Week Seven Prompt

            I decided to choose Angela Liao’s article for this writing prompt. First of all, I believe that the article is largely correct in assuming that “60% of people would like to read more often but feel too busy to read” (Liao, 2017, n.p.). Personally, I am too occupied with studies for college classes, so I usually can’t read for leisure on a regular basis. While I didn’t particularly read for pleasure, I used to read a lot during grade school and high school. Nevertheless, if one is motivated to read, that person will read whenever the person acquires the chance to accomplish the task of reading.

            Most books aren’t too difficult for me to read unless the terminology is complex or the subject matter is too boring. So, the article’s argument that some books are too difficult to get through is somewhat implausible (Liao, 2017, n.p.). I don’t appreciate perusing through a book in chronological order unless the book is extremely interesting; I have a tendency to skip and read certain sections of a book. So, if a book is too difficult for one to read through in a chronological order, a person should still be able to read through the novel at certain places. I believe that it’s acceptable to read books in parts or not entirely if they consist of a series of ideas. I feel that these ideas are individual stories “that feed our spirits, our emotions, and our intellects” (Saricks, 2009, p. 11).

            I also feel that it’s a bit strange to be motivated to read through the online book clubs of celebrities (Liao, 2017, n.p.), but I understand that it’s still necessary to discover a purpose for reading or to be encouraged to glance through a certain novel through a book’s online display or description. Also, while it’s remarkably simple to follow celebrities or other prominent individuals on Instagram through an internet search engine and an Instagram account, the use of this social media platform through celebrities has a negative side. It doesn’t really matter when a celebrity utilizes Instagram; they are merely advertising for a book club, satisfying a need for recognition through pictures of themselves with the books, or revealing a personal interest. The article could be correct with its argument that celebrities want to appear intelligent and relatable to other human beings (Liao, 2017, n.p.), but these celebrities with online book clubs are still drawing attention through social media posts for their clubs.

            In addition, while a book club might be sponsored by a trustworthy celebrity, it does not mean that the books that a celebrity promotes contain true stories. Celebrities, such as Oprah Windrey, have accidently promoted books that actually exhibited fake memoirs, such as James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces (TSG Industries Inc., 2015, n.p.). So, the novels that a celebrity promotes on a social media platform could contain false content.

            Also, posted information on any social media platform can grow exponentially due to the number of likes or comments that a post receives. The rate of escalation in an online context in response to a textual post can be intoxicating and can betray the quality and meaning of the post’s information. So, I often find the use of social media platforms for online book clubs to be rather shallow and obsessive.

            While I think that it’s interesting that Emma Watson is utilizing her “appointment as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador” to find feminist titles (Liao, 2017, n.p.), I don’t believe that the cause of feminism is very inspiring. I am aware that libraries wish to teach tolerance, but I don’t feel that the concept of feminism is actually tolerant (Saricks, 2009, p. 11). So, I personally don’t think that the promotion of feminist titles is empowering or being empathetic towards other people. Therefore, I don’t think that Watson’s cause for promoting feminist titles is a good one.

            Also, Watson is promoting fictional titles for her book club for feminism. The Handmaid’s Tale may seem inspiring, but the book is a piece of fiction (Goodreads Inc, 2018b, n.p.). It is also difficult to discern if the supposedly real-life parallels and aspects of The Handmaid’s Tale are actually applicable towards real life (Goodreads Inc, 2018b, n.p.). I suspect that much of the novel is false, since it is written by an author who wrote dystopian or horror stories (Goodreads Inc, 2018a, n.p.).    

            However, I am not against using social media for beneficial causes. I follow a handful of celebrities on twitter, such as Steve Burton. Burton appears to have a very personal and average sort of life, despite being fairly wealthy and being busy by traveling to work and meetings (Twitter, 2018, n.p.). He uses his role as a celebrity to cleverly promote and advertise his nutritional workout products (Twitter, 2018, n.p.).

            I also agree with the article’s argument about celebrities utilizing certain books to project a specific image of themselves to the public (Liao, 2017, n.p.). I think that posting the image of a book or a description of it creates a certain impression towards the person who posted the information. For instance, I felt that Reese Witherspoon and Emma Robert’s Instagram posts appeared reasonable in comparison to Emma Watson’s Instagram posts and book selections (Liao, 2017, n.p.). I also believe that it’s quite practical to use book clubs that are sponsored by celebrities to increase the number of book purchases and sales, such as the increase for sales for The Potion Diaries on Amazon’s website (Liao, 2017, n.p.). In general, celebrity book clubs can create “a terrific initial boost in sales” and popularity for a celebrity’s selected titles (Butler, Cowan, & Nilsson, 2005, p. 23).

            Also, I found that Sarah Jessica Parker’s statement about books in the article was quite repulsive. Books should not be viewed as companions (Liao, 2017, n.p.). Viewing and utilizing books as companions is very anti-social. While I did read many books at a young age, I typically read out of interest. Currently, I read a lot of articles or sections of books for college. Sometimes, I become involved with the story of a book if it’s written well or interesting. I try to search for value, art, ideas, and depth in books in a critical and analytical manner. However, books are not my friends; they are primarily reservoirs of ideas and information.

