Celebrity Inspired Book Clubs

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 “From Obscurity to Bestseller: Examining the Impact of Oprah's Book Club Selections”

Butler, R., Cowan, B., & Nilsson, S.

Reading the article over Oprah’s influence reminded me of an episode of the television show, Parks and Recreation . In the episode Leslie Knop is trying to get her book added into a tv host’s book club, “Joan’s Book Club”, so that it can gain popularity. Leslie demonstrates the boost the club gives to books by describing a book that had no popularity before being added and then that it becomes “best seller, four years in a row” after Joan makes it her pick. While the exaggeration is used for humor, the idea is very similar in the case Bulter, et. al. make in their article over Oprah. 

The research that the authors did revealed that the books chosen for Oprah’s book club

 not only experienced popularity directly after their selection but also had popularity after this initial surge. While in later years Oprah’s influence was shown to wane, her books still had a better than average bestseller life then the “average bestseller”. It’s interesting to think that a celebrity could have such an effect on a book even if its quality wasn’t up to being a bestseller. Going back to my mention of the tv episode, it’s almost like the person who has picked the book gives more influence to the reader’s opinion then an actual review. I can understand someone taking the opinion of a close friend over a stranger’s review, but what is it about celebrities that make us trust their word? Is it the fact that they are a celebrity, and somehow their word carries more weight, or does it have something to do with us not considering them strangers?

The article brings up an interesting idea of how much a celebrity could influence a book’s sales. When you think about it, what more authority does Oprah have to say a book is good than anyone else? What I found most interesting in the article was the decline in popularity of the book club and what reasons could be behind the fall. The authors speculate but no strong evidence is given for a true reason, however, one idea was the decline of quality of the books chosen. This may be due to the rather narrow area Oprah picks from, but it’s interesting to think that perhaps people no longer choose her picks because they’ve found they aren’t to their taste. It shows that reading a book simply for the person who’s suggested it doesn’t guarantee you will enjoy it as well.

Promoting Romance

My idea would be for a display and event for over a weekend. It would be a display of shelves that have books in plain brown wrapping paper with either one word or one sentence descriptions of reasons to pick this book written on the outside. For example, “Do you like adventure? Then I’m the one for you!”, but it can be more descriptive. The display would be labeled “Blind Date with a Book” and the patron could pick one that grabs their attention from the short description. The shelves could be either displayed much like Valentine’s or made to look similar to some popular dating app or site to help grab attention.

The event would be some tables set up with one or two chairs where patrons could sit. This would probably take place on the second day, so that they can pick up a book and then come back to participate. The tables could have some small sandwiches or cookies and if the library has a coffee station perhaps a coupon to a free drink. The tables could also have a “Review Your Date” card where the patron could put the title and author and then give a number or star rating and “Describe your date” section. The reviews could be posted on a bulletin board or in a similar way that the books were at first. The patron doesn’t have to finish the book to make a review, just describe how their readings went on the “date”. There can also be a designated hashtag for patrons to use when posting to social media for before and after the event. This hashtag can also be used when the library promotes the even on their own accounts. I think this would be a fun event to have and also a good way to get some patron reviews on romance books.

Horror: The Elementals

Author:  Michael McDowell

Title: The Elementals

Genre: Horror

Publication Date: 1981

Number of Pages: 218

Geographical Setting: Alabama, USA

Plot Summary:

The Savage and McCray families have been coming to Beldame for years and, after a rather disturbing funeral, such a vacation is much needed. The three Victorian houses are the sole structures of the split off Alabama’s Coast and the easy going atmosphere will help get their minds off their troubles. The third house has been void of humans for years, and has been slowly taken over by an eroding sand dune. But the third house isn’t vacant. Something is there, something they don't like to think about, and it’s lurking in the shadows of the sand. It’s killed in the past and it’s looking to kill again.

Appeal:

Foreboding tone- Throughout the book every mention of “the third house” causes the tone of the story to change. Compared to the easy going feel of the rest of Beldame, the parts mentioning the eerie third house feel menacing and the reader continuously feels the climax rising.

Monsters- These monsters are some of the worst kind- unknown. Mystery surrounds them and not much is ever reviled. The reader begins to wonder what lurks in their own shadowed corners.

Storyline- If you’re looking for a story that ends happily, don’t pick up this one up. With nothing being resolved, The Elementals leaves the reader with unease and unsure what will happen to the characters.

Similar Authors and Works:

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson: A haunted house based on real events. George and Kathleen Lutz have just bought a house for a bargain, but they didn’t account for the previous owners sticking around.

This House is Haunted by John Boyne: This house has an ominous presence. Eliza Caine has come to be a governess, but she may have to deal with more than children.

Enter, Night by Michael Rowe: A small town with a secret. Not a haunted house, but follow the characters as they search out the towns mystery, and discover a monster.

Adventure: The Martian

Author: Andy Weir

Title: The Martian

Genre: Adventure

Publication Date: 2014

Number of Pages: 369

Geographical Setting: Earth (NASA/ China) and Mars

Plot Summary:

This is an adventure gone wrong. Mark Watney has been left stranded with supplies and equipment only meant to last for about 31 sols (40 minutes longer then an Earth day). He’s also on Mars.

A forceful dust storm caused his NASA crew to abandon their mission on the surface of the red planet, unfortunately for Watney he doesn’t quite make it to the crew’s escape craft. Left alone on a barren planet, with no way of letting Earth know he’s alive, Watney has to find away to make materials for a short mission last years. That’s if human error doesn’t kill him first. As Watney overcomes one deadly scenario after another he relies on his ingenuity, skills as an engineer, and tons of humor. 

Appeal:

Overcoming challenges- Going along with Watney as he survives Mars is heart stopping at times and warming at others. When he does receive help, the reader can see all of mankind rally for one man’s life, and it’s amazing.

Hero with mad skills – Some of the ideas Watney comes up with are mind blowing. While some of the science can take away from the action, it still leaves the reader with wonder at how he came up with such an idea.

Exotic setting – Can't get much can be more exotic than a planet that man has never set foot on. Considering the very setting of the story appears as the protagonist, it’s rather ominous as well.

Similar Authors and Works:

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: Dangerous adventure (this time on the sea). Crusoe feels the call of the sea, despite his parents’ wishes, and takes on one danger after the next.

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson: The world bands together. Catastrophe makes Earth a ticking bomb and all the nations must come together in order to find hope—in outer space.

Packing for Mars by Mary Roach: Is living in space possible? For more of the concept of living in space, follow Roach as she explores questions of how one could live in “the void” and what makes us human.