Week Three 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!

I searched for the fourth book in the Anita Blake series using Novelist and found The Lunatic Café.

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.

I searched for Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver and scanned the read-a-like list in Novelist. I chose Bloodroot by Amy Greene because it is fast-paced, has a similar writing style and an intricate plot.

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!

I performed a keyword search in Novelist for “Japan Historical Fiction” and the first result was Gai-Jin: a Novel of Japan by James Clavell. I used the Search For More feature to specify books from the Historical Fiction genre that are based in Japan with a writing style that is compelling, lyrical and richly detailed. The result – Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. 

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?

First, I would suggest reading Elizabeth George’s A Great Deliverance because of its rave reviews by Booklist and Kirkus. For a reading suggestion by another author, I chose the first book in Martha Grimes’ Richard Jury series, The Man with a Load of Mischief, because of Booklist’s comparison of the two authors. 

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?

I searched for World War Z and chose a read-a-like that is fast-paced, dramatic, and gruesome – The Living Dead by George A. Romero. It is a new release (June 2020), finished posthumously by Daniel Kraus, after Romero’s death in 2017. Romero is well-known as the creator of the cult classic horror film, Night of the Living Dead. This is a must read for anyone interested in the zombie apocalypse.   

6. I love books that get turned into movies, especially literary ones. Can you recommend some? Nothing too old, maybe just those from the last 5 years or so.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles just became a movie starring Tom Hanks. It is also a National Book Award finalist. The Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt premiered on the big screen in 2019. 

7. I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast paced.

I chose The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon because it is compelling, intricately plotted and considered appropriate for young adults.  

How do I find books to read?

When I am looking for books to read, the first place I look is Goodreads. I enjoy reading reviews and searching Listopia. I also pick up a lot of recommendations from conversations I have with patrons at the library. I have a pretty extensive TBR list just from talking to people about books. I like to read the BookPage publication and I scan the New York Times Bestseller List weekly and make note of the new releases I find interesting.