            Parker’s statement also gave the impression of a passionate and juvenile obsession with books and reading, which was distasteful to me. It’s dismaying that the American Library Association seems to be using Parker’s celebrity status to promote book clubs (Liao, 2017, n.p.). I don’t think that it’s always necessary to utilize celebrities in order to promote a cause. It would be better to appeal to a local community in a personal manner through certain relevant organizations or causes. I appreciate book clubs when they meaningfully connect with the local community or bring people together. However, some book clubs that are sponsored by celebrities without a good cause give a repulsive impression to me.

References:

Butler, R. J., Cowan, B. W., & Nilsson, S. (2005). From Obscurity to Bestseller: Examining the

            Impact of Oprah's Book Club Selections. Publishing Research Quarterly, 20(4), 23-34.

            Retrieved from

            http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.ulib.uits.iu.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=55

            133991-03da-49d2-aece-a9d2aa626230@sessionmgr4007

Goodreads Inc. (2018a). Margaret Atwood. Retrieved from

            https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3472.Margaret_Atwood

Goodreads Inc. (2018b). The Handmaid's Tale. Retrieved from

            https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38447.The_Handmaid_s_Tale

Liao, Angela. (2017, Jun. 30). Celebrity Book Clubs Create Virtual Reading Community.

Retrieved from https://www.bookstr.com/celebrity-book-clubs-create-virtual-reading-community

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

            American Library Association.

TSG Industries Inc.. (2015). A Million Little Lies. Retrieved from

            http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/million-little-lies

Twitter. (2018). Steve Burton. Retrieved from  

https://twitter.com/1SteveBurton?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Week Seven Science Fiction Genre Annotation

Ender’s Game

By Orson Scott Card

Brief Summary:

Ender Wiggins is a meticulously selected and intelligent juvenile from the planet Earth in the somewhat distant future. Ender is given a choice by a military commander to join a battle school in the asteroid belt of Earth’s solar system in order to train to fight the buggers, a type of telepathic and insect-like alien species that nearly destroyed the outer space armies of humanity decades earlier in two separate invasions. Ender agrees to train at the school, and he encounters several hardships as he adjusts to his new life and training. As he finally gains the trust and admiration of his peers and excels in training at battle school, he is promoted and becomes a commander among his peers.  

Elements of the Science Fiction Genre:

Pacing: The pacing in Ender’s Game is generally “exterior, with more action and adventure elements included” (Saricks, 2009, p. 250), since there is a great amount of action that occurs at Ender’s battle school. However, between the action scenes, there is additionally a bit of slower pacing from Ender’s philosophical and psychological thoughts (Saricks, 2009, p. 250). So, the rate of the pacing varies according to the amount of action that is present within an individual scene in the book (Saricks, 2009, p. 250).

Storyline: The novel acts as a piece of “speculative fiction that appeals to the reader’s intellect” (Saricks, 2009, p. 245). Specifically, the story contains philosophical issues that involve moral and social questions about society (Saricks, 2009, p. 246). In addition, the book also contains “general questions about power and authority” (Saricks, 2009, p. 246). These questions are associated with the idea of a science fiction novel that considers “moral, social, and ethical issues while exploring philosophical, technical, and intellectual questions” (Saricks, 2009, p. 246). Also, ambiguity is a key part of the novel, and there are “seldom clear-cut answers to what is right and wrong” at certain parts of the book (Saricks, 2009, p. 246). The book is additionally an inviting tale with intriguing and accessible ideas (Saricks, 2009, p. 246). Ender’s Game also exhibits a cinematic quality through its action, time period, and locations in the story (Saricks, 2009, p. 246).

Characterization: The novel places a great emphasis “on ideas and setting” through Ender’s moral dilemmas, the idea of gifted individuals, and the outer space locations (Saricks, 2009, p. 249). The book focuses on “the issues, story, and frame” more than the characterizations (Saricks, 2009, p. 249). However, the book still contains a wide variety of characters at Ender’s battle school (Saricks, 2009, p. 249); these characters appear “in a wide enough variety of sizes, shapes, colors, motivations, histories, and beliefs” (Saricks, 2009, p. 250).

Frame/Setting: The novel’s setting is “consistently evocative and visual” by focusing on color (Saricks, 2009, p. 247). Briefly, the book describes at least one new and alternative world that is inhabited by an alien species in its setting (Saricks, 2009, p. 247). There are also a great number of technical and scientific details that are part of the novel’s frame (Saricks, 2009, p. 247).  

Tone/Mood: The novel’s tone is generally depressing and paranoid. However, the book’s tone is hopeful at specific times. This clash in tone highlights the aspect of the science fiction genre’s wide range of tone in this novel (Saricks, 2009, p. 249). In addition, the book’s tone utilizes the aspect of the science fiction genre’s appeal to the intellect (Saricks, 2009, p. 249). Also, the book’s tone frequently disorients readers by “taking them outside their comfort zones and forcing them to reimagine situations and events in other contexts” (Saricks, 2009, p. 249). 

