Prompt One for Adult Readers Advisory

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!

Novelist lists the fourth book in the Anita Blake series as The Lunatic Cafe. The way I found this was by searching Anita Blake, then I clicked through to Laurell K Hamilton’s author page, then got to the series order from there. I don’t know why it didn’t come up so easily in the search, but I suspect a patron would have issues navigating this (Novelist, n.d.).

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.

This was one of the hardest questions. I had a hard time finding a book with the themes and appeal of Kingsolver’s but with a fast-paced plot.

Prodigal Summer is listed as lyrical, lush, with complex characters, and they say it is a “book club best bet.” It is slower paced, so we are looking to move the timeline of the story along faster. Novelist’s description of the story sets it up as a tale of love between three couples who are at odds with each other because of their fundamental worldview. An example from the story is a biologist concerned with conservation and a hunter (Novelist, n.d.).

I think the best way to find a readalike is to pluck some of the appeal terms from the Novelist page for the book and do a search by appeal, tone, etc. in the website’s built in advanced browsing function. I selected “romantic” and “fast paced.” I tried to narrow it down further than that, but it made the results way too specific in an inaccurate way.

Then I did a simple Google search for “books like Prodigal Summer,” which led me to a Goodreads page.

This led me to this possible novel, which I looked up on Novelist to see its appeal:

Patchett, A. (2011). State of Wonder. Harper.

Like Kingsolver’s novel, the story follows a scientist, in this case a pharmacologist instead of a biologist. Novelist’s page suggests that the book raises questions about ethics, which might go along with the aspect of conflict in Prodigal Summer. The shared terms are lyrical and book club best bets. It is fast paced, unlike Kingsolver’s novel and I get the impression that it is less focused on romance. 

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 found a few books that would work on Novelist. This one seems the closest to the patron request:

Matsuoka, T. (2002). Cloud of Sparrows. Delacorte Press.

This book is set in 1860s Japan and has a romantic aspect. Novelist gives the tags “Historical Fiction,” and “Love Story.” The Novelist page suggests that while it is historical fiction, there are some elements of mysticism in the story. Matsuoka’s novel follows a member of the nobility, so that may also be interesting for lovers of historical fiction (Novelist, n.d.).

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?

It sounds like this patron wants something a little less cozy than a cat mystery and a little less intense than John Sandford. On the Novelist page for Elizabeth George’s novel, they list some possible readalikes. One such author is Louise Penny.

Penny, L. (2006). Still Life. St. Martin’s Minotaur.

This story is another police procedural that takes place in a small town in Quebec. Both are considered leisurely paced by Novelist. Judging by its tags, it seems like it might even be a little less violent than "Well-Schooled in Murder because it lacks the tag “violent” (Novelist, n.d.)

5. My husband has really gotten into zombies lately. He’s already read The Walking Dead and World War Z, is there anything else you can recommend?

In the context of this patron’s request, I would first ask them if they preferred graphic novels or traditional novels. Since we can’t necessarily do this for this exercise, I will select a few of each kind.

I’d also ask him if he likes any other sorts of supernatural creatures, such as the evil vampires from series like Thirty Days of Night. Since I can’t ask this, I will stick to zombie fiction, and maybe throw in a vampire one if it fits the appeal of those two books/series.

On Novelist, some of the terms associated with the graphic novel version of The Walking Dead are “gritty,” “apocalyptic comics,” “band of survivors,” and “horror comics.” It also lists the series as character driven with a “gruesome” tone. On the right hand side of the page for The Walking Dead Compendium One, Novelist has prepared some similar reads (Novelist, n.d.).

World War Z is a different sort of novel, not quite epistolary, not quite traditional narrative. The Novelist page reveals that the book is told through a series of interviews. The genre is considered “apocalyptic fiction,” and horror. Novelist gives it the writing style of plot-driven with a fast-paced, bleak, and gruesome tone (Novelist, n.d.).

Druckmann, N. (2013). The last of us: American dreams. Dark Horse Books.

This graphic novel is a prequel to the video game The Last of Us, which was released in the same year as the graphic novel. Since HBO has just released the show version of the game, this would be a good option for someone interested in zombies. It shares the subject of “horror comics,” and “band of survivors” with The Walking Dead (Novelist, n.d.).

Ralph, B. (2011). Daybreak. Drawn & Quarterly.

This one is also about zombies featuring a “band of survivors.” It has the designation of “minimally colored,” which means the art style might appeal to fans of The Walking Dead (“black and white”). It is considered a “horror comic,” much like Kirkman’s comics. The story follows a central protagonist, much like The Walking Dead follows Rick (Novelist, n.d.).

McCarthy, S. (2009). Zomnibus. IDW Publishing.

The writing style of this zombie comic is described by Novelist as a “gritty” apocalyptic story, just like The Walking Dead. It is another story about a band of survivors and is considered a “horror comic.” It differs from Kirkman’s graphic novel compendium in that it is considered plot-driven as opposed to character driven (Novelist, n.d.).

Del Toro, G. (2009). The Strain. William Morrow.

