Week 9 - Trailers and Farewell

I think book trailers are an intriguing concept, but freely admit that while I am an avid reader, I rarely search out a trailer. I agree with the commentary in the articles that most trailers are poorly done and/or do little to sell the book. While it is interesting to see and hear an author, especially in his/her home or work space, I'm not sure that it's much more than that. Mary Roach's trailer was vaguely entertaining, but I'm not sure to what end. The trailer was witty and cute, but did it didn't make me want to run out and read the book.

I watched trailers for The Graveyard Book by Gaiman and Wonder by Palacio. I think these two were both excellently done. Gaiman's was better done - short, creepy. Wonder was too long and had no audio but music? I do think the videos have the potential for strong kid/teen appeal because of the visual nature. I often hear commercials on the radio sponsored by readon.org which are very compelling book talks usually narrated from the perspective of the hero/heroine. If the trailers for kids could use that concept in a strong video format, they would be winners. I was glad for this assignment because I revisited Book Page's blog The Book Case and discovered they have Trailer Tuesday and share a different trailer every week. I watched the trailer for Red Moon by Pearcy and thought it was well done. It's a political/war thriller and the trailer looked much like a trailer for an adventure movie. It could be that the thriller genre lends itself really well to trailers because of their fast-paced nature.

I think this whole process has been incredibly helpful. It forced me to dedicate time each week to focusing on readers' services and finding new outlets for information. I also looked at genres and sub genres on which I normally don't focus because of personal reading tastes or areas of selection. I do think that some of the assignments could have been tweaked a littled bit. I'm particularly thinking of the one which required us to find blogs in our selected sub-genres. Because of the sub-genres I selected, I couldn't find sites and felt like it was time which could have been better used. Overall, I'm glad I participated and I think the Committee did an oustanding job!

Week 8 - Nonfiction

I chose sports, crime, food, and history from the list presented in the video. Sports is generally found in 796 and true crime in 364. Food and history are much broader and can be found in various Dewey areas of the 600s and 900s and are also often in biography.

Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown would definitely be an excellent choice for a fiction reader. It is well-written, inspirational, and is a wonderful story that is hard to put down. It's a sports story that transcends the sport and thus has a wider appeal. The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World by Nancy Jo Sales would appeal to fiction readers who like reading about the uber-wealthy and/or prefer their stories set in the glitzy world of show business. This one would also be one for teens and younger adults. Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen . . . by Julie Powell is a strong choice for fiction readers because of its diary-like format and engaging story. The Catonsville Nine: A Story of Faith and Resistance in the Vietnam Era by Shawn Francis Peters combines detailed historic research with in-depth characterization and a quick-moving story.

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell is the story of one young wife stuck in a dead-end job, who loves to cook. She decides to tackle Julia Child's recipes over the course of a year and blogs about it. Her blog becomes more than just a recitation of recipes and cooking techniques, and soon she is sharing details of her life. The blog becomes more and more popular and soon the entire experiement is affecting Julie's job and marriage.

I would recommend this one to a wide variety of readers. First, of course to foodies. The details of the recipes and the history involved in Julia Child's cookbook are fascinating fodder for those who like to eat and read about food. I would also recommend this to fiction readers who enjoy chick-lit. Julie's story of a young girl struggling in the big city would resonate with readers who enjoy stories centered around urban women and their lives.

Boys in the Boat by Brown shares the uplifting story of the University of Washington's rowing team who traveled to the 1936 Olympics and defeated Hitler's German team and other elite global teams. The author was able to share the memories of their coach, the teammates, and others who played a part in this underdog story.

I would give this to readers of history. It is a compelling story of a specific time and history buffs will enjoy the focus and the details of the 1936 Olympics, which were so important to Hitler. I would also share this with sports enthusiasts. While rowing is not on Sportscenter every night, the author captures the essence of teammwork and drama that is part of why lovers of sports stay glued. This would also be a good one for readers who enjoy inspirational or underdog stories to try. This is an excellent example of narrative nonfiction which could easily be enjoyed by the right fiction reader.