Style/Language: The language of the book is “idiomatic, jargon-filled, and often incomprehensible” (Saricks, 2009, p. 248), since the novel exhibits the language aspect of the cyberpunk science fiction subgenre (Saricks, 2009, p. 248). The otherness of the future of Ender’s Game is also highlighted by “the disorienting effect of the language” (Saricks, 2009, p. 248), since the novel exhibits its unique terminology.

Read A Likes:

The dark forest by Cixin Liu. The novel explores the idea of successfully “protecting Earth against powerful alien invaders” through one person (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). The book is also “riveting and emotionally involving” through its plot and compelling backstories (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

Warchild by Karin Lowachee. This science fiction novel is fast-paced and follows “the coming-of-age of believable young characters who make decisions effecting whole worlds” (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). The book is additionally gritty and dark and addresses the concept of sexual abuse (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

Starship troopers by Robert A. Heinlein. This book is centered on the concepts of war and politics (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.). Also, the novel focuses on the idea of young recruits enduring “rigorous training to fight insect-like enemies” (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

References:

EBSCO Industries, Inc.. (2018). Read-alikes for Ender's game. Retrieved from

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/novp/detail?sid=732a75d5-fd9c-41d6-9bdc-dc3dec8c77d0%40sessionmgr4009&UI=UI+018835&vid=6

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

            American Library Association.

Week Six Prompt

Dear Greta Southard,

            I wanted to address the director of the Allen County Public Library in order to convey my plans for an innovative way to promote the horror genre across all branches of the Allen County Public Library (Allen County Public Library, 2018, n.p.). First of all, it is important to “consider how the patron wants to interact with the media and respond accordingly” in relation to an experience of media (Dunneback and Towner, 2010a, p. 186). Items from different types of media should all address the goal of the horror genre to evoke fear through psychology or gory details and to appeal to individuals through a connection to a deep emotional level (Saricks, 2009, p. 112). So, I will propose several plans to the library for the promotion of the horror genre.

            I strongly feel that advertising through multiple posts on the Allen County Public Library’s Facebook page is the best method for reaching a younger audience, since it is common knowledge that the teen and young adult demographics will be more likely to remain in touch with social media than adult patrons. Also, I will assume that advertising for a single event at the library will take place over a span of at least three months. Because of this, the library should post advertisements and notifications for the promotion of the horror genre on Facebook for at least three months in advance. The advertisements should be spaced out with an acceptable period of time between the notifying posts.

However, there are other methods of less effective advertising that the library could utilize, and I would highly suggest that the library advertise by using more than one method in order to connect with a wider audience of individuals. So, it would be suitable for the Allen County Public Library to create organized and physical displays of novels, films, and video games associated with the horror genre during the month of October at several library branches in order promote the genre to an effective degree.

            In addition, passive programming is largely unnecessary for effectively promoting the horror genre, but it can still attract attention. The library could set up creative signs during the month of October that inform patrons about alternative resources to books within the horror genre. For instance, the library could establish passive programming in the form of a sign titled, “Vampire Romance Cinema”, at the main library. The sign could advertise promoted events, such screenings for film adaptations of vampire romance novels at the main library’s theater; the screenings could include film adaptations, such as, Twilight and Interview with the Vampire.

            Also, the library could provide posters for a long list of films set in the horror genre at its library branches. The films listed could include adaptations of classic horror novels from Universal’s horror films from the time period of 1920 to 1960 (tharrx, 2015, n.p.). These adaptations could include films, such as, Dracula and Frankenstein (tharrx, 2015, n.p.). Other adaptations from more unknown horror films, such as some of the Hammer films, could be placed on the list (HAMMER FILMS LTD, n.d., n.p.).

            Due to the constructed nature of the passive programming, fans of cinema, who are not immediately fond of the horror genre but still appreciate film in general, will appreciate the talent and acting skill of veteran film actors, such as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in the Hammer films (IMDb.com, Inc., 2018a, n.p.; IMDb.com, Inc., 2018b, n.p.). These actors have also appeared in popular film series, such as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (IMDb.com, Inc., 2018a, n.p.; IMDb.com, Inc., 2018b, n.p.). Because of this possible attraction to the charisma of these actors, the fans of cinema will likely develop a higher appreciation or a familiarity of horror films.    

           Also, integrated advisory could be utilized through connections of associated media to a specific and popular subject. The Allen County Public Library could advertise for film and television adaptations of books set in the horror genre. For example, the library branches of the Allen County Public Library could display DVD sets for multiple seasons of the True Blood television series, which was based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels (Flood, 2013, n.p.). The library branches should also construct a display that contains the actual Sookie Stackhouse novels in close proximity to the True Blood display. Patrons curious about the television adaptation could inquire librarians about subtle differences between the television adaptation and the novels. Or, library users only familiar with the True Blood television series can ask about the significance of the Sookie Stackhouse novels. In this manner, the library users can “to turn to a librarian and ask for assistance in the same way readers ask for help” (Dunneback and Towner, 2010b, p. xii). Also, patrons that exhibit a great knowledge of the horror genre in relation to novels but not in relation to other types of media can effectively find answers to their questions through the presence of adjacent and multiple displays about associated content (Dunneback and Towner, 2010b, p. xii). In addition, the displays of novels, film adaptations, and television adaptations assert to library users that “there is the same value, in terms of leisure and entertainment, in watching a good movie as listening to a good book or reading a graphic novel” (Dunneback and Towner, 2010b, pp. xii-xiii).    

