Week 8 Assignment 2:
The E-Learning podcast on performing reader's advisory with non-fiction was clear and succinct. This encourages me to offer nonfiction as an option to customers.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Week 7: Assignment 4
I spent some time at Harlequin Teen and observed the trend toward creating stories specifically about African American teens to market to this population. Another trend is creating Harlequin stories around popular past times like the world of nascar to broaden the appeal of contemporary romance in general and to perhaps extend interest to a male audience.
I looked at Teens at Random and noticed a trend toward making the purchase of facebook games and video games based on books, and the books as well, available for purchase right here on the book review site.
I spent some time at Harlequin Teen and observed the trend toward creating stories specifically about African American teens to market to this population. Another trend is creating Harlequin stories around popular past times like the world of nascar to broaden the appeal of contemporary romance in general and to perhaps extend interest to a male audience.
I looked at Teens at Random and noticed a trend toward making the purchase of facebook games and video games based on books, and the books as well, available for purchase right here on the book review site.
Week 7: Assignment 3
Forever Young Adult is a site developed by the managing editor of Badass Digest and other young adult professionals, (film programmers, school librarians, YA authors etc...) from around the nation who are past their teen years. This site offers book, movie, and video reviews. Visitors to this site are just as interested in YA characters as they are in YA novels as a whole, magining themselves dating or spooning with Peeta from The Humger Games. Described as a "non-stop internet slumber party,'" it is fittingly a little random and cluttered, but has some glitz and lots of graphics, with photos. This site is aimed at the more mature young adult female who wants to kick back with a cocktail while reading or looking at a chic flick. Given the vast number of reviews and comments, it seems to be a fun site with a growing following.
Teenreads is a clean, crisp site which is maintained by 27 teens from around the nation who blog, write book reviews and share feedback. This site also features contests, polls and a newsletter.
The teen board members change on a six month basis which I imagine keeps the ideas and perspectives fresh. I noticed 581 voters on one of their polls so this site is building an audience. Moreover, getting teens to collaborate together in such a positive way is a mark of this site's success.
Forever Young Adult is a site developed by the managing editor of Badass Digest and other young adult professionals, (film programmers, school librarians, YA authors etc...) from around the nation who are past their teen years. This site offers book, movie, and video reviews. Visitors to this site are just as interested in YA characters as they are in YA novels as a whole, magining themselves dating or spooning with Peeta from The Humger Games. Described as a "non-stop internet slumber party,'" it is fittingly a little random and cluttered, but has some glitz and lots of graphics, with photos. This site is aimed at the more mature young adult female who wants to kick back with a cocktail while reading or looking at a chic flick. Given the vast number of reviews and comments, it seems to be a fun site with a growing following.
Teenreads is a clean, crisp site which is maintained by 27 teens from around the nation who blog, write book reviews and share feedback. This site also features contests, polls and a newsletter.
The teen board members change on a six month basis which I imagine keeps the ideas and perspectives fresh. I noticed 581 voters on one of their polls so this site is building an audience. Moreover, getting teens to collaborate together in such a positive way is a mark of this site's success.
Week 7: Assignment 2
The analysis of why young adult fiction has crossed over to an adult audience in the article, "Who is Buying Teen Books" was very enlightening. I agree that the uncomplicated writing, fast pace and compact plot of the teen novel are appealing aspects for all readers. Novels like Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers and The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson come to mind as strong teen books with adult themes and appeal. Librarians should give themselves permission to recommend teen titles to adults more often without feeling that it is insulting or demeaning to the customer's sense of maturity to do so. It's okay. Go for it! (I posted this comment of Kathryn S's blog - Bmore Bookish)
I was suprised to learn from the article, "YA Comes of Age," that there is a growing hard cover market because of the attractiveness and collectiblity of hard cover titles. Because I own a kindle, but still prefer to curl up with a real book from time to time, it's nice to know that in spite of the popularity of electronic books, a binded text with pages to be flipped through is still a prized possession. (Christina Miller and I both read this article so I posted this comment on her blog - Dances with Chickens)
The analysis of why young adult fiction has crossed over to an adult audience in the article, "Who is Buying Teen Books" was very enlightening. I agree that the uncomplicated writing, fast pace and compact plot of the teen novel are appealing aspects for all readers. Novels like Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers and The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson come to mind as strong teen books with adult themes and appeal. Librarians should give themselves permission to recommend teen titles to adults more often without feeling that it is insulting or demeaning to the customer's sense of maturity to do so. It's okay. Go for it! (I posted this comment of Kathryn S's blog - Bmore Bookish)
I was suprised to learn from the article, "YA Comes of Age," that there is a growing hard cover market because of the attractiveness and collectiblity of hard cover titles. Because I own a kindle, but still prefer to curl up with a real book from time to time, it's nice to know that in spite of the popularity of electronic books, a binded text with pages to be flipped through is still a prized possession. (Christina Miller and I both read this article so I posted this comment on her blog - Dances with Chickens)
Week 7: Assignment 1:
I loved the flowchart "What to Read Next" from the Lawrence Public Library. I printed out a PDF version and found the layout to be inviting and easy on the eyes. I answered the questions in the bubbles and investigated the connected suggested titles. I followed the chart to the end and decided that I like my dystopia with a dose of science fiction, and prefer disease over natural disaster and vampires to zombies.
