Week 16

I grew up as an avid reader, reading whatever my hands lied on. At a very young age, I found that reading was a true passion and not just a hobby, so I spent many hours reading under blankets and in my room, instead of going out to play. This has effected my adult life as I would rather be indoor than outdoor, and I would rather read a book than socialize but I do try to balance both at the same time.

Reading has given me access to portals and places that my other friends did not care about visiting. I read in both Arabic and English and as I grew older I found it hard to find time to read, however, I do try to assign a few minutes of my day for reading.

With the change in reading habits and with all the technological development, it did become natural to read on screens rather than the old fashioned way of printed books. I was against the idea at first, but once I got my first Kindle I enjoyed the experience greatly.

It is hard to tell what the future may hold, but considering the technological achievements thus far, I can only predict that reading would not only be about ink on paper or resolution on screen, but an interactive experience with visuals in 3D and sound accompanying it, being projected to the reader in the form of glasses or displayed on surfaces.

Week 15 Prompt

Marketing collections in libraries is essential to increasing the circulation numbers and in-house use of items, therefore a steady budget can be maintained. Librarians nowadays are encouraged to pursue marketing courses during their MLS studies or as professional certifications. The reason is simple, if the target audience is not aware of the availability of the item, they would not come by asking for it. Given the uncertain future of libraries due to budget cuts and the Internet revolution, it is now necessary more than ever to market library collections. This article is in reference to marketing a hypothetical fiction collection using strategies and resources.

Apart from the conventional yet effective marketing method of the word of mouth, there are other ways to put the word out there for the target audience. Some of the strategies include conventional methods such as print materials to involve the digitally challenged and the skilled, meaning, QR code posters and regular print ones or a combination of both, to market the collection. There is also the importance of proper signage directing users to the collection.

But let's assume that our patrons are familiar with the location of the fiction collection within the library, yet the circulation number for the materials in this collection is really low. Perhaps our patrons need some encouragement to check out the fiction titles. One suggestion would be to place posters in the back of the doors to the stalls of the restroom with a brief synopsis to some books which could be either new release, old is gold, seasonal ...etc.

Resorting to professional marketing help is also a good option for bigger libraries. Professional marketing agents could give tips and assist with marketing through virtual and personal channels. Moreover, the library could host book club events with titles available in the fiction collection, to encourage participants to check out the copies. Other programs include book trivia, book sale and other events.

And last but not least, let's not forget the importance of social media for promoting library collections!

Week 13 Prompt

The situation of GBLTQ materials at libraries is becoming a hot topic for patrons and librarians. On one hand there are the supporters of this genre, and on the other, the opposition. But whatever opinion each individual has, the fact remains that libraries are unbiased establishments that offer all types of genres to readers without censorship nor discrimination.

But apart from the debate of the acquisition of GBLTQ materials, there is the issue of classifying the materials or displaying them. Some of the books have graphic covers, while others may not be as known so those who are searching for this genre would have a hard time finding the book they want because they would have to browse  the whole fiction collection for example, so the question is, how would the GBLTQ materials be shelved? Similarly, topics that are equally as sensitive like African American lit or history can face the same display/shelving issues.

In my opinion,  I'm with displaying GBLTQ separately for these reasons:

1- Classifying materials by topic is easier than by classifying them by last name/DDC/LC. Think of a bookshop set-up VS. Libraries. Bookshops are easy to browse, especially for those who do not have a book title in mind. Within the topic a librarian can use a classification system DDC/LC to sort the materials.

2- the GBLTQ topic is a hot one, for this reason a lot of patrons are interested in knowing more or celebrate their differences. I once had a patron who has just came out of the closet, and he wanted EVERYTHING GBLTQ. The fiction books in that library were classified by author's last name, so if anything doesn't come up through a subject heading search, it would be lost in the fiction collection.

3- Putting GBLTQ materials in a class of their own proves that the library displaying these materials lives by the ALA principals that are against censorship and discrimination.

Overall, GBLTQ remains a sensitive issue when tied with religious beliefs and expectations of gender roles, therefore in order to integrate the GBLTQ community it has to be understood and accepted through the spread of literacy regarding this topic.

Week 13 Prompt: YA & not so YA readers

There is this horrified look on adults when they hear other adults tell them that they are reading YA or children books. Mostly it's related to self-image issues which predetermine what adults should be like and what activities are suitable for them. Regardless, there are those brave adults who despite all the scorn pick a YA book and read it in the library triumphantly.

