Week 6

Week 6: Assignment 1

I followed Heroes and Heartbreakers since I was unfamiliar with it.  Each day they publish a blog post with the romance releases.  While this is great information for a romance reader, I prefer RT Book Reviews where I get shorter reviews and a rating system for a month's worth of releases. 


Week 6: Assignment 2
Explore this Prezi link of Fiction Genres and Subgenres.

The Prezi is fantastic! 

Week 6: Assignment 3

Pick 3 subgenres that you are unfamiliar with.

Find a fan website for each subgenre and summarize the current buzz among fans. Why are they excited about this subgenre? How did you find the website?
List three authors or titles that are associated with or typify each of these 3 subgenres. What are the hallmarks or appeal factors of each of the subgenres?
Mashups of subgenres, e.g. steampunk westerns, are becoming increasingly popular. Find two titles, not shown on the flowchart, which could cross over into another subgenre. Describe your rationale. 

Steampunk
http://steampunkscholar.blogspot.com/ After a lot of searching this site seemed to be current and had more book content than most of the other steampunk sites that I found which seemed to be more about the aesthetic.   The buzz seems to be more about conferences then individual book titles.   The Aylesford Skull by James Blaylock is a recent title mentioned on the site.

Authors:  Gail Carriger, Cherie Priest, and George Mann

Appeal: There is a wide range of titles under the steampunk umbrella but generally they are:  world building / setting, character driven, and language

Chick Lithttp://chicklitbooks.com/  After a lot of searching in other genres that didn't yield usable results an urban fantasty site (www.bookchickcity.com) lead me to try chick lit.  Within the site is are sections on subgenres within chick lit including dieting/weight loss lit, christian chick lit, fantasy lit, glamour lit, hen lit, mom lit, single girl in the city lit, wedding lit, and working girl lit.  Forthcoming titles include Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger, Faking It by Cora Carmack, and Motherland by Amy Sohn. 

Authors: Sophie Kinsella, Lauren Weisberger, Jill Mansell
 
Appeal: usually first person, but can be from multiple perspectives; humorous in tone, usually dealing with realistic issues faced by women

Legal Thrillers
http://www.thebigthrill.org/ is a website/monthly webzine by the International Thriller Writers Association.  Under "THE LATEST BOOKS" is a drop down that is broken out by subgenre.  http://www.thebigthrill.org/latest-books/legal-thrillers/ Some forthcoming or new titles being promoted are: Corrupt Practices by Robert Rotstein, Crime of Privilege by Walter Walker, and Blood Money by James Grippando 

Authors: John Grisham, Steve Martini, Scott Turow

Appeal: vivid characters usually featuring a likable but flawed hero, complex plots, moral and ethical issues.

Mashups
Soulless by Gail Carriger is a steampunk paranormal romance.  It is set in an alternate Victorian England with vampires, werewolves, and central to the storyline is a romance between a souless bluestocking and a werewolf earl. 

Buntline Special by Mike Resnick is a steampunk western.  It is set in the Wild West - with robots.