books, but I contemplate the meaning of books and how they relate to my own life and to reality. The nerdy or obsessed individuals may have a more difficult time comparing their reading experiences to reality.

            This obsessive mentality bothers me tremendously, and I often wonder if I am one of the few individuals who exhibits a realistic mindset towards the idea of reading. Saricks (2009b) states that while “knowledge of a genre’s conventions is vital in understanding its appeal to readers, the ability to see beyond the boundaries makes us an even more valuable resource and guide for readers” (p. 3). I believe that I am one of these individuals who sees beyond the typical boundaries of aspects of genres and views written texts as exhibiting unique and complex identities. I can determine that these texts can be placed within a variety of genres or subgenres. I also recognize that boundaries of genres are flexible and dynamic, and these boundaries are not static.    

            I generally like reading, and I understand that it is necessary to read in order to broaden one’s horizons in life. However, I am baffled by the obsession that some individuals have with reading fictional or fantasy novels. I’m often annoyed when I read books from the fiction or fantasy genre, since there is always some carefully constructed aspect in the book that does not line up with reality. Personally, I feel that many fictional books can be a bad metaphor for life and that they are filled with lies. The constant atmosphere of fear and conflict in fictional novels greatly contrasts with how I tenderly grow my herbs and garden plants in my patio. While growing these plants is not a perfect process, I don’t feel concerned or afraid that the plants will die or catch on fire on a continual basis. I’ve also despised listening to fiction or fantasy audiobooks in the past, although I am willing to listen to more audiobooks as a future librarian.

            In addition, the villains in fiction or fantasy are rarely memorable to me, since most authors never consider the fact that most villains are supposed to be human beings. As vile as these villains can be, the authors very rarely create a compelling backstory or establish reasons for the villains’ actions. In fact, the villains’ behavior ends up becoming an annoyance, instead of something to genuinely fear or appreciate. Villains are the backbone of fiction and fantasy stories, and they should be given as much complexity as the primary protagonist of a novel. In addition, I find most fictional protagonists to be slightly more boring than fictional villains, and they are probably less memorable to me than the actual villains that oppose the protagonists.

            I am not just stating these ideas out of pure spite for many fictional books. I was formerly an individual who typically satisfied the demands of the Accelerated Reading program for a trip to the Young Men’s Christian Association or Dairy Queen at the middle or the end of the year during grade school and who earned the top score in the program in eighth grade. I also earned a Bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in writing. So, I am quite knowledgeable about the fiction and fantasy genres. I read a wide assortment of books from these genres in the past, but my reading experience could vary drastically due to how each novel was written.

            I typically exhibit an open mind towards new books and ideas, despite any initial dislike I may harbor towards these novels and concepts. Sometimes, I read books for the experience of immersion, and I remember enjoying these types of books. That being said, novels from the Young Adult genre still appeal to me to some degree. I suspect that I like the books of the Young Adult genre due to being exposed to a high level of them during my childhood.

            For instance, I’ve enjoyed The Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne in grade school. Also, the novels of the Harry Potter series were often good, although the characters’ behaviors could be annoying from time to time. However, I find that J. K. Rowling is a relatively intelligent writer, which assists greatly in my appreciation of her novels. I also appreciate the Deltora Quest series by Jennifer Rowe. I find the books from the Deltora Quest series to be among the least inane books from the Young Adults genre. Also, I appreciate the books from A Series of Unfortunate Events by Daniel Handler for their sense of irony and unexpectedness. In addition, I’ve appreciated reading through the novels of Four and Allegiant by Veronica Roth.

            I love books that explain how films were made or discuss an individual’s life. I appreciate thick and informative books such as, The Making of Return of the Jedi by J. W. Rinzler. So, I generally enjoy biographies and autobiographies. I am excited by these kinds of books because they often show how ordinary individuals become involved with great events or later rise with significance. I also enjoy nonfiction cook books, such as You Can Trust a Skinny Cook by Allison Fishman. Nevertheless, I decided to not select the genre of nonfiction for creating annotations in this class. Typically, I am fine with books from the nonfiction genre, although I may be skeptical of the content. I may judge if the content holds up or is beneficial in relation to reality. Also, I’ve read and analyzed plenty of books from this genre in the past, so it does not feel necessary to include this genre in my selection. 

            In terms of fantasy novels, I actually enjoy the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis and The Lord of the Rings series by J. R. R. Tolkien. I also liked the fantasy novels of Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr by Christopher Paolini. In addition, I appreciated Inkheart by Cornelia Funke for its sense of imagination, although I have problems with how the book’s characters react in certain situations. I find that the protagonists in the Chronicles of Narnia are probably the most relatable and realistic in the fantasy genre, despite the breaks in realistic behavior and the emphasis on the storyline. There is also a degree of realism for a number of characters in The Lord of the Rings novels, although some of the mannerisms of the characters are unrealistic at key moments.

            In terms of prominent science fiction novels, I’ve read several of the Dragonriders of Pern books by Anne McCaffrey during the latter part of grade school. These novels still remain some of the most exhausting books to read due to the sheer volume and the incredibly small size of the novels’ printed words. The plots of the novels could also range from being very good to awkward. In addition, I’ve skimmed through Dune by Frank Herbert.

            Also, I’ve considered that the most beneficial genres to read and annotate for this class are: the adventure genre, the gentle reads genre, the science fiction genre, the women’s lives and relationships genre, and the fantasy genre. These five genres are different enough from each other to remain unique for creating annotations. I generally appreciate the adventure genre, although I’ve very rarely read any books from this specific genre. While I despise sentimental books from the women’s lives and relationships genre, I believe that it will be a suitable challenge to read a novel from a genre that I personally avoid. In a similar fashion, I am not used to books from the gentle reads genre, so the genre will be a good challenge for reading and annotating. I appreciate the science fiction genre, but I’ve rarely given the genre a chance to personally influence my life. I’ve skimmed or read books from the science fiction genre, such as Dune or the Dragonriders of Pern series, but I haven’t analyzed these types of books with great detail. Out of all the selected genres, the fantasy genre is actually my favorite, despite some issues with aspects of the genre. So, I will have a pleasant time reading and annotating a book from the fantasy genre.

References:

Saricks, J. (2009a). At Leisure: The Rule of Three. Booklist, 106(3), 25. Retrieved from

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.ulib.uits.iu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=52f15585-bd1f-4409-b038-4121338f40b7%40sessionmgr4009

Saricks, J. G. (2009b). The readers’ advisory guide to genre fiction (2^nd ed.). Chicago, IL:

            American Library Association.