The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction: Third Edition

by Neal Wyatt, Joyce G. Saricks

Everyone's favorite guide to fiction that's thrilling, mysterious, suspenseful, thought-provoking, romantic, and just plain fun is back and better than ever in this completely revamped and revised edition. A must for every readers'; advisory desk, this resource is also a useful tool for collection development librarians and students in LIS programs. Inside, RA experts Wyatt and Saricks

Cover genres such as Psychological Suspense, Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Literary and Historical Fiction, and introduce the concepts of Adrenaline and Relationship Fiction; include everything advisors need to get up to speed on a genre, including its appeal characteristics, key authors, sure bets, and trends; demonstrate how genres overlap and connect, plus suggestions for guiding readers among genres; and tie genre fiction to the whole collection, including nonfiction, audiobooks, graphic novels, film and TV, poetry, and games.

Both insightful and comprehensive, this matchless guidebook will help librarians become familiar with many different fiction genres, especially those they do not regularly read, and aid library staff in connecting readers to books they're sure to love.

Genres: Nonfiction, Library Science, Professional Development, Writing

311 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent guide to readers' advisory work and is a pacy and engaging read. I would suggest reading it in chunks as it is helpful to think about how this information can be applied in your library. Each genre has a section which provides a definition, the characteristics and appeal including frame, setting, story line, tone, characterisation, language, style and pacing. Subgenres are explored. Key authors are suggested with an interesting mix of new and older authors. Information about fans of each genre is included (as to how much assistance they are likely to be interested in), as are 'sure bets'. One of the most interesting sections in each chapter is the reading among genres (so other genres you can suggest to particular readers), and 'reading the whole collection' which brings in non-fiction including poetry, graphic novels (although they are included in other places as well), audio books, film, television and video games. I really like the approach of making the whole collection work for readers' advisory work as there are some implications for how other enquiries are dealt with as well. Each chapter ends with a section called 'hack this book' where you can write in local information.

I read this as an ebook, however, for maximum use in a public library it may be necessary to buy a print edition (even with the rather tough exchange rates at present). This books could be very helpful for staff training, including detailed genre discussions.

While I do not agree with all the descriptions of each genre, they are very helpful.

[Tori Rumschlag · Rating 5 out of 5]

A smart, in-depth guide to genre fiction. I actually enjoyed reading this textbook. The authors are knowledgeable, witty, and have a talent for breaking the topics down into manageable, understandable chunks of information.

[Kristine Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one a lot better than the other Saricks' book I read. The writing was much more conversational. It's as though you are sitting down with the author and talking books. I liked how the chapters were divided up. You get a definition of the genre that helps a person understand what the genre represents in the context of its readers. Then you get characteristics and appeal. Saricks emphasizes appeal over say, summary. What is it about that genre, book, author that appealed to the reader enough for them to pick up the title in the first place type of thing. Key authors is next where you get a who's who in the genre. The what we know about fans section gives you some ideas on what readers expect in their respective genre, important to know when trying to match up a patron's next read. Given the cross genre nature of many books these days, you get a great section on what to recommend across genres to broaden the options available to a reader when they are looking for what's next. To give RA folks an even bigger pool to jump into, you've got other formats to consider, like nonfiction, graphic novels, movies, music and audio books. Nothing says you have to stick with traditional books. And finally wrapping up with trends in the genre. I found a nice little nugget to pass along to my father this last weekend should he find himself tiring of the author he's currently reading. I can see getting a lot of use out of this particular book going forward. It has helped me see some different paths to take when providing RA service, like how to really get down to brass tacks with a patron during the RA interview on what they read to get a better sense of where to go with them next. Some lists like the Audie Awards may prove useful for me since I didn't even know that was a thing. I was not surprised to learn that science fiction fans tend not to rely on RA services much because much of what they settle on they hear word of mouth or through the many channels they use to fuel their desires for that kind of content. I am certainly in that category myself since I seem to stumble on my great reads sometimes by accident and sometimes purposely. This book falls into the latter category for me. A fine addition to my repertoire!

[Josh Ashing · Rating 3 out of 5]

"We know they recognize and appreciate reading as an art form and that they count themselves as part of a literary community that values books as artistic expressions.
We know that they do not limit their reading to just Literary Fiction but read widely, in other genres, in nonfiction, and that they read magazines and newspapers as well. They consider reading a serious, but joyful, undertaking and enjoy books that meet them where they are. They particularly appreciate expression, form, character, experimentation, and verve.
Like all readers they are searching for windows (a way to view the world beyond themselves)
and mirrors (works that reflect their own selves, concerns, and realities). They read, in part, to learn about other types of people and other types of lives. They enjoy books of ideas, of acute psychological insights, and those that explore the human experience. They also read for insight into their own lives and feelings."(pg. 80)
Adult Lit SP24

[Jeimy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up for a class, hoping it would help me sharpen my reader’s advisory (RA) skills, but honestly, it didn’t quite deliver. The book was published over six years ago, so it’s missing many of the authors who are currently making waves in the genres it covers. Plus, the genres themselves have evolved, and the guide just doesn’t keep up with those changes.

That said, there was one thing I found somewhat interesting—the explanation of each genre's appeal. The authors do a decent job of breaking down why readers are drawn to specific genres, which is something I’m not sure I would have known exactly how to articulate on my own.

Overall, though, I was underwhelmed. If you’re looking for something current and relevant to today’s RA work, this might not be the best resource. Two stars from me.

[Fiona Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great practical guide for not just books that fit different tastes, but understanding the variety of appeals in each story while not dismissing the importance of the interview, which may reveal individual variations from the most commonly cited appeals of the genre. There is an index of both stories mentioned as well as an index of appeal elements. It's a great place to start if you're not sure where to look for stories exemplifying a genre. If you own a physical copy, it also includes space to write down common appeal elements or reads in your local library. I'm glad my professor asked us to read it.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly interesting reading as both a librarian and a reader. It's great to have a broader understanding of genres, how they crossover, how to talk about them to readers, and how to utilise the whole library collection as an adviser. Engaging and easy to read.

[Kieraanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and well written overview spanning the main umbrella genres of fiction. Will definitely come in handy for readers advisory for librarians. It was also very fun to see authors and titles that I was familiar with and to get suggestions for my TBR pile.

[Jan Ayers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great resource for RA, which is the best part of my job.

[Conner Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been so helpful! Love it!!

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a class. It was helpful and interesting to learn about the different genres.

[Katie WJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

gonna keep using this for work, heck yeah

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful guide to the various genres of fiction including what makes them distinct (or distinct-ish) and what appeals to their readers about them. Also gives author and title suggestions. Which book to start readers with for specific authors or subgenres is suggested, but there isn't any explanation of why that book is the best starting point (other than series that begin at the beginning) and I think that would have been helpful.
The end of the book offers a 5-book challenge (read 5 books each year in a new-to-you genre) to build your Readers' Advisory skills. The authors also encourage librarians to create lists from their own collections for each genre and to consider how their local collections correspond to the sure-bet titles in the book.

[Sobia A Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book used for my adult RA class. Great insights and recommendations.

[Rachel Siska · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will definitely be referring to this book throughout my career (and maybe just for fun). It is very well organized and has a multitude of useful details.