Week 7 Prompt Response

When it comes to literary hoaxes and authorship ethics, I do think it is completely wrong for an author to pretend to be a race or religion they are not or write experiences they never had. Not only are you breaking the trust of their readers when that happens but they also hurt the people who felt understood and heard through their stories. However, it could be argued that the books should be separated from the author. For example, J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter Series. The Harry Potter series has sparked a love of reading in so many children, and even adults, through the years. Yet since finding out that J.K. Rowling is transphobic, many people have boycotted the series or hidden their love of the series. Because of this people argue that books should be seen as separate from the authors themselves since their books could have brought so much happiness and good that it would be horrible to remove that because of the author’s behaviors and ethics. This has been a controversial issue for readers and I can personally see it from both sides. I think the article “Literary Hoaxes and the Ethics of Authorship” shows how difficult this choice is.

Menand, L. (2018, December 3). Literary hoaxes and the ethics of Authorship. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/12/10/literary-hoaxes-and-the-ethics-of-authorship

The Housemaid Mystery Annotation

 

Author: Freida McFadden

Title: The Housemaid

Genre: Mystery

Publication Date: January 1st, 2022

Number of Pages: 336 pages

Geographical Setting: United States

Time Period: Present Day

Series: The Housemaid #1

Summary:

Millie Calloway, a former incarcerated woman, is homeless and jobless. Luckily she has been chosen to interview for the wealthy Winchesters for a live-in nanny position. When she gets the news that she has been chosen for the job she is in disbelief. On her first day she meets her new employer Nina, the friendly and helpful wife of Andrew Winchester, Cecilia, their daughter, and Enzo the groundskeeper. At first everything goes well for Millie, sure their have been some misunderstandings about Cecelia’s alleged peanut allergy, Nina potentially having some mental illness, and her relationship with Andrew moving into new and dangerous territory. However, when things start to feel like things are finally looking up for Millie, everything takes a turn. No one is who they seem, no one can be trusted, and Millie must do everything she can to get out of that house. Alive. 

Subject Headings

• Family

• Detective and mystery fiction

• Spouses

• Children

• Family secrets

Appeal:

Tone: The book takes a suspenseful and tense tone from the beginning with a bit of pessimism from the main character, Millie.

Characterization: 

• Millie Calloway is a former incarcerated woman who is trying to find a new life for herself. She wants to find a job and a place to live so that she doesn’t continue to violate parol. She is hardworking and determined to make a better life for herself and away from her past.

• Nina Winchester is the wife of Andrew Winchester who seems to have mental health issues along with a vendetta against Millie despite her being the one to hire her. 

• Andrew Winchester is kind and friendly to Millie and seems to be thankful for the help she provides to the house and his and Nina’s daughter.

• Cecelia Winchester is the daughter of Nina and Andrew and acts like the stereotypical rich girl who complains, screams, and lies to get what she wants. 

• Enzo is the strange and silent groundskeeper who keeps staring at Millie and keeps trying to secretly warn her about something she doesn’t understand. 

Setting: The United States, city and state unknown.

Pacing: A fast-paced and suspenseful narrative. 

Short Review: I LOVED this book. I have been recommending it to everyone I work with and am so excited to read the rest of the series when I have time. I would give this book a 4.75/5

Read-Alikes:

Rose, J. (2020). The Perfect Marriage. Bloodhound Books.

Sanders, N. (2023). Don’t Let Her Stay. Independently Published.

Hoover, C. (2021). Verity. Grand Central Publishing.

Week 6 Prompt Response

One way I can think of to promote romance books is doing a blind date with a book with movie pairings but with only romance books and movies. And instead of writing a summary of the book, only write the traits and what red flags they may have. This would be a passive program that adults could come in and decide if they want to partake in. A less passive way to promote romance books could be a regular date with a book. This would be more active since you could make a romantic setting, set a different romance book and movie at each table, and even pair a specific sparkling drink with each book that a patron could drink while sampling the book to determine if she wants to continue “dating” the book. You could even change this into more of a speed-dating situation by adding a timer. 

Romance Annotation

 

Author: Casey McQuiston

Title: Red, White, and Royal Blue

Genre: Romance

Publication Date: May 14th, 2019

Number of Pages: 423 pages

Geographical Setting: United States/England

Time Period: Present Day

Series: N/A

Summary:

Alex Diaz-Claremont is the son of U.S. President Ellen Claremont and when he meets Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, the Prince of England sparks begin to fly. But not the romantic kind. The two boys get caught up in an international scandal when leaked pictures of the boys having a heated argument causing a royal wedding cake to fall. This incident threatens the relationship between America and England. When the news begins to call the incident “Cakegate” the President requires Alex to fake a friendship with Prince Henry to save this international relationship with the help of his sister, June, and best friend, Nora. However, the lines between pretend and real blur as the relationship goes on. 

Subject Headings

• Lgbtq Life

• Friendship

• Wit and humor

• Drama

• Politics

Appeal:

Tone: The tone is a mix of humor and sincerity depending on the subject at hand. 

