Week 6: Genres

In week one, I decided to follow a genre that I don't read but should know more about, so I began following Street Fiction. I've found the lists most prominently featured on the homepage to be least helpful, as they don't seem to be updated and are often older titles with links to Amazon. It works more as a general resource rather than for forthcoming titles. There are some other features that are interesting. The links under "Librarian Resources" include useful booklists from other Libraries and articles from professional journals. As a "newbie" to the genre, I found the articles gave me some helpful insight into the genre. I also liked the lists of Urban Fiction by geographic location under "Places," including Baltimore.

I chose 3 subgenres that I typically don't read and found websites with simple google searches.

Cozy Mysteries: http://www.cozy-mystery.com/    In the most recent post and responses, the passionate readers talked about Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles Mystery Series, Janet Bolin's Threadville Mystery Series, Jeanne M. Dams' Dorothy Martin Mystery Series. Cozy mysteries are gentle reads, leisurely paced, and homespun.

Vampire Horror: http://www.vampire-diaries.net/ Though claiming it is both about the books and the TV show, this fansite focuses more on news from the show. The buzz now is about the spin-off, The Originals. Titles include Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, and Necroscope by Brian Lumley. These books are atmospheric, gruesome, and suspenseful.

Paranoraml Romance: http://paranormalromancewriters.com/ The spotlight of this website is the authors and their books, which include reviews. There are links to forums, but they don't seem to be heavily used. Some books in this subgenre include A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses by Molly Harper, Only Lycans Need Apply by Michele Bardsley, and Accidentally Dead Again by Dakota Cassidy. Appeal factors include sensual, engaging, and (my favorite) sassy, and include some sort of supernatural creature, like werewolves and witches.

I'm calling these titles Classic Horror Parodies. Why? How else would one classify the witty, zombie-filled world of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith or My Favorite Fangs: the Story of the Von Trapp Family Vampires by Alan Goldsher. Both are humorous, parodies of classic, well-known stories...but with zombies and vampires.