About two weeks ago I posted about my Reader Advisory class gone wrong. I mentioned that several of my students thought that the Romance genre was a waste of time, but it wasn't until I had a discussion with a friend of mine who happens to be taking the class that I remembered the most disturbing thing that was said in that class. One of my students brought up her distaste for the borrowing habits of Romance readers at her library. It seems that at her library some Romance readers checkout six or seven books at a time, then they come back to the library a few days later and check out another six or seven romance books.

The audacity of some patrons.

My mind brushed over that comment in class because I was still horrified from the ugliness that erupted a few minutes before, but the more I think about the comment the more confused I become. Why would a librarian, regardless of what genres they liked or disliked, view a patron checking out a substantial amount of books who then returns to check out even more books as a bad thing?

As a public librarian, one of the things I focus on day in and day out is getting my collection moving off the shelves. While I think it is important to help patrons learn to use the library, the computers, the databases, etc., I am first and foremost a book pimp. The displays I put up, the thematic booklists I create, heck even the summer/winter reading programs the library sponsors are all elaborate schemes to get readers to check out books. That's not to say that I don't hope my patrons enjoy the books they check out, because I do. But that is not the ultimate goal, just an added benefit.

I think I will have a discussion with my kids about this tomorrow night. I've talked to them about identifying genres and understanding the appeal factors, but clearly I haven't focused enough on the business side of book pimping. It's time for me to rectify that.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

I just got an email from a student letting me know that they are dropping my Intro to Reference class (the Saturday morning class). While it isn't unusual for a student to drop a class several weeks into the semester, this is the third student to drop. My class was very tiny to begin with, and now that I've lost this person my class size is down to six people. Six! At this rate I'm going to be lucky to have one student still taking the class by the end of the semester.

If you see me on a Saturday morning and don't understand why I'm so crabby, this is why.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Although this edition covers not one, but two weeks, it is going to be pathetically short in the number of books mentioned. Since Tuesday I've been messing around with some research (more on that next week) and it has sadly cut into my reading time this week.

I did manage to finally read The Manolo Matrix by Julie Kenner. The sequel to The Givenchy Code finds Jennifer Crane (former roommate of Givenchy's Melanie) unwillingly cast in the role of protector in the deadly game Play.Survive.Win (PSW). A singing waitress with dreams of Broadway stardom, Jennifer isn't prepared for the role assigned to her by the game. Not that she has much of a choice. PSW has ways of making unwilling players play the game and for Jennifer participation in the game is a matter of life or death, namely hers. It will take everything she and FBI agent Devlin Brady (the target she is suppose to protect) have to solve the clues and save her life.

The Manolo Matrix is highly recommended for all fans of Chick Lit, as well as any readers who enjoy a good mystery with just a touch of romance. One warning: this novel can be a bit addicting as you try to figure out the clues along with the characters. If you have not already read The Givenchy Code you will definitely want to before picking The Manolo Matrix up. The final book in the PSW trilogy, The Prada Paradox, will be released in 2007. While I'll be excited to finally learn who is behind PSW, I will be very sad to see this series come to an end.

Over the weekend I read something I've never read before: Ellora's Cave. I read books one and two in Cheyenne McCray's Wonderland series (King of Hearts and King of Spades). Diving into the EC world can be a bit daunting with all the choices available to readers. I ended up going with Cheyenne McCray because I have her novel Forbidden Magic sitting on my TBR shelf giving me the Why haven't you read me yet? dirty look. Although I've only read the first two books in the series, so far I'm not disappointed. I enjoyed book one, loved book two, and am now dying to read book three, King of Diamonds. I'm definitely going to try out more EC authors and titles now that I've gotten my feet wet. Any suggestions?

Now it's your turn. What have you been reading this week?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

One of my listservs this morning pointed to an article in the latest issue of TIME: Well, Hello, Suckers. This brief article discusses the popularity of vampire romances, or as my friend Mike likes to call them, Sexy Vampire Books.

While I'm not disagreeing with the article, I can't help but wonder at the timing of it. Isn't this old news?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

There's a party goin' on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years

Sorry about that, but I feel the need to get my Kool and the Gang on right now. Last night I got the news that Audra, my oldest friend, is being transferred by her company to Chicago. For me this will be the equivalent of having family living in the Chicago area. Woo hoo!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Recently my friend Audra had a blind date. Before the date I asked her what the guy was like. Her only comment was, "He isn't funny." The day after the date I got a chance to talk to her, and again I asked her what he was like. Her only comment? "He wasn't funny." Not "He smelled," not "He was a jackass," not even "I think he might be gay," which if you know Audra you know happens. A lot.

