A Fantastic Site for Mystery Lovers - Stop! You're Killing Me!!

Dear RAVALA group:


To perk up your Monday, there's a fantastic website for those of you who are mystery lovers (and it's extremely helpful for those who are not!). Please take a look at http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/ . This site is self described as : "A resource for lovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books. We list over 2,600 authors, with chronological lists of their books (over 30,000 titles), both series (3,000+) and non-series. Use the alphabetical author and character links above or the special indexes in the left column. And it’s perfectly fine with us if you print our pages for your private use, especially for a trip to your local library or bookstore".


In addition to a "Read-Alikes" section, there is a "Job Index" so you can find main mystery protaganists by their occupations, a "Location Index" of a character's home country, and a "Historical Period of Characters Index". There are other great features as well, so please explore this one and let us know what you think! And - if you know of other truly helpful sites for mystery readers out there, please share with the RAVALA gang of many. We love to hear your ideas and comments - - please keep them coming!


Susan C.

Books into Movies!

Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod! Only 3 days, 11 hours and a handful of minutes until Twilight hits theaters! Are you going to be in line to watch the first show at midnight on November 21? You are? Well you won't see me there but I hope you enjoy the show. (Need an update on how long before it opens in theaters? check here for a countdown clock)

In case you are unfamiliar with this "Twilight" to which I refer, then you haven't talked with many tween/teenage girls lately or haven't placed one of the 200+ holds on the book (or its sequels). Stephanie Meyer's 2005 young adult vampire romance novel is a NY Times best seller and has three sequels to date. The movie version is almost here and many just can't wait! For a fan's entertaining (although a bit long) reaction to her initial viewing of the trailer watch this youtube video.

Unfortunately many book fans are often disappointed by the film version of their favorite book, but once in a while a decent version of a book does hit the big screen. So, how about you RAVALA folks? Do you have any book to movie that you thought was done well? Or are there any movie versions you just hated?

If you need a reminder on those titles that have gone from book to movie, be sure to visit the Mid-Continent Public Library "Based on the Book" list. You can also find it on the ALD website's Movies & Music page.

Library Journal's "Redefining RA" series - Genres

The November 1 issue of Library Journal continues the "Redefining RA" series. This month's topic is "Keeping up with Genres" and discusses Genre Studies - forming groups that read a variety of books in specific genre, then meet to discuss the genre and share likes (and dislikes). That's a bit difficult to do in a group the size of our RAVALA interest group (not to mention that we are spread out over multiple locations), but it might be something that an interested group at a branch might want to try to gain some depth in a particular genre.

From the article: "There can be little better way to build RA skills and create both functional teams and a public service tone in the library than sinking into a genre for a while and working together to discover its appeal."

You can find the LJ article here

Is a genre study worth trying? Could a group as large and spread out as our interest group pull it off, or is it best left to smaller branch groups? Have you ever tried "sinking into a genre" (especially one that's outside your typical reading habits?)

Put a Little Love in Our Lives!!

Romance, Romance -

Ladies and Gentlemen (or Scarletts and Rhetts) - Romance is in the air and it isn't even February! So - please tune into your romance radar and tell us (name and describe) your favorite hunk or vamp in a book, movie, or tune that sets the mood. For example, an outstanding vamp in music is "Lola" from "Damn Yankees" ("Whatever Lola Wants") and a hunk favorite of mine is strong, silent Joe Pike from the Elvis Cole mystery series written by Robert Crais. Joe is tough and no nonsense, but is beginning to grow a soft heart (sigh).

A couple of romance author sites to investigate are: http://www.rwanational.org/cs/home and http://www.coloradoromancewriters.org/

For movies, take a look at : http://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/04/moviefones-top-25-romance-films-of-all-time/

How about some input from you creative RAVALA types for romance sites - -and don't forget to tell us about your favorite hunks and vamps!!

Susan C.