Week 3 Prompt Responses

Hi everyone! For this week's assignment, the prompts are in the purple-ish color and my responses are in white. 

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!

Hi, have you heard of Fantastic Fiction? It’s a database that has the bibliographies for over 30,000 authors, including Laurell K Hamilton! If you’re interested in continuing the Anita Blake series, the next book would be The Lunatic Café. She has also written the Merry Gentry series, a few Anita Blake graphic novels, and it looks like she started another series in 2021 centering on Zaniel Havelock. 

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.

If you like Barbara Kingsolver, you may also like Ann Patchett. Both authors write character driven stories that are detailed and engaging. Given the popularity of Prodigal Summer, you may enjoy Tom Lake. This book has been included in several book clubs and highlights the relationships between a mother and her three daughters. While Prodigal Summer is more leisurely paced, Tom Lake intensifies as the story develops. 

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!

If you’re open to mysteries, you may want to try The Honjin Murders. This is a classic Japanese murder mystery that was translated into English in 2020. It was originally published in 1946 and is set in the 1930s. If you’re interested more in novels inspired by real life events, you may want to check out A Woman of Pleasure when it’s released next month. This is a richly detailed translation of a novel that was inspired by the historic Japanese courtesan strike set in the early 1900s.

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?

An author similar to Elizabeth George that you may like is P.D. James. Her novel Death Comes to Pemberley is a historical mystery that puts a twist on the characters from Pride and Prejudice. While it is a murder mystery, it’s closer to cozy than creepy. Like Well-schooled in Murder it is set in England, is richly detailed, and has a strong sense of place. 

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?

If your husband liked World War Z, he may also like The Zombie Autopsies. Both books are told as though they are nonfiction accounts of a zombie apocalypse. While World War Z is more about first hand accounts of the outbreak, The Zombie Autopsies follows a doctor on a secluded island and he and his team work to find a cure while also studying the biology of the undead. 

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.

You may want to check out The Goldfinch, Where the Crawdads Sing, or Where’d You Go, Bernadette. All of these books have movie adaptations that have been released within the past few years. Additionally, both The Goldfinch and Where the Crawdads Sing are coming of age stories and deal with elements of death. While the former deals more with coping and grief, the latter has mystery elements, though both are very character driven. Where’d You Go, Bernadette is focused on relationships between quirky characters and showcases elements of humor and mystery while trying to answer the title question. 

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

For a fast-paced thriller without profanity or sex, I would recommend checking out Mary Higgins Clark. Her stories are plot-driven and suspenseful while staying clean. She has a few different series as well as many stand alone novels. The first of her stand alone novels is Mount Vernon Love Story and the first book in her Under Suspicion series is I’ve Got You Under My Skin. I think either of these would be a good place to start. 

Second, after you get a chance to do the readings, 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. It could even be the New York Times or Tiktok!

I find books to read in a few different ways. Recommendations from friends and coworkers are always good because we mostly like the same types of books. I have also found a lot of good books just by wandering the stacks at work. If I find an author I really like, I usually follow them on social media and they will sometimes post books that they are excited about reading that will intrigue me as well. I don’t normally read reviews before I start a book because I want to be able to form my own opinion, but I will always read the blurb to get an idea of whether or not I’ll enjoy it. For this assignment, I used NoveList Plus and Goodreads.