Week 7 Prompt

I read The Smoking Gun (TSG) article about James Frey titled "A Million Little Lies." I had heard about the author and that the book was considered to be fictitious, but I did not know any details. I have not read this book. I found the article to be fascinating; really, I was hanging on every word. I find fake memoirs intriguing.
Ultimately, I had conflicting feelings about the author and this work. The book was chosen as part of Oprah's Book Club and it became somewhat of a phenomenon, including Oprah's employees at Harpo Studios. They are quoted in the article as saying, "...we were staying up late at night reading it, we'd come in the next morning saying, 'What page are you on?'" In emotional filmed testimonials, employees of Winfrey's Harpo Productions lauded the book as revelatory, with some choking back tears." This book seems like it is brimming with powerful emotions and inspirations. 
TSG conducted a six-week investigation on Frey's book, delving into his claims and uncovering hard facts about his true life. They found that police reports, court records, interviews with law enforcement personnel, and other sources have put the lie to many key sections of Frey's book. According to the article, "the 36-year-old author, these documents and interviews show, wholly fabricated or wildly embellished details of his purported criminal career, jail terms, and status as an outlaw."
When I first started reading the article, I felt like it was unfair of Frey to pose as someone who had fought his way out of the depths of the hell of addiction to recovery and becoming a bestselling author. One of the more loathsome lies that was uncovered by TSG was regarding a car accident that killed two girls that attended Frey's high school. Frey wrote that he was close with one of the girls who died in the accident, and that due to circumstances leading up to the accident, the whole town turned against him and blamed him for the tragedy. What TSG uncovered in their research was that, according to the girl's parents, Frey had no relationship with their daughter, and the police stated he had no connection to the victims- he was never even interviewed by the police. Frey seemingly used this event to push his agenda, which is inexcusable. 
As of January 2006, A Million Little Pieces "had sold more than 3.5 million copies and, thanks to Winfrey, sat atop The New York Times nonfiction paperback best seller list for 15 weeks. Next to the latest Harry Potter title, Nielsen BookScan reported that Frey's book sold more copies in the U.S. in 2005--1.77 million--than any other title, with the majority of that total coming after Winfrey's selection." This book had tremendous reach and popularity. 
So, on the other hand, if Frey's so-called recovery and his sharing of the horrors of his life has prompted people to seek help for their addictions, can it really be all bad even if the stories are embellished or downright false? I don't think so. But, I also do not think it should be labeled a memoir. I believe that dims the light of actual memoirs that are actually true that deal with the same issues. 

Horror Annotation

Synopsis of Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines horror as "painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay." Indeed, this feeling is often evoked in the reader who is traveling the twisted tale of Olde-Heuvelt's work Hex. 
On the outside, Black Springs, New York seems like any other quaint American town filled with beautiful homes, hardworking people, and playful teenagers. But Black Springs is harboring a centuries old secret- the town is held hostage by the Black Rock Witch; a woman named Katherine who has been dead for centuries. She walks the town and enters homes at will. Despite the fact that her eyes and lips are sewn shut, the townspeople live in fear of the power she possesses, and they know they can never let the rest of the world know that she exists. As previous generations have learned the hard way, one word from Katherine's mouth can cause total chaos to those in her path. Once you enter Black Springs, you are a resident for life. This is a system that has worked for the town for years, but a group of teenagers decides that they have had enough; they want more freedom so they want to expose their town and Katherine to the rest of the world. This decision leads them to face unspeakable horror and threatens life in Black Springs as they know it. 

Elements of Horror

• Olde-Heuvelt explores malevolent deeds or characters in this book. Not only the terror that Katherine has unleashed on the town, but the actions of the townspeople in charge that will stop at nothing to keep the witch a secret from the outside world. 
• Feelings of shock, fear, and dread are found throughout the book. The reader learns what series of events transpired centuries ago that turned Katherine into the monster she is today. Her eyes and mouth were not always sewn shut, and she was able to unleash horror in the town with a single word. There is also an element of mystery there (how were they able to catch her and contain her long enough to sew her up) and in her mere existence- why can't Katherine rest? What will she do next?
• Shocking plot twists and story reveals are peppered throughout the book. If Katherine's existence is revealed throughout the world, how can the townspeople expect their lives to change, but how will the world change if she is able to reign?
• The reader is immersed in horror from the very beginning of the book. There is no build-up to it like one might find in other horror books or other genres. From the beginning, Katherine in invading homes without being invited, roaming around town threatening exposure, and she has been known to drive men to suicide with one word. All of this is discovered within the first hundred or so pages.

Read-Alikes

The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike
Dead Spots by Rhiannon Frater
Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay
Experimental Film by Gemma Files

Week 6 Prompt

February is the perfect time of year to promote the romance genre at the library. I work at an elementary school library and we set up a decorated table with Valentine's Day-themed books. The students enjoy perusing the table and they check out books they would not normally pick up and choose. 

There are several avenues one could take to promote romance in a public library. I think the best part of the romance genre is that you can let go while you read; not take yourself too seriously and fall into the book. The fun aspect that I see in the romance genre could be played up with programming and displays.

A fun program that could attract patrons would be "Book Speed Dating;" several tables are set up with 5 or 6 romance novels at each table, with other novels off to the side for possible replenishing. At the beginning of the program, the patron chooses a table and begins taking some time looking through the novels on the table. This gives them some time to get a first impression of the book; the cover, the font size, any illustrations- not just choosing a book by its cover! Once they get past the first impression, they can start reading the first chapter for a few minutes. If they find a book that they think they might enjoy reading in its entirety, they can take it to the next table with them where they will start the speed dating process over again. The area for the program could be decorated with hearts or a heart chain which is easy to make. This is a fun, lowkey way to promote romance in a program. 