However, as librarians we must encourage our patrons to check out YA or children books without feelings of shame or fear. The best way to do it I think is through library advertising by creating displays in the main walkways of the library rather than confining them to the YA section, so interested adults can pick up the book from the display and check it out. 

Also memes on social media break the ice and puts humor to non-humorous situations, so through advertising to adults who love YA books, more adults will also be encouraged to read the genre they love.

Classic Fiction Annotation

The Picture of Dorian Gray
By Oscar Wilde

Synopsis

Dorian Gray is a handsome man who has got it all, or does he? He is portrayed as that, literally, on a canvas that was gifted to him by his artist friend Basil. But behind Dorian's good looks hides a monster which is greedy for more. Dorian wants immortality, and through selling his soul to the devil, he manages to stay handsome and young, while his picture on canvas ages and rots.

This arrangement however shortly dissolves as Dorian is forced to face his own sins and redeem his soul.





Characteristics that makes it fit into classic fiction

- The setting of the story -19th century-.
- The description of the English society of the late 1800s.
- The controversial themes hinting at homosexuality and redefinition of gender role.
- Elegance in writing.

Read-a-likes

Lolita by Valdimir Nabokov
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Reader’s Advisory Matrix

The Reader’s Advisory Matrix

I Heart My Little A-Holes

by Karen Alpert

·         Where is the book on the narrative continuum?

Highly narrative (reads like fiction)

·         What is the subject of the book?

Pregnancy and raising children.

·         What type of book is it?

A memoir.

·         Articulate appeal:

What is the pacing of the book? Fast, packed with information and hilarious experiences.

Describe the characters of the book. The author herself, pictured as a deranged mother (rightfully so) with the two kids and husband.

How does the story feel? Makes you dread having kids at first but the more you read into it you realize that kids are a blessing.

What is the intent of the author? To tackle a taboo which most women don’t speak about: their baby delivery experience and its aftermath. The author pretty much paints all the horrors of pregnancy and child rearing in a humorous, frank tone.

Does the language matter? Yes.

Is the setting important and well described? Not much setting is necessary for the purpose of this book.

Are there details and if so, of what? Yes, of child rearing and pregnancy.

Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear? Yes, the author included pictures of her children.

Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience? Yes, as the author describes the bad situations that happened to her, she also mentions the silver lining to each situation.

·         Why would a reader enjoy this book?

1-      Packed with information.

2-      Hilarious and honest.

3-      Important topic for every woman.

Non-fiction Annotation

Mother Nature is Trying to Kill You: A Lively Tour Through the Dark Side of the Natural World 

By Dan Riskin

Synopsis: 

Divided into seven sections titled under the seven original sins, the author of this book is determined on convincing readers that Mother Nature is foe, not friend.

In a world where the phrase "All Natural" sells to most, it is rather alarming to be told that natural could mean death. In this book, Dan Riskin explores the natural world and habitats of wild animals and insects to report their habits and what makes them dangerous to us, humans.

From the smallest creatures to the humongous, you will not believe what they all have in common: the intent of destroying us! Therefore, you should absolutely pick up this book and read it. Who knows, maybe it will save your life one day! :)


Read-Alikes:

What if? Serious scientific answers to hypothetical questions
By Randall Monroe

Everything is going to kill everybody
By Robert Brockway

Historical Fiction Annotation

The Kite Runner

By Khalid Hosseini

Synopsis

In this action packed historical fiction, Amir and Hasan share a unique relationship set in the 1970s in Afghanistan. While their country is being torn between foreign invasion and local divide, the boys are tested through personal traumatic events which change their life course and then divide them as Amir flees with his family to the United States as refugees.

However, despite his success in the US, Afghanistan still haunted him, especially the memories of his loyal friend Hasan: the friend that was raped before him while he did nothing to stop the offenders.
In this realistic tale, Amir is set to redeem his past and fix his wrongs, by going in one more time to the ghost of his country, Afghanistan.

Characteristics that fit into historical fiction

- Specific locations in Afghanistan described accurately in accordance to the time period of the story.
- Explanations of political events and their aftermath, thus blending fiction in harmony with nonfiction.
- Phrases in Pashtun said by the characters.
- Excellent depiction of Afghan traditions and culture.