Sincerely,

Megan Kammeyer

References:

Allen County Public Library. (2018). About ACPL. Retrieved from

http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/home/about

Dunneback, K. & Towner, M. W. (2010a). Everything romance [PDF file]. In Integrated

Advisory Service. Denver: Libraries Unlimited, pp. 183-225. Retrieved from https://iu.instructure.com/courses/1702577/files/folder/Week%206?preview=75529747

Dunneback, K. & Towner, M. W. (2010b). Introduction: Integrated Advisory [PDF file]. In

Integrated Advisory Service. Denver: Libraries Unlimited, pp. xi-xvi. Retrieved from

https://iu.instructure.com/courses/1702577/files/folder/Week%206?preview=75529746

Flood, Alison. (2013, May 10). Charlaine Harris threatened by fans over final Sookie Stackhouse

novel. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/may/10/charlaine-harris-sookie-stackhouse-true-blood

HAMMER FILMS LTD. (n.d.). About Hammer. Retrieved from

http://www.hammerfilms.com/about-hammer/

IMDb.com, Inc.. (2018a). Christopher Lee. Retrieved from

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000489/

IMDb.com, Inc.. (2018b). Peter Cushing. Retrieved from

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001088/

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

            American Library Association.

tharrx. (2015, Nov. 14). Complete Universal Horror Films 1920-1960. Retrieved from

http://www.imdb.com/list/ls000493268/

Week Six Gentle Reads Genre Annotation

The New Year’s Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel

By Jennifer Chiaverini

Brief Summary: Sylvia Compson, an elderly woman in her eighties, has recently been married to Andrew Cooper, but Andrew’s daughter, Amy, disapproves of the idea of Sylvia and Andrew eloping. However, Sylvia and Andrew have married without Amy’s knowledge. Because of this, Sylvia decides to create a New Year’s Reflections quilt over her honeymoon trip to historical locations along the Atlantic coast with Andrew for Amy in order to encourage her to accept the marriage when Sylvia and Andrew announce the event to her. During her trip, Sylvia reminisces about missed opportunities for reconciliation and losses in the past years of her life.  

Elements of the Gentle Reads Genre:

Pacing: This novel exhibits an “unhurried pace” throughout its content (Saricks, 2009, p. 99). Specifically, the book contains a number of short, comfortable, and meandering stories from Sylvia’s past and present that are leisurely paced (Saricks, 2009, p. 99).

Storyline: The book contains very little plot (Saricks, 2009, p. 97). The novel generally lacks an element of “suspense or controversial social issues” (Saricks, 2009, p. 97). Also, both Sylvia and Amy are characters who struggle to discover their places in relationships throughout the storyline (Saricks, 2009, p. 97). In addition, bad events that have occurred in Sylvia’s past exhibit a considerable impact on Sylvia’s outlook towards Amy (Saricks, 2009, p. 97).     

Characterization: The book reveals the lives of ordinary human beings in ordinary situations (Saricks, 2009, p. 97). The novel’s situations are not always pleasant and light (Saricks, 2009, p. 97). Also, characters are emphasized over the book’s “action or actual events” (Saricks, 2009, p. 97).

Frame/Setting: The frame of the novel exhibits a timeless quality and reflects “a close-knit community” in several situations (Saricks, 2009, p. 98). The novel additionally displays a contemporary and historical setting, which contribute “layers to the stories” of Sylvia’s past and present (Saricks, 2009, p. 98). The novel is also framed by satisfaction and other skills associated with performing the domestic skill of quilting (Saricks, 2009, p. 98).  

Tone/Mood: The book’s mood is centered on stories “told from a peaceful, soothing perspective” (Saricks, 2009, p. 94). The novel conveys “a reassuring sense of well-being” in relation to its mood (Saricks, 2009, p. 94). Also, the novel contains “sweet stories of loss and reconciliation”, which contribute towards a partially bittersweet and introspective mood (Saricks, 2009, p. 95). In addition, the story reflects “traditional, rather than modern, values” (Saricks, 2009, p. 95). The tone of the novel is also partially inspirational from examples of heartwarming and truthful stories (Saricks, 2009, p. 95).   

Style/Language: The style of the storyline is not stylistically complex (Saricks, 2009, p. 96), and it is also “straightforward and easy to follow” (Saricks, 2009, p. 96). In addition, the book exhibits traditional values that “require the absence of explicit sex, violence, and profanity” (Saricks, 2009, p. 95). Also, the language of the book is polished, colorful, and mundane (Saricks, 2009, p. 96).