This story is about vampires, technically speaking. However, I think it would have cross appeal for fans of The Walking Dead and World War Z. The vampires in this story have a decent amount in common with common vampire tropes, with it spreading via a virus. It has a post-apocalyptic atmosphere and the author is well-known for his prowess in horror storytelling. In support of my opinion that there is cross appeal, Novelist lists it as a read-alike for World War Z, in part because it is plot driven, as opposed to character driven like The Walking Dead. These vampires are more akin to zombies than the seductive modern vamps like in True Blood or Twilight (Novelist, n.d.).

6. I love books that get turned into movies, especially literary ones. Can you recommend some? Nothing too old, maybe just those from the last 5 years or so.

Is the patron interested in books that were turned into TV shows as well? That opens up a lot more possibilities given the recent trend of series as opposed to films. If so, do they have a preference for limited series over longer series? I would probably ask them about their taste in movies in general, and which literary fiction into movie adaptations that they like before recommending anything to them.

By literary, does the patron mean classics or modern literary fiction? 

If they mean classics, then there are several movies that have been adapted in the last few years.

Emma (Movie from 2020 starring Anya Taylor-Joy)

Little Women (Movie from 2019 starring Saiorse Ronan)

Rebecca (Movie from 2020 starring Lily James)

If they mean more recent literary fiction, then some good options might be:

Where the Crawdads Sing (Movie from 2022 starring Daisy Edgar-Jones) 

Little Fires Everywhere (TV show starring Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon)

If they are okay with books that aren’t quite as new, but the adaptations are recent:

The Queen’s Gambit (Limited Series starring Anya Taylor-Joy)

American Gods or Good Omens (Both series based on Neil Gaiman’s books)

7. I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast paced.

The first thing I would do for this patron is to put out feelers as to whether they are uncomfortable with these things, or if they are against their belief system. This wouldn’t work everywhere, but I find that the people who are looking for clean thrillers have an ideological issue with explicit content. Typically if this is the case they will volunteer the information that they are Christian, so I can direct them to Colleen Coble or Terri Blackstock.

It gets trickier if they want conventional suspense or thrillers by secular authors. I can do all the research possible, but something can slip past. To try my best to find “clean” thrillers, I googled lists of possible authors because I wasn’t sure where to start. I am going to answer this question as if the patron simply wants a suspense novel free of profanity and explicit content.

I ended up going to the shelf at my library and asking a coworker as well because this question really stumped me, even after searching online, Novelist, Reddit, and Goodreads.

One of them suggested Mary Higgins Clark. I flipped through some of her books, and they don’t seem to have any swearing or explicit sex. However, Mary Higgins Clark is listed as suspense and not thriller.

I found a page online that gives a few author suggestions. One is Lee Child, whose books are listed as action-thrillers.The writer of that page says that Child’s books don’t have swearing (para. 2). They also suggest Lis Wiehl, who writes psychological thrillers (para. 13). They mention Mary Higgins Clark as well, so her books may have some cross appeal (para. 8).
Second, after you get a chance to do the readings and explore Mary Chelton's list of tools, I want to hear about how you find books to read. It could be a site or a resource you've just discovered or one you've used for years, one you use for yourself or for your patrons or family and friends.

Personally, I believe Novelist to be the best online tool, but it's not the only one. I use GoodReads as well as some of the other sites Chelton lists. Trade journals are also really helpful for recommendations (Library Journal, Book List, Kirkus, etc.).

I use a lot of tools for readers advisory, as well as to find books for myself. Novelist is the most accurate source because it is the most curated. It’s also much easier to search by appeal and genre and pacing. Sometimes the book lists on something like Goodreads are too wide, and lump in books that really aren’t that similar. Goodreads is really nice for the social network aspect. One of the best ways to find books, in my opinion, is still word of mouth (despite the dentist example in this assignment!).

I also like to look at BookRiot. Their book lists are curated like Novelist’s are and they update and post articles frequently.

Professionally, I put a lot of stock in Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly for book selection. They are helpful with readers advisory but aren’t always the easiest to get the most specific recommendations. Again, I turn to Novelist for that


Sources

Novelist (n.d.). Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter. Novelist. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=750982&site=novp-live

Novelist (n.d.). Cloud of Sparrows. Novelist. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=069428&site=novp-live

Novelist (n.d.) Daybreak. Novelist. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=10083331&site=novp-live

Novelist (n.d.). The last of us: American Dreams. Novelist. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=10259811&site=novp-live

Novelist (n.d.). Prodigal Summer. Novelist. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=038330&site=novp-live

Slanted Bookshelf Team (2020, July 27). 18 bestselling authors who do not use profanity. The Slanted Bookshelf. https://slantedbookshelf.com/authors-who-do-not-use-profanity-modern/

Novelist (n.d.). State of Wonder. Novelist. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=384322&site=novp-live

Novelist (n.d.). Still Life. Novelist. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=143394&site=novp-live

Novelist (n.d.). The Strain. Novelist. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=308009&site=novp-live

Novelist (n.d.). The walking dead compendium one. Novelist. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=10119300&site=novp-live

Novelist (n.d.). Well-Schooled in Murder. Novelist. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=143394&site=novp-live

Novelist (n.d.). World War Z. Novelist. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=145609&site=novp-live

Novelist (n.d.). Zomnibus. Novelist. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=10124127&site=novp-live