WEEK TWELVE NONFICTION ANNOTATION

PenguinRandomhouse.com

Yoga Bitch: One Woman's Quest to Conquer Skepticism, Cynicism, and Cigarettes on the Path to Enlightenment

By Suzanne Morrison

Published 2011 by Three Rivers Press

978030771443

336 pages

Synopsis: The storyline is a personal journal of Suzanne Morrison addressing and questioning her Catholic faith, spirituality, and fear of death. She is a normal cigarette smoking (when that was popular), coffee-drinking, meat-eating fun-loving person. At the age of twenty-five, she decides to connect with her ‘spiritual’ side. Her yoga mentor Indra is her idol and Suzanne is willing to follow her anywhere in order to learn how to live without fear. “I was once you, so one day you can be me”(13, p.).

Suzanne attends a two-month yoga teacher training with Indra and her partner Lou. This adventure is her ‘down payment’ on a new her and have a clean slate.

She is surrounded by different yoga mates who share and support one another on this retreat. She learns that wellness is a big factor among the group and yoga poses help to purge repressed emotions and traumas so they can be purified. Also, yoga is about ‘getting away from the ego and seeing that we all are one’(87.p).

She is taught that she needs to ‘practice dying’ and embrace each change as if it were a small death. This will allow her to grow. She has a ‘kundalini’ event, a spiritual breakthrough that allows her to meditate with ease, but she is afraid of being ‘duped’ that it was not the real thing. This ties into her belief ‘in a system of faith, God, and afterlife.’ She comes to terms with this uncertainty and realizes she has all the benefits that ‘come along with faith, such as peace of mind, and the ability to live in the moment without always fearing death’ (153, p.). 

Even though Suzanne tells her story in a crazy humorous way, it deals with a deeper message, that we all are searching for answers to the same old questions about life, the universe, and God, but we need to be reassured that we are on the right path.

Genre: Nonfiction, autobiography/memoir

Rule of Three: Appeal

Protagonist: Likable character, honest and funny, and down to earth, relatable; Pace: Fast pace throughout the whole book, easy read; Tone: humorous; Storyline: Change, yoga, fear of death; Mood: Light; Plot driven; Writing Style: Candid.

Read-a-likes

Downward Dog, Upward Fog by Meryl Davids Landau

Similarities: Female character dealing with life, yoga, and spirituality realizes the importance of her own personal power.

Enlightenment for Idiots by Anne Cushman

Similarities: Female character deals with the basic life question, who am I and where am I going? Relatable character travels to India and the book describes her journey in a humorous manner.

Tales from the Yoga Studio by Rain Mitchell

Similarities: Female characters are brought together by their love of Yoga. The characters are from different backgrounds, lives, and struggles. Yoga and self-healing are interwoven in the storyline.

Personal Comment:

My oldest daughter recommended this book. She is a yoga instructor. The title, plus the photo on the cover of the book was very intriguing. I am a ‘cradle’ Catholic so I could absolutely relate to the author’s views, plus I have been practicing yoga for years. It is a very funny and honest story. The author deals with the normal questioning we all go through in our lifetime. It is a little dated in some of her examples; you might not get them (I had no trouble J), but it is well worth the read. In my synopsis, I use a few of her words that describe her examples, because they were so good at explaining her experiences. I added the YouTube so you can see her as a down to earth person.

Yoga Bitch Trailer: Full-Length https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPenVbo6dz0

References

Morrison, S. (2011). Yoga Bitch: One woman’s quest to conquer skepticism, cynicism, and cigarettes on the path to enlightenment. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Novelist Plus. Ebscohost. Accessed 24 March 2019 through the Indianapolis Public Library.

Saricks, J. (2009). At Leisure: The Rule of Three. Booklist, 106(3), 25. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Saricks, J. (2009). The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction (2^nded.). Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

WEEK TWELVE PROMPT RESPONSE

THE READERS’ ADVISORY MATRIX

YOGA BITCH: One Woman's Quest to Conquer, Skepticism, Cynicism, and Cigarettes on the Path to Enlightenment by Suzanne Morrison

1.    Where is the book on the narrative continuum? Highly narrative (reads like fiction).

2.    What is the subject of the book? This is Suzanne Morrison’s personal story about spirituality, growth and dealing with her personal fears.

