Week 12 prompt

 Non-fiction RA matrix (from Wyatt, 2007) for The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family by Ron and Clint Howard. Published October, 2021, 323 pages (I actually listed to the audiobook - narrated by Ron and Clint with the forward written and read by Ron's daughter Bryce).

1. Where is the book on the narrative continuum?

        Highly narrative - the book was written like a story being told, highly narrative.

2. What is the subject of the book? The life of Ron and Clint Howard's mother and father (briefly) and then the life of the family up to the death of their parents.     

3. What type of book is it?

        A memoir.

4. Articulate appeal

        What is the pacing of the book? The pacing is medium. It never feels like a thriller, but the story never bogs down. There is description and background information but again it never gets slow.

        Describe the characters of the book. The main characters are Ron and Clint, their father and mother. There are some other people (Henry Winkler, George Lucas, Ron's wife) who show up some and matter to the story, but it's really about the nuclear family.

        How does the story feel? It's warm and fuzzy in a real sense. It does a good job of capturing how the family worked together.

        What is the intent of the author? To tell the story of growing up as a child star, and particularly to show how their parents made their lives work well even in the midst of the Hollywood upbringing. It explores why their parents were able to successfully raise well-rounded happy (for the most part) children in that situation.

        What is the focus of the story? The lives of Ron and Clint and how their upbringing affected their life choices, and also how their parents were able to raise them well.

        Does the language matter? Yes. It is clear and focused and easy to follow.

        Is the setting important and well described? Yes and yes. It doesn't go into lots of details about Hollywood and what other child actors experienced, but it does describe their neighborhood, and also what the life of a child actor was like - on set for the different shows.

        Are there details, and if so, of what? There are lots of details about the life of the child actor, and about their family life, many small stories that add to the reader's understanding. There are details about directing and acting as well. They are explained in ways that were not hard to understand.

        Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear?  None.

        Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience? Yes, all of those. They write about times when they came to learn important life lessons, about the challenges of going through adolescence, about how they made decisions regarding their adult careers. They also reflect on how well their parents kept them safe through their childhood. They were honest about some of the things that didn't go as well.

5. Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)?

  1.  Story line and subject                  2.  Character                               3. Learning/experiencing

Reference

Wyatt, N. (2007). The Readers Advisory Guide to Nonfiction. American Library Association.

Historical Fiction book annotation

Author:  M. J. Rose

Title: Cartier’s Hope

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publication Date: 2020

Number of Pages: 334

Geographical Setting: New York, New York, USA

Time Period: 1910-1911

Series: N/A

Plot Summary:

Vera Garland is the daughter of a wealthy business owner and a member of New York’s 400, those most wealthy and socially advanced families. Rejecting the life of a wealthy wife and perhaps mother, she pursues as career as a female reporter. To avoid causing her family embarrassment she works in disguise as Vee Swann. 

The story focuses on M. Cartier and his efforts to sell the famous Hope Diamond. While telling that story, Vera/Vee’s previous exploits are revealed. As she works on the Hope Diamond story she also falls in love with a jeweler, compromising her dual roles as reporter and socialite. 

The novel is rich in historical detail, particularly with respect to the social issues of the time such as women’s roles in the home and workplace, the plight of the poor immigrants living in tenements, unsafe abortion practices, and homosexuality.

In my opinion, this novel suffers from trying to do too much, and thus doesn’t do any of the things well. The premise that Vera/Vee can live in both worlds is hard to believe. The flashbacks to her earlier experiences feel like short stories inserted into the novel and made me wish the author had written the novels of those experiences first, or left them more murky as part of who Vera/Vee is. She tells us too much and shows us too little.

Subject Headings:

Historical Fiction – New York, 1910

Historical Fiction – Women reporters

Historical Fiction – Hope Diamond

Appeal:

Frame/Setting: “Many readers . . . turn instead to Historical Fiction to understand history from the inside, from the perspectives of individuals caught up in events” (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 171).

Rose includes many details about life in NYC during 1910-11 in this novel. As Vee delves into the lives of poor immigrants, women having abortions, and female reporters the reader learns more about these topics for this time and place. Because she is also a member of the social elite we also learn about the ways that this group of people lived and interacted. 

Story Line: “The story line explains and contextualizes events, linking them to the settings of the period and to particular characters and their motivations” (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 172).

This story covers specifically about one year, but in reality reaches further back into Vera’s personal history to help explain why she feels strongly about issues of justice and women’s rights. In doing that it explains the situation in which women of that time lived. Because Vera/Vee crosses between the wealthy and the lower classes the reader gets a picture of a broader spectrum of society from a more personal vantagepoint.

