Living the Good Life

  Author: Debbie Nathan Title: Sybli Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Disorder  Genre : Non-fiction Publication Date: 2011 Number of Pages : 297 Geographic Setting: New York  Time Period: 1950's  Series : N/A Plot Summary: Research  is done to uncover the facts of Shirley Mason (Sybil) and her multiple personalities. John Jay College had an archive of Flora Shreiber's papers (the author of the book Sybil).  Nathan reviews those and then tracked down friends and relatives of Sybil, her psychiatrist, and the author of Sybil. Between multiple interviews, photos, records, tapes and diaries, Nathan discovers that the story is false. Sybil's psychiatrist "made extravagant, sadistic use of habit forming, mind bending drugs." According to the records, she used everything from psychedelics to Pentothal, even electroshock therapy to induce the personalities.  Subject headings : Multiple Personality Disorder, Adventist, Psychiatry

 The Reader Advisory Matrix for A Walk In the Woods by Bill Bryson 1.) Where is the book on the narrative continuum?      Highly narrative (reads like fiction) 2. What is the subject of the book?      Hiking the Appalachian Trail 3.) What type of book is it?      A travel memoir 4.) Articulate Appeal:      What is the pacing of the book? Fairly quick, but easy to follow      Describe the characters in the book: There are two main characters. The first is Bill Bryson, a middle aged man of 44, with an ambitious goal of thru-hiking the A.T. His companion is Katz, an old friend he hadn't seen in 25 years that arrives for this endeavor quite overweight and out of shape.      How does the story feel? Lighthearted and funny     What is the intent of the author? The author wants to reveal his adventures and enlighten the reader to the trials and tribulations along the trail.      What is the focus of the story? Building bonds of friendship and teaching personal perseverance.     Does t

 Author : J.R.R. Tolkien Title: The Hobbit Genre: Fantasy Publication Date : 1937 Number of Pages : 305 Geographical Setting : Middle Earth, set "north west of the old world, east of the sea".  Time Period : 2941- 2942 of the Third Age. It is said to take place 60 years prior to the Lord of the Rings.  Series : Although it IS a stand along book, it was written as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings.  Plot Summary:      Bilbo Baggins, a well-to-do respectable Hobbit, was contentedly blowing smoke rings outside when the wizard Gandalf arrived. Upon being invited to join him on an adventure, Bilbo promptly turned him down. He enjoyed the warmth and security of his hobbit hole. As he departed, Gandalf made a mark on the door, and the very next morning, thirteen dwarves arrived at tea time. Tales were told of the terrible dragon Smaug, and how he was responsible for the destruction of the entire dwarf community and stole their valuables and kept them for himself. The dwarves were

    Different mediums have many of  the same appeals of print books, just interpreted differently.  Visual appeal is pretty standard. Colors appeal to emotion and influence choices. Changing the font and line spacing on the ebooks is not really any different than a reader using large print books. If the reader is no longer squinting and struggling to make words out, they will be able to read at a faster pace. In some cases, this will improve the readers confidence and they will read even more.      Audio books have the unique appeal of time. They have become increasingly popular as our society becomes more "go, go, go". Audio books allow the reader to multitask. The enjoyability of  the audio books are affected by other influences though, such as the narrator.  Enthusiasm is a must. A dull, monotonous voice would make even a thriller hard to get through. Background sounds also affect the audio books. Just as it is with movies, music and background help set the mood and pull t

     There is a  book club that meets at our local public library on the last Thursday of every month, from 6 - 7 p.m. It does not have a standing membership roster; it is open to the community. Participants attend based solely on their own availability and interest in the book chosen that month. There is a leader that kickstarts the meeting, but everybody openly comments. In February, the book club read Misty Creek, by John W. Vander Velden.      Due to the author's proximity, the book club leader made arrangements for Mr. Vander Velden to come in and lead the discussion. It was publicized in the library newsletter as a "meet and greet" and he brought along a few extra copies of books to be available for purchase. There were coffee and cookies provided, although I am not sure if that was typical or just bought for the occasion.      Rather than a meeting room, we gathered in the large conference room so there was space for the treats and a table for the author's mate

 There are so many different aspects of Reader's Advisory to choose from!!! With not being given a specific topic, it took me awhile to decide which direction to go with this assignment.  One of my responsibilities at work is to order adult non-fiction. A few years back, I had ordered a book titled A Fire Story, by Brian Fies. It was about the wildfires in Northern California. When it came in, I was shocked to discover that it was a graphic novel. I was unaware that non-fiction graphic novels existed.  Of course, it makes sense that non-fiction graphic novels are a thing, but up until that point, I had never really given it any thought. My paper will discuss their existence and importance, and ways to promote them. I will use Drowned City, by Don Brown to support my points. It is a story about Hurricane Katrina.