Since then I've been thinking a lot about humor in our lives, which is a good thing given that tonight's Reader Advisory class is all about Humorous Fiction. For tonight's discussion I read Confessions of a Teen Sleuth by Chelsea Cain. In this parody author Chelsea Cain invites readers to get to know the real Nancy Drew, not the fictionalized version created by her bitter college roommate Carolyn Keene. Taking us through some of the more important moments in Nancy's life, many questions that readers may have had about the plucky sleuth are answered. For example, was Ned Nickerson the love of Nancy's life or did her heart belong to one of those dashing Hardy Boys? Laugh out loud hilarious at some points while darker at others, this book is recommended to any reader of the Nancy Drew canon.

While I loved the book I read this week, as I've been reading the responses from my students I know that not everyone thought their book was funny. With humor so subjective, how do you find the right book with the right humor when a patron walks up to the desk and asks for something funny?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Days after my RA class gone wrong, USA Today has this article in today's edition: Romance Novels for Women Get Frankly Sexual. We touched on this a bit in class, and I mentioned some of the new lines that are starting (or will soon be up and running) that are also mentioned in the USA Today article. Nothing new if you have read the latest RT, but interesting if you haven't.

One of my students who was of the "if it's Romance it's crap" school of thought said in class that she wished her book had more sex in it (yes, I found that weird too), and I've been thinking ever since that maybe I was wrong to not include more Romantica/Erotica in my class selections. I've also been doing a lot of thinking about the inclusion of Romantica/Erotica in library collections. Despite its overwhelming popularity, how many libraries are actually shelving this genre/subgenre?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Just a quick note that this week's This Week in Reading is being postponed. I promise, next week's edition will be super-sized.

At the moment I am blogging from Iowa using a craptacular dial-up connection. DSL at home and a T1 at work have sooooo spoiled me. I'll be home late Monday. Enjoy the long weekend! :-)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

I sometimes like to joke that my students are like my kids. I try to raise them to be the best librarians they can be, and it is my hope that they will go out into the library world and make me proud. There are moments where I hear about a student's success after graduation and get a warm, fuzzy feeling that could only be described as parental pride.

Last night in class was not one of those moments.

Everything started friendly enough. We were discussing the Romance genre when out of nowhere the discussion took a turn for the ugly. I can't even remember how the topic was broached (I think we were talking about reader statistics, but I'm not 100% positive about that) when one of my students said that they really didn't see the point in reading romance. Another student jumped in (one who before last night I had thought of as sane) and said that they thought reading it was a "waste of time." A handful of other students nodded their heads or echoed the same thoughts.

If this is a one time anomaly maybe I could brush it off (although I probably wouldn't be happy about doing that). But it's not. Last week when discussing Horror one of my students wanted to discuss "what was wrong with people who read Horror."

Whenever I talk about reader advisory, regardless of whether it is in my reference class or my reader advisory class, I try to stress how important it is to 1) respect the reader and 2) respect the genres they read. I don't care what you think about the author, the book, the genre, whatever. You will show respect to the reader. While I believe every reader has the right to their opinion, when you are a librarian you check your opinion at the door. Any discussion that happens between a librarian and a reader should be open, encouraging, and accepting at all times. I thought I was getting that across to my students. Clearly I am not if they feel it is okay to openly trash a genre in a class were the entire goal of the class is to 1) get a better understanding of a genre as a whole and 2) understand what draws people to that genre.

I'm not angry, I'm not hurt. I'm disappointed. Really, really disappointed. Actually, let me change that. I'm disappointed and worried. Right now my kids are broken, I need to fix them, and I haven't a clue how to go about doing that.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

A day after Valentine's Day, it seemed only appropriate to schedule the Romance genre for tonight's Reader Advisory class. My book for this week was True Confessions by Rachel Gibson. Tabloid journalist Hope Spencer moves to Gospel, Idaho, for a much needed break. Burnt out writing about aliens, Elvis sightings, and Micky the Magical Leprechaun, Hope's boss at The Weekly News of the Universe has sent her to Gospel for a six-month working vacation. With a little luck she will find inspiration in this remote mountain town and get her creative juices flowing again. What Hope doesn't count on, however, is falling for local sheriff Dylan Taber. She doesn't like keeping secrets, but once she told Dylan she was in Gospel to write a nature article everything snowballed from there. How can she admit to him that she lied and really writes for a tabloid? As it turns out, Dylan has a secret of his own that is much bigger and potentially much more devastating than the one Hope is keeping. True Confessions is a romantic comedy that all fans of contemporary romance will enjoy. The small town of Gospel, Idaho, is populated by an assortment of quirky characters that readers will find endearing. This book is recommended for anyone wanting a little laughter with their romance.