An eye-catching display that could be pitched to your boss would be a "blind date" with a book; wrap the book in paper, listing on the front a few key points of the book. The patron would decide based on a little information, without knowing the title or the author, whether or not they wanted to check it out. Along with this, adding incorporated advisory to the mix, would be a read/watch-alike display; If you like Jane Austen's Emma, you may enjoy a comedic take shown in the movie Clueless. If you liked Every Day by David Levithan, you might enjoy the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love. These connections could be made with books and movies that are currently part of the library collection. 

Week 5 Prompt

Ebook only books, which are increasingly popular (especially in the romance genre) see little to no reviews in professional publications unless they have a big name author, and then still it's usually only RT Reviews (formally Romantic Times) or other genre heavy publications. How does this affect collection development?

Having little to no Ebook reviews in professional publications can negatively affect collection development. Also, reviews from non-professional publications could be taken into account, too. Many books have positive and negative reviews that would be useful when making decisions. Collection development should fulfill the needs of the community and be patron-driven. There are so many books out there from which to choose, it would be beneficial for any part of the collection to be built on reviews. The person in charge of collection development should not have to make choices blindly. Books that do not come from big name authors deserve a chance to become part of a library's circulation, and many patrons use materials solely in Ebook format. 

I have posted two more documents in the week five files. One is two reviews of an ebook only romantic suspense novel, one from a blog and one from amazon. Look over the reviews - do you feel they are both reliable? How likely would you be to buy this book for your library?

Both of the reviews are reliable, and both of them are positive in their own way. The Amazon reviewer, Deborah, seemed to be much more enamored with the book- it made her cry and she described it as "beautiful" and "sweet." 
The blog reviewer described it as "light & cozy," but admitted that she read it because it was short, and free for the Kindle. Ultimately, she seemed to be ambivalent about the plot; it was too Christmassy, the plot was odd, and the story was just OK. 
Although it seems to have positive reviews, I do not think I would purchase this for my library. It seems to apply to a specialized niche that would not appeal to a majority of patrons. Also, the title is free on Amazon, so most patrons that would want it could get it there. 

The other document contains some reviews of Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt, an incredibly popular memoir. These reviews are all from professional publications, feel free to find more on your own I just nabbed a few from the Book Review Digest database for you. How do these reviews make you feel about the possibility of adding Angela's Ashes to your collection?

The reviews of Angela's Ashes would persuade me to add the work to my library collection. Personally, I have not read this book, but the reviews had me checking my local library to see if it was available for checkout. It had me thinking about Frank's strength of spirit, and how he overcame the childhood he endured. The story is rich in heartache, triumph, and history, which could appeal to a vast amount of patrons. 

Do you think it's fair that one type of book is reviewed to death and other types of books get little to no coverage? How does this affect a library's collection?  And how do you feel about review sources that won't print negative content? Do you think that's appropriate? If you buy for your library, how often do you use reviews to make your decisions? If not, how do you feel about reviews for personal reading, and what are some of your favorite review sources?

I do not think it is fair that certain books are widely reviewed while others are not. I believe that in this lies the importance of non-professional book reviews such as Kirkus or GoodReads. This affects the library's collection because worthwhile books are overlooked for those that are highly reviewed- though those books are potentially worth high praise, as well. I think review sources that will not print negative content are not giving the reader a wide spectrum of opinions. Just because a review is bad, does not mean it is not legitimate. Some books that are widely popular are not thoroughly enjoyed by all who read it (example: when I read "Gone Girl"!). 
Usually when I read a new book, I go on the advice of my friends because we typically enjoy the same kinds of books across genres. When I was looking for a new horror book to read, I Googled "Top Horror Books of the Year" and went through a few lists, reading descriptions on different sites until I found one that sounded interesting (it is!). When I use review sources, I trust GoodReads and NoveList. 

Kirkus Style Review - "11/22/63" by Stephen King

An English teacher finds a portal that allows him to travel back to 1963.

Jake Epping is an English teacher going through a difficult time in his life. He is recently divorced and teaching a night class to those looking to obtain their GED.  His friend, Al, confides in Jake that he had discovered a portal that will take him back to a specific time in 1958, and years could pass there with only minutes passing in the present. Jake decides that the world would be a better place had JFK not been assassinated, so he decides to spend the years leading up to 11/22/63 stalking Lee Harvey Oswald and planning to save the President. What Jake discovers is that his actions in the past, while noble, have major unforeseen consequences personally and historically. He falls in love with a woman from the past, and his cause results in steering her life in a dangerous direction. Ultimately, Jake's once-simple plan leads to him making decisions that could forever affect humanity.
This story has many twists & turns and upon reflection, many levels. King heavily researched the time period, which is evident in the writing. He concludes that Oswald was the lone gunman, despite numerous other (conspiracy) theories. At times the novel is verbose, but excellent in its explanation.


Anyone who appreciates a beautifully written tale woven with magic, history, heartbreak, and the effects of time will enjoy this novel.

Publication Date: November 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781451627282
Page count: 849

Secret Shopper

For my secret shopper assignment, I visited my local library. I recently moved and have not had the opportunity to visit this library often, so I did not think the librarians or staff would recognize me. I work in an elementary school library and I decided to use a question a student had asked me as the question I asked the librarian; "I am looking for a book like Twilight- what can you recommend that is paranormal, romantic, but has no sex scenes?"
The librarians that helped me were very thorough with their online searches and they helped me find two books that seemed to fit my criteria. Overall, I found them to be quite helpful and it was a good experience. I would definitely go there for advising in the future, if needed.