Secret Shopper

     

       
                There are times when a person walks into a library and may have trouble deciding what to read next, so they may seek help from another person.  At public libraries, there are staff members who can assist those in finding materials for patrons.  This is particularly seen as doing a Readers’ Advisory interview.  “The readers’ advisory interview is indispensable in the process of matching book to reader because, as we have seen, the term good book is relative” (Ross, Nilsen, and Dewdney, 2002, 166).  Since I do not work at a library, I decided to be a patron looking for a book to read, and I learned what a real readers’ advisory interview is like.
                 Instead of going to my regular library in Brownsburg, I checked out a neighbor library not too far from Brownsburg.  As I walked in, it was a quiet place, and it was recently remodeled.  There were no booklists anywhere, but just the usual selected themed books all over, like clutter-free books, Star Wars, and fitness.  As I was looking in the Fiction section, a librarian asked me if I would like any help, and I answered I was looking for another Romance novel.  She asked me what my favorite authors were and I mentioned Nicholas Sparks and Susan Wiggs, as well as stating I had just finished A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks and how I was hoping to read more of his titles.  She pointed me where all of the Nicholas Sparks books were as well as the Susan Wiggs books.  She mentioned to me she had just read Nicholas Sparks’s Safe Haven and she really enjoyed it and I should give it a try.  She even mentioned how some of his books are on audiobooks if I was interested in listening to them instead of reading them.
                 I thought she did a really good job pointing out where his books were as well as giving other options, like the audiobooks.  I even liked how she gave her own opinion on some of the books because hearing other people’s opinions are just as important. I noticed that she did not mention anything about Susan Wiggs, but that was probably because I was more interested in Nicholas Sparks than Susan Wiggs.  I also noticed how she did not use any resources, but rather what I mentioned, mainly the authors.  I think it was probably because I gave the impression that I was more interested in Nicholas Sparks than any other Romance novels.   Maybe I should have been more specific about what I was looking for and not just focus on one author. 
                While I was doing this, I could not help but think about when I did a reference interview last year and it made me see how similar they are as well as how different they are.  Readers’ advisory is based off of a patron’s likes and dislikes, while a reference interview is more of finding informational needs. “Success in readers’ advisory work depends on learning and systematically using a cluster of skills that can be acquired.  It does not depend on some inborn knack that lucky people are born with but others can never learn” (164).  I am not sure what I expected when I did this, but I got the impression readers’ advisory interviews are more about my interests than simply finding something I might enjoy.  Maybe I am still thinking like a reference interview than a readers’ advisory interview, but at least I am starting to see how these two interviews are so similar and different at the same time.

Reference:
Ross, C. S., Nilsen, K., & Dewdney, P. (2002). The readers’ advisory interview. In Conducting the Reference Interview (pp. 163-175). New York: Neal-Schuman. [Files - Canvas]
 

Week 3 Prompt

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 next book in the series would be The Lunatic Café.  I looked at Goodreads because there you can type in the author and it can list the novels she has written as well as mentioning of any of the books belong to a particular series.

 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.

One book you could enjoy is Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, or Toni Morrison's Beloved.  I checked this on Amazon in order to read people's comments and whether they enjoyed it or not.  It even lists other books if they enjoyed one of the books mentioned.  Both are fast paced and have the same language use. 
  
 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!
John W. Dower's Embracing Defeat is a good book, as well as Laura Joh Rowlands's The Shogun's Daughter.  Each of these books was found on Goodreads Japanese History Literature genre.  Both are considered historical fiction and have received great reviews from readers.

 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?
One book I would suggest is Deborah Crombie's Where Memories Lie, or maybe P.D. James's Unnatural Causes.  Both of these books are listed on Goodreads at the corner where they make suggestions of other books readers may like.

 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?
Similar to number 4, one book could be Mira Grant's Deadline, or maybe Rhiannon Frater's Fighting to Survive.  Both of these books deal with zombies and they are horror novels, so they may be fun to read, as well has gotten good reviews from those who have read them.