The topic for this week might be Let's Talk Romance, but it might as well be Let's Talk Sex as that is the issue plaguing me of late. I already plan on stirring the pot in tonight's discussion by using my favorite antagonize Manogirl question: Does a Romance novel have to have sex in it to be considered a Romance? After reading the recent RT article that discusses definitions for "Hot" Romances, Erotic Romance (or Romantica), and Erotica, as well as reading the posts by HelenKay Dimon and Alison Kent discussing the article, I think I'm going to have to up the discussion a bit. I'll be curious to see what my students have to say about drawing lines between Romance, Romantica, and Erotica. And to coincide with this discussion I think we will also have to delve into squick barriers and how that impacts not only how we classify stories (after all, what is hot to one person may be tepid to another) but how it impacts our collection development and patron recommendations.

Should be a fun class. :-)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Speed Dating with a Literary Twist as Libraries Offer Love
Belgium is using the promise of romance to lure single readers into libraries in what librarians hope will become a new fashion - bib-dating.

So how long do we think it will be before more libraries start offering bibliodating? I know the Bettendorf Public Library (a library near my hometown in Iowa) use to be the location for a speed dating event. While the Library did not sponsor the event and served merely as a location, I could see some libraries trying this out as a program. I know one of the libraries in my area is trying to do more programming targeting people in their 20s and 30s. Perhaps I'll be reading about them doing a bibliodating event soon.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Once again I would like to thank everyone who posted a comment or emailed me suggestions for Humorous Fiction titles. I used every single suggestion I got. So for Wednesday's class I will be handing out the following books:

Big Trouble by Dave Barry
Jennifer Government by Maxx Barry
Little Green Men by Christopher Buckley
Confessions of a Teen Sleuth by Chelsea Cain
Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress
Microserfs by Douglas Coupland
The Mother-In-Law Diaries by Carol Dawson
Rosy is My Relative by Gerald Malcolm Durrell
The Floatplane Notebooks by Clyde Edgerton
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
Snobs by Julian Fellowes
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Postcards From the Edge by Carrie Fisher
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Who's Afraid of Beowulf? by Tom Holt
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
My Life on a Plate by India Knight
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin
Bachelor Brother's Bed and Breakfast by Bill Richardson
In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd
Topper by Thorne Smith
Chocolate Lizards by Cole Thompson
The Queen and I by Sue Townsend
Quite a Year for Plums by Bailey White
Out to Pasture but Not Over the Hill by Effie Leland Wilder

I'm waiting to hear back on a P.G. Wodehouse book, but if I don't get it in time I think I'm still covered. Thanks again! :-)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Before I begin blogging about what I've been reading this week, let me first thank everyone who has emailed me or left a comment suggesting Humorous Fiction for my class to read. Thank you, thank you, thank you! My kids will be very happy with your suggestions. :-)

This week's reading mirrored last week's in that I got to read authors that were new to me, as well as one old favorite. I've already talked a bit about my reading experience with Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, but let me just say that despite my struggle over whether or not it was a true horror novel, I will definitely be reading the other books in the series. I know more about what happens in upcoming books than I would usually care to, but that couldn't be helped. Whenever the topic of the Anita Blake series has come up, whoever was talking about couldn't help but let the spoilers fly. That seems to be a universal trait amongst all Anita Blake readers (regardless of whether or not the like where the author took the character). Love her or hate her, you can't help but talk about her.

After reading Horror for class, I decided to balance it out by reading two new mystery series this week. The first mystery I read was Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot, the first book in the Heather Wells mystery series. If you are a faded pop star who has been left without a boyfriend, a recording contract, or any of your hard earned money, what would you do? Go back to college, of course. Which is exactly what recovering teen idol Heather Wells does. After losing everything, she begins her new life by obtaining a position as an assistant residence hall director at New York College. The pay stinks, but the benefits (free tuition) are priceless to Heather. When a young girl's body is found at the bottom of the residence hall's elevator shaft everyone writes it off as a tragic accident involving on girl's stupidity in trying elevator surfing. Only Heather suspects that there may be more to the girl's death than meets the eye. While her friends tell her that she is imagining things, Heather is sure that the girl's death is no accident. With the help of her private eye landlord, Heather sets out to find the girl's killer and soon learns that trading pop songs for gumshoes is more difficult (and more dangerous) than she imagined.

