Web Sites for Book Reviews,
Book Discussions, etc.

Book Reviews & Booklists

BookBrowse
Read excerpts and reviews about books, as well as, author interviews and reading guides.

Book Reporter
A great site featuring reviews, features articles, author interviews and reader commentaries. "Our readers can't wait to spread the word about the books and authors they love to others."

The Booklist Center
Includes lists prepared by authorities in dozens of fields as well as comprehensive listings of award winning books (including anthropology, Jewish Culture, Westerns, Nonfiction Crime, Literate Fiction, Sports, and many more).

New York Times Bestseller Lists
The NYTimes' weekly update of the nation's bestsellers. You must register to use the site but it is free.

All Readers : We classify books based on plot, setting, character, and writing style. Therefore, if you know what kind of book you like, you can find other authors who write similar kind of stories; (Gothic mysteries, historical romance, medieval history, etc.).


Nancy Pearl's Book Lust
The New York Times calls her “the talk of librarian circles.” Readers can’t get enough of her recommendations while bookstores and libraries offer standing room only whenever she visits. Since the release of the best-selling Book Lust in 2003 and the Librarian Action Figure modeled in her likeness, Nancy Pearl has become a rock star among readers and the tastemaker people turn to when deciding what to read next.


NoveList
Available to Finkelstein Memorial Library cardholders only.
Novelist is a subscription online readers' advisory tool that helps readers find new books based on books they've read or topics in which they are interested.

Twayne's Authors
Available to Finkelstein Memorial Library cardholders only.
Features the content of nearly 600 books that comprise three print series --United States Authors, English Authors and World Authors -- each of which were carefully coordinated with input from librarians and educators to include authors universally studied in high schools and colleges.

Gale Literature Resource Center
Available to Finkelstein Memorial Library cardholders only.

Critical essays on contemporary authors; lives and careers of authors of all eras and genres; biographies and bibliographies on more than 90,000 contemporary authors.

BookBytes references many book review and other book-oriented sites.

Book Sense Bestsellers
Weekly bestsellers based on sales from independent bookstores.

Bookpage
Reviews of dozens of new books, interviews, and book information. You can search the archives for the reviews you've missed.

Overbooked
Specializes in literary and genre fiction information. Overbooked Originals include annotated lists of fiction and mystery books which received starred reviews, booklists, as well as hotlists of hardcover U.S. fiction releases.

Bestseller Lists 1900-1995
An annual list of bestselling fiction and nonfiction books from 1900-1995.

Bibliography Index from Evanston Public Library
A great source of booklists on varied topics, such as "African-American Studies," "Europe," "Friendship," "Parents," and more.

Publisher's Weekly Bestseller Lists
In addition to fiction and nonfiction titles, bestselling titles in audio, mass market, religion, and children's books are listed. (publishersweekly.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=bestsellersMain)

The Reader's Robot
Reading lists of over 4,000 books in 21 genres. The "Instant List" feature creates reading lists from recent popular titles.

Under the Covers Book Reviews
Hundreds of reviews of new fiction and nonfiction titles, from people who love books and reading.

What's Next: A Searchable Database of Novels in Series
A "series" is two or more books linked by character(s), settings, or other common traits. Here's a good source for identifying which book came first.

 

Book Reviews

BBC Books
Books & Culture
Bookforum
Boston Globe Books
Chicago Trib Books
Chronicle Review
Claremont Review
Common Review
Complete Review
CS Monitor Books
Globe & Mail Books
Guardian Lit News
Guardian Books
The Hindu Books
Independent Books
January Magazine
Kirkus Reviews
London Review
London Times Books
Los Angeles Times
Melbourne Age
New Republic Books
NYRB
NY Times Books
Newsday Books
Philly Inquirer Books
Salon Books
SF Chronicle Books
Spectator Books
Telegraph Books
The TLS
Village Voice
Washington Post
Washington Times
Wilson Quarterly
Yale Book Review

Book Discussion Guides

BookMuse
BookMuse provides reviews, questions & topics for discussion, literary criticism, books for further reading and tips for discussion leaders on a wide range of genres: science fiction, classic, contemporary, children, and young adult. (www.bookmuse.com)

The Jewish Reader
Looking for a great book to read and talk about with your colleagues and friends? Every month The Jewish Reader features a new selection drawn from the latest in contemporary Jewish fiction, poetry, and memoir, as well as classics from our Great Jewish Books list.