Characterization: 

• Alex is a smart fun-loving individual who shows plenty of impatience, repulsiveness, and restlessness throughout the book but also discovers a selfless side to himself and a change in his future path. 

• Henry suffers from loneliness and grief but begins to let go, gain confidence, and begin to be more comfortable with himself throughout the book. 

• Nora is a number and data genius who is obsessive about her work. She tends to be good at getting the truth out of any situation and is not afraid to say what she thinks about whatever she observes. 

• June is the protective sort when it comes to her brother and friends with a love of writing and wants to follow a career in journalism.

Setting: Present-day America and England, starting in the year 2016

Pacing: The pace of the book seemed fast but enjoyable. 

Short Review: This book is definitely good for people who don’t want to think too much and just want to enjoy some romance with humor mixed into it. The book, however, seemed a bit rushed in the end. 3/5 stars. 

Read-Alikes:

Hall, A. (2020). Boyfriend Material. Sourcebooks Casablanca.

Gonzales, S. (2021). If This Gets Out. Wednesday Books.

Cochrun, A. (2021). Title of work: The Charm Offensive. Atria.

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. How does this affect collection development?

This affects collection development because without having reviews from professional publications, libraries are less likely to hear about these materials. The only way they could hear about popular Ebooks would be from patrons themselves. Most libraries buy new materials based on reviews, popularity, and patron requests/recommendations. At least that is how my library determines what to buy. With Ebook-only materials not having proper representation libraries won’t have as much knowledge about their popularity in order to buy the materials for their patrons. 

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?

Based on the two reviews, I would trust the blog review over the Amazon review because the blog review seems more honest in its review. The Amazon review is too complimentary and sounds more like a marketing tactic rather than a genuine review. It also seems a bit too dramatic. The review from the blog sounds more sincere and provides both good and bad things about the book rather than just stating overly good things like the Amazon review. Based on the review I would buy the book for my library because I know patrons who would love this type of book due to the blog’s review.  

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?

These reviews make me feel that adding the book to the collection would be a great idea to add Angela’s Ashes to the collection. The reviews clearly state the tougher topics of the books while also stating the more wholesome contents. Based on the content and reviews from these publications, Angela’s Ashes. 

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? 

 I do not think it’s fair that one type of book gets overly reviewed. I feel like indie books, Ebooks, and other types of books should also get a chance to be reviewed by big publications. That way libraries can have a more diverse collection and smaller authors can have a greater chance of spreading their stories. 

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? 

I feel that reviews that don’t print negative content are only providing half the story. Only seeing good reviews does not provide buyers with the information that allows them to make a fully informed decision. I know that may sound too serious for a book but I know when I personally look for books to read I like to see the bad reviews as much as the good just to see what I am getting into with the story without having it spoiled. Plus bad reviews can provide information about things that, although may be bad to the reviewer, could be good to the potential reader. For example, a book may have a bad review saying how sappy the book is but sappy books could be just what the reader wants. 

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 buy for my library but we do get a say in what new materials we get and look at multiple review magazines including Booklist and Kirkus. I will say I do tend to prefer looking on Goodreads for book reviews because I feel that they are honest and I can also receive recommendations from friends who I know I can trust to tell me if a book is bad. 

Kirkus Style Review

 

HIDDEN FIGURES

BY MARGOT LEE SHETTERLY - PUBLISHED: SEPT. 6, 2016

A beautiful and inspiring story with long and slightly disorganized storytelling.

Four African American mathematician women of history helped complete America’s dream of winning the space race while facing racism, segregation, and discrimination.

The book goes through the history and lives of female mathematicians at NASA. Not only does this go through the story of multiple strong women but also provides a long history of plane testing and science which was a bit too complicated and long-winded. 

The history of women and their fight against discrimination and Jim Crow Laws is an inspiring story in itself. This book is amazing for anyone in science and history. Although the story’s writing could be smoother and more organized for better readability, its historical importance is great.

A beautiful and inspiring story with long and slightly disorganized storytelling.  

The Secret Shopper Experience.

 For this project I went to a public library I have been to only a couple times before and where I knew no one would know me. It also helped that it was 15 minutes away so not too far either. 

When I entered the library I tried to be inconspicuous by browsing the library before I actually went to the desk and asked my questions. Before I reached the desk the librarian greeted me and asked if there was anything she could help me with. I told her I was trying to find a book to read and that I would love a recommendation from her. She asked me what I felt like reading and I explained how I was hoping to find a good psychological thriller. When searching for a book on Goodreads she allowed me to watch what she was doing while she also explained it. I felt this was great because otherwise, I would have felt a bit awkward standing there while she silently searched. We browsed the books Goodreads offered and I found one that sounded really interesting called "You’re Family Now" by Jack Stainton. She searched her library's catalog for the book but said they did not have it yet. She then asked if I wanted to put a hold on it, but I told her I wasn't from around where the library was located so she helped me look for the book from my public library instead.

Overall I am very impressed with the way she helped me find my book. She made me feel listened to and allowed me to be involved with the process of finding a book. She also showed dedication in helping me get that book by going out of her way to search my public library's catalog for it. If I had to, I would rate this interaction 5/5 stars.