Week 3 Prompt

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Questions and Answers

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!

The Lunatic Cafe is listed as the fourth book on fantasticfiction.com

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.

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent. I looked at Novelist's appeal terms listed under the Prodigal Summer and saw that "lyrical" and "descriptive" were listed under writing style. So, I searched these terms in Novelist and added the appeal of "compelling." I didn't have much luck when I added "fast paced", so I switched to "compelling." This story also shared a nature aspect with Prodigal Summer.

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!

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell. I used novelist to find books sey in Japan that were richly detailed and categorized as historical fiction. This story is set in Japan, 1799. It also has starred reviews, so it's likely well written and Library Journal says, "It is a rare novel that's so captivating that the reader feels transported through time and fully immersed in  an unfamiliar culture and place," which is exactly what the reader is looking for.

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?

I would recommend something by Lisa Gardner. Fantastic Fiction lists her as an author reader's might like if they like Elizabeth George. Novelist shows that both authors write police procedurals and Gardner's books have forensic details but does not have graphic violence or gritty details that are mentioned in John Sandford's books.

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?

Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist. I looked through a list on epicreads.com. Their lists are often YA books, and this one is too, but it reads as alternate history/apolocypse more than some of the titles that are more teenage-angst zombie satire. The summary also mentions it is a good choice for fans of the Walking Dead.  

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.

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It was a fairly popular book when it came out and it is soon to be a movie. Novelist's Page to Screen tab was very helpful.

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

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. This was the hardest question for me. I used an advanced search on Novelist to look for thrillers and exclude sex as a keyword and then used the book club best bests, hoping book club picks might be a little more broadly appealing for reader's that don't want alot of sex and cussing.

How I hear about good books:

Bookriot is something I browse often for displays and will occasionally find something for myself. I like to read reviews in the paper version of BookPage that my library carries. I think I have the most luck with year-end lists from Kirkus.