Characterization: “[N]ovelists bring all of their authorial skills to bear in creating dimensional, realistic figures.” “[F]or the most part the characters in Historical Fiction are meant to be joined as they traipse through time, taking the reader along for the ride” (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 173).

One of my main frustrations with this novel was the fact that the characters were not that dimensional and realistic. They tended to be either GOOD or not very good. Vera’s mother was the only character where good and bad interacted, and that was not well-developed. However, we do accompany Vera/Vee in her activities and thus get a first-hand look at the social problems of the day, as she experienced them, and that hit the characterization appeal factor for me.

3 terms that best describe this book:  

richly detailed, female reporters, New York City history

Similar Authors and Works:

The Phoenix Crown, by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang

                                                                                                                                  Set in 1906 San Francisco, two women from different backgrounds come together to solve a mystery and find justice.

Common appeal: strong female main character pushing against social norms; mystery surrounding jewelry; historical fiction; search for justice

  

The Magnolia Palace, by Fiona Davis

 

This novel mixes two time periods (WWI era and the 1960’s) New York, focusing on art and modeling and the Frick family.

Common appeal: Well-developed character, richly detailed writing style, historical period

 

 

Ask me no questions, by Shelley Noble

This novel is set in 1909. The main character is a widowed English member of the aristocracy. She travels to New York and is immediately involved in a murder.

Common appeal: Professional woman pushing boundaries of social norms; historical fiction; atmospheric

 

 

 

  

3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors

Hope diamond: the legendary history of a cursed gem, by Richard Kurin

 

This book traces the history of the Hope Diamond and would be interesting for someone to read and compare to what they learned in “Cartier’s Hope.”

Common appeal: history writing, richly detailed, well-researched

 

Ten days in a mad-house: a story of the intrepid reporter, by Nellie Blye

 

Nellie Blye was a role model for Vera Garland/Vee Swann. This is the true story of her investigative report about the conditions of mental patients.

Common appeal: history writing, female pushing social norms, New York

 

 

Jane Addams: Spirit in Action, by Louise W. Knight

 

This biography tells the story of Jane Addams, who was co-founder of the first settlement house, in Chicago, and who worked for many social justice issues.

 

Common appeal: women equality and suffrage, history writing, inspiring

 

 

 

3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors

 

Deception by gaslight, by Kate Belli

 

 

Genevieve Stewart, a woman from a wealthy family, chooses to become a reporter. She becomes involved in finding a jewel thief and murder. 

Common appeal: richly detailed, female reporter in Gilded-Age New York, historical writing (mystery)

 

Great circle, by Maggie Shipstead

Marian Graves, nearly dying as an infant in 1914 lives in rural Montana and becomes a female pilot. The novel also tells the story of the actress chosen to portray Marian 100 years later.

Common appeal: historical fiction, intricately plotted, richly-detailed

 

 

Absolution, by Alice McDermott

 

This story is set in 1960’s Saigon, but tells about two women connected to the war efforts and their lives trying to make sense of the conflicts they experience.

 

Common appeal: societal issues, historical fiction, character-driven, atmospheric tone

 

 

 

 

References

 

Wyatt, N.  & Saricks, J. G. (2019). The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction (3rd ed.). ALA Editions.

 

 

Week 11 Prompt - ebooks and audiobooks

Appeal factors and audiobooks

I frequently listen to audiobooks and as Cahill and Moore (2017) point out, the way the audiobook is produced can have a great effect on how the listener experiences the story. Clearly appeal factors such as tone can be enhanced by productions that include music or other sound effects. Characterization is affected by how the reader/narrator can create the voices for the different characters, or in some cases different readers are used for the different characters. Some readers are so good I find myself wondering later how that book could have been read by one person! Part of my would love to be a reader of audiobooks, but then when I hear a book like that I feel sure I am not up to the task. Maybe I could narrate a non-fiction book! Pacing can also be affected by the way the reader/narrator reads. I listened to one book that I had to give up on because the narrator read so slowly and breathily. I felt like she was trying to make the story a romance novel when it was a mystery with a romantic element to it. 

In talking with patrons and helping them find audiobooks, I think paying attention to the narrator or the group that produces the book will matter. I haven't helped any patrons with this, so I realize I need to include that in my questions that I ask. I don't personally remember what narrators/readers I like to listen to, so I realize I have to be more aware of that, too, for myself. Which means I better start writing that down!