I was already a fan of Meg Cabot's before picking up Size 12 is Not Fat, and she didn't disappoint me her latest creation. This is a book that fans of light, humorous mysteries as well as readers of Chick Lit will enjoy. I know that I will definitely be picking up the next installment (tentatively titled Phat Chick) when it is released in January 2007.

My second mystery for the week was The Trouble with Magic by Madelyn Alt, the first book in the Bewitching Mystery Series. It's Maggie O'Neill's lucky day when she accidentally falls through a door into Enchantments, one of Stony Mill, Indiana's, finest antique stores. When the proprietor of the store, Felicity Dow, offers her a job, Maggie isn't sure what to think. When Felicity informs her that she is a witch, Maggie really doesn't know what to think. Dissatisfied with her current job, Maggie takes Felicity up on her offer. Her first day on the job is an eventful one when Felicity's estranged sister is found dead in her home, and the police take Felicity in for questioning. Could Maggie's new boss be a killer? She doesn't believe so, but everyone else is convinced of Felicity's guilt. Through her attempt to prove Felicity's innocence and discover the real killer, Maggie makes a startling discovery about herself.

I really liked this book. In fact, the more I think about it the more I think I could fall into serious infatuation with it. Although I've only gotten a glimpse of the cast of characters that populate the fictional town of Stony Mill, Indiana, the author gave me more than enough to leave me intrigued. The blend of paranormal and cozy mystery worked very well together, and as a whole will keep you thinking about the world that has been created long after the story ends. To me The Trouble with Magic is one of those books that I see as the safe recommendation: a book that is so charming and well done that the majority of my mystery and paranormal reading patrons would enjoy it. Although I do have one question for the author. Where's the sequel? I want it. Now.

What have you been reading this week?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

We interrupt or normal blog posting for some heavy pleading from your friendly blogger.

At the beginning of the semester my students voted to read Humorous Fiction for their next genre discussion, and I'm starting to get a little nervous about putting together the list of 25 suggested titles. Normally I don't worry too much about pulling appropriate titles, but with this list I'm trying to stay away from anything that could fall into one of the major genres. So no Romantic Comedies, no Humorous Mysteries, and no funny Chick Lit. For this list I figure I'll include books like Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher or High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. And yes, I realize that Nick Hornby is Lad Lit, but I'm just happy that I finally found a way to work him onto a required reading list for my class.

Anyway, here comes the pleading part. If you have any books you would like to suggest for my Humorous Fiction section, I would be very grateful. My brain is running on empty at the moment, and I would greatly appreciate any suggestions.

I now return you to your normal blog reading.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

It's Wednesday, so you know what the means. Reader Advisory class! Woo hoo!

This week all my little readers were given the task of reading something from the Horror genre. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a wussy reader when it comes to horror. Last year I took one for the team and read a book that scared the bejesus out of me. This time I cheated a bit and made sure I got something that wouldn't be quite so frightening, and as a special bonus for me it was a book that has been languishing in my TBR pile for freaking ever.

My book for this week was Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton. To vampires, Anita Blake is The Executioner. A professional animator (not the Disney kind) and vampire hunter, Anita spends a great deal of her time raising or killing the things that go bump in the night. Although she has no love for vampires, Anita finds herself investigating the murders of several vampires at the request (and arm twisting) of St. Louis's most powerful vampire. The first novel in the Anita Blake series introduces readers to an interesting world filled with vivid characters. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Anne Rice will be drawn to Hamilton's take on modern day vampires. This book is recommend to readers who enjoy a good vampire story, as well as anyone who enjoys reading urban fantasy. This book is a perfect selection for readers who want to try Horror, but aren't quite ready for more hardcore authors.

While reading this book I kept going back and forth on whether or not it could be classified as Horror. Nearly every genre guide I've consulted classifies Guilty Pleasures as Horror, it had a majority of characteristics that define a Horror novel, and yet I wasn't sure if I would call it Horror. Why? It didn't seem scary enough to me. Granted, I knew when I selected it that I was picking one of the wussier, but I still expected to find it somewhat frightening (especially since I am a big chicken). Truth be told, there was only one scene in the book that freaked me out and inspired several not so fun nightmares. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the book and wants to read it, but I will give you a clue. It involved rats. Big, almost human sized, rats.

