Week 7 Prompt

I'm honestly not quite sure how I missed all of the controversy surrounding A Birthday Cake for George Washington, but somehow I did. After reading Ganeshram's (2016) article, many thoughts and other instances were swarming around in my head. Ganeshram brought up some fantastic points, and I'd like to address a few of them with further questions and examples.

First, the banning of books has always been a an interesting topic, and it's something that is always shifting. There's constantly a question, and honestly a tension, for most librarians, as to what books should be held within a library's collection, and which should not. We're the gatekeepers of books for certain communities, and that has impact. Maintaining a collection that only subscribes to our personal beliefs is wrong - but then at what point do we say a book has gone too far? I know I've heard countless stories of The Satanic Bible going missing from local rural libraries, where staff were convinced that it was actually another staff member that was removing the book. There are countless other examples, and recently, Milo Yiannopoulos' book deal that didn't last. At what point, though, is there a difference between the librarian who walks off with the library's copy of The Satanic Bible and the one who refused to buy Yiannopoulos' book, or even A Birthday Cake for George Washington? 

In her article, Ganeshram (2016) also discusses her work (or lack of) with her illustrator. This is something that I've also seen occurring most recently with a Facebook post by Terry Goodkind, mocking the cover art for his most recent book. The illustrator, Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme, was upset by Goodkin's post, and responded with his own post. There's been much back and forth between the author and the illustrator this weekend, and much discussion about it not just on Facebook, but also on Twitter and Reddit. In short, Goodkin, in an apology, stating that the art was fine, but the depictions of the characters were not in line with how they were represented in the book, and that is where he found fault with the cover. This wasn't discussed in his initial posting, leaving his opinion rather open for interpretation. This seems very similar to Ganeshram's issues with her illustrator - they weren't allowed input into how their words and works would be represented until the publisher had already made a decision. At what point will this be recognized as an issue and addressed? Is it truly difficult to have authors and illustrators - especially those of picture books - to communicate with one another?

Lastly, in my materials for youth class last year, we discussed Emily Jenkin's A Fine Dessert. Having only vague memories of this conversation, I thought we had discussed A Birthday Cake For George Washington, but when I reviewed the Amazon page for the book, I realized that I had the wrong book. We'd actually discussed A Fine Dessert, which hold similarities to the issues had by A Birthday Cake for George Washington. This article presents the issues well. And yet - this book was not banned as A Birthday Cake was. Why? Was it the way in which the issues were dealt with? It's interesting - and mildly frustrating - to compare and contrast the two. It again makes me question: at what point do we say a representation has gone too far, and at what point (is there ever a point?) is it okay to remove the book from publication, or our libraries?



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References

Barak, L. (2015, November 3). Emily Jenkins Apologizes for 'A Fine Dessert'. School Library Journal. Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/2015/11/industry-news/emily-jenkins-apologizes-for-a-fine-dessert/#_

Ganeshram, Ramin. (2016, February 11) Why the Banning of ‘A Birthday Cake for George Washington’ Really Matters. Huffington Post. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ramin-ganeshram/why-banning-a-birthday-cake-george-washington_b_9210992.html.

Goodkind, T. [Terry Goodkind] (2018, February 23). SHROUD OF ETERNITY is a great book with a very bad cover. Laughably bad. So let's have some fun with it.  [Facebook Update]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10214444857609320&set=a.2863583142769.136893.1055443022&type=3&theater

Lecouffe-Deharme, B. [Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme] (2018, February 24). I am appaled by the unprofessional behavior of Terry Goodkind, who is publicly attacking the artwork I created for his own book [Facebook Update]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/terrygoodkind/photos/a.395754121821.178804.111426611821/10155072794701822/?type=3&theater

Science Fiction Annotation: Annihilation

Author: Jeff VanderMeer
Title: Annihilation
Genre: Science Fiction
Publication Date: February 2014
Number of Pages: 195
Geographical Setting: Area X, an area that borders on a large body of water, and which has been reclaimed by nature.
Time Period: Unspecified
Series: Southern Reach Trilogy
Subject Headings: Science Fiction, Adventure Fiction, Suspense Fiction
3 terms that best describe this book: Dark, Suspenseful, Engrossing