Cahill and Moore (2017) also talk about the value of audiobooks for children. I was encouraging a parent to try out some of our audiobooks and Vox books the other day as a way to help her child learn to read. My kids used to listen to "talking books" when they were young. We had books that came with tapes (yes, real live tapes) and a tape player. So they could hold the book and listen along. They loved them, and it gave me a break to do something while they read (instead of reading to them, which I also did, but sometimes the dishes just need to get done!).

Appeal factors and ebooks

I was talking to a patron just the other day about ebooks. He was not a fan, but then was sad that we didn't have certain large print books. So I pulled out my phone and showed him how he could change the font size if he read with an ebook. And I had my page black with white letters so I pointed out the color option that can make the reading easier on the eyes. But I had never really considered how ebooks can affect appeal factors, and I'm still not sure they do, though Dunneback and Trott's article (2011) made me think hard about this.

If I am reading a thriller, I guess if it gets a little too tense I could change to a different color background, like move to white background and black words. But if it's a good book I'm going to get immersed into it and so I don't think it will really make a difference. I do think font size could have an effect in that it would make me turn the pages more quickly if I have a large font size, and that might cause me to lose track of the storyline sometimes. That could also affect how I feel about the pacing. Dunneback and Trott (2011) mention that if you don't know how close you are to the end you might not feel the pacing as much. I often check where I am in an ebook, so I think that might not be as large of an issue, especially for people who are used to reading ebooks.

I wonder how the look of the writing on the page could affect things like the language aspect of appeal. For example, does the ebook in its different font options change where the line returns, and then does that affect how the reader experiences the work? I think this would be very important in poetry. In works that have lots of dialog it might make it harder to read (if the font is large and there seem to be lots of shorter lines of text). That might affect storyline and pace as well.

We haven't really talked about graphic novels in this class yet, but Dunneback and Trott (2011) mention that as well. Some readers are better at showing the graphics than others are. I think with a good device graphic novels could be properly enjoyed. I will have to ask some of our younger patrons who read these novels if they read them as ebooks. Interestingly, many younger patrons have restrictions on screen time, and this is another factor to consider with ebooks.

Digital materials and circulation

I have become quite interested in the issue of the circulation and cost of ebooks. I had been discussing this issue with a colleague last week and then when I read Gross's article (2021) I became more aware of the issue of access and licensing of digital resources. I often hear patrons wish we had physical copies when we only have digital copies. I thought digital copies were cheaper, but I don't know if that's really true. I feel like buying access or a license really minimizes the power the library has to serve its patrons. The point that with digital materials one cannot buy "used" copies is interesting and I had not thought about it before, but it is relevant. I think the biggest problem I have is one related to freedom of access to ideas. The ALA Library Bill of Rights (2019) states that libraries should help connect patrons to ideas. If publishers can limit access to materials by limiting licenses, that goes against this access. 

References:

American Library Association. (2019, January 29). Library Bill of Rights.

https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

Cahill, M., & Moore, J. (2017). A sound history. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, 15(1), 22–29.

Dunneback, K., & Trott, B. (2011). E-books and readers' advisory. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(4), 325-9. 

Gross, D. A. (2021, September 2). The surprisingly big business of library e-books. The New Yorker. Retrieved November 30, 2022

Book Club Experience

    I attended a book club at a library in a near-by town. It was the only book-club in the area that didn't conflict with my work schedule! 

    This book club was a little unusual in that the group shares books that they have enjoyed reading in the last month - it's not a book-club where everyone reads the same book. On the one hand, this was nice for me since I don't have a lot of free time between school and work (so I didn't have another assigned book to read!). On the other hand, it didn't give me a chance to see some of the things I did want to experience in terms of leading a book club discussion, like how the facilitator starts the conversation, and what kinds of questions they ask the members. 

    Upon my arrival I saw that the tables were arranged in a large square so members could sit facing each other. There were some light refreshments on a side table. There was an also a print-out that the facilitator prepared ahead of time. That print-out included summaries from the members about the books they were going to talk about. The facilitator asks for information from the members about a week before the event so she can prepare this document. There were also pencils so members could take notes.

    There were about twelve people in the group, and most of these were regulars, so they knew how things were run. The group members take turns talking about books they have read in the past month. The facilitator chose someone to start and asked each person to say their name and then talk about their books. In some cases the person had a copy of the book with them, and in other cases they didn't. People took turns and went in order around the tables. The facilitator did not start by reminding us of  any rules of order, but everyone seemed to follow the pattern set out by the first speaker. I was able to find the printed version of what they said in some cases (not everyone turns in material ahead of time). I also jotted down titles that sounded interesting as they talked. There wasn't very much discussion because usually only one person had read the particular book. However, in some cases others had also read the book. They still didn't do much cross-table talking. Sometimes someone would ask a question or make a comment, but more often when it was a person's turn he or she would then also make a comment about an earlier book that was discussed.

