Prompt 7

This week’s reading on the popularity of books named to Oprah’s Book Club did not present any particularly surprising conclusions; rather, it presented the intuitive reasoning with statistical evidence to support it.  It is no surprise that being named to Oprah’s Book Club would cause a spike in popularity, and would ensure continuing success for the named authors.  The almost cult-like following that Oprah cultivated during the height of her popularity would ensure that nearly everything she endorsed would immediately become popular.  Even today, when she no longer hosts her daytime talk show and has faded into the background of popular culture, there are still people and products that she endorsed that continue to enjoy popularity. 

I was glad to see a scientific process applied to the logical argument that I see manifested everyday.  I work in a bookstore, where about 85% of our book inventory is in used condition, which we buy in from our customers.  When we get numerous copies of a particular title, it is usually because of one of three reasons.  First, popular fiction authors (Patterson, Grisham, Clancy, Sparks, Roberts, etc.) who churn out several books a year are always bought into the store in quantity.  Second, books which have been made into successful films, such as The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Help, and Water for Elephants, also are frequently bought in.  And finally, books that have been named to Oprah’s Book Club come into the store in record numbers.

Because we get so many books in that have that little “Oprah’s Book Club” sticker on the cover, I wasn’t at all surprised to see the conclusions drawn in the article.  We get hardcovers and paperbacks, and almost all of them have that little sticker, which means they were purchased after being named to Oprah’s club.  The article’s conclusion that these books enjoy continued popularity is demonstrated in our sales; we sell nearly as many of these books as we buy in.  In fact, we have a revolving fixture of Oprah’s Book Club selections that displays new selections from the rather extensive list every few weeks.  Even the controversy surrounding A Million Little Pieces and its authenticity doesn’t diminish its sales in our store; two copies were purchased off our display in the past week. 

If another celebrity personality ever manages to cultivate the same force of personality as Oprah has, then I foresee having to stock those recommendations just as we do Oprah’s Book Club.  Until that day, however, we’ll likely see books become popular based far more on merit than Oprah’s personal tastes. 

Works Consulted: 

Butler, R., Cowan, B., & Nilsson, S. (2005). From Obscurity to Bestseller: Examining the Impact of Oprah's Book Club Selections. Publishing Research Quarterly, 20(4), 23-34.

Fake Memoirs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_memoirs

Smoking Gun. (2006). A Million Little Lies: Exposing James Frey’s fiction addiction.

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

The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry

The Cater Street Hangman

by Anne Perry

Publication Date: 1979

Number of Pages: 287

ISBN: 9780449208670

In this Mystery novel, a murderer is on the loose in Victorian London, causing tensions throughout the neighborhood.  When three young women are murdered near Cater Street, Inspector Thomas Pitt, a police inspector, begins to investigate the serial murders.  Fate brings him to the doorstep of the novel’s main character, Charlotte Ellison, a well-bred young woman whose frank conversation skirts the very edge of Victorian propriety, which only makes her more attractive to the intelligent young inspector.  A young maid from the Ellison household was the fourth victim, and as Pitt’s investigation progress, the Ellison family members and their staff begin to discover that they didn’t know one another nearly as well as they thought.  This novel deals frequently with the social expectations of “respectable” women during the Victorian period, bringing their world to life while simultaneously shining a light on the inequities they face. 

This novel moves along at a leisurely pace for almost three hundred pages, offering a nuanced presentation of daily household life, punctuated by moments of discovery as the investigation unfolds.  Pitt frequently stops by the Ellison household to question various household members, during which he takes the time to explain his developing investigation to Charlotte, while also developing a social relationship between them.  The story is made more compelling by the inclusion of numerous well-developed secondary characters; each of them has an important role to play in the story’s progression.  Only the most careful and intuitive reader will discover the true culprit before the novel’s final scene; Perry’s narration will keep you guessing until the very end. 

The Cater Street Hangman is the first book in an extended series of mysteries featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt.  The twenty-ninth installment, Death on Blackheath, is due out in March 2014.    The Cater Street Hangman was also turned into a made-for-television movie with the same title in 1998. 

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If you enjoyed The Cater Street Hangman, you might also enjoy these mysteries set in Victorian England:

Good Night, Mr. Holmes by Carole Nelson Douglas

While more humorous in tone than The Cater Street Hangman, this novel is a reimagining of the world of Sherlock Holmes featuring Irene Adler as the main character.  In this novel, the first in a series of eight, Irene Adler is a strong heroine that certainly keeps pace with the famous Sherlock Holmes.  

