Week 6: Building Base Knowledge (Genres)

Assignment 1:
I chose to follow Locus, a Science-Fiction and Fantasy review site. At first glance, it looks pretty similar to Early Word, including side bars with information and a main, constantly changing feed of book reviews. Upon closer inspection though, I noticed that Locus really appeals to its sci-fi readers by being almost scientific in its book reviews and data presentation. I clicked on "this week's best sellers" and was met with a very methodical-looking chart, which I wasn't expecting. I can definitely see why this site is a go-to for hardcore Science Fiction readers. It covers a lot of material and it's very thorough!

Assignment 2:
First of all, I love Prezis. Secondly, I love this Prezi. So many subgenres I never even heard of!! I had no idea there were so many subgenres to Urban Fiction. Or that Realistic Fiction, which seemed like such a wide genre to me, could be broken down so simplistically. In fact, I used the description for Beach Reads today when a customer asked me for a good book to read on her beach vacation for Memorial Day weekend. (I gave her The Rosie Project and showed her some things by Jennifer Weiner).



Assignment 3:

Subgenre 1: Realistic Fiction--Chick Lit
Appeal Factors: Light hearted, humorous, contemporary, awkward protagonist
3 Authors: Sophie Kinsella (Shopaholic series), Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones's Diary), Lauren Weisberger (The Devil Wears Prada)



Subgenre 2: Fantasy--Magical Realism
Appeal Factors: Realistic, magical elements that could happen in the real world
3 Authors: Lev Grossman (The Magicians series), Helen Oyeyemi (What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours), Mark Tompkins (The Last Days of Magic)



Subgenre 3: Science Fiction--Cyberpunk
Appeal Factors: Man vs. machine, realistic, action, advanced technology
3 Authors: Issac Asimov (I, Robot), William Gibson (Neuromancer), Neal Stephenson



Two titles with subgenre crossovers:
A Brief History of Seven Killings, by Marlon James--crossover between literary realistic fiction and historical realistic fiction. This book is about the attempted assassination of Bob Marley and won the Man Booker Prize in 2015. The 1970s setting makes this book historical, but the complex themes of race, drugs, and violence make it literary.


The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger--crossover between time traveling science fiction and literary realistic fiction. Time travel plays an important role in this book, but it's paired themes of loss, gratitude, family, romance, and love. The subject is time travel, but the style is very literary.