Secret Shopper

I wasn’t sure what to expect upon approaching the librarian with this type of request.  For one, I’m not the type to ask for this kind of help; I feel like I would be troubling a librarian who had better things to do.  I never realized that these were things that they were expected to do for the public.  I assumed that they would just point a patron in the right direction.  Through the classes I’ve taken over the last two years, I’ve come to realize much more of what the job entails, of course, and what those expectations are.

I approached the reference desk at one of the many branches of the local library system, asking the only person waiting there whether she could help me find a good book.  Even though I felt a little silly asking for something I could easily figure out myself, she didn’t bat an eye – I’m sure she gets similar questions frequently.  She asked if I had a favorite author.  I told her that for fiction I enjoy reading Dan Brown but that I’ve read all of his books, and for nonfiction, I enjoy reading Wayne Dyer but I’ve also read most of his.  She typed a couple things into her computer, and suggested that I try an author by the name of Daniel Silva.  She said that he is quite similar to Dan Brown and that she has heard that Silva is pretty good.  She typed a couple more things into the computer, and said that I might want to try a writer who is similar to Wayne Dyer by the name of Dan Millman.  She walked me over to the 128-291 sections in the nonfiction area that cover the body, the mind, religions, etc., to give me an idea of where to find his books. 
 

I asked her how long she had been a librarian, and she said that she was not a librarian.  She explained that she was some type of hourly paraprofessional.  She said that they usually have one librarian on duty, and he was in the back at the moment.  I thanked her, and she went back to the desk.  I looked around a little bit and picked Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives by Dan Millman.  Then, I walked over to fiction, looking for Daniel Silva.  After looking at a few different options, I chose The Secret Servant.  I checked them both out; now, I just hope I have time to read them.
 

She didn’t ask many questions at all, but the question she did ask was key, “What authors do you usually enjoy?”  With that information, she was able to get me two books that look pretty interesting.  She obviously used some type of program to find similar authors, but she didn’t share with me what she was doing.  She could have been using some function of the catalog system or something like NoveList or Literature-Map.  I think she did a great job helping me find what I needed in the most efficient way possible.

Synopsis -- Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor who specializes in the study of ancient codes and symbols, wakes up in Florence, Italy, in the hospital.  His first puzzle to solve in this new adventure is to figure out why he is in Italy, how he got there, and how he became injured.  The action starts quickly, with an assassin breaking into the hospital in an attempt to kill Professor Langdon.  He escapes with the help of one of his doctors, Sienna Brooks.  As in the earlier Robert Langdon books, there are clues in Renaissance artwork and architecture that help him solve the series of mysteries.  As he unravels the mystery about his strange appearance in Italy, he also begins to unravel another mystery, why there seems to be a previously non-existent, secret pocket in his jacket’s lining that contains a small container with a bio-hazard warning label.  Inside the container, he finds a small laser pointer that projects an image of a modified painting based on Dante’s Inferno, Botticelli’s Map of Hell – Langdon’s first clue.

Appeal  Characteristics -- Suspense (Note: I believe that this book could also be categorized as “thriller” or “adventure,” but I chose to go along with NoveList’s category of “suspense” for this annotation.)

Pacing -- Dan Brown is known for his quick pace.  This is accomplished through the use of a lot of dialogue and many short chapters.  His descriptions are succinct (without being superficial), which allows the action to keep moving forward quickly.

Characterization -- the book is focused mainly on what happens to the main character, Robert Langdon; however, it is written in 3rd person and occasionally jumps to the point of view of other characters, including the antagonists, in particular.  Langdon is a character who is known for his intelligence and extensive knowledge, but he is also a “regular guy” that readers can relate to.  Like everyone, he has limitations and weaknesses, but he also has a good sense of humor and a healthy supply of humility.

Story Line – The Inferno is action-packed from the first few pages and seems to be driven by the main character trying to figure out where he is, why he is there, and why someone is trying to kill him.  His motivation changes as the mystery evolves.

Frame and Tone -- the frame of the story (the setting and subject matter) helps to create the tone, which is dark and mysterious.  There’s a sense of impending danger from the very beginning.  The reader learns what is happening at the same time as Langdon, which makes the story compelling and suspenseful.

Style -- There is quite a bit of jargon from the world of symbology and art history.  Dan Brown describes some violent scenes, but does so in a somewhat objective, journalistic style.  He seems to attempt to appeal to the intellect rather than the emotions.

Read-alikes:

Ark of Fire by C.M. Palov

The Charlemagne Pursuit by Steve Berry

The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper

Week Three Prompt Response

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 one comes next!

Using NoveList, I selected the “series” option and typed in Anita Blake.  One title came up for the series, and I selected that.  When the detailed information for the first book in the series came up, I selected a tab labeled, “Books in the Series.”  From there, I got the answer.  The next book in the series, is Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The Laughing Corpse, Book 2: Necromancer.  However, there was a prequel to the series that came out a few months before the third book that the reader would possibly be inerested in: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The First Death.

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.

I would recommend that this reader try a book that is also described as character-driven, bittersweet, and moving, but the author’s style is a little faster paced – Flying Changes by Sara Gruen.   The appeal term “compelling” is used to describer her writing.  On NoveList, compelling is defined as follows:  “Incorporating a variety of narrative techniques, from foreshadowing to frequent changes in perspective, these gripping books have a powerful effect on readers, drawing them irresistibly into the story” (http://support.ebsco.com/ /help/?int=novp&ver=live&lang=en&feature_id=AdultAppeal).

3.  I like reading books set in different countries. I just read one set in China, could you help me find one set in Japan? No, not modern – historical. I like it when the author describes it so much it feels like I was there!

Starting with a specific search didn’t result in many items, so I started with a basic search on “Japan” and added limiters one by one.  I furthur limited the search by selecting historical.  Since the question said that the person liked books “set” in different countries, I took that to mean fiction (but not ruling out nonfiction).  Even though I put “Japan” in the original search, there was an option to limit where the story takes place, so I chose “Japan,” of course.  Lastly, I chose the limiter “richly detailed” since the patron wants to feel like he/she is there.  After all of this, I came up with a suggestion of The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery.

4.  I read this great mystery by Elizabeth George called Well-Schooled in Murder and I loved it. Then my dentist said that if I liked mysteries I would probably like John Sandford, but boy was he creepy I couldn't finish it! Do you have any suggestions?

The obvious answer here seems to be that this patron should find more books by Elizabeth George.  However, the title that she mentioned is also part of a series referred to as the “Thomas Lynley Mysteries.”  There are seventeen books in this series, and a prequel as well that was written right after Well-Schooled in Murder.  I would recommend that this reader start with the prequel, A Suitable Vengeance, and continue with the first book in the series, A Great Deliverance.

5.  My husband has really gotten into zombies lately. He’s already read The Walking Dead and World War Z, is there anything else you can recommend?

There are nineteen books in The Walking Dead series, so he has a lot to choose from.  If this patron meant that her husband has already read the entire series, he may want to try the BPRD series by Michael Mignola (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense), a spinoff of the Hellboy series.   If it has to be exclusively zombies, he could try the Awakening series by Nick Tapalansky.  However, if he would like something more like World War Z that is not a graphic novel, he could try Pariah by Bob Fingerman – a novel about a group of survivors of a zombie plague.