*As you can see, I could not use NoveList, so instead, I used mostly Goodreads and Amazon, which are the two sites I use the most when it comes to looking for other novels to read.

Reading Profile

I have always enjoyed reading, ever since I was young.  As I got older, my reading views changed and I learned how to broaden my horizons when it came to reading.  I enjoy reading young adult literature (mostly realistic fiction), fiction, and historical fiction.

 I would have to say I like young adult literature the most because they are mostly books I can relate to and I can feel sympathy for the characters.  My favorite YA book is Sarah Dessen's Saint Anything.  In this novel, a teenage girl is thrown into the spotlight after her brother is sent to prison and has to understand what it means to be yourself. 

I like fiction because they are stories where the character has to overcome obstacles in order to make something better for them, like Saving Grace by Jane Green. In this book, a woman hires a nanny to help around the house, but her life is turned upside down when she starts to think her husband is cheating on her and when she is put on prescriptions for something she does not have.

And I like historical fiction because I like learning a bit of history whenever I read.  One book I enjoyed reading was Clare Vanderpool's Moon over Manifest.  This is a coming-of-age story where a girl is sent to her father's hometown to discover the town has a secret that may help her understand what home means.

I am also starting to enjoy reading romance novels because I like reading how people meet others and end up getting together in the end.  One novel I just finished was Susan Wiggs's Starlight on Willow Lake.  This tells the story of a woman who is hired to care for a woman in a wheelchair and starts to fall in love with the woman's son who has a secret that he has kept from his mother for years.  This book is a part of the Lakeshore Chronicles, and I have read a couple of books that are a part of this group and I enjoyed the ones I have read so far.

My dislikes are science fiction and horror because I am not too keen about reading something in the future sense or something that could freak me out.  I admit last semester, I picked up a book called Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith, and I could not make it past page 80 because reading about people turning into insects was not very interesting to me.



Marissa Meyer's Cinder

But there are times when an exception is in order.  For example, I'm not much of a mystery reader, but I enjoy reading Robert Galbraith's Career of Evil, as well as all of Robert Galbraith's books.  In Career of Evil, it tells the mystery of why a detective was sent a package with a severed leg.  This book made me keep reading in order to find out who the culprit is.  Also, I mentioned science fiction is not my favorite, but Marissa Meyer's Cinder made me interested because it is about a girl/robot who falls in love with the prince.  Now I am interested in reading the rest of the Lunar Chronicles, which this novel is a part of.

As you can tell, I enjoy reading a vast about of books, in many different genres.  How do I decide these books?  Usually by Goodreads because I can keep track of what I am reading and they would offer suggestions of similar books I might enjoy.  And just by browsing around, I can come across something that looks interesting and give it a try.  That is what I like about reading: trying new genres and getting the chance to broaden your horizons. 

Introduction

Hi everyone! 
My name is Kori Nell and I live in Brownsburg, IN with a Major in English from Marian University.  I work at my hometown bakery called Hilligoss Bakery for nine years now and I love it.  I am currently working on getting a Masters in Library Science from IUPUI, which this will be my last semester.  I have never worked in a library before, but I hope to work in a public library, either in circulation or cataloging. 
I am quiet and a hard worker.  I have an older brother who graduated from Purdue in Accounting and a younger sister who graduated from Ball State in Criminal Justice.  I also am a book collector as well as a quarter collector, mainly the National Park quarters.  I love to read Historical Fiction, Fiction, Magical Realism, and Young Adult Fiction.  My favorite authors are Sarah Addison Allen, Susan Wiggs, Nora Roberts, and Robert Galbraith.  I would have to say my all time favorite book (so far) is Sarah Dessen's Saint Anything because I can relate to the main character and I love how she is able to transform when she makes new friends.  Definitely recommend it for those who like young adult fiction.  And a great book I have read so far is Robert Galbraith's Career of Evil.  I loved it so much it took me two whole days to finish it (and it is a 500 pg. book).  Recommend it for those who love a good mystery.