3.    What type of book is it? This is a memoir written with journal entries.

4.     Articulate appeal:

What is the pacing of the book? This is a quick read.

Describe the characters of the book. The main character is the author who the reader follows on her personal journey to find answers. The other characters of the book are her support system who she learns from and confides in.

How does the story feel? This is a very honest story which deals with life’s serious questions, but it is written with a very humorous tone. It is very relatable. 

What is the intent of the author? She deals with issues we all question ourselves about in life, such as God, organized religions, death and how to be a better person.

What is the focus of the story? This is a personal journey for the author of her coming to terms about her beliefs and ways to transform herself into a better self, which is a continuous process.

Does the language matter? Yes, She makes light of serious subjects.

Is the setting important and well described? Yes, the whole story revolves around her experiences in Bali where she finds some answers and ways to cope with her fears and personal growth.

Are there details and, if so, of what? Suzanne describes Bali in detail and some of the customs of the inhabitants and the spiritual, mental and physical benefit of Yoga.

Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear? There are none and they are not needed.

Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience? Yes, all three are addressed in the book. The author is seeking answers about how to deal with her ‘crippling fear of death,’ religious beliefs, and the means to transform herself into her Idol, ‘Indra’ her yoga mentor, who she sees are a perfect role model.

5.    Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)? 1. Writing-style: Candid; 2.Tone: Funny 3. Learning/experience: Easy to relate to.

WEEK ELEVEN 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 the 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 patrons. I look forward to reading these!

This is definitely all new to me. I am of the old school where I have to have the physical book in my hand to be able to flip through it or skim it to read. I do not need to have illustrations in the book, because when I read I make up my own ideas of what the characters look like. So, for me, I do not think that a physical book affects my knowledge of the genre. We all have imagination and we need to use it! The only time I actually downloaded an ebook on my iPhone was when I forgot my hardcopy and I wanted something to read to pass the time. I will say it was very convenient. Also, I resorted to downloading an ebook when I could not get a copy of a book that I was on a long waiting list. Luckily I did not have to read more than a couple of pages, because my hardcopy became available soon. I do not even like to read copies of assigned reading online. I like the printed material so I can highlight. 

This is just my personal feelings. I realize ebooks are so convenient for people, especially when traveling. Also, checking out an ebook is so easy and you do not have to physically go to the library. I do think it is neat that the reader can change the font, line spacing, and color of the text. I know as I get older I need larger print and I can read it much faster. It definitely affects the pacing and tone, but that is a good thing to be able to read at whatever speed the reader enjoys.

As far as audiobooks, I have not tried one yet. I heard that you can control how fast the narrator speaks, so the pace does not lag. I know many of our patrons listen to audiobooks, especially when they drive in their cars. I do know that a good narrator will make or break the book. One of my co-workers really like Will Wheaton and he mentioned, he listened to Will’s narration of Ready Player One. He said it was as good as reading the book. I just listened to a review of audiobooks and suggestions by Catriona (Little Book Owl Blog). She mentioned that some books use ‘voice actors’ which shows how sophisticated this medium has become. She reviewed some memoirs narrated by authors, like Tina Fey’s Bossypants. She said it helped that Tina is a comedian which she adds flavor to the reading. She reviewed Illuminae which she mentioned that it was like listening to a movie.

I think the bottom line is that it does not matter what form you use to get information. What is important is that you can enjoy and learn from whatever medium appeals to you and meets your needs. Per one of our reading assignments, books originally were not available to all. At that time, storytelling was the mode of entertainment and this was the way children learned and were entertained. It helped them to use their imagination. Audiobooks have provided the same medium and today it has become a really sophisticated endeavor to sell these books and provides the public with the best of the best to enjoy these books.

Reference

Mediatore, K. (2003). Reading with Your Ears: Readers’ Advisory and Audio Books. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 42(4), 318-23. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full-Text database

WEEK ELEVEN FANTASY ANNOTATION

The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 

(Book of Dust, Volume 1)

By Philip Pullman

Published 2017 by Alfred A. Knopf, New York
449 pages
ISBN: 9780375815300

Synopsis:

It has been 20 years since the Dark Materials Trilogy(The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and the Amber Spyglass). This is the first book in the new trilogy, The Book of Dust, which finds the story in a parallel universe in nearby, Oxford England, where humans have familiars, ‘daemons’.It is the beginning of Lyra Belacqua’s story. She is a tiny 6-month-old infant left in the care of the nuns of the abbey. Her famous or infamous mother, Mrs. Coulter, did not want her and her father, Lord Asriel is banned from seeing her. The villain, Gerard Bonneville, with his daemon, a 3-legged hyena is after the child.

