Her name is Nancy Pearl, and she is much better looking in real life. Her action figure outsells Beethoven's, Mozart's and Jesus'. Nancy is probably the most famous librarian in the world.
So how do you know what to suggest?
Ask them this question: “tell me about a book you liked”. Don’t ask what the book is about, that’s a different question. The way that they answer will tell you a lot about what sort of thing they're looking for. Did they say "I couldn't put it down" or "I felt like I had always known the main character" or "It was like I was really there" or "it was just so beautifully written"?
Character readers will like Georgette Heyer, biographies, Bridget Jones.
Setting readers might like Bernard Cornwell. Or Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Or William Gibson. Much fantasy falls into this category.
Language books have the smallest readership, but win the most awards. Here you’ll find A S Byatt, Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth and Margaret Atwood. I’d also argue that you’d find Terry Pratchett, Jasper Fforde and PG Wodehouse here, too.
There are of course authors like Jane Austen and Tim Winton who have four equally sized doors. This is because they are awfully clever.
- The Last Samurai (Language, Character)
- Alice in Wonderland (Setting)
- Fire and Hemlock (Character, Story)
- Love that Dog (Language)
- Skellig (Language)
(This surprises me. I would have said I was more of a Story person.)
1 comment:
1. The Last Samurai (too) - language, character.
2. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - setting, plus I'd argue character and language as well - Jonathan's character was particularly well drawn. I always felt afterwards that I would know exactly what to expect if he came over for dinner.
3. Middlesex - mostly character plus language and story
4. David Lodge's stuff - setting, some character
5. A Suitable Boy and An Equal Music - setting, character, language, story. Wow, Vikram Seth is a genius!
Very interesting - thanks Lili!
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