Death at Bishop’s Keep by Robin Paige

This novel also features a strong-minded heroine, though Kate Adrleigh is an American mystery novelist visiting relatives in England.  While there, she stumbles upon a murder investigation, which places her in the path of amateur detective Sir Charles Sheridan, and the two begin to compete to see who can solve the mystery first.  Death at Bishop’s Keep is the first in a twelve book series. 

The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry

While similar in style to the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mystery series, the William Monk mystery series is set thirty years earlier and features a detective afflicted with amnesia, who simultaneously attempts to solve a difficult murder case as well as the mystery of his own identity.  With equal parts psychological exploration and crime solving, with a bit of romance thrown in, this first novel in a nineteen novel series is a great compliment to The Cater Street Hangman. 

Prompt 6 - Booktalks

Have you ever thought that perhaps Sleeping Beauty didn’t want to wake up?   Or that perhaps she might not enjoy being a princess?  If the traditional version of the story doesn’t quite resonate, but you love the romance and suspense of fairy tales, then this book is for you! 

Robin McKinley’s Spindle’s End is a rich retelling of the famous fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty.  This author is well-known for her fairy tale adaptations, with rich, fantastical worlds and well-developed characters. 

In this reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, the infant princess is cursed at birth, but a young, untalented fairy named Katroina unexpectedly steps in and deflects the worst of the curse.  Katroina raises the princess as her own daughter, calling her Rosie, who grows into a mischievous tomboy with a penchant for the rather un-princesslike profession of blacksmithing.  Despite their idyllic village life, the curse, which is narrated as a living, breathing entity, is constantly searching for Princess Briar Rose, which creates a feeling of suspense throughout the novel.  When the curse finally catches up to them, Rosie enlists the help of her best friend, Peony, to defeat the curse once and for all.  Together with a menagerie of animals, a smattering of fairies, and enough misdirects to make your head spin, they eventually defeat the curse, and all live happily, though a bit unconventionally, ever after. 

With strong themes of friendship, destiny, and the value of family, this book combines an incredibly detailed world with deeply formed relationships and strong cast of female characters.  The language is beautifully composed, with a lyrical style that lends itself seamlessly to a land of magic, fairies, talking animals, and curses.  The story moves along at a relaxed pace, with moments of action and a climax that is as deliberate as it is poetic.  

While this novel is often recommended for teens, it is certainly appealing to an adult audience – in fact, I tend to read it at least once a year.  Pick up a copy of this book at your local library; you won’t be disappointed. 

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I agree with Baker’s statement that, when creating booktalks, librarians should “choose only books you have loved and have actually read” to a point.  Enthusiasm for a book that you have actually read translates easily into a successful booktalk; however, it isn’t necessary for a booktalk to go well.  If it’s not possible to present books that you have personally read and enjoyed, it is still completely possible to get another person excited about a book.  This, in fact, is one of the central ideas behind reader’s advisory in general; you don’t have to have read the book yourself to suggest it for someone else.  I do this every day.  I can talk about any number of books that are on the shelves without having read them.  Granted, I find it far easier if I’ve read the book myself, but it is certainly possible if you’re paying attention to customers, reviews, and cues that are easily found on the book itself.  However, if you limit yourself to only books that you have personally read and enjoyed, there are a very small number of books available to you, which likely are similar to one another, and this doesn’t offer many options. 

Week 5 Prompt

The reviews of Angela’s Ashes each paint the title as an incredibly moving and worthwhile memoir.  It was a widespread popular success, and received many favorable reviews from informal sites, like Amazon, as well as these reviews from more scholarly sources.  Given these two factors, I would certainly add this title to a public library collection.  As professional reviewers from reputable sources believe the book to be of high literary quality, and the hype that accompanied its release, I believe many library customers would be interested in Angela’s Ashes. 

On the other hand, the presentation of The Chosen One was less clear-cut.  While the blog review only provides a plot summary, it does give the reader an idea of what they’re buying.  However, none of the other guidelines from the presentation are followed, as there are no quotations and no critical analysis.  This may be due to the fact that the review is posted on her own site, as many of the other reviews on the site are of higher quality, such as this one. 

The Amazon review provides a bit more detail, but is out of place in that setting.  The reviewer’s academic tone is unusual for an Amazon review, and does include many of the components of a successful review, but is unlikely to be effective.  If a review is meant to be published in an academic venue, then this tone would be appropriate, but if the review is published in a venue that is aimed more toward the everyman, a less sophisticated tone would be more appropriate.  The book reviews that you see published in People or Entertainment Weekly are much less formal than those published in Library Journal.  The need to write for your audience is something that a reviewer should keep in mind.  As it stands, the Amazon review from Dr. Rosemarin does not seem overly reliable, especially given that according to his own blog, he is also an aspiring novelist.  It is likely that his review is biased, and other Amazon reviews might be more helpful in determining if this book is worthwhile for a library collection. 

