W5A2 - EarlyWord.com - So I have a different impression of earlyword.com now.  When I originally went to the website, it looked way to visually overwhelming and the layout of the webpage is pretty... well, lame looking, so I didn't choose it for a daily review.  However, I visited again and took the time to leaf through the info and found some pretty good stuff, including upcoming movies based on books.  So I grabbed a few books for movies that are coming out next year - well ahead of the reserve rush:).  I'm seeing that Early Word will be a good site for hot-off-the-press information about books, authors, upcoming films, book awards, etc.  I'm still disturbed about the appearance of the site (yes, you'll keep hearing this from me lol), but I'm slowly getting over it as the great info reveals itself.
As far as what's popular in our branch, most adults come in with the titles that they are looking for, but they're not usually new books (at least the ones I get).  I have used the New York Times Bestseller List several times for those customers who are looking for the newest popular book, or Novelist for a quick read-alike list that I can print out for customers.  They've seemed to really like that feature.

W5A1 -  Building Base Knowledge (Part II) - The website I've been monitoring is nprbooks.org.  Awesome website.  One thing I think it's great for is the author interviews - hearing the inside scoop directly from the authors.  I just really love how the website brings together the book, the audio, interviews, music clips... whatever.  It's not just: click on the book and get a description and a review.  You get a lot more, either visually or audibly, and that's very appealing to me as a resource for all things books.   (...in addition to the clean, simple, easy-to-navigate web layout... I could go on forever baby!  lol Home Alone II).

W4A1 - Building Base Knowledge (Goodreads) - I became a Goodreads member last year and really enjoy using it.  But I've always used it as a personal (private) list to just keep track of my books.  So I added two friends (that's big lol), and commented on a book for each.  One of the books that was read was called Home by Carson Ellis.  I recommended Home Place by Crescent Dragonwagon which talks about a home that previously existed in a place that now sits empty.  The book takes you back in time as you imagine the home and its previous residents.  It also shares the same beautiful watercolor imagery.  Both books are very comforting to read.  The other book that I commented on was Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.  I recommended I Kill the Mockingbird by which is not only completely relevant right now with the release of Harper Lee's newest book Go Set a Watchman, but it's a fun twist on To Kill a Mockingbird.  Novelist lists it as a read-alike for Lemoncello's Library because both inventive stories include games that involve books and readers.

W3A3 - The Readers' Services Conversation
--Conversation 1 - The first customer seems to enjoy the appeal factor of "character," where the reader is able to connect with the feelings and emotions of a person(s) in the story.  A book that takes place in another region or country would also appeal to her.  She seems to like a light read with a little humor, and a book from Oprah's book list will most likely be a sure hit.  I would recommend "Committed" also written by Elizabeth Gilbert.  This book is a continuation of Gilbert's story in "Eat, Pray, Love" and touches on the same topics of travel, love, reflection, etc.

--Conversation 2 - This customer wants a vampire book, but nothing with sappy romantic teen relationships, and nothing link the Twilight Saga books.  I turned to Novelist to find good recommendations for her.  If she wants a teen book, I would recommend Buffy the Vampire Slayer books because they have the vampire focus without the romantic relationships.  For an adult book, I would start with "Hit List" by Laurell K. Hamilton.  This book stars a U.S. marshal and a vampire hunter who find out that hit men are in the area and they are the targets - nothing like the Vampire Saga story lines.

--Conversation 3 - The third customer appears to be looking for a fast-paced, exotic, historical nonfiction mystery/suspense book ;).  I think this customer would really like the book "The Lost City of Z" by David Grann.  This nonfiction story takes place in the Amazon, and is about one man's quest to find a British explorer who vanished in 1925.  It's dramatic, fast-paced, and full of "thrilling dangers."

W3A1 -  The RA Conversation - The 15-second rule is a good tip: "When you work with readers in person, you need to express the appeal of a book verbally.  And you need to do it in about 15 seconds or you will lose the attention of your reader."

W2A2 -  Book Annotations
--The Outlaws of Sherwood Street: Stealing from the Rich, by Peter Abrahams - Fast-paced story line, set in Brooklyn, NY; good mix of young characters from different socio-economic backgrounds, element of mystery and suspense throughout; the theme is a modern urban twist of Robin Hood's tale.

--The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman - Set in Australia, mysterious Baby-Daddy element, (lol, yes I had to go there); has a bit of a learning experience for anyone not familiar with lighthouses; suspenseful tone keeps the reader interested; story line leads reader to ask "what would I do in this situation?"

--Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio, by Serena Miller - Mysterious character, rural Amish setting, secrecy, suspense, police quest, a building relationship leads to a romance.

W2A1 - Novelist Appeal Factors - I liked learning about the three different approaches, or ways, of working with appeal.  The second and third ways are interesting because they seem to streamline and simplify the RA process.  One approach was modeled by Joyce Sarick - grouping books under four areas of appeal: adrenaline, intellect, emotion, and landscape.  I can easily place myself in two of these categories - adrenaline first, then intellect - which again has me thinking I should be giving science fiction a shot (really?...).   The other approach is Nancy Pearl's idea called "the doorway method." This approach groups the way readers enter a book: through the story, setting, character, or language.  I'm definitely NOT a character person.  I found that out when I read "The Language of Flowers." I hated it because it was all character, no real change of scenery, no suspense, no climax or building of plot...  It read to me like "a day in the life" kind of story, and all the days in her life were depressing and dreadful.  Needless to say the book dragged on for an eternity.  I apparently enter a book through the story or setting; I'm not really interested in the language.   Both approaches keeps it simple, which is what I will remember.  Glad to have learned this:).

W1A5 - Judging a Book By Its Cover -  The Steppenwolf comment was my favorite.  The six-year-old says, "This story is about a very very hairy eagle who hangs out with fancy ladies." lol.

W1A4 - Recommended Links - I chose NPR Books and Mystery Readers International for my two recommended links.  The NPR website attracted me because of its familiarity - I tune in to the station periodically, but also because their website is more visually appealing and easy to navigate.  I wanted to just hang out there longer!  I also like that it has audio summaries of many books, and audio interviews with authors.  Mystery Readers International, well... the website is pretty low budget, but I'm sticking with it because it claims to be "the largest mystery fan/reader organization in the world," so I'm curious to find out why.  I also plan to visit EarlyWord frequently to catch the latest updates, but their website is a little too busy for me.  Lots of good information, but way too much going on.

W1A3 - Golden Rules of Readers' Advisory - I like this list, particularly Rules #2 and #6.  Rule 2 is "Write, Write, Write."  I record the books I read, but tend to rely on my memory to recall detailed information about the book.  Writing it down will help me remember things that may not stick as well.  Rule #6 is "Don't Pigeonhole the Books."  Since I'm not a Science Fiction reader, for example, I assume they are all the same, but alas - apparently they're not!  So this rule will help me to approach genres in a different open-minded way, and not under the assumption of "that's so not me!"