Reading Group Choices
Reading Group Choices provides tips for the new book group leader as well as hundreds of selections for book group discussions. (www.readinggroupchoices.com/).

Reading Group Guides
ReadingGroupGuides.com provides comprehensive guides for hundreds of books including bestsellers, romance, spirituality, civil war, or literary fiction. (www.readinggroupguides.com)

Reading Group Choices Reading Group Choices selects discussible books and suggests discussion topics for reading groups.

Major Booksellers

Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble

Borders Books

Powell's.com

E-books & Online Literature

Bartleby
Publisher of literature, reference, and verse with unlimited access to books free of charge. You can find Shakespeare's plays along with Bulfinch's series on legends and myythology, Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, Robert's Rules of Order, and Emily Post's Etiquette.

The On-line Books Page
Index to thousands of books available online in full text.

National Yiddish Book Center
The National Yiddish Book Center has digitized more than 12,000 of the most important titles in Yiddish literature that you can order. The catalog is searchable by title, author, or keyword.

Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg was created in 1971 as a way to centralize and make freely available famous and important texts. You will not find recent bestsellers, but you will find classic texts by Poe, Dante, Alcott, and Burroughs. The texts are downloaded from local FTP sites as .txt and .zip files.

Genre Fiction Websites Historical Fiction

The Historical Novel Society
Founded in 1997, this UK society publishes the quarterly Historical Novels Review. The site offers interviews with authors, reviews, advance notice of future titles, and a newsletter.

Soon's Historical Fiction Site
Features selected archives from the newsgroup rec.arts.books.hist-fiction. Look here for bibliographies of fiction focusing on Richard III, Medieval Spain, Teutonic Knights and more.

No Flying, No Tights
This site was designed specifically for presenting graphic novel reviews for teens and the people who work with them, like librarians, teachers and parents. You will find reviews arranged by subject and core lists for beginning collections.

Comics Worth Reading
Reviews ranging from small, independent, and self-published presses to larger publishers like CrossGen, DC, Vertigo, and Dark Horse.

Graphic Novels for Public Libraries
Steve Raiteri is a librarian who has devloped his system's collection for several years. In addition to a core list of recommended titles, reviews are organized by subjects like Superheroes, Comedy, Japanese Manga and Spotlight Titles. (my.voyager.net/~sraiteri/graphicnovels.htm)

 

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DarkEcho Horror
Includes links to the Horror Writer's Association and the Dark Links listing of horror writers, as well as reviews and interviews. (www.darkecho.com/darkecho/index.html)

Horror Writer's Association
The Horror Writer's Association is dedicated to promoting reading interests in horror and dark fantasy. They sponsor the Bram Stoker Awards, publish anthologies, and have a recommended reading list. (www.horror.org/)

Necropsy
A quarterly, online journal, The Necropsy reviews novels, films, anthologies, and plays in the horror genre. Necropsy is a thought-provoking, well-written and impressive review journal (editors Pulliam and Fonseca are co-authors of Hooked on Horror: A Guide to Reading Interests in the Genre). (www.lsu.edu/necrofile/)

 

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The Mystery Reader
Meet new authors, learn about small presses that are publishing mysteries, and read book reviews of forthcoming mystery novels. (www.themysteryreader.com)

MysteryNet
A large, all-encompassing site featuring polls, discussion boards, links, information on authors and more. (www.mysterynet.com)

The Poisoned Pen Home Page
A great source for recommended reading and new mystery links to explore. (www.poisonedpen.com/html/mainpage.html)

Stop - You're Killing Me
Search for books by a variety of indexes: author, character, setting, job of the series character, historical period, cross-genre and more. (www.stopyourekillingme.com/index.html)

 

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All About Romance
For lovers of romance novels, All About Romance provides book reviews, information about romance authors, message boards and discussion lists. (www.likesbooks.com)

The Romance Reader
Hundreds of reviews of current romantic fiction, divided into categories: historical, contemporary, time travel, fantasy and others. Enter contests and meet new romance authors in the New Faces column. (www.theromancereader.com)