Malcolm Polstead, an 11-year-old boy, works for his father at the Trout Inn, which is located at the banks of the Thames River across from the abbey where Lyra is in safe keeping for the moment. He also is very friendly with the sisters at the abbey and helps them. Malcolm and his daemon, Asta pick up on the local gossip and news at the inn which is the center of many visitors on their way to other destinations. Malcolm is a very astute and observant child who one day finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance ‘Dust’ and he encounters the spy, Dr. Hannah Relf, who it is meant for. She enlists him to be her ‘eyes and ears’ for any information. This is a dangerous mission since the times are tense with the CCD, a government agency who seizes people who speak out or disagree with ‘the Church.’

The Malcolm and Alice, a kitchen girl who works for his father, find themselves on a perilous journey rescuing the infant Lyra from the abbey which has been destroyed by the flood and take her to Jordan College for sanctuary. Even though the flood is a devastation to the countryside, it is the means that provides Malcolm a way in his prized boat, ‘La Belle Sauvage’ to carry them to their destination. For ones so young, he and Alice are extremely brave and resourceful in facing and eluding, the mad man Gerard and the different evil and crazy situations they encounter along their journey with their final destination, Jordan College.

Genre: Fantasy

Rule of Three: Appeal

Protagonist: Likeable character, resourceful, faithful; Pace: First couple of chapter were slow while describing the characters and the locale, but then it became more fast-paced. Easy read. Tone: Optimistic; Storyline: World-building; Mood: Suspenseful; Plot driven; Writing Style: Compelling.

Read-a-likes

The Princess and the Snowbird by Mette Ivie Harrison

Similarities: Fantasy series with male and female characters drawn together by destiny to take on dangerous missions. Magical bonds between humans and animals are world-buildling.

Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud

Similarities: A boy with a heart and a curious mind gets a chance to be a hero on a dangerous quest and a happy ending.

Mapmakers Trilogy by S. E. Grove

Similarities: Heroine and hero embark on a dangerous adventure.

Personal Comment: I did not want to give too much information and ruin the story. The reader has to have read the previous trilogy to have any understanding of what is going on because nothing is explained. It is just alluded to or it is considered as common knowledge, such as all humans have their own personal ‘daemons,’ what ‘Dust’ is, the importance of the alethiometer, and Lyra’s parents. There would be no reason to read this book without prior knowledge. The book was long, but it moved very fast after the first couple of chapters. It was suspenseful, and I wanted Malcolm to finally get to his destination, Jordon College. But, the previous books already state that Lyra was raised there. So, the destination was a given. The storyline just showed how dangerous the mission was and how dedicated and clever Malcolm and Alice were in their journey, plus they were so young. It seemed the journey transformed them into young adults.

As a spoiler, I wanted to read the next book in the series, but I found out it is not going to be released until October 2019! I did find a review which stated the second book is about Lyra all grown up and Malcolm and Alice are not in it at all, which is a disappointment.

References

Novelist Plus. Ebscohost. Accessed 21 March 2019 through the Indianapolis Public Library.

Saricks, J. (2009). At Leisure: The Rule of Three. Booklist, 106(3), 25. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Saricks, J. (2009). The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction (2^nded.). Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

WEEK NINE BOOK CLUB EXPERIENCE

A small herd of bison stampede off a cliff. Among the carcasses is the body of a Native American man killed by an arrow shot. Enter P.I. Sean Stranahan and his ex, Sheriff Martha Ettinger, trying to find out whodunit without driving each other over the edge in this Montana-flavored mystery.

(oprah.com)

Greenwood Public Library

Mystery Book Club

            I attended the Mystery Book Club. They meet on the first Monday of every month from 1pm to 2 pm. The consensus of the group enjoyed mystery books, so that was why they chose and discussed this genre. This coincided with the group’s name ‘The Mystery Book Club’ and the choice of books which answers, ‘What kind of books should we read?’ (litlover.com).

