Week Three Prompt Response

1  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!

The Lunatic Cafe is the fourth book in the Anita Blake series. While Novelist lists series order under individual titles in their search results, fantasticfiction.com is an excellent resource for determining series order. By just looking up the author’s name, one can access every title the author’s ever written organized by series and numbered chronologically. It even adds the publication date in parentheses after the title.

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.

Our Endless Numbered Days (Claire Fuller) is classified* as “Lyrical” like Prodigal Summer but with an "Intensifying" pace (“Intensifying” is only a “bit” faster paced, although there are also many well-written, “Fast-Paced” books as well). Prodigal Summer and Our Endless Numbered Days also had similar readalikes (such as Kristin Hannah). Many "Lush," "Lyrical," "Descriptive," and "Fast-Paced" books were either "Steamy" or "Violent," which didn't seem to fit the tone of Prodigal Summer. If the patron has no problem with a different tone/situation and just wants similar writing styles, I would recommend Jonathan Franzen's The Twenty-Seventh City as well.

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!

The Pure Land (Alan Spence) is classified under "Descriptive," "Compelling," and "Sweeping.” While “Descriptive” should cover it, “Compelling” and “Sweeping” serve as “bonus” terms that help ensure that the reader feels part of the story. The Pure Land is also classified under both "Historical fiction" and "Biographical fiction." It is set in the Victorian era, although other time periods may be searched if this is inadequate. Additionally, while some of the book is set in Scotland (as the protagonist is Scottish), it is primarily set in Japan (where the protagonist moves). The protagonist’s relative newness to Japan should contribute to the reader’s immersion, as they can both experience a new place together.

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?

A Great Deliverance (Elizabeth George) is the first book in the same series as Well-Schooled Murder, so it should be fairly similar (and not too creepy). The next after Well-Schooled Murder is A Suitable Vengeance, if the patron doesn't want to start from the beginning. It’s difficult to determine what the patron liked about Well-Schooled Murder (aside from it being a mystery that is not creepy), but other authors with similar descriptors (such as "Suspenseful," "Compelling," and "Intricately Plotted") without terms like "bleak" or "violent" include Michael Connelly and Robert Crais. Sample titles might include The Lincoln Lawyer or The Black Echo for Connelly and The Monkey’s Raincoat for Crais.

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 Am Legend (Richard Matheson) is a zombie classic. It’s listed as a readalike with World War Z, as both “describe human efforts to survive after a plague has created hoardes of undead.” Both titles also have film adaptations, which might be good pairings with The Walking Dead. However, since the creatures in I Am Legend could be zombies or vampires, I would also recommend The Living Dead, which has a selection of short stories from many authors (Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, etc.) which are all about zombies.

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.

The Song of Names (Norman Lebrecht), The Good Liar (Nicholas Searle), and Julieta (Alice Munro) were all published within the last five years, have movie adaptations, and are classified under “Literary Fiction” and “Books to Movies.” A Song of Names (starring Clive Owen, Tim Roth, and Catherine McCormack) and Julieta (starring Emma Suarez and Adriana Ugarte) appear to be “drama” stories, while The Good Liar (starring Helen Mirren and Ian McKellan) is more of a cross/double cross thriller. If TV adaptations are also acceptable, Alice Hoffman’s The Rules of Magic (which is a prequel to the popular “book to movie” Practical Magic) is due to be adapted into an HBO Max miniseries.

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

Mary Higgins Clark and Victoria Holt both appear to be “clean” and “Fast-Paced” thriller writers (although Victoria Holt tends to be more gothic and Mary Higgins Clark leans toward mysteries as well). A Cry In The Night (Mary Higgins Clark) and The Curse of the Kings (Victoria Holt) would be good starts, but there are also a number of Christian fiction authors who write thrillers (Ted Dekker, Frank E. Peretti, Terri Blackstock, etc.). While the author’s religion was not necessarily part of the criteria, Christian fiction authors seldom have profanity or sex scenes, which should make them a safe bet.

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After these last few weeks, Novelist might be my new way of finding new books. Nothing I used before let me search by appeal terms, so this is a huge upgrade. I’ve used Goodreads before, but I usually go by personal or semi-personal recommendations (either from friends, patrons, coworkers, or social media). I like to look up books I’ve enjoyed on Goodreads and browse through the “similar titles” section to find new books. I also like to look through “shelves” people have placed those books on to see what individual users would compare them to. We also often get copies of Bookpage magazine at work, and although I don’t use it very often, I like to browse through the upcoming titles when I can.

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*All book recommendations/classifications found through Novelist