I just got the shivers typing that in.

So my big question for tonight will be a two-part question: How scary does a book have to be in order for it to be considered Horror? And to go along with that, how much does a reader's own fears or tolerance for frightening situations impact the success of novel as a Horror story to them?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

This week has been a very satisfying reading week for me. Not only did I get to read a new author, but I got to read a couple of favorites as well.

On Wednesday I talked a bit about the book I read for class, Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings. Outside of urban fantasy I'm normally not a big fantasy reader, but after reading Pawn of Prophecy I think I should definitely work more fantasy subgenres into my reading schedule. Any and all suggestions of what titles I should start with are welcome. :-)

Reading Pawn of Prophecy and discussing fantasy with my class got me in the mood to read one of my favorite urban fantasies again: Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison. The first in the Rachel Morgan series, I can't say enough about how much I love this book and author. As I told my class on Wednesday, if I had the power to make ever single person on this planet read just one book, this would be the one. Forget Superman or Wonder Woman. I want Oprah's powers.

Anyway... Dead Witch Walking is set in the Hollows -- the dark, wild side of Cincinnati. When half the human population is decimated by a virus spread through genetically engineered tomatoes, human beings learn that they are not alone. Witches, pixies, vampires, werewolves, and more share the planet with them. And now that the Inderlander population is roughly the same size as the human population, they want to be recognized. This is the world of Rachel Morgan, a runner (bounty hunter) for Inderland Security. A witch by birth, Rachel followed in her father's footsteps when she signed on to be a runner. But after several years of service Rachel is ready to quit and strike out on her own. One problem though: no one leaves the IS and lives to tell the tale. Within hours of quitting her job, Rachel's boss has put a contract out on her. Fortunately she did not leave the IS empty handed, as two of her co-workers elected to join her: vampire Ivy Tamwood (one of their best agents) and a pixie named Jenks. The three form a partnership and start their own independent runner agency. Now all Rachel needs to do is pay off the contract on her head. The opportunity to do this presents itself when Rachel learns that one of Cincinnati's most powerful citizens is making and selling antibiotics that have been outlawed. Will Rachel find a way to bring him in and in the process save herself from certain death before it's too late?

Damn this was a good book. Fantastic world building, kickass characters, a great storyline. It has it all. Reading it again made me more anxious than I already was for the next installment in the series, A Fistful of Charms. Sadly, June 27 is a long ways off. Although if you haven't read any books in this series (*cough* Mike *cough*) there is plenty of time to read the first three books before book four comes out.

For all my gushing about the Rachel Morgan series, my favorite read this week was Lasso the Moon by Beth Ciotta. I'm honest enough to admit when I'm a skeptical reader. When I saw that Beth's latest book was going to be a historical (eek!) western (double eek!) romance, I wasn't sure whether or not I would like it. I don't read a lot of historical fiction (regardless of what genre it falls in), and I've already stated my views about westerns. So I assumed there was a good chance that I wouldn't enjoy this book as much as I had enjoyed the author's previous works.

Color me wrong. Really wrong.

Lasso the Moon is the story of Paris Garrett, a talented songwriter who's out to fulfill a promise she made her father when she was just a child. Her father wanted her to become a famous stage actress, and although Paris would much rather stick to writing music, a promise is a promise. Running away from her four overprotective brothers, Paris travels to the Arizona Territory to make that promise a reality. Along the way she meets Josh Grant, a recently resigned sheriff who had to give up his badge when he inherited an opera house from his late uncle. Although a songwriter with a knack for attracting trouble is the last thing Josh needs, a stipulation in his uncle's will requiring him to marry post haste makes him reconsider letting Paris into his life. Could it be that fate has thrown the two together for a reason?

A humorous historical romance with a western setting, Lasso the Moon managed to do something that I never would have thought possible: it made me completely forget that I was reading a western. I got so wrapped up in the story, the characters, and the dialogue that it never occurred to me that I was reading a western and that I shouldn't be liking it. It was such an enjoyable read from beginning to end, I feel a bit embarrassed that I even doubted that I would enjoy. That will teach me to doubt my authors.

One warning though: if you are anything like me and tend to let loose with a snort laugh when something strikes you as really funny, you might want to refrain from reading Lasso the Moon in public. There is a lot of humor in this book, and my snort laughs were flying all over the place the other day. It was frightening.