Read-a-likes

Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai

Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra

Women of Sand and Myrrh by Hanan Al Shaykh

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubois III

Week 11 prompt

Who knew ereaders are great for reading! I always had the misconception that owning an ereader means disrespect to the real deal -books-, also I was worried about the possibility of playing games -not the freaking Candy Crush saga!- and network socially instead of reading, and this did happen with the Kindle Fire, so I traded it in for a Paperwhite, and wala! Problem solved.

Now that I magically convinced myself of buying an ereader and actually using it for reading books and not wasting time, I'm now on a mission to convince others that ereaders are not the root of all evil.

So from experience, most of those who oppose ereaders just because are the members of the old generation. But it is surprising to see young people who share the same mentality. While the old generation tend to dislike ereaders, they do enjoy audiobooks and they are mostly checked out by the patron age group of 50+ years old. Some say they enjoy listening to books more than they do reading one, and others say they do it for soothing purposes like relaxing and falling asleep. Young patrons check out audiobooks to listen to them while driving, and they're very popular with truck drivers or those who commute to long distances.

At the end, it is a matter of personal choice. Ereaders offer the convenience of storing many books on one light weight device which easily fits in a pocket, offering functions such as search within text, quick jump to any book content, user-friendly interface, one click dictionary, the ability to highlight and save quotes and share them and with the backlit ones people can read in the dark without having to hold a flashlight!

Audiobooks are convenient as well especially for those who drive a lot or have reading or attention issues, also some audiobooks have excellent sound effects to go with the story to increase the creativity of listeners.

At the end, it is great to have all these options and mediums to choose from according to our own personal tastes and mood!

Book Club Experience

          I am currently back home in Bahrain, and I have searched for a book club in my area for a few weeks, until I found one with seven members who meet once a week to discuss American classics, particularly works of fiction.

          I found the group on expatriates.com, the equivalent of craigslist.com minus the
violence. I responded to the ad which called for book club members for a fiction club and on the same day I received a meet and greet invitation for the following week, after I answered a survey sheet with questions about my interests and basic information.
            The leader of the group spoke to me the next week before the meet and greet to tell me about the club and present members. Mr. H said that he loves literature and his goal is to host a book club that leads to intellectual discussions. He was thrilled to know that I am an English major graduate as well.

          I met the rest of the members (six of them) that week. They were three women and three men. We talked about ourselves first to break the ice, and found out that we are all united by our love for literature and classic reads, therefore we decided to do three months of American literature (fiction) reads, followed by three of English literature (fiction), then Arabic literature (fiction) and the rest of the year will be other literature (fiction). The decision was unanimous as all members love fiction the most and are bilingual in English and Arabic.

           For the selection of our first book, all of us had to nominate a title by writing on a piece of paper, folding it and adding it to the basket. I nominated The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck. The leader of the group picked one nomination from the basket, and it was the Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. Most of us found that to be funny because we already had read that novel and had written papers about it in our undergrad years.

          We assigned the reading speed to one book per month, so we can enter deep discussions and learn about the authors as well. Therefore we met the following week to discuss chapters one through four.

          We started the discussion by talking about Hemingway first, his life and other publication, then we started discussing the book. It was interesting to see how each member understood the text, and how some members caught interesting little details that are mentioned casually in the novel, however if noticed they compliment the big picture. Some of the details were related to symbolism, and Hemingway's writing style is so simple that these details can be overlooked.

           The book club sessions are scheduled for an hour, but we often exceeded the time with discussions. We meet at coffee shops around town on the same day (Tuesday) and same time (6 pm).

This is not my first book club experience but by far this is the best due to the bilingual capacity of participants which makes the club versatile. I will keep on attending those book club sessions, and I also intend on hosting my own at my place in the future!

 

Brief History of Readers’ Advisory

            Libraries nowadays offer users valuable personalized services through online resources or through librarians at reference desk. One of the services is readers’ advisory, through which the librarian interviews the user about their needs to get information to use to suggest titles and resources. While years ago titles were exclusively books, nowadays librarians are well-kept on popular culture, and can recommend movies, music cds, online resources and even apps.

In a study done by Dilevko and others, it was estimated that most libraries in the United States offer the reader’s advisory service (Dilevko & et al. 2007). But how did readers’ advisory start? And what importance does it have for users of libraries today?

