Week 7 Prompt

As I read this week's reading I realized I never knew how many fake memoirs there were. I feel it is sad that people create fake stories to get attention and money. Bringing attention to what is going on the world is one thing, but making a false story is another. If you want to tell a story publish a fiction novel, and do some research to help back up the facts in it. I have occasionally read memoirs; the ones I have read I have touching and sometimes hard to read. It is only fair to the people who write their really true story for people to read that there aren't fake memoirs.

I never really watched Oprah so I have only heard of her book club; but I think it is fair that authors got the bump that they received. A lot of popular books receive their praise from word of mouth publicity. A TV book club is on a slightly bigger scale, but it is someone sharing a book that they enjoyed with others. So I think it is fun that so many of Oprah's picks made the bestseller list. It got people reading and enjoying a story.

The celebrity book clubs are a fun way to get people reading. I thinks it's great that celebrities want to share their love of books with their fans. Book clubs are also a great way for people to meet. Though I prefer a real world book club rather than an online one. I prefer to see the people I am talking with. But for other people who are more comfortable online it is great that they have the option of an online book club. They can meet people from all over the world or share thought about reading with like minded people.




Butler, R., Cowan, B., & Nilsson, S. (2005). From Obscurity to Bestseller: Examining the Impact of Oprah's Book Club Selections. Publishing Research Quarterly, 20(4), 23-34. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Fake Memoirs. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_memoirs

Liao, A. (2017). Celebrity Book Clubs Create Virtual Reading Community. Retrieved from https://www.bookstr.com/celebrity-book-clubs-create-virtual-reading-community

Science Fiction Annotation

No Time Like the Past  Star Trek The Original Series by Greg Cox

Series: Star Trek

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 386

Summary: No Time Like the Past is set in the world of Star Trek: The Original Series, but has a crossover with Star Trek: Voyager. Captain Kirk and the Enterprise are on a diplomatic mission to the planet Yusub to help handle the Orion pirate problem. But the diplomatic meeting is ambushed by Orion pirates and Yusub rebels leading to many deaths. As Kirk and Commissioner Santiago run into trouble a woman appears and saves them, shortly before Spock and security personnel from the Enterprise beam down. The woman introduces herself as "Annika Seven" and she is from the future.

In the future, Voyager has come across a Starfleet distress signal broadcasting from a lifeless planet in the Delta Quadrant and a team is going to investigate. The team made up of Captain Janeway, Tuvok, Neelix, and Seven of Nine, discover a rock face carved to look like Captain James T. Kirk's face. As they explore more they accidentally set off a trap that causes a blast that knocks them all out. Seven's Borg tech helps heal her injuries and she awakens quickly to try to summon help. But the trap also has set a force field around the area they are in, so that she can not summon help. As Seven tries to deactivate the force field she comes across a piece of time travel equipment, and is set back in time and across space.

Seven explains her story to Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Commissioner Santiago, but won't go into details, because it might disrupt the timeline. Kirk respects her decision, but Commissioner Santiago doesn't. That discussion is put on hold to cover the bigger problem of finding a way home. Seven has discovered a piece of the time device on Yusub when she arrived. She believes if she finds the other pieces she can use them to get home, but she needs help to do it. With the diplomatic mission on hold, because of the attack the Enterprise is free to take her. 

As the story unfolds the reader finds out there is an Orion spy aboard the Enterprise and the Orion pirates are now after the time traveler. The Enterprise must return to three different planets they have visited in the past; where Seven by herself and then with Kirk travel into the planet past to find the pieces of the device that they need. Along the way they battle with the Orions, travel into the Neutral Zone they share with the Klingon, and have crew members held as hostages; but they still make it to the third and last stop on their journey. Where the question becomes will Captain James T. Kirk make it back to his present to have a future, will Seven survive without the technology she requires to regenerate, and what will become of the Voyager team members if Seven doesn't return to the future to get them the required medical attention?

Characteristics of Science Fiction:

Story Line: The story line is speculative fiction that appeals to the reader's intellect (Saricks, 2009). No Time Like the Past is set in the Star Trek universe, which widely popular. It tells a story that was not seen on the TV show. It gives reader more of the story of a world they enjoy.

Frame/Setting: The frame or setting is evocative and visual (Saricks, 2009). No Time Like the Past is set on different worlds with different customs and people.

Characterization: Science fiction focuses on ideas and setting (Saricks, 2009). No Time Like the Past is about time travel and if Seven should change the past. Also it focuses on what happened to the three worlds that the Enterprise visited, and how they became what they are now. The story is about actions having consequences.

Pacing: Action in Science Fiction may be interior or exterior, with more action and adventure elements included (Saricks, 2009). No Time Like the Past has interior and exterior action. The interior action is the conflict inside Seven of wishing she could change the past, but not wanting to do damage to the future. The exterior action is the fight scenes between Starfleet and the Orion pirates.

Read-a-likes from Novelist:

Armada by Ernest Cline

Stargate Atlantis by Jo Graham

Halo by Karen Traviss

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

1636 by Eric Flint

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

Timeline by Michael Crichton

Contact by Carl Sagan

Author Read-a-likes from Novelist:

Peter David

S.D. Perry

Tim Lebbon

Yvonne Navarro

James Luceno

Aaron Allston

Matthew Woodring Stover

Karen Traviss

Troy Denning

Saricks, J. (2009). The Reader's Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction (2nd ed.). Chicago,IL: American Library Association.

Week 6 Prompt

I would promote romances by pairing a romance book and a romantic movie. I would make a display with there pairings. I would make up a list of romance movies and match them up with similar books. Then the list could be displayed with the pairings. It would promote new romances to people who already read romances. People who don't read romances, but watch the movies would get an idea of what romance books they might enjoy.

