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Week 4 Secret Shopper

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 recommendations for me because I have already been meaning to read Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling, and I've heard Jim Gaffigan on the radio before and thought he was hilarious.

Circling back to mysteries, Tristan asked if I had ever read Rhys Bowen. I haven't. He then pointed out that their library had recently started to get in republished mysteries from the 30s, and he was having a lot of fun working his way through the Agatha Christie titles. This was a spot-on recommendation, as I had actually just checked out Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None to read for my mystery annotation for this class. We ended the chat on a positive note, and I felt like I had received some solid reading recommendations.

One thing Tristan could have done better is to give me an opportunity to share why I enjoyed reading the Shopaholic series and David Sedaris. If I had been given space to express what it is I enjoy most about what I've been reading, it would have given Tristan a more complete picture of my reading tastes and may have changed the course of our conversation and/or altered his eventual recommendations.

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