LIS763-Reader’s Profile Response
September 26, 2007
I’ve been introduced to a reader who enjoys reading a variety of genres which include humorous stories, historical and literary fiction, a little adventure and some fantasy and science fiction. Such titles include, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, an Arthurian legend told through the eyes of a young woman who is coming of age; Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding, a funny story written in a journal/diary format about a thirty-something year old woman on a quest for self-improvement and Mr. Right; The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams, an up-beat novel about a mad, Holistic detective working on another mystery.
I carefully reviewed the titles and authors, and discovered the reader enjoys books with immeasurable humor, which include realistic or fictional protagonists written in a candid and colorful style and a touch of British slang. Besides humor, the reader also enjoys fiction novels with engrossing storylines that are leisurely paced; and that are character centered, and found in a historical or imaginative setting. The reader also enjoys a brainteaser tale with a mystical or suspenseful tone which could include closed endings or sequels.
After reviewing the reader’s titles of preference, I have carefully searched for books with similar storylines and plots in three different online databases and websites such as Novelist, Amazon and AllReaders.com. I first searched Novelist to read a synopsis about the books and the book reviews written by credible journals. Furthermore, I reviewed the available facts about the author’s biography and style of writing, and switched over to the readers’ advisory tab and skimmed through the lists of authors found in the specific genre’s I selected to evaluate.
After reading about each book, I used the database to search for similar characters, plots and settings. Then I looked at Amazon to get a glimpse of the customer’s reviews and the public’s read-a-like titles. Here, I got a sense of what the public thought was interesting and entertaining. I later, looked over the website AllReaders.com and compared the titles and authors that came up in Novelist and Amazon. AllReaders.com was a quick and straight forward site which selects titles that are very close in storyline and mood. The website hooked the themes together and found other stories available by different authors.
I selected titles and authors that complimented my reader’s profile choice of descriptive characters and lasting storylines. For more Arthurian fantasy and adventure, I suggest – Guardian of the Balance by Irene Radford, this is volume one of a series of three books. This is a fast-paced fantasy novel about a young magical heir who falls in love and fights to maintain balance in England. Like Bradley’s dark over Arthurian stories, Radford’s story is narrated by the voice of a young girl and includes significant key characters surrounding King Arthur. Although the frame and setting are dark and misty, they have an episodic and historical appeal; her characters are strong and intriguing and they grow into their fate which gives the storyline a resolved ending or open-ended for another sequel.
The ever so popular “chick-lit” is captured in Boy Meets Girl, a contemporary novel by Meg Cabot, young Kate finds herself in a rut in her love department, when suddenly she’s involved in a legal arbitration and love finds her. This is a witty novel written in a modern and creative format which is told in a series of journal entries, E-mails, phone and instant messages, mostly in first person. I n comparison to Helen Fielding’s light and humorous writing, Meg Cabot is also a gentle and prolific author who writes fantasy, humor and “chick-lit” geared for females, both adult and teen.
To continue with another crazy adventure in an imaginary place read, The Colour of Magic by Terry Practchett is a story about a wacky interplanetary tourist who meets a wizard and embarks on a chaotic voyage and meets bizarre characters. Terry Pratchett is a British fantasy and science fiction author who has won numerous awards for his satirical novels. In his writings he incorporates a major source of humor and imagination. In his novels he includes numerous characters and some are parody of historical figures or well-known characters; for example Leonardo de Vinci or Conan the Barbarian. Pratchett’s style is similar to Douglas Adams’, who is also a British author with an eccentric and bizarre writing style. Both authors also incorporate sequels to their stories.
This concludes my response to my reader’s profile. My selections of titles were carefully chosen to please my reader’s taste in humor and engaging storylines.
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