I loved the flowchart "What to Read Next" from the Lawrence Public Library. I printed out a PDF version and found the layout to be inviting and easy on the eyes. I answered the questions in the bubbles and investigated the connected suggested titles. I followed the chart to the end and decided that I like my dystopia with a dose of science fiction, and prefer disease over natural disaster and vampires to zombies.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Week 6: Assignment 3:
I found fan websites for each of my selected subgenres by googling the subject. I used www.wilmara.com for the subgenre disaster. We are confronted by the media every day with how the human race is depleting and destroying the world's natural resources and making decisions that could place us at the brink of world war. These books are exciting to read but also cathartic because they provide a stark picture of how apocalyptic disaster would look and feel were it to really occur.
I used a site entitled Paranormal Reading for Young Adults for the Paranormal subgenre. I can summarize the current buzz among fans over this subgenre with two words: Understanding and Control. Fans of this genre are struggling to understand and control the world beyond the physical realm.
Lastly, I used www.alibris.com and selected the Urban Warfare books category. Readers find borough warfare books exciting because of the violence, harsh language and devastating consequences faced by the protagonists.
Frame 232 by Wil Mara typifies the disaster subgenre with the standard appeal factors of fast pace, scientific detail, and believability - the scenario created is a realistic possibility.
Vicki Pettersson, the author of The Signs of the Zodiac is considered one of the finest writers of paranormal. This is a subgenre with historical roots in the stories, cults and religions of the past, fantastic or otherwordly elements, and plot details that make sense of popular phenomenon like flying saucers and aliens.
A good borough warfare novel is Street Life by Jihad. Hallmarks of this genre are gritty street life, gang warfare, turf disputes and a protagonist's page-turning struggle for survival.
Mashups of subgenres:
Dynasty by Dutch which has been described as as "urban soap opera," combines the genres of romance and the borough warfare novel. It features a battle between two factions of a crime family - the Bells from the South and the Simmons from the North along with the steamy, womanizing escapades of a cocaine drug lord.
Scars by Patience Prence is an action-packed thriller with political overtones that is both Christian fiction and a disaster novel rolled into one. The main character finds herself in the middle of a cataclysmic national disaster as the world comes to an end and must decide whether or not to follow God.
I found fan websites for each of my selected subgenres by googling the subject. I used www.wilmara.com for the subgenre disaster. We are confronted by the media every day with how the human race is depleting and destroying the world's natural resources and making decisions that could place us at the brink of world war. These books are exciting to read but also cathartic because they provide a stark picture of how apocalyptic disaster would look and feel were it to really occur.
I used a site entitled Paranormal Reading for Young Adults for the Paranormal subgenre. I can summarize the current buzz among fans over this subgenre with two words: Understanding and Control. Fans of this genre are struggling to understand and control the world beyond the physical realm.
Lastly, I used www.alibris.com and selected the Urban Warfare books category. Readers find borough warfare books exciting because of the violence, harsh language and devastating consequences faced by the protagonists.
Frame 232 by Wil Mara typifies the disaster subgenre with the standard appeal factors of fast pace, scientific detail, and believability - the scenario created is a realistic possibility.
Vicki Pettersson, the author of The Signs of the Zodiac is considered one of the finest writers of paranormal. This is a subgenre with historical roots in the stories, cults and religions of the past, fantastic or otherwordly elements, and plot details that make sense of popular phenomenon like flying saucers and aliens.
A good borough warfare novel is Street Life by Jihad. Hallmarks of this genre are gritty street life, gang warfare, turf disputes and a protagonist's page-turning struggle for survival.
Mashups of subgenres:
Dynasty by Dutch which has been described as as "urban soap opera," combines the genres of romance and the borough warfare novel. It features a battle between two factions of a crime family - the Bells from the South and the Simmons from the North along with the steamy, womanizing escapades of a cocaine drug lord.
Scars by Patience Prence is an action-packed thriller with political overtones that is both Christian fiction and a disaster novel rolled into one. The main character finds herself in the middle of a cataclysmic national disaster as the world comes to an end and must decide whether or not to follow God.
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