           It was held at the Greenwood Public Library in one of their large meeting rooms. The group had a membership of around twenty people. That day there were sixteen women and one man in attendance. The group consisted of retired individuals, quite a few retired teachers, library staff, nurses and professionals. They were very warm and friendly to me. I told them I was there to observe their book club for my class. They asked me to join their monthly group which I ended up doing for next month. I could not say no.

            I have not been involved in a book club since I was a child (Great Books) and my mom frequently participated in several book clubs, but they were just casual women getting together. I was very impressed; this was a very organized group. They had a designated leader and a secretary. The secretary had everyone’s names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdays and email addresses. This was a way to help 'keep memories and record the group’s activity with a club journal' (litlovers.com).

            Before the discussion began, the women would just talk socially to each other. It appeared they have been together for quite a while. They recognized individuals’ birthdays for the month and one of the women talked about the health condition of one of their missing members. 

            The past president, a retired English school teacher, greeted me at the beginning and offered me a brownie. Before the discussion, I directed most of my questions to her about the group. Even though she was the past president, she still seemed to be in charge and led the discussion.  The book chosen for that session was Buffalo Jump Blues by Keith McCafferty. (I sped read the book in two days because I thought it would make my experience better and I would know what they were talking about). 

         The leader was very well organized. She was great at facilitating the discussion which supports  ‘having someone in charge of leading the group’s discussion in a diplomatic way that will benefit all group members’ (litlovers.com). She had a list of fifteen questions and gave everyone one at the beginning of the discussion to respond to in turn and then anyone else in the group added comments to each question. This went along with one of the tips for facilitating a book discussion to ‘choose one question at a time and toss it out to the group’(litlovers.com).

          Most of the people participated, even those who had not read the book, because of the subject matter (Bison being killed in Montana and politics). The questions were very thoughtful and led the way for more than a yes or no answer such as the conflict between ranchers and Native Americans, your favorite character and why, new information you learned from this book, any sympathy for the ‘bad guys’, and satisfied with the ending.

            No one person monopolized the group. But, to help spur on the discussion, the leader added background information about the author’s life. She read comments from an interview with him about why he became a writer and why he enjoyed contemporary Western settings and what comes next for him. She also read from his personal blog. I think this just made the novel they were discussing more relevant about why he chose the location (Montana) and the (Bison) his political statement for people to be aware of the plight of these animals while crafting a murder.

            At the end of the discussion, they handed out the book for the next month’s meeting. One of the ladies gave me a copy of another book she had already read and told me to pass it on. I also got the names of other books that were mentioned that people enjoyed. This was a delightful afternoon. Everyone was very gracious and helpful. No heated discussions, just more of an atmosphere of people getting together as friends to voice their opinions and have a pleasant time, like a monthly get together.

Personal comment: According to Goldstein, “This rise of the book clubs' influence has brought a new era in publishing, marked by a profound change in the way readers interact with professionals in the book industry." This can be seen with the emergence of book clubs like Oprah Winfrey who has brought the reading group to national attention (2005). It was interesting when I searched for a picture of this book it was one of the ’60 must-read books of the summer.’ So, I am sure one of the ladies recommended it, because of Oprah’s list (oprah.com)

If you are an animal lover, I would not read the book. It describes in detail: driving the bison herd off the cliff to their sudden death. The only reason I continued to read it was to participate in the book discussion.

Works Cited

Goldstein, Bill. “Reads well With Others,” Publishers Weekly, 23 May 2005, pp. 30-34.

Litlovers.com. “Starting a Book Club.” American Library Association,www.ilovelibraries.org/booklovers/bookclub/org, 2009-2015. Accessed 6 March 2019.

McCafferty, Keith. (n.d.). Buffalo Jump Blues. Retrieved from http://www.oprah.com/book/buffalo-jump-blues#ixzz5hQH7Pkml

WEEK EIGHT SPECIAL TOPIC

I chose to write about graphic novels because I have little to no experience with this genre. Since working at the library, I continue to be amazed at the growing interest in these books by all ages. I was surprised to find out how much has been written about this genre. I had no trouble finding sources. I will try to condense my paper as much as I can without losing the important points.