I think that library collections, as much as we don’t like to admit it, follow the trends set out by the publishing industry.  If a publisher heavily promotes a book, including lobbying for good or prominent reviews, then that book will likely be in demand at libraries.  Perhaps libraries do have a bit more freedom in selecting materials, but the fact remains that without marking materials in some way, it’s not likely that they will see much use, and will eventually be weeded.  I know that there are many excellent books out there that don’t get their fair shot, simply because no one knew to read them.  Likewise, I believe that it’s unfair to limit reviews to only those that are favorable – it leads readers toward materials that might not be worth their while.  Choosing to only publish favorable reviews is on par with publishing a biased review; if you’re not equally willing to present both the good and the bad, the review is of little use. 

I’m only in charge of purchasing materials for my small church library, and since we unfortunately don’t have a budget at all (even for tape – I have to bring it from home), I tend to avoid looking at reviews because it just makes me frustrated that I can’t purchase them.  I do have publisher’s websites and Christian book retailers bookmarked on my computer, but I rarely have the guts to visit and see what our library is missing out on. 

Personally, I rarely use professional reviews in making selections for reading.  I usually utilize reviews from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Goodreads to make selections.  I frequently have several browser windows open when selecting books from my library: one with the library catalog, and a couple other aforementioned sites that offer more in-depth reviews.  If the library catalog had the ability to integrate those reviews, or even better, professional reviews from reputable sources, it would be much easier to browse the catalog. 

I acknowledge that it makes me a bit weird, but I actually enjoy reviews that give away the ending a bit (so long as they’re marked with a spoiler alert).  I’m that exasperating reader that reads the last few pages if I can’t quite see how the book will turn out, and usually that gives me the motivation to finish it.  Same goes with reviews; if there is no mystery element to the novel, I like to know where it’s going before I commit to reading it.  Most recently, I confess I did this with Allegiant by Veronica Roth.  I'd heard so many mixed reviews about the way the novel ended, I needed to know what I was getting into (which, incidentally, was exactly what I expected).  There are so many wonderful books out there, I don’t want to waste time on a dud! 

Kirkus-Style Review

The Lucky One

By Nicholas Sparks

A veteran returns home from war determined to track down the woman in a photo he believes to be his lucky charm, but stays in town once he meets and begins to fall for her.   

While serving overseas in the Marines, Logan Thibault is distracted during a mission by a photograph of a young woman, which saves his life.  He carries the photo with him, and soon becomes the luckiest man in the unit.  When he returns home, he eventually finds Beth Green, the woman from the photo, but finds that the photo was meant for her brother, who was killed in action shortly after he lost the picture.  In typical Sparks fashion, the characters each keep secrets from one another that causes difficulties in their romantic relationship.  Logan chooses not to tell Beth about finding the photo, while Beth keeps secrets about her previous relationship with her ex-husband.  In an almost exact copy of his second novel, Message in a Bottle, Sparks throws in all his old tricks, including tragic deaths, natural disasters, and human-like dogs, in getting to the rather predictable climax. 

For those that are picking up their first work by Sparks, this will certainly be an adequate introduction, but for those that are longtime fans, this title falls far short and readers would be better served rereading one of his previous, better constructed, works. 

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse

Labyrinth

by Kate Mosse

Publication Date: 2006

Number of Pages: 508

ISBN: 9780399153440

In this Adventure novel, two parallel storylines converge across centuries to uncover a long-kept secret.  When Alice Tanner, a volunteer on an archeological dig site, discovers a hidden cave in southwest France with two thirteenth century skeletons inside, she is unwittingly caught up in a web of intrigue.  Alais du Mas, a thirteenth century woman, takes a morning walk and stumbles upon the body of a murdered man, and is similarly immersed in a mysterious quest to protect a family secret that might just lead to the Grail.  Set in both the present day and thirteenth century Languedoc region in southwest France, and rich in detail, this novel immerses the reader in each new setting, painting vivid pictures of both the modern and historic French sites. 

This novel may be a shade more than five hundred pages, but it moves at a brisk pace and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.  You’ll be racing along with Alice and Alais to discover the secrets of the Grail, and protect the knowledge from those who would use it for their own gain.  These two women are intelligent, independent, and resourceful, allowing them to be quick on their feet and eventually, discover and protect a treasure hundreds of years old. 