In his article, Crowley divides the history of readers’ advisory into four eras (Crowley, 2005):

·         1876 to 1920 - "Inventing" Readers' Advisory

·         1920 to 1940 - "Privileging Nonfiction" in Readers' Advisory

·         1940 to 1984 - Readers' Advisory "'Lost' in Adult Services"

·         1984 to 2005 (current at time of article) - "Reviving Readers' Advisory"

 However, in their book “Readers’ Advisory Service in North American Public Libraries 1870-2005), the authors Juris Dilevko and Candice Magowan break down the history of readers’ advisory in three, different eras:

·         1870 to 1916 - "The Formative Years"

·         1917 to 1962 - "The Commitment to Systematic Adult Education"

·         1963 to 2005 - "The Devolution into Entertainment"

The American Library Association has a long history of providing guidance and regulations to librarians and libraries, and it is interesting that the founding of ALA took place in October 6, 1876, which marks the beginning of the first phase of reader’s advisory history, “Inventing readers’ advisory”, as suggested by Crowley.

Other related factors to the creations of the readers’ advisory service are the literary movements which took place with the beginning of the 19^th century, such as transcendentalism, romanticism, realism and more. These movements sparked the love of reading and the need for information, therefore it is not surprising to know that in 1897 the ALA president declared, “the personal influence of librarians who assisted and advised readers was the most potent force in molding community reading.” (Lynn, 1981)

However, according to Saricks Joyce, documented readers’ advisory programs took place in the 1920s (Joyce, 2005). With the efforts of the ALA and its dedication to bringing information for all, it outlined in a report published in 1926 the importance of readers’ advisory services. The ALA made the connection between adult education and readers’ advisory, and libraries in that era started hiring librarians as specialized full-time readers’ advisory experts, which created a ripple of social change in societies.

Since the 1920s, there has been some evident changes in the readers’ advisory service, and one of the changes which is quite comparable to the initial marketing campaign of ALA in 1926 is the change of including other age groups in this service, instead of labeling it as a tool for adult education.

Moreover, librarians are being trained for readers’ advisory services, which proves the importance of this service and the need for it. Other genres are also included in this service, especially the controversial ones such as the LGBT literature.

Another shift in the readers’ advisory service is its total integration in online environment and other virtual means. Librarians are able to publish blogs, manage social media accounts, create websites, design booklists and more. They can also chat with a patron and recommend titles to multimedia items and books.

The history of readers’ advisory is one of innovation and continuous dedication to learners and societies. However, some libraries today struggle with the lack of library staff which could eliminate the readers’ advisory expert position or include it in other tasks for another library staff whom may not be trained in this service necessarily.

This point brings us to the main topic of budgeting and reforming libraries’ funding, however, with these obstacles, librarians are being creative and assertive in their quest of providing information for users by utilizing the internet resources and staying connected to their users.

I do hope to see a readers’ advisory expert in more libraries, moreover, I hope that libraries would recognize the importance of this service and send their staff to seminars and trainings related to readers’ advisory.

Works Cited

American Library Association. (2015). History. http://www.ala.org/aboutala/history

Birge, Lynn E. (1981), Serving Adult Learners: A Public Library Tradition, Chicago: American Library Association

Crowley, Bill (2005), "Rediscovering the History of Readers Advisory Service", Public Libraries 44 (1): 37

Dilevko, Juris; Magowan, Candice (2007), Readers' Advisory Service in North American Public Libraries, 1870–2005, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, p. 3

Saricks, Joyce (2005), Readers' Advisory service in the Public Library (3rd ed.),Chicago: American Library Association, p. 1

Week 7 Prompt

Here's me this week!

I get excited too easily, but am I up for the challenge? I currently accepted work at a library, which does not loan materials. Why is it a library then, you may ask. I'll get back to you when I formulate an answer! Right now, let's jump into prompt 7, and let's hope that we won't need an ambulance!

I have read this article on Wikipedia about Fake Memoirs which I have found at the folder for our readings for this week: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_memoirs To be honest, I skimmed the list of Fake Memoirs and Journals so fast that I got cross-eyed. I didn't want to be having a rude awakening when I see a familiar title. First of all, how is that even legal to have fake memoirs?

At least write on the fake memoir that it's a FAKE MEMOIR! But, I'm okay because I haven't read any of these titles nor believed them, in fact, the article alludes to fake Holocaust memoirs, but I really hope that the ones I've read are not, especially for something as horrible as the Holocaust, I can't imagine the true survivors' memoirs to be accredited along with the fake ones! But, there are people that believe the Holocaust never happened.... 

