Experience a Book
May 13, 2022-When is a Book More Than a Book? When It’s an Experience.
I love it when a fiction book has a map. That extra creative touch which gives the reader further depth and understanding. I love pictures, graphs, and footnotes. I appreciate additions beyond the words on the page to give the story a little more pizazz. Here are some works of fiction that go beyond the story on the page.: Night Film by Marisha Pessl: The story of a journalist who becomes obsessed with a highly elusive and mysterious horror film director. The story itself is riveting; however, what truly pushes this from a story to an experience is the online decoder that you can access on the author’s website. There are film trailers for the fictional director’s films, screen shots of message boards, found audio clips, and lots more to explore.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: A period thriller set in the Mexican countryside, is excellent on its own. If you want to dive further into the experience, the author includes many optional resources on her website which add greater depth to the location and story. These include everything from discussion questions to paper dolls.
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sajata Massey: This story of a female lawyer in India in the 1920’s is a strong novel on its own. In the e-book and on the author’s website, there are articles and personal stories regarding the setting and real life histories. This adds greater depth to the understanding of the characters. You can also access pictures of the settings described on the website.
In my research for this, I also found an interactive novel written completely for the iPhone. The Silent History is a full novel that unfolds within an app. In addition to the story, there are geological points strewn across the globe. As you access these points, theoretically, more of the story unlocks.
For kids, The Book Scavenger Series by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman offers loads of activities and references for kids in the books and on the website.
Do you have a favorite book that goes beyond the words on the page? Let me know!
Katie Larson, Library Aide