Plot Summary: The first installment of the Southern Reach Trilogy introduces readers to Area X, a portion of land that has been separated from the rest of the continent since strange occurrences began happening. Jeff VanderMeer gives us access to this new, dark world through his descriptive style. A group of five women (an anthropologist, a surveyor, a psychologist, a biologist, and a linguist) participate in an expedition of Area X. This expedition is the twelfth to enter Area X, and this particular expedition is tasked with further mapping and exploring the area for as long as they are able. They are to make observations within their notebooks, and Annihilation is written from the perspective of the biologist’s notebook. It follows the group’s initial decisions, as well as its eventual downfall, all while detailing the strange occurrences happening around them.

Appeal:

Tone/Mood: “Tone may disorient (or reorient) readers” (p. 229). There’s a portion of the story where you realize that the biologist is not a reliable narrator, and that she has been emphasizing certain points and downplaying others in her story to reflect herself and her choices in the best light she sees fit. When the reader hits this point, it can be disorienting - were certain descriptions accurate? Did interactions with her group actually occur? Was there ever a linguist?

Frame/Setting: “Setting is crucial and invokes otherness of time, place and/or reality. Both the physical setting of the story and the inherent technical and scientific detail create this essential frame” (p. 226). This is achieved by not telling the reader when the story is set - is it present day, past, future? The reader is unsure. Hints are given, like when discussing the type of technology used in Area X, and how it hasn’t been “updated” to meet current levels of technology but instead is a more primitive form.

Story Line: “Authors take a precept, perception, or idea and explore it, often in a setting outside our own world or in a future time, but certainly out of everyday contexts” (p. 226). Annihilation’s storyline occurs in an undefined time frame, but one that might indicate that it is nearer to present day. The idea of a banned zone, contaminated by something unknown is explored in great depth - what happens when humans encounter something they may have helped cause, but aren’t sure how to stop it from spreading?

Style/Language: “Science Fiction offers a range of styles and language crafted to suit the story line and to reinforce the intellectual and speculative nature of the genre” (p. 226). Annihilation achieves this with descriptive paragraphs of Area X and its inhabitants in language that flows and visualizes well. Obscure language is not usually employed, and if it is, further description is given so if the reader is unfamiliar with the term they can still interpret the meaning.

Characterization: “Science Fiction focuses on ideas and setting.The moral, social, and philosophical questions considered in the genre are woven into the storyline and are often pursued through the action, situations and events rather than through the characters” (p. 229). This is true in that one gets the sense that the biologist - the one ‘telling’ us the story - is merely giving voice to the experiences of Area X. The focus is not on the biologist, though we do get glimpses into her childhood and life before coming to Area X, but all of those experiences then weave back into the story of Area X. Further, the Southern Reach Trilogy focuses more so on Area X than it does the biologist. While we see the biologist in further installments, she is no longer the narrator.  

Pacing: “Pacing is usually determined by the amount of action” (p. 230). This novel is short - less than 200 pages - and it seems to fly by. There is more world building as opposed to physical action in this particular novel, but even so the pacing doesn’t seem too slow.

3 Relevant Works and Authors:

Dead Mountain: The true story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar Dead Mountain follows the events leading up to and following the Dyatlov Pass incident in 1959, where nine individuals died on a hiking and skiing trip from questionable circumstances. There is much mystery still surrounding their deaths, and this mystery and tone are similar to that of Annihilation.

Starfish by Peter Watts The first in the Rifter series, Starfish is a science fiction work that follows workers in their dark, suspenseful terrain on the ocean floor. The suspenseful tone and the setting of misunderstood terrain make this a good match for those who enjoyed Annihilation.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch Jason Dessen, quantum physics professor, find his life turned upside-down when he is kidnapped and finds himself in a parallel universe. In his attempts to return to his original plane of existence, he has to encounter further universes, with mixed results. Though faster paced than Annihilation, this speculative fiction offers a different type of other-worldness that readers should enjoy.

