Predictive Analytics

I have often joked with my Mother that it is HER picture on the wall in every marketing firm's conference room; she is the target audience. I recently read the book Little Bee by Chris Cleave. It was a fantastic book. I am not the only person who thinks it is a fantastic book. The book was published in 2009. It is currently #4 on the New York Times Paper Back Bestseller's List. Without talking about the story (the publishers specifically direct readers not to share any details), I will say that there is a little boy who wears a commercial Batman suit - complete with the cape, utility belt, and mask.

As I was watching television this week, I could not help but notice the little boy in the cute little garden yard watching his father pull out of the driveway in a brand new Subaru. I don't know what the little boy looked like because he was wearing a commercial Batman suit - complete with the cape, utility belt, and mask.

It is not that I think that dressing up as a superhero is a unusual activity for a little boy. For me, it was more than the costume that led me to my theory. The scenery, the age and the underlying message about the father-son relationship consumed my thoughts until I finally sat down at the computer to write. The theory? Predictive Analytics.

According to Wikipedia, "Predictive analytics encompasses a variety of techniques from statistics, data mining, and game theory that analyze current and historical facts to make predictions about future events. Predictive analytics (and a lot of computer programming) are responsible for helping Borders tell you what books you would most likely enjoy. You know what I am talking about . . . If you liked Little Bee, "you may also enjoy": A Reliable Wife, The Last Child, Look Again, The Forgotten Garden, and The Little Giant of Aberdeen County.

This Book Keeper is positing that the wonderful people at Subaru (or the advertising firm representing Subaru) might have gotten their hands on a predictive model showing that the the target audience for a new Subaru "may also enjoy" the book Little Bee.

Of course, this post is just a theory.

It's Wedding Season!

Recently this book keeper has attended quite a few weddings. Each, of course, was special in its own right. Ordinarily, wedding trips provide a great opportunity for me to catch up on my reading. However, this wedding season I have not had a moment to sit down! I suppose wedding season is my excuse for neglecting "The Library Under the 'L'." So, in line with the "Wedding Season" theme, I have decided to make a posting ALL ABOUT WEDDINGS!

My FAVORITE wedding book is Preston Bailey's Fantasy Weddings. The pictures are just unbelievable. I am so impressed by the way Mr. Bailey is able to take a location and transform it into a completely new and spectacular world for guests to explore.



I look through the pictures and can only imagine how the masterpiece (because his designs truly are art) makes each moment so magical.

However, if you are looking for a book with more of a literary component, I always think of The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. The follow-up to The Notebook, the wedding tells the story of a couple who have grown apart during their 30 year marriage and a husband's struggle to express his emotions. I think I like this book because it turns "the fantasy" upside down. Talented people like Preston Bailey can present an extraordinary event to celebrate the vows taken, but in the end it is up to the bride and groom to create the true fantasy - a love that lasts forever.