Week 11 Prompt

Personally, I think that there is a lot of appeal to both ebooks and audiobooks. For ebooks I think that the lower price definitely comes into play. But it is also a way to free up space. Readers are now able to get a lot more books because with ebooks and audiobooks they do not have to worry about making room on a shelf for them. I am the kind of person that I like both regular books and ebooks. I don't really like one over the other. Sometimes I get ebooks instead of regular books because they cost less, they are immediately in one of the various apps on my phone and sometimes I tend to read ebooks quicker than I do regular books. But other times I like having that book in my hand. I know that a lot of people love audiobooks. Recently I've seen a lot more people come into the children's department of my library asking for the audiobook version of a book, even when we have the book in. For me, I have never been able to find an audiobook that I could actually get into. Even narrators with an accent haven't been able to get me to like them. Whenever a narrator goes to do a voice of the opposite gender, I usually can't get over the voice. It distracts me so much I completely get drawn out of the story. I keep hoping I'll find one that I like but so far, no luck. My aunt and I use to read a lot of the same books and because we were reading the same series I would usually just loan her my physical copy of the book. Because the writing was so small, it would take her a lot longer to read but now that she has an ereader and can change the size of the text, she is able to read faster and seems to really enjoy it more. Audiobooks are also great for car rides and a lot of patrons have come in saying they're going on a trip and wanted an audiobook or two to enjoy on the journey. Personally, having an ebook or regular book, I don't feel like one over the other helps determine or affects my knowledge of the genre. I don't go by book length when thinking about that. The cover usually has more input when I think about the genre type.

Historical Fiction-Cleopatra's Daughter

Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

Egyptian Royals Series #3

Summary:

When Marc Antony and Cleopatra die, their surviving children are left at the mercy of their enemy, Octavian. Their children are taken to Rome in chains and only two survive the journey, the ten-year-old twins, Selene and Alexander. Told from Selene's perspective this story details their time in Rome as "honored guests" of Octavian. As they grow up in Rome they are faced with many challenges from the personal ambitions of Octavian's family who view the twins as threats to political uprisings in which they become personally involved. Selene is charming and intelligent like her mother and works to secure a future for herself with Juba II, son of the defeated king of Numidia.

Characteristics of Historical Fiction:

• This story was very well researched and includes a lot of accurate historical detail, including the setting, (both briefly in Egypt at the beginning as well as in Rome) Historical events were also used in the story, such as two slave trials which were based on two such trials that happened in Ancient Rome. 
• The tone of this novel is at times light such as when Selene gets to work on her drawings and sketching or in their school but at most the tone is more serious as the fate of the children comes into question. 
• The story line of this story focuses mainly on Selene's journey with brief instances of the other characters who interact with her. This novel also raises the moral issues of slavery in Ancient Rome and how Selene especially wants to change that, along with Juba. 
• Almost all of the characters, especially the main ones, were real and they do fit the time in which the story takes place. Whereas some might find Selene's education too advanced for a woman, we are reminded that she is the daughter of the woman who was considered one of the most learned women of her time. They were not allowed to be children and had to live in an adult world from a very young age, which is shown in the novel so it makes those parts fit within the story and time period. The characters' actions fit with the historical times and the details of that time period. The actions that Selene takes through the novel makes sense within not only the historical setting but also that of her character. She is portrayed as intelligent and bold and her actions fit those descriptions. 
• This novel is longer but it is a fast-paced and very intriguing story that pulls the reader in. Years pass within this novel but it never gets dull or boring. There is a great balance of historical detail and the plot of the story. One never over powers the other.
• While much of the novel is accurate and "authentic" the author took creative liberties with a few aspects to make it a better reading experience, such as changing wording to better fit what a modern reader is familiar with, such as using books instead of codices or changing the Roman practice of kicking doors as opposed to knocking on them. 

Read-a-likes:

Adult:

Fiction:

• Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran (The first two books in this series which detail the life of the famous queens Nefertiti (step-mother of King Tut) and Nefertari (niece of Nefertiti and wife of Ramesses the Great)
• Lily of the Nile (Cleopatra's Daughter #1) by Stephanie Dray (Details Selene in Rome but with a fantasy aspect as she has powers which the ruler wants to use for his own gains as she fights to see her mother's dreams for Egypt come true.)