My Take: While I do enjoy science fiction from time to time, I have to be in the right mood for it. I didn't think I was in the mood for science fiction when I started Annihilation, but I still managed to fly through it. I kept reading more and hoping for answers. I have yet to get to the other two books in the trilogy, but it's something I'm looking forward to. 

Week 6 Prompt

I think it would be intriguing to create a book display for horror that incorporated both horror books and horror graphic novels, and what appeal factors can link certain titles. Much as Dunneback and Towner discussed wanting to promote all aspects of their collection, not the just their fiction collection, promoting the connection between horror graphic novels and novels would be a way to do this, as there are patrons who may be unaware that horror graphic novels exist, or are unsure where to begin with the format. I was this person about a year ago, and I encountered a lot of trial and error in finding what type of graphic novel horror I enjoyed. If the collection was large enough - or too small to pull enough graphic novels to fill a display - it might be interesting to also pull movies that relate, but I like the idea of focusing on the novel/graphic novel aspect. It would also be fun to do the display in a month that wasn’t October.

For example, using my horror annotation from this week, if the reader enjoyed Meddling Kids, they might enjoy the Archie Horror imprint, which produces Afterlife with Archie - Archie re-imagined with zombies - or the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - Sabrina the Teenage witch, re-imagined in a darker tone. Both are still nostalgic, basing a lot of their elements off of their original counterparts, but with the addition of a horror twi

Other examples:
World War Z -- The Walking Dead
 The Haunting of Hill House -- Locke & Key, Vol 1
The Missing -- The Revival 

Horror Annotation: Meddling Kids

Author: Edgar Cantero

Title: Meddling Kids

Genre: Horror

Publication Date: July 2017

Number of Pages: 322

Geographical Setting: Oregon

Time Period: 1970’s / 1990’s

Series: None

Subject Headings: Haunted Houses Fiction ; Detective fiction ; Mystery Fiction ; Horror Fiction

3 terms that best describe this book: Nostalgic, Lovecraftian, Engaging

Plot Summary: Meddling Kids follows the story of four friends and a dog, thirteen years after their summer shenanigans as teenage detectives in the small town of Blyton Hills, Oregon in the late 70’s. They return because they are not convinced that they actually solved their final case - they become convinced that they saw and interacted with creatures that should not exist - and they finally want closure. Relying on nostalgia for the era, as well as reader’s familiarity with a group of meddling kids and a dog solving crimes and unmasking the bad guy, this novel attempts to provide all of the above with a darker, Lovecraftian horror twist that makes it unique.

Appeal:

Tone/Mood: ‘Horror appeals first and foremost to the emotions, and primitive ones at that’ (Saricks, 2009, p.109). Meddling Kids begins by pulling at your emotions with a super creepy-feeling-inducing nightmare scene that sets the stage for the rest of the book. The book also has a strong sense of nostalgia running through it, but it is often overpowered by the sense of impending doom. 

Frame/Setting: ‘Horror is populated by monsters of some kind, and they are usually supernatural’ (p. 110). In this case, the fear that the monsters create is met within the first pages, but we do not actually know what the monsters are until well into the novel, and this builds tension within the book. The scenes are also usually quite detailed, using rich language that helps the reader feel as if they’re right there with the gang. 

Story Line: ‘Storylines in the Horror genre do not necessarily flow in a logical order, due to the influence of the supernatural’ (p.111). While the story line does follow a usually logical order, each chapter will change which perspective the story is being told in, which can add some confusion when a new character is introduced. ‘Readers do not know how the story will end...and the endings themselves are often vague, sustaining the menacing atmosphere rather than tying loose ends together’(p. 111). Meddling Kids keeps the reader guessing as to how the story will end up to the final chapter. I don’t want to give too much away here, but the novel finishes with some loose ends that are not resolved as they occur so close to the end. 

Style/Language: ‘Horror novels are rich in adjectives and descriptions’ (p. 112). There are pages that only contain one or two paragraphs each, because the new scene is being described in detail before any interaction with the scene is conveyed, or a fight scene is occurring. Cantero will also occasionally make up his own words (like tragichuckle), which adds dimension. 

