prompt #1 (week 3)

• 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 Café is the 4th book in the Anita Blake series, per Novelist.
• 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.
• Give Yellow Emperor’s Cure by Kunal Basu a shot. This novel has a similar writing style to Kingsolver’s book (considered descriptive, lush, and lyrical), but it is also notably richly detailed and fast paced. Ideally, this will hit on the elements you liked about Prodigal Summer’s writing while also picking up the pace a bit.
• 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 Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery is described as a “sweeping novel of 19th century Japan on the cusp of radical change and westernization.” It is notably “lush in details and epic in scope,” which leads me to assume it will be a pretty immersive reading experience.
• 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?
• Try Dorothy L. Sayres’ Whose Body? next. The first in a series, this book is another mystery set in England with an intricate plot involving murder, but will steer clear of anything too creepy, as the novel’s characters are described as quirky and keen to banter. Novelist considers Sayres to be a good match for “readers who prize the classical roots of Elizabeth George's books” and believe that “Sayers' rich use of language and stylish prose will especially please those who enjoy George's literary approach to the mystery genre.”
• 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?
• Blackout by Mira Grant is another zombie thriller comparable to World War Z. Novelist recommends this book for those who enjoyed World War Z since both “offer realistic portrayals of how modern society might cope with a terrible disaster that threatens the entire population. With political drama, action, and of course the undead, these are unique and engaging dystopian horrors.”
• 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.
• You can try The Wonder by Emma Donoghue, an atmospheric and haunting read with a compelling, lush, and lyrical writing style. The book came out back in 2016, but the movie was only recently adapted for Netflix last year. Another option is French Exit by Patrick deWitt, an author who has had another of his works, The Sisters Brothers, adapted for the screen before. This darkly humorous work of literary fiction boasts a cast of quirky characters and an intricate plot, plus the movie is a personal favorite of mine. Miriam Toews’ Women Talking is another work of literary fiction adapted recently (and currently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture). It’s much more somber than the previous recommendation, considered unconventional and disturbing, and dealing with serious themes revolving around religion and sexual violence against women.
• 7. I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast paced.
• One author to check out is Mary Higgins Clark, notable for writing “fast-paced, intricately plotted, compelling suspense novels about women and children in jeopardy told without sex, violence, or coarse language.” In a similar vein, there's Mary Jane Behrends Clark. Her fast-paced, suspenseful books are “often featured as book club selections and make great beach reads,” leading me to believe they’ll probably be fairly clean due to their broad appeal.

At this point, I use a variety of resources to find books to read. I’m on Goodreads a lot, so I get a mix of recommendations from the site and my friends/colleagues as they log their own reading. I also work at a public library which gives me access to a bunch of cool resources like Novelist and Booklist Magazine, which I love to flip through when I’m working the circulation desk. Through my library, I have also subscribed to a bunch of email blasts from the RA department for book recommendations based on genres I like (i.e., romance, biographies, etc.), and there are usually one or two I'll add to my TBR. I also check out book lists and reviews on websites like NPR (which produced the 100 Favorite Funny Books list that I consult all the time) and Entertainment Weekly. Lastly, I follow several of my favorite writers on Twitter (Roxane Gay, Rax King, Freya Marske, Mariko Tamaki, Danielle Evans, etc.), so when they recommend or rave about a book, I’ll check it out and see if it’s something I might be interested in.