Read A Likes:

Two by two by Nicholas Sparks. Readers who wish to be exposed to the subjects of ‘Pennsylvania’ and ‘Remarriage’ and to experience the same specific subgenre of ‘Domestic fiction’ as The New Year’s Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel will enjoy reading this novel (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

Of the farm by John Updike. Individuals who long to comprehend the subject of ‘Fathers and daughters’ and the subgenre of ‘Domestic fiction’ to a reasonable degree will appreciate this book (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

At home in Mitford by Jan Karon. This novel is recommended by Novelist for fans of the “Elm Creek Quilts” series (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

References:

EBSCO Industries, Inc.. (2018). Read-alikes for The New Year’s quilt. Retrieved from

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/novp/detail?sid=dfc44f06-a3b4-4547-beb4-6120eabea38f%40sessionmgr120&UI=UI+203794&vid=2

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

            American Library Association.

Kirkus Review of The Fellowship of the Ring

The Fellowship of the Ring, by J. R. R. Tolkien

            Frodo Baggins receives a seemingly plain and gold ring from his uncle, Bilbo Baggins, on his uncle’s birthday. However, he soon realizes that the ring is dangerous and tied to the fate of his world, Middle-Earth, and travels on a quest with companions to dispose of it.

            Frodo Baggins is an ordinary hobbit, a being shorter than a dwarf that lives within the hills, and lives peacefully in the hobbits' land of the Shire. That time of peace is shattered when Frodo receives a gold ring from his uncle, Bilbo Baggins, on his uncle’s 111st birthday. A mood of mystery and danger arises in the novel after Frodo is commanded by the wizard, Gandalf, to keep the ring secret and secure from anyone. When Gandalf returns from a trip to learn more about Frodo’s ring, he reveals that the ring contains the power of the dark lord Sauron, a long-deceased tyrant of Middle-Earth. The Nazgûl, ancient servants of Sauron, have recently discovered that the ring still exists and are seeking the one ring in order to revive their master. Frodo leaves the Shire immediately for the safe haven of Rivendell, home of the western Elves, and obtains the companionship of Sam, Pippin, and Merry during the journey. The band travels through the Old Forest and to The Prancing Pony Inn, where the band meets Aragorn, who is a ranger called Strider and the hidden king of men. During their travels, the band encounters the Nazgûl on more than one occasion and narrowly escapes to Rivendell with Frodo’s life from the encounters. At Rivendell, the band meets with a great assortment of characters, including Boromir, son of the steward of Gondor, the kingdom of men, Gimli, a dwarf, and Legolas, an elf. A fellowship is established to escort Sauron’s ring to Mount Doom in Mordor, where it will be destroyed in the mountain’s fire. The fellowship departs for Mordor, although they encounter trouble during their journey to the Mountains of Moria and lose Gandalf from the assault of a Balrog, a demonic being, in the mountains. The fellowship rests at Lothlórien, a community of elves, and then departs to the hills of Amon Hen, where the fellowship is shattered by Frodo’s decision to leave for Mordor on his own. However, Sam finds Frodo, and they leave the fellowship together to destroy the ring.  

            This novel is an excellent and classic entry in the fantasy genre. It is highly memorable and almost flawless in the presentation of its narrative by containing a mysterious, dark atmosphere with a diverse, descriptive, and sensibly written prose.

Week Five Adventure Genre Annotation

Kidnapped : the adventures of David Balfour

By Robert Louis Stevenson

Brief Summary: David Balfour, a young, arrogant orphan in 18^th century England, receives a note announcing that he has received a wealthy inheritance. Despite ominous warnings from the locals, David decides to visit with other family members at the house of Shaws. At the house of Shaws, David meets his miserly and greedy uncle, Ebenezer, who attempts to kill him and later sends David as a hostage to be sold into slavery in the Carolinas with the ship captain, Elias Hoseason. However, David soon acquires a friend on Hoseason’s ship, who is named Alan Breck. When Hoseason’s ship encounters coastal reefs, David is thrown overboard by fierce waves. During his period of isolation and wandering, David experiences a number of hardships along the way to find Alan and is framed for a murder that he did not commit. David teams up with Alan, as they run from the dragoons, who are pursuing them.

Elements of the Adventure Genre:

Pacing: The novel’s plot is driven by brisk pacing (Saricks, 2009, p. 17), and the book focuses on “escaping from one dangerous situation to the next” (Saricks, 2009, p. 17).

Storyline: The book’s storyline emphasizes action (Saricks, 2009, p. 17). The novel’s storyline is historical and involves civilians and military personnel (Saricks, 2009, p. 18). In addition, David survives “amid the elements, with physical, human, and animal dangers” (Saricks, 2009, p. 18). David also escapes from perilous situations and is successful (Saricks, 2009, p. 18).

