Customer #1
Customer: I’m looking for a good story, you know, something that draws me in. But I don’t know where to start looking.
Librarian: What was the last book you read? Could you share something you liked about it?
Customer: The last book I read was Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Everyone is reading it so I had to pick it up. It was lovely. She is such an interesting woman and so brave. I enjoyed the descriptions of the countries she went to and what she did while she was there, of course, but I think what I liked most was how she shared her inner thoughts — so reflective but funny too. I thought it might be just light fluff or all me, me, me, me, but it was so much more than that. I read all the Oprah books and just love them. Anyway I wanted to ask you for a few suggestions for my book group. It’s my turn to pick the title.
What stands out to me in the customer’s responses are the phrases ...“She is such an interesting woman and so brave” and “what I liked most was how she shared her inner thoughts”. Based on these comments and the fact that she is looking for a book club title, I would recommend “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed, another book adapted to the big screen. Like “Eat, Pray, Love” it is an inspiring and descriptive memoir of a brave and independent woman seeking clarity and direction after a difficult period in her personal life. Her quest leads her to the decision to hike the entire length of the Pacific Crest trail, solo. It is written in an engaging and reflective style that will draw you into her journey.
Customer #2
Customer: Can you recommend any vampire books that are nothing like the Twilight series?
Librarian: Let me see how I can help you. What don’t you like about Twilight?
Customer: Everything, but especially that teen love story – way too much angst! And way too slow. Have you read any good vampire stories lately?
This is a great example of a circumstance when a customer is asking for a recommendation in a genre that you may completely unfamiliar with. I have not read the Twilight series, although I have seen a couple of the films in the series. In this situation, I would tell the customer that I don’t personally know of any vampire books to recommend of off the top my head, but that there is a great tool that we can use to generate some recommended titles. Together with the customer, I would demonstrate how to utilize the Novelist Plus database through our website, the subject search features of our catalog and maybe Goodreads if they show interest. I would plug in “Adult” fiction books with a subject of vampires, that are fast-paced and engaging. I would sort based on popularity as a start.
Scrolling through the generated list I would ask the customer if they have read any of the popular Sookie Stackhouse series books by Charlaine Harris. Other possibilities are Anne Rice’s series, “The Vampire Chronicles” and the “All Souls Trilogy” by Deborah Harkness. Customers are usually thrilled to find out how to use search features that they can then take advantage of from home or on their smartphone.
Customer #3
Librarian: Hi, are you looking for anything in particular?
Customer: I just read this great book The River of Doubt. It was about Teddy Roosevelt and this ill fated expedition to chart an uncharted river in the Amazon. They lost almost all their provisions, the president was injured, and it turns out one of their crew was a murderer since there was a murder. And the most amazing thing was that it true. It was fascinating and really fast paced. Do you have anything to recommend that is like that?
I also really enjoyed “The River of Doubt”. I would suggest “The Perfect Storm” by Sebastian Junger, another fast-paced adventure story that tells the dramatic account of a commercial fishing vessel that gets caught in the “Storm of the Century” off of the coast of Nova Scotia. Other non-fiction books that may interest the reader due to thier richly detailed and compelling tales are “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer and “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand.
If the customer was open to a fast-paced, character driven book of fiction that takes place in the Amazon, I would suggest “State of Wonder” by Ann Patchett for it’s sense of place and adventure.
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