Romance Writers of America
Romance Writers of America is a non-profit professional and educational association. Their Website provides information on author appearances, new book releases, and a searchable database where you can locate titles based on geography, genre, or time period. (www.rwanational.com)

Romance Writers' and Readers' Links Page
A great collection of romance author Web pages, bestseller lists and sites of interest to readers: Regency history, costume, British Isles and much more. (www.jaclynreding.com/links/)

Romantic Times Online
For readers and writers -- the trade journal of romance fiction. Over 100 reviews of new books each week! (www.romantictimes.com)

 

 

 

Fantastic Fiction
A comprehensive site that compiles Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror authors. For each author there is a complete listing of novels, series, collections, and anthologies the author has written or edited. Also, anthologies containing that author's work is listed. (www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/)

Internet Speculative Fiction Database
ISFDB includes works of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. "It links together various types of bibliographic data: author bibliographies, publication bibliographies, award listings, magazine content listings, anthology and collection content listings, yearly fiction indexes, and forthcoming books." Magazines from the early 20th century are indexed here. (www.isfdb.org/)

The Linkoping Science Fiction & Fantasy Archive
Contains reviews, author information, bibliographies, artwork and lots more on sci-fi and fantasy. (sf.www.lysator.liu.se/sf_archive/)

Locus Online
The venerable, award-winning journal of science fiction and fantasy has interviews, reviews and recommended reading lists. (www.locusmag.com/)

Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database is an on-line, searchable compilation and extension of Science Fiction and Fantasy Reference Index 1878-1985, Science Fiction and Fantasy Reference Index 1985-1991, and Science Fiction and Fantasy Reference Index 1992-1995, including material located since publication of the last printed volume. This database provides access to articles, books, obituaries, criticism, and other materials about science fiction and fantasy, with some coverage of horror, supernatural, and weird fiction. (library.tamu.edu/cushing/sffrd/default.asp)

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc.
This non-profit writers' organization was founded in 1965 and presents the prestigious Nebula Awards for the science fiction or fantasy best short story, novelette, novella, and novel of the year. SFWA provides links for bestseller SF & fantasy lists and awards, press releases, industry and publisher news, and site of the week. (www.sfwa.org)

Science Fiction Romance
Love Science Fiction? Love Romance? You may like this site which features authors like Dara Joy, Catharine Asaro, and Mercedes Lackey who blend the genres creating futuristic romance, paranormal romance, and science ficton and romance novels. You can sign up for their newsletter and read reviews. (www.sfronline.com)

Sci Fi Wire
Now you can get the most up-to-date information on science fiction books, television programs, and movies from Sci Fi Wire, the news service of the Sci Fi Channel. (www.scifi.com/scifiwire)

SF-Lovers
Since 1979, SF-Lovers has been a presence on the Internet! You can search back issues of the Digest, the Conventions List, a Reference Section, and a Resource Guide. (www.sflovers.org/)

The SF Site: The Home Page for Science Fiction and Fantasy
A comprehensive site featuring book reviews, excerpts, author interviews, articles, author booklists, and more. (www.sfsite.com/home.htm)

Uchronia - The Alternate History List
Uchronia provides readers with an annotated bibliography of novels, essays, and short stories about alternate histories or "what ifs." You can search for titles by author, series, anthologies, and country. In addition to contemporary works, booklists for stories dating back to 1732 and reference books on this subject are listed. (uchronia.net)

 

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American Western Magazine
A large site devoted to the American West that features book reviews of adult westerns and westerns for children. (www.readthewest.com)

ReadWest.com
An online magazine for readers of Westerns, featuring book reviews, lists, and more. (www.readwest.com/)

Western Writers of America
WWA was founded in 1953 to promote the literature of the American West and bestow Spur Awards for distinguished writing in the Western field. Their Website actively helps its members promote their books and articles, and aggressively promotes the literature of the American West, which it considers this country's unique contribution to world literature. (www.westernwriters.org)

Literary Awards

Agatha Awards
The Agatha Awards honor the traditional mystery - books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. Awards are given for materials first published in the United States by a living author in hardcover, as paperback originals, or e-published by an e-publishing firm. They are awarded in five categories: Best Novel, Best First Mystery, Best Short Story, Best Non-Fiction, and Best Children's/Young Adult Mystery. (www.malicedomestic.org/agatha2002.htm)