Characterization: David is strong and “operates under a strong moral code” (Saricks, 2009, p. 18). David also exhibits an “intuitive skill at interpreting dangers and discovering solutions” (Saricks, 2009, p. 18). In addition, David’s plight is sympathetic to the audience (Saricks, 2009, p. 18). Also, villains, such as David’s uncle, Ebenezer, and Elias Hoseason, are “drawn in extremes and are very evil” (Saricks, 2009, p. 19). The novel additionally focuses “on male characters, ensures a happy ending, and features a community of men” (Saricks, 2009, p. 19).

Frame/Setting: David often travels to exotic, unknown, and mysterious locations in order to complete his various tasks (Saricks, 2009, p. 20). The novel also supports the setting by being dominated by details and by not diminishing the book’s level of danger (Saricks, 2009, p. 21).

Tone/Mood: The novel’s tone is dark and moody, since David experiences a number of hardships and terrifying dangers (Saricks, 2009, p. 21).

Style/Language: The novel is filled with colorful “language, rich in the jargon of the milieu” (Saricks, 2009, p. 22). Also, the book contains a great amount of excessive details with far-fetched events and exotic and deadly locales (Saricks, 2009, p. 22).

Read A Likes:

The silent boy by Andrew Taylor. This novel describes historical tales, where “a young boy is kidnapped and used as a pawn in adult power struggles” (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

Birthright by Roger A. Ekirch. Readers who wish to discover more about the events that Kidnapped was based on will be pleased by this novel’s “well-documented and compelling history” (EBSCO Industries, Inc., 2018, n.p.).

References:

EBSCO Industries, Inc.. (2018). Read-alikes for Kidnapped. Retrieved from

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/novp/detail?sid=eb2ecdf6-ef7f-4911-9795-0910edb2218a%40sessionmgr4006&UI=UI+099336&vid=3

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

            American Library Association.

Week Five Prompt

“Ebook only books, which are increasingly popular (especially in the romance genre) see little to no reviews in professional publications unless they have a big name author, and then still it's usually only RT Reviews (formally Romantic Times) or other genre heavy publications. How does this affect collection development?”

            The trend with e-books becoming very popular with little to no views will encourage librarians to disregard reviews when collecting e-books for a library’s electronic collection of books. The trend may also confuse librarians that rely on the utilization of professional reviews to include titles within a library’s collection; the librarians may accidently miss excellently written or popular e-books and may not incorporate those e-books into the library’s electronic collection of items.

            The trend also depicts a disregard for professional reviews among users. So, librarians may also be encouraged to disregard professional reviews if they feel that readers only desire to read a book due to popular demand and not due to critical analysis. Because of this, some librarians may select books for the library collection that have not been professionally reviewed in order to make the collection more appealing to ordinary readers.  

“I have posted two more documents in the week five files. One is two reviews of an ebook only romantic suspense novel, one from a blog and one from amazon. Look over the reviews - do you feel they are both reliable? How likely would you be to buy this book for your library?”

            In terms of reviewing an actual item, I believe that both of the reviews are reliable, since both of the reviewers became emotionally involved in describing the content of the book (Ebook Only Romantic Suspense Novel.docx, n.d, n.p.). However, the reviews are not professionally written, and they do not identify distinct qualities of the book (Ebook Only Romantic Suspense Novel.docx, n.d, n.p.). The reviews provide a brief summary or describe key moments from the book, which is not beneficial towards understanding what distinct aspects that the book exhibits or what specific genre the book is (Ebook Only Romantic Suspense Novel.docx, n.d, n.p.). In that sense, the reviews are not very reliable for librarians to use to determine if an item is worth purchasing for a library’s collection.              It is highly unlikely that I would buy the book due to the poor quality of the reviews and the lack of content described in those reviews. Reviews need to be professionally constructed and descriptive in order be an adequate guideline for purchasing materials for a library’s collection. The two examples that were provided poorly addressed the content of the books and did not identify a great number of specific qualities of the books (Ebook Only Romantic Suspense Novel.docx, n.d, n.p.). So, I would not buy the book due to the information that is presented in the reviews, since the book could end up to be quite boring and unsatisfying for users to read.

“The other document contains some reviews of Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt, an incredibly popular memoir. These reviews are all from professional publications, feel free to find more on your own I just nabbed a few from the Book Review Digest database for you. How do these reviews make you feel about the possibility of adding Angela's Ashes to your collection?”

            These reviews strongly encourage me to add a copy of Angela’s Ashes to my library collection. The reviews are from websites that display professionally written reviews on books; these websites include: the Kirkus Review website, the Library Journal Review website, the Booklist Review website, and the School Library Journal Review website (Angela Ashes Reviews.docx, n.d., n.p.). All of the reviews are descriptive and depict the most relevant qualities from Angela’s Ashes (Angela Ashes Reviews.docx, n.d., n.p.). The reviews are also bold enough to describe the negative qualities of Angela’s Ashes, and they reveal how the author of Angela’s Ashes depicts the darker qualities of the novel, such as sickness and poverty (Angela Ashes Reviews.docx, n.d., n.p.). This is a positive aspect, since the reviews are being honest and are informing readers of the content in Angela’s Ashes (Angela Ashes Reviews.docx, n.d., n.p.). So, I feel that the reviews are highly reliable, and I believe that the reviews’ claims about the content of Angela’s Ashes to be accurate. Therefore, I will include Angela’s Ashes in a library collection based on this information.

