Week Three Prompt Response

 Part One

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!

I used Fantastic Fiction for this question. I would let the patron know that they had just read Circus of the Damned, so the next book that they need is The Lunatic Cafe. I chose this book because it is the next in the series that the patron is requesting. 

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.

I used NoveList for this question. I would recommend The Fury by Alex Michaelides to this patron. The reason why is because it has both the lyrical and richly detailed tags on NoveList, which is similar to the book they read. The book is also listed as being fast paced which is something that they specifically wanted with this recommendation. 

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!

 I used NoveList to find a book that would work with this prompt. To fill this request I found The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery. The reason I chose this book is because it fits all of the things that the patron is looking for. It is set in 19th century Japan and it is tagged on NoveList as “richly detailed.” The sample reviews on NoveList also mention how detailed the author is with their writing. This all put together makes this book a good match with this patron. 

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?

I used NoveList for this question. I would recommend For the Sake of Elena to this patron. This is the next book in the series by that author, and since they liked the last they would probably enjoy the next in the series. If they had read all of the books by that author I would also recommend the Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. This series is a lot less intense then John Sandford’s main series. This book and the book they read both feature likable characters and are suspenseful mysteries. 

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?

I used NoveList to answer this question. I would recommend I am a Hero by Kengo Hanazawa because it is a graphic novel about zombies like The Walking Dead is. They are also both listed as gruesome in tone if that is an aspect of The Walking Dead that he liked. I would also recommend The Zombie Autopsies by Steven Schlozman. It is about zombies and was listed as a read-alike to World War Z on NoveList. They are both stories told through pieces, one being an oral history and one being framed as found diaries. 

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.

I used NoveList to answer this question. I would recommend Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and Women Talking by Miriam Toews. If they were interested in books that were turned into television shows as well I would recommend Normal People by Sally Rooney and Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. The reason I picked these items is because they are all books that have been put to screen that are literary fiction. 

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

I used NoveList to answer this question. I would recommend this patron the author Mary Higgins Clark. She is known for writing thrillers that do not contain any sex, violence, or hard language. I would further recommend Every Breath You Take. It is by the author previously mentioned and is listed as fast-paced on NoveList. It is a thriller that fits with what the patron wants. 

Part Two

I mostly find books to read at my job. I am a clerk at my local public library, so the vast majority of my day is being exposed to hundreds of different books from all genres. One of the books that I plan on reading soon I checked in last night while I was at work. The other two books I plan on reading soon were on a display that my coworker put up a few months ago. Being exposed to so many books every week is how I have found the last six books that I have read.