Prompt

Ebooks and audiobooks are a part of our landscape. What does the change in medium mean for appeal factors? If you can't hold a book and feel the physical weight of it in your hands, how does that affect your knowledge of the genre? How about readers being able to change the font, line spacing, and color of text - how does that affect pacing and tone? How about audiobooks? Track length, narrator choice, is there music?  For this week, I want you to think about how ebooks and audiobooks affect appeal factors - also think about appeals that are unique to both mediums. Please feel free to use your own experience and that of your (anonymous of course) patrons. I look forward to reading these!

I was initially leery of eBooks, but my family bought me a Kindle and am I happy they did! I still prefer physical books, but as I read so much - going on a week long vacation meant 7 or more books and they are heavy! Especially fantasy novels, they can weigh a ton. Now I can toss in 2 books and my Kindle and I am good to go. As I read a lot of romance, and am one of those that is not ashamed, I could care less what people think of my reading choices. So that isn't an issue for me.

I can also get books cheaper, which helps my wallet. The choice to buy a book at 2am is nice, too. I have found many authors in different genre's that I would never have read if not for eBooks, mainly because of the price. I have not downloaded any from the library, and a few patrons told me they get annoyed waiting, not being able to renew, or realizing that a new book that came out is not available on that platform. Since most of the patrons that only want to download items don't come in too often, I don't hear much feedback other than the issues above.

I have only listened to one audiobook so far. I have read the book, but heard the narrator was fabulous so I downloaded it. It was great. I like the option of speeding the narration and tried reading while listening. It was pretty cool. However, I work very close to my home and when I am driving more than an hour I usually have my minions with me and I know they wouldn't want to listen to my books. Plus, with some books I don't want them listening either!  I also don't like the idea of wearing headphones or buds, even just one in an ear because I would feel "cut off" from any conversations that may arise. 

Audiobooks are a bit hit with our patrons. Many use on their daily drives to work (usually to Chicago which may be an hour each way), these patrons may take out 10-20 at a time. Or when people are going on vacation, then they may take more family oriented books, checking out 3-4 for variety. I have noticed a rise in the use with kids, some that have developmental issues or have a harder time reading. Another thing I have noticed is that for some patrons, audiobooks have the flip-flop affect. Either they have read physical books by an author and want to "hear" in audiobook format, or they may usually only "listen" and if we don't have the next book in a series - they will take out the physical book to keep up. At my branch, many of the audiobook listeners like series, so we have been trying to make sure we have the whole set.   

True Grit

 True Grit by Charles Portis

Originally published in 1968, this publication 2010

by The Overlook Press, New York

Genre: Western

Pages: 235

Setting: Arkansas

Time Period: 1870s

I read this book for the first time two weeks ago, and oddly, could not even remember the narrator's name when I sat down to write this. It is especially odd because Mattie, who's tale this is, is one of the strongest woman protagonist I have ever read and she's only 14 when the events occurred. 

Mattie's father was murdered by a hired hand while the two were 70 miles away in a town, Fort Smith, to look at some ponies. Mattie leaves her mother and two younger siblings at their farm and travels alone to Fort Smith to have her father's remains shipped back by train. Or so she told her mother and the family's lawyer that was her purpose. What she really wants is justice - the murderer caught. And if not caught? Killed wouldn't be a bad option either. Mattie knows she can't find the murderer herself, so she decides to hire someone to find the murderer. She chooses a middle-aged one-eyed lawman Rooster Cogburn who has a shady past, and reputation, for the job as she feels he has "grit". She also makes it clear that she will be going along on the quest to supervise and assist.

The whole story takes place within a few weeks and Mattie tells it when she is an old woman. However, the crisp descriptions of the landscape, people and events would have the reader wonder if things really happened the way they are depicted if it weren't for the somewhat pious and matter of fact tone the narrator uses. To me, Mattie is the one that embodies the title of having "true grit". It is a interesting and very short book - full of revenge, justice, and adventure.

Read-a-likes (from NoveList):

The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent
Butch Cassidy by William W. Johnstone
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt  

Classic fantasy

The Once and Future King by T. H. White

Genre: fantasy 

Publisher: Putnam and Sons edition, NY 1965

Ace edition: June 1987

ISBN: 0-441-62740-4

Pages: 639

Setting: Mythical England 

Time Period: Medieval Era

Summary: This is a story of the mythical Arthur and his court, how he grows up, is trained by the magician Merlin, and pulls the sword from the stone to become the greatest King of England. Arthur marries the beautiful Guenever and creates the famous Round Table as he gathers a group of the best and loyal knights in the land - including Lancelot, Gawain, and Galahad - to his side.

Appeals: epic story; great characterizations; wonderful world building

Tone: There are many moments that are very funny and light, but is also serious and weighty.

Pace: slow to build, then steady 

Opinion: White does a fantastic job of giving the characters depth, and the reader is given a different perspective, to possibly dislodge set preconceptions, on their actions and behaviors. He uses comparisons between these mythical beings and the real world so the reader can relate and understand. For example, when White writes about Guenever and her lot in life and offers a possible explanation for her continual attraction to Lancelot:

"People are easily dazzled by Round Tables and feats of arms...Yet Guenever could not search for the Grail. She could not vanish into the English forest for a year's adventure with the spear. It was her part to sit at home, though passionate, though real and hungry in her fierce and tender heart. For her there were no recognized diversions expect what is comparable to the ladies' bridge party of today. She could hawk with a merlin, or play blind man's buff, or pince-merille. These were the amusements of grown-up women in her time. But the great hawks, the hounds, heraldry, tournaments - these were for Lancelot. For her, unless she felt like a little spinning or embroidery, there was no occupation - except Lancelot" (473).

  

White weaves these explanations in gracefully with many of the main characters, and they do not interfere or slow down the movement of the plot - that keeps at a steady pace. The pacing is also moved forward by the huge cast of characters and all of their antics and many adventures. White's full descriptions of the time period and setting immerse the reader in Arthur's world. The Once and Future King is a book full of bravery, action, humor, quests (always the quests in fantasy!), battles, chivalry, love, honor, magic, reflection, loss and hope. Lest I forget - the love triangles, good versus evil, Christianity versus Paganism or Faery, and the mythical Camelot. It is a great work of fantasy and deserving of being called a "classic".

Read-a-likes: 

• Lady of Avalon (prequel) and The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Arthurian tales told from the women's perspective) 
•  The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (epic fantasy)
•  Knights of the Roundtable: Lancelot by Gwen Rowley (historical fantasy romance)
•  Merlin by Steven Lawhead (Arthurian tale)
• The History of the Kings of Britain or Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth translated by Lewis Thorpe (one of the first accounts of Arthur)
• Avalon High by Meg Cabot (the characters are reincarnated and are in a modern high school setting)
• The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay (first in a trilogy about 5 college students, epic Arthurian fantasy)

 

Note: If you have read any Arthurian stories, you will see references popping up in the most random places: newspaper articles, political blogs (Kennedy/Camelot), crossword puzzles, books that have nothing to do with fantasy, etc. I can only read so much of the Arthurian myths because with the majority of "romantic" or "heroic" literature before the 15th c. - or thereabouts - the story may end on a hopeful note, but not necessarily a "happily ever after" ending. And the latter are my book crack. It says something about White's writing that I fairly breezed through this lengthy book - even though I knew exactly what was coming next.

 

Booktalk

I used my daughter's laptop, recorded myself, and when I had the final version that I could cope with, I stopped. I am not sure why this made me so nuts, but it took so long that I had to do them in sections. Otherwise, I would've had to kick everyone out of the house for days.    

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