Prompt Response

1. 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!

According to Novelist, the fourth novel in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series is: The Lunatic Cafe. I verified this with KDL What's Next, which is my favorite source for finding which book comes next in a series.

2. 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.

I read through many reviews of Prodigal Summer on Novelist, BookBrowse, and Goodreads. Lyrical, lush, beautifully written, and slow were common descriptions. Of all the read alikes suggested, I believe Anthill might be a good choice for your next book. Anthill shares the ecological theme, has beautifully written descriptions of the natural world, and draws parallels between nature and society. It is also described as exciting, so the pacing would be faster than Prodigal Summer.

Novelist also lists Sara Gruen as a read alike author for Barbara Kingsolver. If the relationships between the characters is what you found most compelling, and your love of nature extends to animals, you might enjoy Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants, which Novelist describes as reflective, romantic, engaging, and richly detailed. The characters are compelling and the ending is both surprising and satisfying.

3. 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!

Novelist describes The Pillow Book of the Flower Samurai by Barbara Lazar as" MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA meets CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON - THE PILLOW BOOK OF THE FLOWER SAMURAI is a gorgeously vivid, fresh historical that instantly captures the imagination." It sounds perfect to me!

4. 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?

Novelist describes Well Schooled in Murder as leisurely paced, character driven, with a strong sense of place. I believe you might like A Great Deliverance, the first of Elizabeth George's Thomas Lynley mysteries, or Still Life by Louise Penny, which is also a character driven, leisurely paced mystery.

5. 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?

Both of these zombie novels are described by Novelist as plot-driven, fast-paced, and gruesome. He might like Blackout by Mira Grant, or Devil's Wake by Stephen Barnes, both plot-driven, fast paced, gruesome, zombie (or zombie-like) novels.

For my personal recreational reading, I read books that friends have read and recommended, books that patrons recommend, and sometimes something that comes across the circulation desk and catched my eye. I've found some great books that way!

When I discover a book I really enjoy, I use Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing, or Novelist to find others like it. Novelist is a somewhat recent discovery, but I love the way the Readers Advisory Toolbox lists elements of appeal, making it much easier to identify a read alike in terms of what really appeals to the reader. It is a great place to find just what you're in the mood for.

My favorite tool for finding the next book in a series is KDL Whats Next. I recently (sadly) finished the "In Death" series by J.D. Robb. I was able to listen to them all in order by printing out the list from KDL, and highlighting my way down the list.