Week Three Prompt Response

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!

The fourth book in that series is called "The Lunatic Cafe." We can find that title by doing an "author" search in Novelist and scrolling down to the "series" tab. "Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter" series is listed first!

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.

Great! Let's see if we can find some read-alikes that might be a bit faster-paced. Let's browse Novelist using "appeal" terms. We will search for books that are lyrical and descriptive like "Prodigal Summer" but a bit more fast-paced. Here are a few suggestions that come up:

"The Year of the Flood" by Margaret Atwood (in fact, this reader might really like any Margaret Atwood)

"Prophet Song" by Paul Lynch - this is "dystopian" but it captures what appeals to this reader: lyrical and descriptive language with a fast pacing

"Straw Dogs of the Universe" by Ye Chun - this title is compelling, descriptive, and lyrical, but also fast-paced and intricately plotted 

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!

That sounds interesting! Let's do a keyword search in Novelist: Historical Japan. Then we'll filter for genre - "historical fiction" and writing style - "descriptive" and "richly detailed." Here are some suggestions:

"The Teahouse Fire" by Avery Ellis

"The Final Storm: A Novel of World War II in the Pacific" by Jeff Shaara

"Pachinko" by Min Lin Lee

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?

John Sandford writes thrillers that contain violence and are often darkly humorous. Elizabeth George writes in quite a different style, so that's probably where your issue lies. You're probably looking for a true mystery that is leisurely paced but still intricately-plotted. Let's check on Novelist and see what authors read like Elizabeth George.

"The Searcher" by Tana French

"A World of Curiosities" by Louise Penny

"The Knowledge" by Martha Grimes

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?

Do you know that "The Walking Dead" is also available in graphic novel format and as a television series? If he is looking for novels, let's check Novelist and see if there are any read-a-likes. 

"The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks from the Apocalypse" by Steven Schlozman

"The Passage" by Justin Cronin

"Zombies: A Brief History of Decay" by Olivier Peru

I love books that get turned into movies, especially literary ones. Can you recommend some? Nothing too old, maybe just those from the last 5 years or so.

Novelist has a great way to search for just this! Under "Quick Links" you can go to "Page to Screen" and find lots of search results. Here are some:

"The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: a Hunger Games Novel" by Suzanne Collins was just released as a movie last November

A new film version of "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker was just released in theatres last month.

"Eileen" by Ottessa Moshfegh was released in theatres last month.

 I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast paced.

"A Distant Shore" by Karen Kingsbury combines romance with a "dangerous mission." It is categorized as "Christian Fiction."

"Mission Compromised" by Oliver North is a Christian suspense novel described as action-packed and fast-paced

"The record Keeper: A Murphy Shepherd Novel" by Charles Martin is a Christian suspense, intricately-plotted, and fast-paced.

How do I find books to read:

I am surrounded with coworkers who LOVE to read, and they are always full of great suggestions. My coworkers are really my go-to because among them, their interests span across genres. After completing this assignment, however, I can really see the value in Novelist, and I will certainly be using it. Finally, since this class started and we've been assigned books to read, I joined goodreads! I'm thrilled to see all of the suggestions there as well.