To conclude, I'd like to say, mark your forgery as so because we're allergic to jerks ! 

HORROR Annotation

The Fifth Child

By Doris Lessing


Synopsis: 

David and Harriett Lovatt fall in love at a work party and shortly afterwards they get married. Sounds like a happy ending? Not in this novel! Harriett is in for the surprise of her life: the birth of her fifth child Ben.

Her painful pregnancy serve as a foreshadowing of the misery to come. Ben's violent and destructive nature isolates him from his family, and eventually Ben is admitted into an institution. Harriet however feels guilty and brings him back home.

Although Ben tries to adjust to life with his family and others throughout the novel, his main characteristics remain the same. He makes friends with others like him, and his mother comes to accept his true nature, while giving up on her dreams and happiness.

Characteristics that fits it into horror: 

Dark tone: The narration style is told from a third person point of view, and although the narration seems objectives, it highlights the despair and misery that Ben's actions cause unto others.

Twist to the typical love story: People find comfort while reading about those who fall in love at first sight and dream about making a big family, however, this novel takes away those feelings to replace them with pure horror.

The asylum: Ben is admitted to an institution for children with mental problems, in which he is treated very badly along with the other children. That notion itself is horrifying.

Pregnancy made into pure horror: Pregnant women should not read this book!

Ben's paranormal, inexplicable behavior: Ben is constantly angry and violent, however, the ominous signs of his dark nature begins as early as when he was still unborn, giving his mother pains which she had not experienced anything like with her other 4 children.

Read-a-likes: 

1- A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks

2- The Piano Man's Daughter by Timothy Findley

3- The Spoils of Poynton by Henry James

4- Amsterdam by Ian McEwan

5- The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oats

This is exactly how I felt after reading this novel:

 

Promoting Horror Books at Public Libraries

Who knew reading horror books can only happen during the month Halloween?

Truth is, the horror genre can be read anytime, and anywhere!

This link on Pintrest has amazing horror books display ideas !

https://www.pinterest.com/monsterlibraria/marketing-horror-at-the-library/

Also this marketing link gives neat marketing tips!

http://658point8.com/2012/02/06/ten-tips-for-better-book-displays/

Also libraries can publish book trailers on their website/social media! Check out this example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXya-LGEp3s

Don't let a good horror fiction collection collect dust! Promote it now :)

ASYLUM by Madeleine Roux

Fans of Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series might enjoy reading this book. 

This young adult horror story revolves around Daniel Crawford as he attends a summer program at a building that used to be a sanatorium. As expected, strange events begin to happen, and secrets begin unfolding. 

While the photographs add nicely to the plot, unfortunately the book lacks originality. The characters are typical, and the plot is predictable. The events seem to follow each other without giving readers the time to speculate their own theories. Because the plot lacks originality, it leads to no creativity from users. 

There is a sequel to this book, however, after reading the first book in the series, I wonder if the other books would be better.   

Week 5 Prompt

So this is how I feel right now.

My computer is failing me in the Middle East, moreover, the Internet here is VERY bad and VERY unreliable. Like paying 3 grand for an apartment which comes with BAD internet and cockroaches. 

So, let's get to business. Week 5 is about trusting reviews for the acquisition/recommendation at libraries. Personally, I trust reviews for personal purchases especially through Amazon, as it shows a check mark if the reviewer has made an Amazon Verified Purchase which helps with those who sabotage products for fun and ruin it for everyone else. 

About the romantic ebooks, not a fan, but as I said, I trust reviews so even though I don't read the genre, I go through reviews to make sure the perfect title is recommended to users. I trust reviews from consumers more than professional reviewers and the reason is simple, the consumers tell the truth but the professional reviewers can be purchased. From the review, it doesn't seem like this book is romantic suspense. 

About Angela's Ashes, I noticed how consistent all reviews provided are in terms of scope and quality, and I personally would add this book to the library collection based on these reviews. 

RA Secret Shopper Experience

Unfortunately, I currently reside in a country where public libraries are non-existent, and academic libraries are only to be used by students. In this Middle Eastern island, there is a huge public library attached to the Grand Mosque, and I have tried to conduct my reader’s advisory secret shopper assignment there, however, I was horrified by the unconcerned attitude of the staff and the limited collection to publications in Arabic and the dominance of shelves of Islamic Studies content everywhere. Therefore, I have decided to use the library on the US Navy military installation base for this assignment.