“Do you think it's fair that one type of book is reviewed to death and other types of books get little to no coverage?”

            I don’t believe that it’s fair that books that are reviewed to death have been better marketed to the public in some fashion. For instance, the books could have a sudden surge in popularity due to a viral trend of recognition on the internet or have been supported with a great deal of funding towards marketing the books. In other words, books are reviewed to death because of the high degree of accessibility and persuasive rhetoric. Also, because of this principle of great accessibility or recognition, some novels with excellent plots are snubbed in favor of publications that were adequately marketed. In addition, this is not fair that some books are extensively reviewed, since individuals will likely gain a false impression of these books from the wide range of opinions from professional reviewers. In reality, a person reading a plot is the one who decides if a book is a worthwhile read or not; the quality of a book in one’s mind does not depend on the opinions of professional critics.

“How does this affect a library's collection?”

            A library’s collection is greatly impacted by the action of extensively reviewing some books while ignoring other books. Librarians will more likely select books that have been frequently reviewed by both professionals and ordinary individuals for their collection, since the librarians may believe that the books are popular or exhibit a high quality of writing. So, a library’s collection will contain less titles that are obscure or not known by a great percentage of the public community, since those novels will not have received many reviews from critics and regular individuals. The library collection may also exhibit less titles of high quality from obscure or relatively unknown titles, which would diminish the library collection’s overall level of quality and diversity.  

“And how do you feel about review sources that won't print negative content?”

            I feel that review sources should be critical of the positive and negative aspects of a book. Fictional books aren’t perfect, and it’s beneficial to analyze the separate values of the elements of books. Also, individual persons have different feelings about books. Some people may immensely enjoy a book while others despise it. In the end, a book is just a book. One should read it for the experience. Reviews are present to inform an audience what is the most common or most likely response about certain elements of a book, and the reviews also identify traits that the book exhibits. However, an individual is responsible for his own enjoyment of a novel.

“Do you think that's appropriate?”

            I don’t believe that it’s appropriate for review sources to not print out negative content. I think that it’s a bit lazy that review sources won’t print out negative content in order to be more appealing to readers. I strongly feel that review sources should be considerate of the negative aspects of books to reveal the books’ weaknesses to readers and to allow readers to compare the books to other novels. I also think that it isn’t appropriate for reviews to avoid mentioning the negative content because writing about the negative content in the books may warn readers if there is something that they dislike or despise in the reviewed books.

“If you buy for your library, how often do you use reviews to make your decisions?”

            I do not purchase items for my library, which is the Allen County Public Library. So, this question does not apply to me.

“If not, how do you feel about reviews for personal reading, and what are some of your favorite review sources?”

            I personally feel that reviews for personal reading are quite beneficial towards making a decision to select certain titles for reading. However, I believe that I should determine if a book is excellent by reading it on my own. I also think that it’s often unnecessary to rely on reviews, since they can’t judge if a person will actually enjoy any of the components of a novel.

            Some of my favorite review sources are the Goodreads website, which exhibits reviews for novels, and Amazon’s website, which contains the reviews for books. I appreciate how the Goodreads website lists casual reviews from users (Goodreads Inc, 2018, n.p.). These users write extensively and in an informative manner, so I can comprehend the content of the users’ reviews in a sufficient manner (Goodreads Inc, 2018, n.p.). Because I can understand the reviews to an adequate degree, I can make decent choices towards the selection of specific novels. In addition, I favor how Amazon’s website lists user reviews for books (Amazon.com, 2018, n.p.). While I feel that more reviews on the Amazon website are unreliable and biased than the Goodreads website, I still find the reviews to be a great source of information towards discovering a worthwhile novel to read (Amazon.com, 2018, n.p.). Also, I will utilize the Wikipedia website for collecting short snippets of critics’ thoughts towards certain books, although the Wikipedia website is probably not considered an official website for review sources (Wikipedia, n.d, n.p.). However, I primarily don’t use other sources for books besides the Goodreads website, the Amazon website, and the Wikipedia website. These websites typically satisfy my need for knowledge about the content of books, so I don’t usually look for other review sources or websites.

References and Resources Used:

Amazon.com. (2018). To Reign in Hell: A Novel. Retrieved from

            https://www.amazon.com/Reign-Hell-Novel-Steven-Brust/dp/0312870493

Angela Ashes Reviews.docx. (n.d.). Angela Ashes Reviews.docx [PDF file]. Retrieved from

            https://iu.instructure.com/courses/1702577/files/folder/Week%205?preview=75529651

Ebook Only Romantic Suspense Novel.docx. (n.d). Ebook Only Romantic Suspense Novel.docx

[PDF file]. Retrieved from https://iu.instructure.com/courses/1702577/files/folder/Week%205?preview=75529649

Goodreads Inc. (2018). Bloodline (Star Wars Disney Canon Novel). Retrieved from

            https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27209239-bloodline

Wikipedia. (n.d). Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.wikipedia.org/