Non-Fiction:

• Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day by Philip Matyszak (Ancient Rome)
• Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch (Historical figures of Ancient Rome)

Online resource:

• http://www.michellemoran.com/books/cleopatra/background.html This is a great resource, not only about how Moran went about writing the book but also about the research she did. There is ton of awesome information. She has this type of information for her other books too. I found it fascinating.

My opinion of Cleopatra's Daughter:

I absolutely loved this novel! Normally I lean more toward romance because historical fiction can sometimes get really bogged down with all the detail but Michelle Moran does a great job of finding that balance between the detail and the plot. I really loved the first two in this trilogy too so these are three I would recommend to anyone interested in historical fiction or Ancient Egypt and Rome. I've always been interested in Ancient Egypt but this was the first I had heard of Selene and I thought it was great!

Book Club Experience

            I chose to go to a book club at a small local library. I also told them that I was there as part of my class since they were asking if I had read the book or not. The moderator was actually the branch manager of this local library. (It seemed to only have about three people there at a time; it is also a small two-room library with one room being a meeting room where the book club meets.) This book club meets every Wednesday morning. They decide how much of the book they want to read for the next week depending on the size of the book and the schedules of the members. I was not the only new person there either, there were two new members, one who had read the book and his wife who had not read it.

            For this meeting there were seven people there including the moderator and myself, though they did say that there were a few others who could not make it that week. The moderator did lead the meeting, asking the first few questions but everyone contributed, not only to answering the questions but also for asking follow-up questions. The leader also let the others answer before she contributed her own thoughts on the book.

            The questions were not ones that could be answered with a yes or a no but that required an in depth answer. One such question was when they were asked what they thought of a character’s wife and her actions and responses to what her husband was being accused of. (The book was an historical fiction book set during the Holocaust.) One thing that I was really happy to see was that everyone answered and engaged, even the new members. There were not one or two people who either spoke too much or too little.

            The book club meets in the small meeting room of the library and it is a very friendly, lively atmosphere. Those of us that were new, whether we’d read the book or not, we were instantly welcomed and they encouraged us to contribute as well. There were drinks provided as well. This book club seems to read a variety of books but ones that they hope will encourage an engaging discussion. This current book covered the Holocaust and it looked like the next book or two would be similar. I was told that a book they had read earlier was Follow the River by James Alexander Thom, which is about the Native American captive, Mary Ingles, who escaped and walked all the way home by following the river. After speaking with the moderator after the meeting she said that she was also considering the book, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Septys. I loved that book so I thought it would be a great one for that book club to read.

            Overall, I thought this book club was very successful. It was engaging and everyone participated and they seemed to really have an insightful and thorough discussion over the book and the topics it brought up.

Summary of Special Topics Paper

For my special topics paper I chose to write about the evolution of the romance genre. In this I examined not only the way the genre itself has evolved with the addition of sub genres and the explosion of self-publishing but also the way romance readers are gaining the respect that other readers have.

Romance novels are now being included in literature courses because scholars and other academics are seeing that romance novels are not inferior to other works of literature. In many cases it was thought that the writing in romance novels was simplified for the reader so that they would not have to think very hard while reading and that thinking is changing as critics see that not only can the plots be very complex but that the writing is of a quality that can hold its own in an academic setting. This is also enabling readers to be more open about their love of the romance genre and that many do not feel that they need or should be embarrassed to express how much they enjoy reading romance novels, no matter the sub genre or subject matter.

Self-publishing has been huge in the evolution of romance novels as it has opened up the door for other sub genres to be explored that might not have been considered by traditional publishers or not published to the extent that self-publishing can, such as dark, taboo or m/m romances.

Not only is the romance genre continuing to evolve and change as time passes but it is losing the stigma that people held toward it and the readers who love romance. The genre and its readers are gaining the respect that readers of the other genres have. It also shows that romance novels are of a quality that deserves to be included with other literary genres.

References used in paper:

Dugger, J. M. (2014). "I'm a Feminist, But..." Popular Romance in the Women's Literature Classroom. Journal Of Popular Romance Studies, 4(2), 1.

Regis, Pamela. 2003. A Natural History of the Romance Novel. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Wyatt, N., Olson, G., Ramsdell, K., Saricks, J., & Welch, L. (2007). Core Collections in Genre Studies. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 47(2), 120-125.

Veros, V. V. (2012). The Romance Reader and the Public Library. Australian Library Journal, 61(4), 298-306.

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.