Week Seven Prompt Response

I feel like fake memoirs can be very detrimental, especially since readers are getting deceived into thinking that the information they are reading is true and factual. Publishers and authors that are publishing these false memoirs as truth are making it so that readers are not going to trust what is being put out there. It is harmful for those that are actually writing the truth because it could cause those readers to not believe that after hearing about so many being fake. Memoirs can be very helpful and inspiring, but that's when they are the truth and accurate. When it is discovered that the information was fabricated or misrepresented to create a better story, it is causing more harm than good. Readers are going to be upset by this and for a good reason and it could cause them to not read other memoirs or non-fiction for fear that the information they are receiving is fake as well. It's sad that this is something that we have to watch out for but maybe now that it has come to so many readers' attentions less will be created.

Mystery-Dirty Little Secrets

Dirty Little Secrets by Liliana Hart

J. J. Graves Mystery #1

Summary:

J. J. Graves is the coroner for a small town, best friends with the sheriff, Jack Lawson, and smack dab in the middle of what appears to be a serial killer running loose. She thinks her luck's changing when a famous mystery writer shows up on her front porch wanting to shadow her and sparks fly between them. It turns out that every victim in this small town had a secret and J. J.'s own secrets might be making her the next target. J. J. and Jack are fighting to get ahead of the killer but seem to always be one step behind. If they're going to stop the killings and keep J. J. from becoming the next victim then they'll have to get inside the killer's head before they lose it all.

Mystery Characteristics:

• The solving of the various murders in this story drives the plot forward. While J. J. and Jack work to figure out who is the serial killer, the reader is also sorting through the clues, trying to discover the culprit. 
• It is determined by the end of the story who the killer is and J. J., Jack and the reader know why the killings were committed at the end as well.
• Mysteries focus on an investigator and the team. In this case it is the witty and sarcastic coroner J. J. Graves and serious, protective, down to earth Jack Lawson, the sheriff. J. J. is involved in every aspect of this investigation, she goes with Jack to help discover more clues. It goes beyond her role as the coroner.
• Like many mysteries, this is the first in a series and the other books continue to follow J. J. and Jack as they solve crimes. Secondary characters in the town played a huge role in this story, whether they were suspects or not, they moved the story along and will probably be seen again in later books since they stay in the same town.
• The setting of the town-Bloody Mary-is vital to the story. It is J. J.'s home town and the small town setting really adds to the "whodunit" aspect of the story.
• The mood of this story ran from light hearted and witty with the banter between J. J. and Jack to dark and gritty with the violence and description of the murders. This story did a nice job of falling in that fine line between the two.
• There were many twists and turns in the plot of this story but it was constantly moving toward the solution and reveal of the killer and the reasoning behind the killings.

Read-a-likes:

Adult Mysteries:

• Armed and Fabulous (Lexi Graves Mysteries #1) by Camilla Chafer. (Strong female protagonist who finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation)
• One for the Money (Stephanie Plum #1) by Janet Evanovich. (Female protagonist solves mystery for her family company)

YA Mysteries:

• One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. (Five strangers walk into detention, only four come out alive. The four work to figure out what really happened to the fifth, especially since they're all suspects.)
• Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. (Girls work to discover if their missing friend is back and if she's the one blackmailing them with secrets from their past.)

My Opinion of Dirty Little Secrets:

Mysteries are not my favorite genre but I really loved this book. I was actually surprised by how much. I will definitely be reading the others in the series. This story is told from J. J.'s POV and she was a witty sarcastic protagonist which I really liked. It added some light and humor to a plot that was dark. It helped that there was some hints of romance in it with her relationship with the mystery writer but even that added to the mystery plot. I also liked that I wasn't able to guess who the serial killer was but the reveal made sense so I wasn't disappointed nor did I feel like I'd been tricked by the clues left. The clues weren't ones just to throw the reader off and it all came together in the end.