                                                A History of the Graphic Novel

            The Graphic Novel has become very popular among all age group, adults, teens, and young children as a great source of entertainment. It is appealing because the novel is a combination of words and larger than life illustrations which meet the needs of all readers on whatever their reading skills entail. It is different than a comic, whose storyline is told through a series of events like periodicals, while each graphic novel tells a complete story. Comics have the stigma of being materials for kids, while graphic novels are seen to be more of an adult type read.

            In 1938, with the publication of ACTION COMICS#1, Superman made his first appearance. Since comics were in such demand, there was not much call to produce graphic novels. But in 1950, IT RHYMES WITH LUST, by  Arnold Drake and Leslie Waller was considered to be the first popular printed modern graphic novel, which they referred to as a “picture novel”(Pinkley & Casey, 2013).

            While in the United States, comic books were seen as a children's market, foreign countries, like Japan grouped their readers on different levels. Manga comics were first produced as individual issues, and then became an album type comic books. Manga was published in multiple genres, targeting specific ages and types of readers. It was a major graphic novel genre in the late 1990s in America (Tychinski, n.d.).

            In 1978, Marvel Comics produced the first original mass-market trade paperback graphic novel, THE SILVER SURFER: The Ultimate Cosmic Experience by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Tychinski, n.d.)  A CONTRACT WITH GOD: and Other Tenement Stories by Will Eisner was one of the most important early examples of the graphic novel in the United States which showed the demand for a more sophisticated comic by the public (Murray, 2017). It was considered by many to be the first true graphic novel (Pinkley & Casey, 2013). The novel is a narrative told with pictures and text and is a story about the human condition, the struggle of people trying to get ahead, and the struggle of others to survive (Pinkley & Casey, 2013).

            There was a surge of so-called adult comics in the mid to late 1980s which included TheDark Knight Returns(1986) by Frank Miller, Watchmen(1986-87) by Alan Moore and David Gibbons, illustrator and Maus: A Survivor’s Tale(1980-86) by Art Spiegelman (Murray, 2017).  Watchmen was noted as being the first collected series graphic novel, designed to only last a limited number of issues (Murray, 2017). It still is one of the most best-selling graphic novels of all time.  MAUSis the biographical story of Spiegelman's parents in World War II during the Holocaust, which was nominated for several literary awards, and in 1992 received a special Pulitzer Prize. The most successful graphic novel series in the United States so far has been Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN series (Tychinski, n.d.).Successful movies such as Spiderman, X-Men, 300, V FOR VENDETTA and Watchmen based on original comics and graphic novel series, have favorably increased the general public's awareness and opinion of comic books here in the United States (Tychinski, n.d.).  

 Graphic novels are also often referred to as a genre, but everyone in the comic industry and graphic novel fans will quickly correct this. They are a medium and within the medium, there are different genres with many themes, styles, and stories that can be communicated through them (Pinkley & Casey, 2013). The labeling of graphic novel genres seems to continue to evolve and develop as the medium grows. In 2007, Michael Pawuk defined nine genres within the medium of graphic novels: Super-heroes, Action and Adventure, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Crime and Mysteries, Horror, Contemporary Life, Humor, and Non-Fiction (Pinkley & Casey, 2013). 

             Graphic novels have the same features as a novel which are a plot, setting, conflict, and characters (Murray, 2017). Over the years, graphic novels have evolved in becoming an essential part of the popular culture, plus an integral aspect of the literary community. Despite the fact that graphic novels have been criticized for aiding to juvenile delinquency, blamed for their portrayal of violence, and been overlooked to claims of poor physical quality, they are now acknowledged as a valuable resource for educators, librarians, and other professionals (Pinkley & Casey, 2103). Graphic novels contain artwork and text; they also have meaningful themes and allow readers of all ages to develop critical thinking, learn visual literacy, and improve comprehension and literary interpretation skills (Pinkley & Casey, 2013).

Works Cited

Graphic Novels. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.illustrationhistory.org/genres/graphic-novels

Murray, C. (2017). Graphic Novel. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/art/graphic-novel

Pinkley, J. & Casey, K. (2013). Graphic Novels: A Brief History and Overview for Library Managers. Library Leadership and Managers, 10. Retrieved from            https://journals.tdl.org/llm/index.php/llm/article/viewFile/7018/6233

Tychinski, S. (n.d.) A Brief History of the Graphic Novel. Retrieved from http://www.diamondbookshelf.com/Home/1/1/20/164?articleID=64513