Week 3 Class Prompt - Get to Know RA Resources!

This week in class, we were asked to utilize RA resources to find answers to the below scenarios. My public library does subscribe to Novelist, so I was able to use that. I enjoyed checking out the other resources available for RA - I had no idea there were so many!

Here are my responses to the prompt for this week. Thanks for checking it out!

Scenario #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!"

In this scenario, I actually used the database Kent District Library’s What’s Next database (http://ww2.kdl.org/libcat/whatsnext.asp). I find that this is often a quick, easy way to find series lists. I searched using the parameters of the author’s first and last name, and the name of the series. The database generates a list that tells me that the next book in the series (#4) is The Lunatic Café.

I know Novelist performs this same function but I think KDL is cleaner and quicker which is why I prefer to use it for these types of questions.

Scenario #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."

For this scenario, I searched by title for the book in Novelist, and clicked on “Read Alikes” in the right hand column. Nine books were suggested, and based on the descriptions, I would choose A Rhinestone Button by Gail Anderson-Dargatz, or Anthill by Edward Wilson – both are described as lyrical and/or lush novels, which seems to be an element that the patron appreciated.

I also scrolled down to the bottom of the page on Prodigal Son under “Search for More” and selected books that had lyrical and descriptive language, as well as lyrical and lush, and shared similar themes. Based on what else the patron liked and the categories available, more in-depth searches could have been done to find other elements that the patron may have appreciated (setting, theme, etc.) – however, since that wasn’t part of the request, it may not be necessary.

Scenario #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!"

With this request, I started with advanced search in Novelist. I used “Japan” as a keyword and “historical fiction” as the genre in the Boolean operators. Once results were generated, I limited it to an adult audience (as I am pretending I am working with someone who prefers adult books) and I chose descriptive language as another limiter. Based on these results, I would recommend The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery or Kazunomiya, Prisoner of Heaven by Kathryn Lasky, which are set in Japan and have detailed language which will hopefully make the reader feel like they are there!

Scenario #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?"

For this example, I used a basic search in Novelist to find title read-alikes for Well Schooled in Murder and would recommend A Possibility of Violence by Dror Mishani, which shares a suspenseful, multi-layered plot and has some violence, but not too much.

I also did an author read-alike for Elizabeth George. Based on what was recommended by Novelist and the patron’s preferences, if they were looking for a murder author that was less creepy/violent, I might recommend trying books by P.D. James (for similar “classically constructed novels of detection”) or Louise Penny/Erin Hart for complex characters that are relatable and intriguing to the reader.

Scenario #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?"

For this request, I did an advanced search in Novelist, using the limiters “zombies” as Subject and “NOT The Walking Dead” in title - this allowed me to eliminate them from the search early since they have been read. From this search, I might recommend Affliction by Laurell K Hamilton or Cell by Stephen King, based on them being about zombies. Other recommendations mentioned apocalyptic settings, but since he is intrigued by zombies it seemed to go hand-in-hand. 

From this search, I also did a “title read alike” search for World War Z, and might recommend the following: Blackout by Mira Grant and The Passage by Justin Cronin as they are also based on zombies, with explorations of how people/societies cope after such a devastating event.