Conversation 1:

Librarian: Hi, is there anything I can suggest?

Customer: I’m looking for a good story, you know, something that draws me in. But I don’t know where to start looking.

Librarian: What was the last book you read? Could you share something you liked about it?

Customer: The last book I read was Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Everyone is reading it so I had to pick it up. It was lovely. She is such an interesting woman and so brave. I enjoyed the descriptions of the countries she went to and what she did while she was there, of course, but I think what I liked most was how she shared her inner thoughts — so reflective but funny too. I thought it might be just light fluff or all me, me, me, me, but it was so much more than that. I read all the Oprah books and just love them. Anyway I wanted to ask you for a few suggestions for my book group. It’s my turn to pick the title.

It seems that this customer picked up on the appeal factors of characterization/voice of the author, the exotic settings, and the humor. In this case, I would recommend she try a Bill Bryson book. I find his travel books to be humorous with his inner thoughts and observations. For an exotic setting, In a Sunburned Country fits the bill, since it is all about Australia and his adventures there, including venturing into bush country. A Walk in the Woods, which is a domestic setting, is still exotic in the sense that he is exploring the Appalachian Trail. I really enjoyed his detailed descriptions, as well as the funny scenes (such as when he and his friend realized they overpacked for their hike...)
Another pair of authors I enjoy, if the customer really likes humor, is the mother-daughter pair of Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella. They write humorous, personal essays individually, yet publish them together in books. Their insights, thoughts, and interactions are entertaining, as well as the stories about their family, especially the late Mother Mary. While the locations are not exotic (primarily located in Pennsylvania and NYC), the energy and warmth of their relationship is clearly exhibited in their essays.

Conversation 2:

Customer: Can you recommend any vampire books that are nothing like the Twilight series?

Librarian: Let me see how I can help you. What don’t you like about Twilight?

Customer: Everything, but especially that teen love story – way too much angst! And way too slow.  Have you read any good vampire stories lately? 

If you're looking for a different kind of vampire story, I would highly recommend Justin Cronin's Passage trilogy (of which two are available), The Passage  and The Twelve. [The third one is FINALLY coming out this May!!] The vampires that inhabit Cronin's post-apocalyptic world are not the typical elegant, sexy vampires, but rather, scary creatures with amazing abilities. The books are epic in scope and detail. And unlike the Twilight books, The Passage trilogy is more like a suspense-filled horror novel rather than a teenaged angst-ridden love story about glittery vampires. The pace is quick, with detailed characterizations and settings of the U.S. filled with more vampires than people.

Other vampire books I can recommend include The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, which is also another epic historical fiction novel, rich with detail and that takes the reader around the world, and Salem's Lot, which is an old Stephen King novel, written when he was still "just" a horror writer. Salem's Lot is definitely creepy and fast-paced; I still remember a creepy scene with Danny Glick and a window.

Librarian:  Hi, are you looking for anything in particular? 

Customer: I just read this great book The River of Doubt.  It was about Teddy Roosevelt and this ill fated expedition to chart an uncharted river in the Amazon.  They lost almost all their provisions, the president was injured, and it turns out one of their crew was a murderer since there was a murder.  And the most amazing thing was that it true.  It was fascinating and really fast paced.  Do you have anything to recommend that is like that?

For true and compelling stories, I would recommend a Lauren Hillenbrand book, like Seabiscuit or Unbroken. I enjoyed both books and thought that the narrative flowed smoothly without being weighed down too much by laborious details. There's definitely tension...whether in reference to horse racing or World War II/POW.
Although I didn't read this particular book, I've heard good things about Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. A narrative non-fiction tale, it tells the story of a tragedy in 1996 to a Mt. Everest climbing party, which Mr. Krakauer was a member. The topic is compelling, and from the summary and reviews of the book, there is much drama to be found. I've read another book by Mr. Krakauer, that while an interesting read on a compelling topic, would not fit this customer's desire for a fast-paced non-fiction book.