Your turn. What have you been reading this week?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

For all you Illinois youth librarians out there, the list of the 2007 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Nominees has begun making the rounds. The twenty books nominated for 2007 are:

• Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
• Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Muñoz Ryan
• Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
• Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
• Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
• Hachiko Waits by Leslea Newman
• Hana's Suitcase: A True Story by Karen Levine
• Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
• Ida B: And Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan
• Last Shot by John Feinstein
• Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
• Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
• Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
• Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings
• The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
• Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley by Sally M. Walker
• Shackleton's Stowaway by Victoria McKernan
• So B. It by Sarah Weeks
• Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson
• Thin Wood Walls by David Patneaude

The winner of the 2006 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award will be announced on March 17 at the NIU Children's Literature Conference.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

During lunch today I was catching up on my blog reading from yesterday. Over at Pub Rants there is a discussion concerning the State of the Chick Lit Nation. In her post Kristin raises the question, Is the chick lit trend now dead? If you are a fan of the genre I suggest you check the post and the comments in response out.

I agree with Kristin's belief that the glut of Chick Lit in the marketplace is impacting sales. To me readers who are truly passionate about a genre/subgenre will initially gobble up every author they can find who publishes in their genre of choice, especially if there are not a lot of authors publishing in that genre. However, when a genre grows and more books are available, readers are afforded the luxury of being choosy about what books they buy. Does it suck for authors who are trying to get a foot in the door? Absolutely. But for readers it can be a blessing. Some readers are lucky right now in that they are overwhelmed with reading options. The flip side of this of course is that there are some readers who are feeling neglected because the genre/subgenre they like to read isn't currently in style.

Given that publishing is cyclical and what's hot changes in a blink of an eye at times, are there any genres or subgenres that you think are in or could soon be in the same situation as Chick Lit? Are there any genres/subgenres you think could be making a come back now or in the near future?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Yesterday Amazon launched a new service, Amazon Connect. According to their website:

Amazon Connect is a new program that allows readers to receive messages directly from their favorite authors. It opens an entirely new channel of communication between authors and their readers.

In addition to having their posts appear on the Amazon.com home page and book detail pages, posts will also appear on an author's Amazon blog page and on a special author profile page that will feature the author's three most recent posts and bibliography. Beyond that, Amazon customers can sign up to receive posts from authors on their plog.

Is it just me, or doesn't this seem like something libraries should be doing too?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight I meet once again with my Reader Advisory class. Last week's discussion went pretty well, so I am looking forward to working through tonight's topic: science fiction and fantasy.

For this week's class I read Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings, the first book in the Belgariad series. Long ago the evil God Torak drove men and Gods to war when he stole a powerful orb from his brother Aldur. The war raged for many years until one fateful night when Belgarath the Sorcerer led a group of men to reclaim the Orb of Aldur from Torak. According to prophecy, as long as the Orb stayed on the Isle of Riva men would be protected from Torak's wrath. Now thousands of years have passed, and the legend of the Orb is nothing but a story to Garion. Raised on a farm by his Aunt Pol, Garion knows nothing of the outside world except the stories he has heard from Old Wolf. But when it appears that the Orb of Aldur has been stolen, much of what Garion always thought of as being impossible comes crashing down around him. Before he knows it he finds himself on a quest with Old Wolf, Aunt Pol, and a handful of strangers to track down the Orb. Through their journey it becomes painfully obvious to Garion that everything is not as it appears. Who exactly are Old Wolf and Aunt Pol? And why does he feel like there is some connection between himself and the Orb they so desperately seek?

As a whole I really enjoyed Pawn of Prophecy. The world the author created was interesting, but for me the greatest strength of the novel was the cast of supporting characters. Although it is clear that Garion is the main character of the novel, as a reader I was just as interested in the other characters stories. Because I am now invested in more than one character from the series, as I reader I am probably more likely to pick up book two in the series. Tricky authors. They know just the things to get us to keep reading them. :-)

Being that the book was an epic fantasy, I couldn't help but make connections between Pawn of Prophecy and The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter books. While I know there are certain characteristics that are universal in any work of genre fiction, it seems like fantasy as a genre suffers a bit because there are two series that are so omnipresent in reader minds. For me it seemed only natural to say to myself, "Oh this is just like when Frodo..."

So my question for my class tonight (and you as well) is this: Has the popularity of series like LOTR and Harry Potter hurt fantasy fiction?

--------------------------------------------------------------------