Characterization: ‘They are usually haunted, shattered individuals or in some way vulnerable’ (p. 113). The gang definitely meets this criteria - not one of the members of the Blyton Summer Detective Agency came away from Blyton Hills unscathed in the 70’s, and their paths to adulthood were seriously altered, and this alteration is part of why they want to return to Blyton Hills - they want to see if they can fix where things went wrong. 

Pacing: ‘Is often erratic, with scenes of calm followed without warning, by more intense scenes’ (p. 113). This is very true for Meddling Kids. The begging draws you in, but after that there are periods of very slow progression that picks up exponentially once the gang arrives in Blyton Hills, and especially so on the day they decide to confront the wheezers.

Similar Authors and Works:

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore  The small town of Pine Cove is turned upside down when a sea creature appears - attracted by the guitar at the local bar. The local constable has to solve the mystery as to why so many weird events (and crimes) are happening. Chosen for its humor, quirky characters and adventure that align with the gang in Meddling kids. 

Carter & Lovecraft by Jonathan L. Howard Daniel Carter, homicide detective turned private investigator, thinks he’s about to lead a simpler, quiet life. First, he inherits a bookstore, run by H.P. Lovecraft’s descendant. Then the people around him start dying. Chosen for its use of Cthulhu mythos and mystery-solving antics. 

Kill Creek by Scott Thomas Four writers spend the night in a long abandoned house in what they think will just be a publicity stunt. Unfortunately for them, the house has been inhabited for quite some time by another guest, that’s very much looking forward to their arrival. Chosen for its focus on a haunted house and creepy tone.

My Take: I did have some difficulty making it through this book - there’s a really slow period about one-third of the way into the book where everything drags. Once they get to Blyton Hills, however, the pacing picks back up, and I was unable to put the book down in the last three chapters - I was too concerned that not everyone was going to survive to the end, especially the dog. This book has been in my to-read pile since it was released, however, and I’m glad I finally took the time to read it.  

Week 5 Prompt

Ebook only books, which are increasingly popular (especially in the romance genre) see little to no reviews in professional publications unless they have a big name author, and then still it's usually only RT Reviews (formally Romantic Times) or other genre heavy publications. How does this affect collection development?

This affects collection development because if the selector is only looking at professional review sources, they’re going to miss out on most of the ebook only materials. On the other hand, libraries may already have in place collection development policies that restrict them from buying too many self-published books, as many ebooks are. This can have both a negative and positive impact on collections. Positively, the patron at the library will know that books within the collection will be at least legible and comprehensible, even if the book is not to their taste. Negatively, patrons may not be able to access books they wish, because they are ebook only and the library has chosen not to collect them, therefore keeping the reader from what they want to read. A way to mitigate this would be to take book recommendations seriously, even if it’s an ebook only publication.

I have posted two more documents in the week five files. One is two reviews of an ebook only romantic suspense novel, one from a blog and one from amazon. Look over the reviews - do you feel they are both reliable? How likely would you be to buy this book for your library?

Both reviews concern me, honestly. The first part of the blog review, with the short summary of the story is good, but I feel as if that was pulled from the publisher, not the author of the blog. Both the Amazon and blog review kind of touch on the plot line, but at the same time they don’t - the only way I know how Robyn and Aaron meet is from the summary on the blog review. At the same time, it seems as if there’s been little to no proof reading done to either post for grammatical or spelling errors, which abound and make the reviews more difficult to read and trust. 

In the end, I’d buy it for my library if the library had a lot of romance readers who also used electronic devices. Otherwise it would just languish wherever they store their ebooks, as the story appears to only appeal to those that enjoy the romance genre. I’d also likely dig for other reviews of the title.

The other document contains some reviews of Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt, an incredibly popular memoir. These reviews are all from professional publications, feel free to find more on your own I just nabbed a few from the Book Review Digest database for you. How do these reviews make you feel about the possibility of adding Angela's Ashes to your collection?