Week Six Prompt Response

To promote romance I think a creative display would help garner interest in the romance genre. Having both works of fiction, non-fiction, as well as movies, audio books and cds could help draw in patrons who maybe would not want to pick up a romance novel but instead might consider an audio book, etc. Most of the displays in my local library focus on one option, for instance, there would only be fiction books on the display or just movies, but by having a variety of options it might not only promote the romance genre but catch the attention of more patrons because it is something different from what they normally see in the library. Including props or interesting pictures or quotes could help make the display stand out as well.

Romance-Covet

Covet by J. R. Ward

The Fallen Angels #1

Summary:

Jim Heron, a man with a dark past becomes a fallen angel and is tasked with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. If he fails, the world will end. His first assignment is Vin diPietro, a ruthless businessman who cares about himself and what he's earned. Things begin to change for Vin when he meets Jim and Marie-Terese, a woman running from her past. While Jim is trying to save not only Vin's soul and Marie-Terese's life, a demon in the guise of a beautiful and cunning woman is hoping to keep her claws in Vin. To get free of her clutches and save his soul, Vin will have to rely on Jim and a couple other tough as nails fallen angels but he'll have to let go of the past and entrust his heart to Marie-Terese if they're going to survive. If Vin and Marie are going to get their happily ever after then they're going to have to overcome their pasts and work with the fallen angels to defeat a demon.

Romance Characteristics:

• The characters are very likable and are what one would expect from a paranormal romance. Jim is a hardcore assassin turned fallen angel savior. Vin is your suave businessman who gets what he wants. Marie-Terese has had a rough past and while she may be running, she's far from weak and won't back down. She'll do whatever it takes to protect herself and her family. 
• While romance novels are almost always going to have a happily ever after, and Covet, is no exception, the journey the characters take to get there is anything but easy. 
• The characters also need to change, whether it's learning to trust, risking opening their heart to another and potentially getting hurt, or putting another's safety before their own, they are on a character arc. They are not going to be the same person that they were when the story began. They're going to grow and change for the better. 
• Even though there are outside forces impacting the plot, the story is character driven and their actions and inactions are what moves the story along.

Read-a-likes:

Adult romance:

• Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J. R. Ward (A secondary character in Covet has his own story in the BDB) (Paranormal Romance-Vampires)
• Lords of the Underworld series by Gena Showalter (Paranormal Romance-Immortal warriors are cursed to house the demons/sins from Pandora's box inside themselves after they rebel and open it. A secondary character is also a hilarious yet lethal angel.)

YA romance:

• Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush #1) by Becca Fitzpatrick (YA Paranormal Romance-Fallen angel hero)
• City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare (YA Paranormal Romance-Shadowhunters, descendants of angels.)

My Opinion of Covet:

I loved this book! The love story was great and the paranormal elements were incorporated in a way that didn't make question it. I thought the premise of this story was great. Having read J. R. Ward before I am use to her having other points-of-view other than the hero and heroine, which is typical for a romance. I loved that the reader gets to experience some of the story from Jim's POV as well as that of one of the villains. While the attraction between Marie and Vin was quick, their relationship built slowly. I was definitely rooting for them and I'm excited to see who Jim has to save next. I will definitely be recommending this for any paranormal romance readers.

Week Five Prompt

Reviews and Collection Development:

Since many libraries do seem to focus on how a book is reviewed to help determine whether or not an item will be added to the collection, I do feel like it can hurt that some review sites focus only on books that are both ebook and print and not on ones that might only be ebook. Many great self published books are also left out of consideration because of this as well. I think that while reviews can be very helpful, it also helps to remember that just because someone loved or hated a book that does not mean that others will as well. It would seem that if the publications are focusing more on big name authors or only books that are also print then they are missing out on a lot of great reads and since they are not reviewing those books, then librarians could be missing adding them to their collection.

The Billionaire's First Christmas Reviews:

While I think that both of the reviews do give some good information about the plot, I do not think that they are reliable. They seemed too focused on the fact that the hero didn't like Christmas. Also, this is a romantic suspense book and yet neither review goes into that aspect of the plot. While the blurb caught my eye, I do not believe that I would purchase this book for a library collection, especially not given the reviews.

