Week 3 - Readers Services Conversation

Assignment 1
I read the RA conversation by Neal Wyatt. Here are some things that I took from the article:

• Ask the customer to tell you about a book he/she has read recently
• Listen to what the reader has to say and think about what appeal terms might apply
• Always end the RA conversation with an invitation to return to share what they liked about the book
• Use appeal terms when describing a book and remember to keep it short or the reader will lose interest.
• For each book I should identify:
• The tone of the book
• The major appeal of the book
• The key feature of the book

Assignment 2
I listened to the podcast of Nancy Pearl describing books she has enjoyed. When she described a book she kept her description short and always made you want to read the book. She gave highlights of the book and the reason why she loved it. I am going to try to do this the next time I recommend a book.

Assignment 3
Conversation 1
The reader just finished Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and she loved it. She enjoyed the descriptions of the countries but she really loved how the author shared her inner thoughts. The reader has read all of the Oprah Books and loved them. She is looking for a few suggestions for her book group.

I would recommend "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed. Wild is a powerful, blazingly honest, inspiring memoir. The story is of a 1,100 mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe--and built her back up again. The reason I recommend this book is that the reader likes descriptions of countries and the author's inner thoughts.

Conversation 2
The reader loves vampire books but does not like the Twilight series. She thought the Twilight series was too slow and does not like teen love stories. The series that I would recommend is Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward. The series is about  a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers that takes place in Caldwell, New York. Since the series is fast paced and not about teens the reader might enjoy this vapire series.

Conversation 3
The reader just finished reading River of Doubt by Candice Millard. The reader likes a fast paced, non-fiction book about history. I would recommend Destiny of the Republic: a Tale of Madness, Medicine and  Murder of a President by Candice Millard. Destiny of the Republic is about how James Garfield rose from poverty to the presidency and the state of medical care in the 1890's and the murder of James Garfield. Since the reader enjoys a fast paced non-fiction book, she might like this book.