Week 3 Prompt: Exploring NoveList

This week I'm using Novelist in a variety of ways to answer sample patron queries.

1. I am looking for a book by Laurell K. Hamilton.  I just read the third book in the Anita Blake series and I can't figure out which one comes next!  It sounds like romance is in the cards for Anita Blake in The Lunatic Café (1996), the 4th book in the Vampire Hunter series. 
2. What have I read recently?  Well, I just finished this great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer.  I really liked the way it was written, you know, the way she used language.  I wouldn't mind something a bit faster paced though.  Since you mentioned Kingsolver's use of language, you might also like A Rhinestone Button (2002) by Gail Anderson-Dargatz.  NoveList describes her writing as "lyrical and lush," and the story deals with farm life.  Edmund O. Wilson's Anthill (2010) is another lyrical novel with an ecological theme.  Other recommendations might include A Chance to See Egypt (1996) and Walking Dunes (1992), both by Sandra Jean Scofield.
3.  I like reading books set in different countries.  I just read one set in China, could you help me find one set in Japan?  No, not modern -- historical.  I like it when the author describes it so much it feels like I was there!  I searched NoveList for historical fiction set in Japan with descriptive writing style and atmospheric tone.  The following books were recommended: The Teahouse Five (2006) by Avery Ellis, Love and Infamy: A Novel of Pearl Harbor (1993) by Frank Deford, The Great Fire (2003) by Shirley Hazzard, Blossoms and Shadows (2010) by Lian Hearn, Kazunomiya, Prisoner of Heaven (2004) by Kathryn Lasky, and The Final Storm: A Novel of WWII in the Pacific (2011) by Jeff Shaara.  A family favorite in my house is James Clavell's Shogun (1975), set in feudal Japan.  [I was curious about why Shogun wasn't included in the NoveList recommendation's for my search.  It turns out that neither descriptive writing nor atmospheric tone were appeals connected with Shogun.  It was interesting to re-examine an old favorite from a different perspective!]
4.  I read this great mystery by Elizabeth George called Well-Schooled in Murder and I loved it.  Then my dentist said that if I liked mysteries I would probably like John Sandford, but boy was he creepy. I couldn't finish it!  Do you have any suggestions?  Searching NoveList for mysteries that share many of the same appeal qualities as Well-Schooled in Murder, including being character-driven, intricately-plotted, and suspenseful, but steering clear of violence, we find suggestions such as Even Money (2009) by Dick Francis, Wolves Eat Dogs (2004) by Martin Cruz Smith, The Forgotten (2001) by Faye Kellermna, and A Dying Fall (2013) by Elly Griffiths.  There are currently 17 titles in the Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George, and if you liked Well-Schooled in Murder (#3), you might enjoy them all.  A similar series that I personally love is the Richard Jury series of mysteries by Martha Grimes, which begins with The Man With A Load of Mischief (1981).
5.  My husband was really gotten into zombies lately.  He's already read The Walking Dead and World War Z, is there anything else you can recommend?  Your husband isn't alone -- zombie fiction is very popular these days!  The trick is narrowing it down to a manageable list of recommendations.  In addition to their zombie subject matter, The Walking Dead series and World War Z also have several appeal factors in common.  They are both plot-driven, fast-paced, and share a gruesome tone.  Maybe your husband would enjoy Brian Keene's City of the Dead (2005), where "demon-possessed zombies besiege a small group of survivors in a Manhattan skyscraper."  Other suggestions from NoveList include: Domino Falls (2013) by Steven Barnes, Fiend (2013) by Peter Stenson, and The Road to Woodbury (2012) by Robert Kirkman, who also penned the Walking Dead series.  And who could resist Apocalypse Cow (2013) by Michael Logan, where three unlikely heroes attempt to save England from "a rampaging horde of zombie bovines?"

Our academic library doesn't get many questions relating to readers' advisory.  However, I do facilitate a book club that focuses on historical fiction, so I'm frequently mining books and website for recommendations.  Some of my most useful sources are as follows.

Websites:

• Bookreporter (new releases, reviews and author interviews) at http://www.bookreporter.com/
• Reading Group Guides (searchable reviews, contests, discussion questions, and guides) at http://www.readinggroupguides.com/
• Reading Group Choices (searchable reviews and member recommendations) at http://www.readinggroupchoices.com/
• Historical Novel Society (searchable reviews, guides, and articles) at http://historicalnovelsociety.org/
• I don't subscribe the the Fiction_L listserv, but I love to visit the lists on the Morton Grove Public Library site at http://www.mgpl.org/read-listen-view/fl/flbooklists/
• Amazon.com and Goodreads

Books/Journals:

• Read On . . . Historical Fiction: Reading Lists for Every Taste by Brad Hooper
• The Genreflecting series from Libraries Unlimited is especially useful for choosing good discussion books.  (Love it!)
• Booklist magazine

Blogs:

• Reading the Past at http://readingthepast.blogspot.com/p/index-to-reviews-and-interviews.html
• Historical Tapestry at http://historicaltapestry.blogspot.com/

Sample Book Annotation: Luncheon of the Boating Party

Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland (2007)


Genre: Historical Fiction
             (also has many qualities of Literary Fiction)

Summary:
In the summer of 1880, Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir recruited friends to pose for an ambitious painting, one that would capture a moment in time to represent la vie moderne.  Through the eyes of seven participants, readers are treated to the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the making of that one moment of joie de vivre caught on canvas.

Appealing aspects of the book that are characteristic of the Historical Fiction Genre:

• The accurate historical detail relating to setting and characters, with vivid descriptions of the French countryside and Parisian nightlife.
• An emphasis on characters who behave in ways that fit the time period.
• A focus on one particular event in time -- the creation of a painting that will be familiar to many readers.
• The pacing is gradual, as the painting unfolds over a succession of weekend posing sessions.

Read-Alikes:

• Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
• Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland
• Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex
• Vivaldi's Virgins by Barbara Quick
• Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper by Harriet Scott Chessman
• Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell
• Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
• The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
• Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
• The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan
• Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
• Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell
• Lust for Life by Irving Stone

First Time Blogger Takes on Readers' Advisory

I've created this site for a course on Readers' Advisory, where we'll be studying genre fiction and utilizing print and online resources to help match up readers and books.

This is my first time blogging.  It might also be the first time I've used the word "blog" as a verb.  I have a feeling that I'm going to like it!