Week Three Prompt - NoveList

Part I

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!

In the NoveList database I searched 'Anita Blake' using the Series designation. Two series by Laurell K. Hamilton came up in the search, one for a graphic novel series and one for books. Since they didn't have the same titles and graphic novels weren't specified, I looked at the book series and found that the fourth book in the series is The Lunatic Cafe.

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.

Since I haven't read any of Barbara Kingslover's books, I brought up the Prodigal Summer listing in NoveList to get a sense of its themes and tone. While NoveList didn't list any appeal words to search for similar titles, I did notice a list of read-alike novels in the right-hand column of the page. The first novel listed was Anthill by Edward O. Wilson, which is listed as an eco-fiction novel with a similar lyrical writing style as Prodigal Summer. Anthill is also marked as suspenseful, and about 100 pages shorter than Prodigal Summer, so it could potentially be faster-paced to suit your preferences.

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!

Searching NoveList for 'Japan historical fiction,' I found a book called The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery, which seems to fit your preferences. It is set in 19th century Japan as the country begins a radical period of modernization and westernization. Its writing style is deemed to be both 'descriptive' and 'richly detailed,' which may come close to meets your specification for the descriptions fully immersing you into the story.
       
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?

You may want to try other books by Elizabeth George since you liked her novel very much, she has published 20 books with another coming out this spring, so those may keep you occupied for a good length of time. Well-Schooled in Murder is actually part of a series focusing on Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley. You may want to try the first book of the series, A Great Deliverance.
       
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?

If he hasn't seen the movie yet, he could try reading I Am Legend, which is about one man trying to survive in a world overrun by vampires. It is a older novel published in 1954, but it has inspired many of the apocalyptic zombie and vampire works that have come out in the last few decades.

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Part II

I find books to read using a variety of channels and ways to feed my addiction. I like to ask friends what they read, or what they would like to read in their spare time, and I enjoy taking their suggestions to broaden my horizons. As an avid Pinterest user, I follow several library and book boards and have found good reads from random pins in those boards. Browsing the shelves in libraries and bookstores is another way to find new releases and bestsellers for consideration. But for the last couple years, the easiest way I've found new books to read is by scoping out the book drop for interesting titles when I'm working circulation - and at the end of the day I usually head home with a pile of books in my hands!

However, these methods would probably not suffice for helping patrons find books interesting to them. I had heard of NoveList before and getting the chance to use it for this exercise was a fun way to practice looking for books I know very little or nothing about. I technically have a Goodreads account, but I don't use it that much because I tend to go through books quickly and always forget to use it. I think the tools Chelton has listed provide librarians and readers with a lot of options for finding books to read, and it would make a great backup go-to list for reader's advisory.