Romance Annotation

You Say It First by Susan Mallery    

Series: Happily, Inc.
Genre: Romance
Pages: 304

Summary: Nick Mitchell is a successful artist. Pallas Saunders runs a themed wedding business. Nick isn't planning on being around long; while Pallas has roots in the town. Nick takes on the job of restoring set panels for Pallas's business, and they keep getting more and more involved in each other lives. As they work together to pull off a videogame themed wedding, they have ups and downs that include a videogame party, runaway zebras, and armed robbery; but in the end they realize that all that matters is how they feel for each other.    

Characteristics of Romance

Tone- The romance genre appeals to readers' emotions (Saricks, 2009). You Say It First draws people in so that the reader cares about all the characters and can't wait to find out what will happen with the rest of the characters in the story.

Characterization- The romance genre is character driven (Saricks, 2009). You Say It First has the main characters that are the focus of the story, but it also has secondary characters that you come to care about by the end of the book. Those characters stories are important to the reader by the end of the first book.

Story Line- The romance genre is focused on the romantic relationship and the happy ending (Saricks, 2009). You Say It First sends with the characters discussing where they will be married.

Pacing- The romance genre has a fast past and more dialogue than description (Saricks, 2009). You Say It First is a fast paced story that focuses on the characters interactions.

Read-a-likes from Novelist:

Wild Man Creek by Robyn Carr
Riding the Wave by Lorelie Brown
Nobody but You by Julie Kenner
Queen of the Universe by Barbara Plum
Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts
Eclipse Bay by Jayne Ann Krentz

Similar Authors for Novelist:

Jennifer Crusie
Suzanne Brock
Iris Johansen
Lisa Jackson
Lori Foster
Beverly Barton

Saricks, J. (2009). The Reader's Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction (2nd ed.). Chicago,IL: American Library Association.

Week 5 Prompt

E-book only books are hard to find in the library collection, unless it's a popular author, and even then it's not guaranteed. E-books need a review guide of their own, so libraries and readers know what's coming out. A lot of times if an author publishes a short story in e-book form it has to be requested by the library patrons that are looking for it or found though Amazon or another online source.

The e-book romance reviews both seem reliable. One is from an Amazon customer and the other is from a blog review. The blog review is less glowing than the Amazon review, but the blog still gives 3 out of 5 stars. So, as long as I could find the rest of the series for purchase this seems like a good holiday romance read to add to the library's collection.

The reviews show that "Angela's Ashes" is a powerful and gripping story through writing and content. It is something that the library should have in its collection to give patrons the option to read if they are interested. It isn't something that I would read; but it sounds like a book that reaches readers.

Popular authors and titles are going to get lots of reviews, but it would be nice if all genres and formats each had a review guide to share what is available for readers. Libraries can only get books that they are aware of. E-book only books are proof of that. Unless a book has reviews or some kind of publicity libraries can't know it is out there.

I think that not printing negative content is nice, but how are people to get a clear picture without both sides weighing in. I think positive and negative reviews can be constructive feedback for both the author and the reader.

I use the Book Page for personal review. I usually just read authors similar to my favorites, unless I come across something that sounds really interesting. I don't usually look at many reviews, but reviews can be helpful in finding new authors or books that are interesting that you might miss otherwise. Such as a new author's first release or a genre that you don't normally read.

Kirkus Style Review

Susan Mallery's spin-off series Happily, Inc. has the same small town uniqueness that made the Fool's Gold series such a hit. With characters from Fool's Gold moving on to Happily, Inc. the new series flows smoothly over from the old.

Nick Mitchell is a talented artist, moving from Fool's Gold to Happily, Inc. to get away from his famous father's expectations and presence. Pallas Saunders recently inherited "Weddings in a Box", a themed wedding location, from her old boss; but her mother expects her to join the family bank business. She needs someone to restore some of the panel settings used in her wedding business. He is waiting to hear back about a commission that would take two years. A mutual friend suggests Nick take the job of restoring the panels. Sparks fly from their first meeting, which includes spray tanning, but they each have reasons for not getting involved. Both are trying to find where they are suppose to be and who they want to be, but an emotional wedding brings everyone together to make a beautiful memory for a dying father of the bride. Bumps in the road threaten to throw the wedding and their relationship into jeopardy, but between videogame parties, a demanding mother, runaway zebras, and a wedding robbery, they realize what they could have together. Now they just have to pull off a wedding and take the steps that will mean a happily ever after for both of them. This wonderful first step into a delightful new town is filled with wonderful friendships, unusual animals, and family galore. The residents of Happily, Inc. are introduced throughout the story setting up backstories and possibilities to come as the series takes off.

Susan Mallery and Happily, Inc. had me hooked in from the beginning. I can't wait to jump into the next book in the series Second Chance Girl.

Secret Shopper Assignment

I went to a public library I hadn’t been to in a few years, and I didn’t know the librarian. I went to the circulation desk and asked for a new author to read. I gave the librarian a few of my favorite authors Nora Roberts, Nalini Singh, J.R. Ward, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. She did three different searches on what I think were Fantastic Fiction, Google, and the online catalog. She gave several authors I had read already. Then found four that I haven’t read. They are Kelley Armstrong, Patricia Briggs, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Karen Marie Moning.

She pointed me in the direction of the fiction section and I found the first in the series by Karen Marie Moning. I couldn’t find any of Kelley Armstrong or Patricia Briggs books in on the shelves, and Laurell K. Hamilton’s series didn’t have the first book available. Overall, it went well and I left with a book that I am looking forward to reading. I don’t know if I’ll go back, because the library I currently use is more convenient for me.