My feelings exactly at the library by the mosque

The base library consists of two floors, however, due to the scarce number of employees (only one librarian and two volunteers), the librarian sits downstairs and leaves the floor upstairs unattended. Each floor can only be accessed separately through an exterior stairwell. Every time I visit, I notice that the librarian is always busy running around and assisting people.  I had trouble finding where collections were because there were no signs, but the librarian was very helpful and explained to me where everything was.

The librarian sits at a desk and it is the first thing visitors see when they come in. Although she has no MLS, she has been maintaining the base library for years. The volunteers are also non-MLS.

I sat on a bench for a while reading a book but listening in to conversations around me. A group of kids approached the librarian and started chatting. The librarian was so good with the kids and she made them laugh as they told her stories about their day. Later, she discussed some books that she has on order and thought they may be interested in because they enjoy Pete the Cat series.

A few service members approached the desk and asked for assistance with the printer/copier. The librarian was happy to help. Other questions to the librarian were about getting a library card, or checking to see if items were returned to the library.

I genuinely needed a young adult book to read, and I decided to use this excuse to speak to the librarian and see if she can help me. She was extremely busy, so I felt bad when I was asking her questions. I asked first if she can help me find a good young adult book. She responded with, “You mean children books?” and I said “No, teens.” Instead of recommending a book, she told me where the collection was instead. She went with me to the shelf and pointed to the collection saying that for sure I would find something good to read there. I completely understand her response being the only librarian and lacking RA tools and databases. 

The librarian demonstrated excellent personal qualities suggested by Bopp in the book “Reference and Information Service”, because she was service oriented, patient, persistent, sensitive, self-controlled, flexible, had a sense-of-humor, had good judgment, had knowledge and confidence. I also admire her passion about the library she manages, and her willingness to stay open during holidays to accommodate armed forces personnel. So in truth, even though I did not get a good RA recommendation, I do not feel bad about it. I enjoy this library a lot and thank God for it in a place where reading and libraries are not appreciated. 

References:

Bopp, R. (2011). Reference and information services: An introduction (4th ed.). Santa Barbara, Calif.: Libraries Unlimited.

Prompt 1

So I just noticed that the first prompt is supposed to be published here, and not on the instructor's blog. Naturally, this is me right now:

However, I did publish my response to prompt 1 on the instructor's profile, but just in case, here are my answers! 

1. I searched Novelist by “Series” and I used the search term “Anita Blake” and the response is: the book you’ve read last was “Circus of the Damned” and the next and fourth one is “The Lunatic Café”


2. For this one I searched by “Title” and I used the search term “Prodigal Summer” for a title read-alike. Out of the 9 recommended read-alikes that share the same theme and genre, I would recommend the least descriptive since the reader enjoyed the book but not the pace. The answer is: How about your try Next of Kin by Joanna Trollope, o a Rhinestone Button by Gail Anderson-Dargatz? Both share the same themes and lyrical writing style, without the overly descriptive tone. 


3. For this one I did an advanced search and I looked for Japan as “subject” and historical fiction as “genre”. I also chose the time period to be 1940s and before. The recommended titles are Memories of a Geisha, The Final Storm, The Pearl Diver, Fire Flowers and the Typist. 


4. For this one I did a basic search and I typed the title Well-schooled in murder “title search”. Nine results are generated, some of them are: A possibility for violence, Blind goddess, Still life. All of them share the same genre and are not as violent as John Sandford’s books. 


5. For this one I searched by subject (zombies) and type (fiction) and particularly selected apocalyptic fiction as both of the titles that the patron has read are set in an dystopian society. My recommendations include: The girl with all the gifts, Autumn, To sail a darkling sea and Fractured. 

Personal Reading Profile

I love reading! I usually read before bed, and always sleep with a book, or Kindle, in my hand (awwww!) My love for reading began when I was little, and it still continues to this day. I read different genres, but my favorite is non-fiction. I enjoy classic and contemporary fiction as well. My favorite authors are Kafka, Coetzee and Camus. 

This year I am  participating in Goodread's 100 Book Challenge. So far I have read 5 only and it's almost February. I do have the problem of starting a book, then dropping it to find something else to read. Before I know it, I'm reading twenty books at the same time and I keep forgetting who is who and then this mega story happens in my mind which connects these hundred characters to one giant made-up plot. 

In this blog I will be sharing my review about books I read and I hope that you would also share your review and opinions.

Thanks for reading this post and welcome to my blog :)