    What I liked about this was that no one dominated the conversation - everyone took a turn to talk and share about books. I liked walking away with more good books to read (as if my TBR list isn't long enough!). The people were friendly. They greeted me and I felt welcome. The second time I went there was a new person and she really didn't seem to like the group and said that when it was her turn to talk. I'm not sure what she was hoping for, but she said it was too formal. Maybe she wanted more discussion. It was odd since she also hadn't read a book and didn't share anything. I also liked that there was a wide variety of books discussed. Some people were reading biographies, some mysteries and thrillers, some non-fiction books about relevant topics today. We talked some about movies related to some of the books as well.

    What I didn't like as much was that there wasn't very much discussion. Sometimes people would engage a little about a book several people had read, but I think they were very careful not to take over the conversation. I appreciated that, but I think there is value to those intense discussions. In our readings for this week they talk about how good those discussions can be (though Prof. Cataldi shared some examples of some pretty awkward discussions!). I did ask questions about some of the books - mostly clarifying questions - and I felt like that was perfectly welcomed. 

    Overall, I like this book club. I would like to attend one where everyone talks about the same book - I'll have to figure out how to do that when it doesn't conflict with my work schedule. I would like to lead a book discussion, though I know that's a little daunting. I do think the facilitator has to let the group discuss and only speak up or ask questions to get the group back on track or when no one is talking, and to keep over-talkers in check. I went to a seminar last year where the presenter was explaining how you can lead a book club and not have read the book. I thought that it made sense. If you are just facilitating, then really any question can be brought to the group and doesn't require a librarian to answer. Though I think it would be more fun for the facilitator to have also read the book (and that brings up the question of how to choose the book, which was also discussed in our readings - there are several different models for this).

Crowdsourcing RA - special topics paper

 Crowdsourcing RA

            One of the first papers we read in our class was an interview of several librarians who engage in Reader’s Advisory (Tarulli and Wyatt, 2019). I wasn’t surprised at the importance of the personal interactions they discussed, but one comment stuck out to me. David Wright, a readers’ services librarian at Seattle Public Library exhorted us all to also use our tools (Tarulli and Wyatt, p. 3). As someone new to being a librarian, but not particularly new to reading and talking about books with friends, I wondered what those tools were. I soon learned about NoveList, which I used in our first set of prompts and in my book annotations. As I worked on more book annotations I realized that Goodreads would give me more information about books that NoveList suggested as read-alikes. The reviews by readers often gave me more insight into the book and helped me decide if it was one I wanted to list as a possible read-alike for my assignment. Using Goodreads in this way started me thinking about the crowdsourcing of reader’s advisory (RA). 

            Crowdsourcing is the process of using a large group of people who can be geographically dispersed to do a job or service, often for free (“Crowdsourcing,” 2024). It has been used in many ways because the internet has made this process easy and people seem to enjoy giving their opinions and feedback. Crowdsourcing is being used in the field of RA by web sites like Goodreads, LibraryThing, and Shelfari (Rapp, 2011). These sites use tags and predictive algorithms to help readers find their next book. Some might worry that this phenomenon could put librarians out of a job, but Stover (2009) suggests it these could be good sources for RA librarians.

            I decided to look at Goodreads for appeal factors and for read-alikes, and compare what I found there to what I found using NoveList. I found that there is a way to search Goodreads for appeal factors. To do this, go to "Browse>All Genres" and scroll to the bottom of that page and select "more genres" and you'll se a search bar that allows you to enter any text. If you choose standard appeal factor terms you will find books that people have shelved according to that term. It won't give you all books that have that appeal factor, but I was able to find books that also appear on the NoveList search for the same appeal factors. People do not always use the exact same terms because it's not regulated. I also found good ideas for read-alike using Goodread that were different from NoveList, but still had many similarities according to the NoveList site.

            In summary, Goodreads is definitely a good tool to use to help you find books for patrons, and you can look for read-alike or appeal factors and have success.

References

 

Crowdsourcing. (2024, February 26). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crowdsourcing&oldid=1204962342

Rapp D. (2011). Crowdsourcing RA. Library Journal,136(10), 56-57.

Stover, K. M. (2009). Stalking the wild appeal factor: Readers’ Advisory and social networking sites. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 48(3), 243–269.