Angela's Ashes Reviews:

I feel like the reviews do a nice job of giving us a summary not only of the plot but the feel of the book as well. They give enough information to draw in interest but without telling everything. Based on these reviews I do think that I would consider adding this to a collection if I thought it would fit with what was already there and that it would be received well.

Fairness of reviews:

While I do not think it is fair that big name author's books get reviewed by practically everyone and yet other amazing works of lesser known authors don't get any recognition, it is what it is. Not all but many big name authors didn't start out that way, their popularity grew over time. At least with those lesser known authors or self published authors, there are other review sites where they could possibly get some reviews to get noticed but it will be harder to get them into a library's collection unless the librarians start looking other than those review publications or the publications start widening the net with who and what they will review.

While I don't think it is necessary for a reviewer to get personal or extremely rude or nasty, negative reviews are not something that I think need to be banned. Not everyone is going to love every thing that someone writes or publishes. Interestingly enough, I have had authors tell me that it was the few one star reviews they received that have some times gotten people to read their books when they wouldn't otherwise instead of all the five star ones. So while I don't think that anyone wants to see a negative review, people have a right to their opinion and as long as the negative reviews are not cruel or personal toward the author then I do not think that they should not be printed.

Personally, if I am going to use reviews to find a book to read I always use Aestas Book Blog, which focuses mainly on romance books. Sometimes I will skim the reviews on Amazon or Goodreads but I always keep in mind that they are someone's personal opinions and that mine may agree or differ with them. Mainly I use Aestas Book Blog for recommendations and finding my next new book.

Kirkus Style Review

LORD OF THE FADING LANDS

By C. L. Wilson

Tairen Soul Book 1

Simple woodcarver’s daughter, Ellie, discovers she is anything but ordinary when Rain Tairen Soul, leader of the Fey claims her as his truemate. He’s tortured by his past, haunted by the madness caused by his first wife’s death and only Ellie can help him save the world and discover a love that’s worth fighting for.

Rain has spent a thousand years behind the border of the Fading lands, since the death of his wife when he literally “scorched the world.” Madness is creeping up on him but when it is determined that the way to save his people and the legendary Tairen, beasts of immense power, Rain will be forced to journey to a neighboring kingdom with his friends and family. He meets Ellie when he feels her pain and comes to her aid. The first of the kings of the Fey to find a truemate, he finds that he must put aside his anger and distrust in order to win Ellie’s love. Behind her shy exterior lies a strength and courage that will have her standing toe to toe with her fearsome truemate. As Rain struggles to open his heart, Ellie must navigate being thrust into the spotlight with foreign courting customs, jealous queens, and an old enemy who’s determined to destroy Rain and all he holds dear. As Rain comes to love his feisty truemate, Ellie must come to terms with what she’d always known and accept the magic that resides inside her. For only if she and Rain fight together, can they save the world…and each other. The first book in C. L. Wilson’s Tairen Soul Series is an epic fantasy romance that will have the readers fully immersed in the masterful worldbuilding. Told from the POV of Ellie and Rain, this is a powerful story of love that is both action-packed and emotionally charged that had me unable to put it down.

Secret Shopper Summary

I went to a small local library in a rural community close to me but not one I'd be known at. I started out by asking the librarian if she could recommend a good book to read. I expected her to ask me a couple questions about what I liked to read or what I might be interested in. Instead, she led me over to where the new fiction is kept and told me that I might be able to find something I enjoyed from the new books. I tried giving some more information before she could return to the desk. I said that I had recently read a few books by Linda Lael Miller and really enjoyed them and asked if she could recommend a similar author. Again, she did not ask any follow up questions, and led me to Miller's books in their collection. When I said they were romances with cowboys she took me over to the romance section and started looking at the covers to find ones with cowboys on them and said I might like one of those.

Even though I was not able to find a book the librarian was friendly and not rude but she did not seem to know what to ask to help me find something that I might like. I think it would have been better if she had asked a couple quick questions about what I liked and maybe used an online resource to find a similar author instead of merely skimming their romance shelves.