Week 5: Building Base Knowlege (Part II)

Assignment 1

Okay, I picked Salon as the site I would follow and I've had mixed results.  I have not used it for RA when working because it is rather cumbersome to upload, is full of pop-up ads, and doesn't seem to cover topics that customers ask about.  Other than that, it's great! 

Well, I have read a couple of the books that were recommended there including Going Clear which is about scientology and the various wealthy and famous people who buy into that cult.  Not bad, but not a fast read, and the author clearly dislikes scientology but I think that's the whole point of the book.

I did sign-up for the Early Word newsletter and have to say that their site looks much better to me than Salon.  I wish I had chosen that originally, since I can see that Early Word is a more practical RA tool in my opinion. 

Assignment 2

Okay, after looking over Early Word's site, I think one of the areas that I will use is ALA — Great Nonfiction Read-Alikes.  I really think that read-alikes are something that I get asked about a lot when I'm on the desk.  I do use NoveList, but I like another point of view.  Also, I like their Awards section since they're listed alphabetically in one place and that makes it a quick access when doing RA.  There is so much on Early Word that I am still trying to sort it out, but I know I will be using this site quite a bit in the future.

Assignment 3

Using PW Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2013, I chose Neil Gaiman's newest novel due out in June 2013 entitled The Ocean at the End of the Lane.  Like many of Gaiman's works, this novel involves supernatural elements as a young man tries to remember the events that almost destroyed his family when he was a boy.  Gaiman tends to concentrate on place and character and his plots are full of fantasy type of elements such as witches and evil spirits.  I think this book will appeal to readers who have enjoyed Gaiman's past works and those who like a somewhat creepy tale with an ominous feel to it.  I would say that those who care for authors such as Stephen King or Cliver Barker or Terry Pratchett would probably enjoy Gaiman, too.