Prompt 6: The Reader's Advisory Matrix
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1 Where is the book on the narrative continuum? þ
Highly Narrative (reads like fiction). □ A mix (combines highly narrative moments
with periods of fact-based prose) □ Highly fact-based (has few or no
narrative moments) |
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2 What is the subject of the book? This book focuses on living a fulfilled life by choosing what is worth caring about and what to let go of. |
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3 What type of book is it? A
self-help nonfiction book. |
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4 Articulate appeal What is the pacing of the book? Fast-paced,
conversational. Describe the characters of the book. N/A How does the story feel? Like a conversation with a
friend that is encouraging and a bit humorous. What is the intent of the author? To encourage
readers to decide what does and does not matter and to avoid spending time and energy on the things that do not really matter. What is the focus of the story? For readers to
decide for themselves what is important and to not feel guilty about the
things that do not rank as important in their lives. Does the language matter? Yes, it makes the story
feel conversational, and the tone irreverent. Is the setting important and well described? The setting is not vital to this story and is not described. Are there details and, if so, of what? There are a lot of examples and stories that reinforce his main point. Some details relate to the
author’s main points. Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear? None included. Does the book stress moments of learning,
understanding, or experience? The book stresses understanding that some
things are not worth the worry we pour into them, and learning how to choose
what is important while not feeling guilty about the things that are not
worth it. |
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5 Why Would a reader enjoy this book
(rank appeal)? 1.
Conversational writing style 2.
Tone 3.
Self-help psychology 4.
Genre: Humor writing |
I like that you said the book is more like a conversation with a friend. It makes me like the book without reading it. Friends always have a knack at helping you out by being funny with the situation. Or at least my friends do. I am definitely going to put this one on my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteAbby Abbott
Abby,
DeleteI think the vibe that it was a friend telling me I gotta let some of that stuff go made it so much better. I paged through the physical book to check for charts and such but I actually listened to the audiobook for this one, which I am sure helped with the conversational feel. Although I read a couple pages and felt the same way. This was one I highly recommend. I have my assistant director reading it now and she loves it too. Hope you do too!
I agree with Abby, I like the feel of the book and style of writing. Friends are great because they can be honest with you. Sometimes an honest and direct approach to a situation can be blunt, but to a stranger it can also be humorous. I love self-help books that have this style of writing and use language that you don't always see elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteAlex,
DeleteIf I had thought about the best way to convey this message, I would've said like you're my friend! So the author was spot on in his approach (in my opinion).
Do you have any suggestions for other self-help books with this style? I'd love to find more!
First, learning how to let things go is something that is difficult and having books that help figure out how is so beneficial. Second, my coworker and I were working in cataloging when this book came in to our library and we both laughed so hard. I love books like this that will be displayed face out because some patrons find it hilarious, some are indifferent, and then you get some that think the book should never have been purchased and those conversations are all so interesting. This sounds like a fun read, maybe I will give it a try.
ReplyDeleteTaylor,
DeleteI am right with you! Letting things go is difficult (at least for me - I hear there are people that are good at it... lol). It was almost a relief for someone to say - listen you don't have to care about everything and it's fine if you don't feel guilty about not caring about everything. I mean I knew that, but it's nice to have that reinforced.
I laughed when I first saw it to! I was like what is this?!?! We MUST have it! It is definitely a conversation starter!
Great job filling out this matrix - full points!
ReplyDelete