Labyrinth is the first book in the Languedoc Trilogy by Kate Mosse.  Sepulchre was released in 2008, and Citadel was released in 2011. 

If you enjoyed Labyrinth, you might also enjoy these tales, also set in France:

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Published a few years before Labyrinth and a popular bestseller, this novel also features a quest to discover the secret of the Grail.  This quest is much more religion-based, but features the same suspenseful tone, fast pace, and descriptive writing style as Labyrinth. 

1356 by Bernard Cornwell

Set about one hundred years after Alais’ story in Labyrinth, this novel features a Grail quest amidst the Battle of Poitiers during the Hundred Year’s War.  A bit more battle-oriented, this novel nonetheless shares many characteristics to Labyrinth such as a quick pace, richly detailed writing style, and intricate plot. 

The Eight by Katherine Neville

Rather than a Grail quest, this novel focuses on the mystery behind a chess set once owned by Charlemagne.  Dual plotlines, one in Revolutionary France, and another in the 1970’s, feature two strong female leads and a mystery that spans hundreds of years.  Though it does not focus on medieval France, this novel is fast paced, intricately plotted, and suspenseful, and likely to appeal to fans of Labyrinth. 

Reader's Advisory Secret Shopper

When I visited a nearby town’s library this week to check out their Reader’s Advisory services, I spent some time wandering around to get acclimated.  I had never been to this library before (there’s a huge number of local libraries within thirty minutes of my home), and it had been recently redesigned.  It has three levels, and adult fiction is located on the entire top level of the library.  At the top of the stairs/elevators, there is a large desk that seats two staff members.  This desk isn’t labeled, but it is the only logical place to ask a question.  

As I walked around, I did notice various handouts and pamphlets.  Most of them were for other library services, but I did find three brochures that were designed to aid in Reader’s Advisory.  One was entitled, “Mash-Ups and Sequels, Oh My!” and it focused on classic books that have been retooled, such as Wicked or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  Others focused on zombie horror books or Amish fiction.  These were all positioned on the outside edges of the shelves, so that they were in the main aisles for patrons to find.  

Once I felt comfortable in the library space, I approached the desk to ask for a book recommendation.  I had made up my mind beforehand that I wouldn’t answer any questions other than the ones that were asked of me by the staff members, since I thought it was unlikely that everyday patrons would volunteer information that was tailor-made for an RA interview.  

There was one younger woman at the desk, who seemed rather intimidated by my question, but willing to help.  She demonstrated that she had received some RA training; though she didn’t feel comfortable, she did ask questions that were straight out of an RA training manual.  She did ask me a few questions, starting with what kind of book that I was looking for, which I answered vaguely – I told her I liked fiction, and that I had just read a book called Juliet by Anne Fortier.  She immediately opened up NoveList and brought up the book and named most appropriate readalikes on the sidebar (The Children’s Book by A. S. Byatt and Voyager by Diana Gabaldon).  I responded that the first one might sound interesting, but I’d like to look for something else as well.  She asked a few more questions to clarify what it was that I liked about the original book, where I indicated that the romance plot wasn’t what I enjoyed about the book, but that I liked the was that it was similar to The DaVinci Code.  The appeal factors that I really enjoyed, however, (parallel narratives, fast-paced, intricately plotted) were not discussed during our conversation.  

It was at this point that another librarian joined her coworker at the desk, which caused the first woman quite a bit of relief.  She handed off the conversation to this supervisor, giving her all the details that we had already discussed.  This new woman took the information given and simply started naming books she’d read recently that were historical fiction.  She was rather intimidating, and simply rattled off a few books that she was going to show me in the shelves.  Once we got there, however, most of the books she had named weren’t on the shelf, as she didn’t check the catalog before taking me to the shelves.  Instead, she simply found books on the shelf that were labeled with “Historical Fiction” spine labels, handed me a couple that she thought looked good, and concluded the interview.  

Overall, I had a favorable impression of the first, younger woman that I talked to.  It may have taken a bit more time, but I felt confident that she could have found a great book to suggest if she’d had a bit more confidence.  After handing off the interview to the “expert,” the interview quickly declined.  She failed to listen to ask questions about what I wanted, did not use any RA tools, and was dismissive of any input I gave, as well as me personally.  When she saw that I was under thirty, she made a series of condescending comments about how anything could be “historical” to me because I was so young.  I would have preferred to finish up the RA interview with her subordinate, since at least she was courteous and considerate.  I hope that the library continues to train their new staff in RA techniques, as well as retraining their current staff in better ways to engage patrons in RA interviews.