Nicole's Readers' Advisory Blog

NOS4A2 (2013) By Joe Hill 692 pages Horror Synopsis At age 8, Victoria “Vic” McQueen discovers that her bicycle can transport her through time and space into an alternate reality by way of a covered bridge which mysteriously materializes in the woods near her home. During one of these trips through the “Shorter Way,” Vic meets Charlie Manx, a sinister villain who is alleged to have kidnapped and killed dozens of children. Vic nearly becomes another casualty of Manx herself after setting Manx’s “Sleigh House” on fire and then becoming trapped in the pantry. Years pass after Vic’s narrow escape. She meets a kind man, marries, and has a son, Wayne. Charlie Manx has been imprisoned since her attack and in a coma for several years. News is, Manx has finally passed away. However, Manx is very much alive, and he is coming to exact his revenge on Vic. When Manx snatches 12-year-old Wayne and makes his way towards “Christmasland,” Vic switches into high gear, both literally and figuratively, t...

I would promote the horror genre in three different ways, which would include adult fiction books/e-books/audiobooks, adult graphic novels, and adult DVDs. I would probably feature this promotion during the month of October to capitalize on the popular interest in Halloween. Book Display: “Formula of Fear” The book display would feature adult fiction books and adult graphic novels. The display sign would include the title of the display, “Formula of Fear,” as well as common elements of the horror genre such as “psychological torment,” “palpable tension,” “compelling motive,” “graphic imagery,” and “killer ending” in smaller text. Movie Display: “Horror: Classic vs. Modern” The movie display would feature bundles including both the classic and modern versions of popular horror movies such as IT, Poltergeist, Pet Sematary, Amityville Horror, and Halloween. Additionally, each bundle would include a package of microwave popcorn and a bookmark listing which of our horror movies we also carr...

  Week 5 Prompt: Types of Reviews Review Examples The Billionaire’s First Christmas by Holly Rayner I found neither the Amazon review nor the blog review of this book to be reliable from a professional standpoint. The reviews were poorly written, including many spelling/grammatical errors, and the content was too personal. For example, the Amazon reviewer states, “… I’ll admit when Robyn was explaining her love of Santa to Aaron I had tears rolling down my face. This book had duel POV’s which I love …” Likewise, the blog reviewer states, “I downloaded bunch of Kindle e-books last holiday vacation because I can’t bring physical copies of books in my hometown – you know, excess baggage.” I can understand why a blogger may want to share this type of information with his/her followers, but to include it in the actual book review is distracting. I would not purchase this title for my library because our e-book vendor, OverDrive, does not offer this title. Additionally, as the tit...

  DEATH OF A NEIGHBORHOOD WITCH BY LAURA LEVINE – RELEASE DATE: SEPT. 1, 2012 __________________________________________________________________________________   Amateur sleuth, Jaine Austen ( Pampered to Death , 2011, etc.), is back at it again in a Halloween-themed murder mystery which involves one dead parakeet named Van Helsing, a rented ape suit, and the neighborhood witch. When her cat, Prozac, snatches her newly-bought miniature painted pumpkin, Jaine Austen, freelance advertiser, is forced to abandon her bags of Halloween candy and chase Prozac up the street into the yard of the infamous Cryptessa Muldoon (a.k.a. the neighborhood witch), an old, miserable, washed up, third-rate sitcom star from decades past. Upon seeing Prozac, Cryptessa’s beloved pet parakeet, Van Helsing, drops dead on the spot, and Cryptessa intends to make Jaine pay for what her cat has done. After digging a grave for the bird and planting some petunias, Jaine thinks that her and Cryptessa...

I submitted a live chat request to a large, out-of-state library system, asking for a good book recommendation. I was connected to a librarian named Tristan who started by asking if there were any books or genres I enjoyed reading. I said that I liked cozy mysteries, humor, and chick lit. I told him that I was nearing the end of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series, and I am looking for something to read next. He initially responded with suggesting that I search Goodreads, which I felt was a little off-putting. I was seeking a request from a professional librarian, and it was starting to feel like I wouldn't be getting a specific recommendation at all. I decided to switch gears a bit. I told Tristan that I had a Goodreads account but that I didn't use it very much. Then, I specifically asked for a recommendation for humor, and I told him that I have previously enjoyed reading David Sedaris. He suggested Tiny Fey, Mindy, Kaling, and Jim Gaffigan. These were good recommendatio...

  Reading Recommendations 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 on comes next! The fourth book in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series is The Lunatic Café. Vampire Hunter is the only Anita Blake series with more than three titles. 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. You may like The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. The book is set in 1936 in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky and tells the story of a young woman who joins the Pack Horse Librarian Project. You may also like State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. The woman protagonist travels into the Amazon forest to find her mentor, a researcher who has di...