Secret Shopper Assignment Summary

            I was asked a variety of different questions by Lici and David, the librarians at the library that I visited, after I asked David for a good book to read. The librarians asked me these primary questions: “Do you have a good book to read?”, “What kind of novel did you want to read?”, “What kind of adventure novel did you want?”, “What was the last adventure novel that you read?”, and “Do you like adult or young adult?”. Each of these first questions were beneficial and designed to narrow down the idea of a generic book into a specific novel. In this case, the questions narrowed down my responses to the selected choice of a historical adventure novel. However, the librarians asked me only a few relevant questions at the beginning of the interview towards actually finding an appropriate adventure novel, and they asked trivial questions to me during the remaining part of the interview. Eventually, after placing an Outlander novel on hold and looking through the online catalog of the website of the Allen County Public Library, I checked out Kidnapped: the adventures of David Balfour for a historical adventure novel (SirsiDynix, 2016, n.p.).

            The librarians utilized the tools of the Goodreads website, the literature map website, and the Allen County Public Library’s online catalog to assist me with finding a historical adventure novel. In addition, the librarians used the Sirsi database within the library’s system to search for items within the library’s individual collection and within the collections of the other library branches of the Allen County Public Library system. Also, both Lici and David did not directly find a good book for me, but they did indirectly assist me with securing a good book through asking me a series of questions and by utilizing the library’s available tools. So, while David and Lici were unsuccessful with directly finding me a good book, they did successfully guide me towards acquiring a good book through their questions and available tools.   

            Also, I did not expect for the librarians to only use the Goodreads website for finding adventure books from a list of popular adventure novels, and this lack of utilizing a wide array of beneficial resources disappointed me (Goodreads Inc, 2018, n.p.). I additionally expected the librarians to ask me more questions about the adventure novel. I did not expect the librarians to be friendly during the conversation, and I also did not expect the librarians to be unprepared for the interview in terms of not exhibiting knowledge about authors who wrote for certain genres. In addition, I did not expect the librarians to let me find a good book on my own.

            I don’t think that I would have the librarians recommend another novel for me. Despite their good intentions, I personally feel that their initial lack of knowledge about available authors and their primary reliance on the Goodreads website ruined the librarians’ credibility for finding relevant books for their library patrons. I was disappointed by this lack of knowledge, and I believe that the librarians could have been better trained for remembering key authors of specific genres in order to find a suitable book for my request.

            There are a number of things that the librarians could have done better in the interview. Specifically, I wish that the librarians had been skilled enough to recall key authors in the adventure genre. The librarians also should have been familiar with the books of the library’s collection in order to give an enthusiastic impression to library patrons (Vnuk, 2013, n.p.). In addition, I wish that the librarians had utilized more tools to aid in finding a proper adventure novel. The librarians could have utilized library journal websites or databases to find an appropriate adventure novel with a short length, since the websites or databases are “generally good about reviewing genre fiction” (Saricks, 2009, p. 10).

Resources Used during the Interview and References for the Submitted Assignment:

Allen County Public Library. (2018). Allen County Public Library. Retrieved from

            http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/

Chelton, M.K. (2003). Readers' Advisory 101. Library Journal.

            http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2003/11/ljarchives/readers-advisory-101/

Gibney, Marek. Literature-Map. Retrieved from http://www.literature-map.com/

Goodreads Inc (2018). goodreads. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/

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

            American Library Association.

SirsiDynix. (2016). Allen County Public Library. Retrieved from

http://alpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?ac=LIBRARY%09Library%091%3AABOITE%09Aboite+Branch+%7C%7C+1%3ADUPONT%09Dupont+Branch+%7C%7C+1%3AGENEALOGY%09Genealogy+Department%2C+Main+Library+%7C%7C+1%3AGEORGETOWN%09Georgetown+Branch+%7C%7C+1%3AGRABILL%09Grabill+Branch+%7C%7C+1%3AHSN_CASSEL%09Hessen+Cassel+Branch+%7C%7C+1%3ALINCOLN%09Lincoln+Collection+%7C%7C+1%3ALTL_TURTLE%09Little+Turtle+Branch+%7C%7C+1%3AMAIN%09Main+Library+%7C%7C+1%3AMNROEVILLE%09Monroeville+Branch+%7C%7C+1%3ANEW_HAVEN%09New+Haven+Branch+%7C%7C+1%3APONTIAC%09Pontiac+Branch+%7C%7C+1%3ASHAWNEE%09Shawnee+Branch+%7C%7C+1%3ATECUMSEH%09Tecumseh+Branch+%7C%7C+1%3AWAYNEDALE%09Waynedale+Branch+%7C%7C+1%3AWOODBURN%09Woodburn+Branch&te=

Vnuk, Rebecca. (2013). Jack of All Trades Readers’ Advisory: How to Learn a Little About a

           Lot. Public Libraries Online. Retrieved from http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/05/jack-of-             all-trades-readers-advisory-how-to-learn-a-little-about-a-lot/