1) I would first ask if the series they finished was a graphic novel series, since that was one of the first things that came up in NoveList. From there I would recommend the next graphic novel series or go to the next book in the series which was The Lunatic Cafe. I would then inquire if they would like to have the next couple books in the series on hold for them, in case they want them.
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.
2) I would ask the patron if they were interested in another genre she's written for or would do a read-a like of the same title but with a faster reading pace. If they wanted to go a different author, what I do with NoveList is give them the first three options and describe each on and then I will go into my library catalogue to describe page length so the reader can get a feel for the pace of the book. The first three books listed are "The History of Bees" by Maja Lunde, "Anthill" by Edward O. Wilson, and finally "The overstory" by Richard Powers.
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!
3) I would ask first what time period they are looking for outside of modern time. I then looked under historical fiction Japan. I would give him titles that appeal to what they are looking for even a more popular title in case they have not read it. I would recommend Asian saga series, Memoirs of a Geisha, and The Samurai's Tale.
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?
4) I would ask if they wanted to stay on the same path with Elizabeth George or be open to easing into Sanford. If they want to stay on George's path with the same series (which to be fair, I think that is what they do) or do they want a similar type of mystery. If they wanted to continue with the series, I'd recommend book five "For the Sake of Elena", or to go in a somewhat different direction, I would then go to an author read a-like for Ruth Rendell or Louise Penny.
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?
5) Of those two mentioned I would ask which one they liked the best and go from there. I would also ask how heavy on the graphic would they be comfortable with. I would recommend "Zombie Autopsies" by Steve Scholzman, "Robopocalypse" by Daniel Wilson and "The gone-away world" by Nick Harkaway.
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.
6) I would ask if they wanted historical themed or modern. I would also ask if they have seen any movies recently that appealed to them as well before knowing it was a book. For this I turned to Fantastic Fiction to help get some ideas for Literary fiction. I then found that there will be a new movie coming out starring Tom Hanks and its based off a book. I would recommend "A Man called Otto" by Fredrik Blackman however it is out of range as far as age. I would then recommend "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens, since the movie recently came out that could be an option. Finally, I'd recommend "Mr. Malcom's List" by Suzanne Allain its fairly newer in terms of the book and movie that just recently came out.
I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast paced.
7) I would ask what authors they have read and from there which ones they liked or disliked. I would then ask if they've read any authors mentioned Shari LaPena, B.A. Paris and Riley Sager. My recommendations are "Not a Happy Family" by Shari LaPena, "The Guest" newly released by B.A. Paris and "The House Across the Lake" by Riley Sager.
For a majority of these books, I chose the titles because I wanted to make sure they were as close to what the patron was asking for. If they were not close, I explained as to why this would be a great choice to consider. I tried to think of responses in different ways patrons would respond to me, and I always try to give at least the first three options to start with. One resource I use at my library is Fantastic Fiction, this is a great resource when keeping track of series by popular authors and it also shows what those authors recommend as well. I have posted that link below.
Hi Bre!
ReplyDeleteI like how you described how you would interact with the patron as well the book suggestions. For example, I think the follow-up questions you asked are very important to making sure that the patron leaves with a good book for them.
Thank you for sharing Fantastic Fiction! I haven't heard of this resource before, but it looks very helpful. I'm not super knowledgeable about many long series that are popular at the library I work at - the textbook reading this week has made me especially aware of that in terms of long thriller series - so I think this site will be super useful as I start to acquaint myself with these series.
Chole,
ReplyDeleteI know when reading the chapter, I felt the same way. I even found some words I never would have associated with the genres we were working with this week.