Overall, all four reviews are positive and if I was not already aware that the book was a popular one, I would likely add it to the collection. I do also like how some of the reviews discuss their potential popularity level. Booklist uses it in this example but others do too, like School Library Journal and Library Journal. While the publication’s urgings may not always be accurate, they can still be utilized by selectors who aren’t as familiar, say, with memoirs, and can research reviews from elsewhere to confirm whether or not they wish to add the book to the collection.

Do you think it's fair that one type of book is reviewed to death and other types of books get little to no coverage? How does this affect a library's collection? And how do you feel about review sources that won't print negative content? Do you think that's appropriate? If you buy for your library, how often do you use reviews to make your decisions? If not, how do you feel about reviews for personal reading, and what are some of your favorite review sources?

No, I don’t think it’s fair, that some types of books (and authors) get much more coverage than others. As Saricks (2009) notes, some genres receive less reviews than others, like romance and horror, which can definitely impact a library’s collection, especially if selectors in those areas aren’t looking outside of professional publications. 

I’m all for negative content if it’s warranted - not every book is going to be the greatest thing written, and people shouldn’t have to read the books to come to the conclusion that the writing isn’t good, or isn’t something they’d enjoy. There are going to be bad books, and I think it’s good for review sources to articulate what isn’t good about them so others know what to watch out for, and maybe the author can understand why some don’t like their work. Constructive criticism is better than just ignoring that the book was published, or putting out a review that only places it in the best light. Especially when selectors are using those reviews to make collection development decisions. 

I don’t buy for my library, but I do use reviews for my personal reading. Finding and utilizing reviews to make reading selections was a requirement for a previous class. I’ve picked up on that and try to stick with it when I can. I do still use sites like goodreads, especially for genres that are not readily covered by the major publications.

Kirkus Review: November 9

Five years, five days together. Fallon and Ben meet only one day a year for five years in an attempt to not get tied down too early in life. Fallon is spending her last day in LA having breakfast with her estranged father when Ben interrupts their conversation, sparking attraction between he and Fallon. She’s leaving town because her once promising acting career ends one night when she is 16 and her father’s house catches fire, leaving Fallon with burns across half of her body. She hopes to make it big on Broadway, instead. Ben is a struggling writer taking classes at the local college, unsure how he wants to proceed with his life and if an English degree is really for him. Fallon still leaves for New York the day she meets Ben, but they make a pact to meet once a year, on November 9th, just for the day and Ben will write a book about their encounters. They do not communicate outside of November 9, adding a level of suspense to their meetings. Readers are privy to both character’s perspectives, as the novel alternates between Fallon and Ben’s perspective each November 9. Over the years, drama abounds - car accidents, babies, fighting - but in the end, Fallon and Ben end up together in LA, seemingly more mature than their 18 year old counterparts and more ready to commit to one another. Did spending five years apart really let them find themselves and grow as individuals, or were their choices influenced by the knowledge that the other existed across the country? Did they meet on that first November 9 by chance though, or does Ben know more than he’s telling? Overall, not Hoover’s strongest work. The instalove, quick forgiveness, and over the top coincidences throughout the novel, as well as cliche plot points, makes the book suitable fluff for readers looking for a predictable romance.

Secret Shopper

This assignment went in two different directions for me. First, I completed an online chat with a librarian at my local library (using LibraryH3lp, for those familiar), as a large portion of the people working the reference desk there know who I am. Secondly, I did actually go to my local library, and I asked for recommendations with the librarian helping me knowing I was in the library science field.

For the online chat, I was pleasantly surprised by my results. I wasn’t expecting much - at most, I figured I would walk away with a booklist the library has on their site, or a link to Novelist (this library features their subscription regularly). Instead, I ended up having a solid conversation with the librarian, and they gave me a few specific recommendations with summaries, and why they thought I would like them, and even offered to put the books on hold for me. 

My in person interaction was interesting. It ended up being someone who was relatively familiar with my reading habits, so they still found me books that I would be willing to read, but they asked far fewer questions about my reading habits than the online interaction did. This could have been because they already had things in mind (the individual in question frequently recommends books to me), or because it was an on-desk interaction and there was quite a bit going on in the library at the time I was available to visit.