Asian American Literary Awards
Since 1998, The Asian American Writers' Workshop has recognized an individual work written by an Asian American. (www.aaww.org/litawards/recipients.html)

AwardWeb: Collections of Literary Award Information
The emphasis of this site is science fiction awards, but you will find awards for mystery, regional and children's literature. (dpsinfo.com/awardweb/)

Edgar Award
Mystery Writers of America, an organization for mystery writers and other professionals in the mystery field, sponsors the Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television and film. (www.mysterywriters.org/2003EdgarWinners.htm)

Lambda Literary Foundation
Lambda Literary Foundation sponsors an annual award for LGBT works written in English language. (www.lambdalit.org/index.htm)

Bram Stoker Award
The Horror Writers Association gives awards for "superior achievement" rather than "best of the year" in 12 categories. A few categories include: screenplay, poetry, lifetime achievement, anthology, nonfiction, and work for young readers. (www.horror.org/stokers.htm)

Hugo Award
The Hugo Award is also known as the Science Fiction Achievement Award and is given by the World Science Fiction Society. Categories often change and can include awards for professional editor, professional artist, dramatic presentation, fanzine, novelette, or nonfiction. (www.wsfs.org/hugos.html)

Harvey Awards
The comic world's most prestigious awards are given in the following categories: Cartoonist, Inker, Writer, Syndicated Strip, New Series, and many more. (harveyawards.org)

Literature Awards
A comprehensive index of literature awards from the Nobel Prize to the Newbery Award, covering every genre of fiction. (www.literature-awards.com/index.htm)

The Man Booker Prize
Established by Booker plc in 1968, the prize rewards the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations or the Republic of Ireland. (www.bookerprize.co.uk/)

National Book Award
Given since 1950, the National Book Awards honor U.S. citizens in four genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature. (www.nationalbook.org/nba.html)

National Book Critics Circle
The National Book Critics Circle is comprised of over 700 active book reviewers and presents awards for the finest books published in English for fiction, general nonfiction, biography/autobiography, poetry and criticism. (www.bookcritics.org/)

Nebula Awards
The Nebula Awards honor authors of science fiction and fantasy in categories of novels, novellas, novelettes, short stories, and scripts. (www.sfwa.org/awards)

Nobel Prize in Literature
The prize is given to the person who "shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction." (www.nobel.se/literature/)

PEN/Faulkner
The PEN/Faulkner Award is one of the four major American prizes for fiction in the United States. The winner and 4 runners-up are chosen by their peers, 3 noted writers of fiction, and is designed to be independent from the publishing industry. (www.penfaulkner.org/public/pfaulk/winners.htm)

Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is awarded to an author whose work best depicts American life. Scroll down the page to see the winner for fiction, play, or poetry. (www.pulitzer.org/2003/2003.html)

RITA Award
Named after their first president, the Romance Writer's of America bestow over 10 awards to romance fiction authors. (www.rwanational.org/2003RITA.stm)

 

 

World Fantasy Awards
The World Fantasy Awards are administered by the World Fantasy Convention. (www.worldfantasy.org/awards/)

 

 

Media Spotlight on Books

Good Morning America's "Read This" Book Club
Join Diane and Charlie for book discussions. You may also participate in author chats and live message boards. (abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/GoodMorningAmerica/GMAbook_Index.html)

Masterpiece Theatre Book Club
Masterpiece Theatre has adapted many books to the screen. In conjunction with PBS, some PBS stations offer oportunities to discuss these books online or in person. (www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/bookclub/index.html)

Reading with Ripa
You can chat up a storm with the selections that Kelly from "Live with Regis and Kelly" showcases by joining Kelly's book club forum message board. (tvplex.go.com/buenavista/livewithregis/bookclub/)

Today Show Book Club
A bit different from other television news shows, The Today Show features books that are selected by authors. (www.msnbc.com/news/TODAYBOOKCLUB_Front.asp)

USA Today Book Club
At the USA Today Book Club site, readers can chat with the author, listen to a reading, and read an expert of the featured book. (www.usatoday.com/life/books/front.htm)

Online Book Discussion Groups

A&E Book Club
If you're a book lover who enjoys A&E biographies, original movies, and documentaries, the A&E Online Book Club is sure to delight you. (www.aande.com/bookclub)

The Book Group List
Readers will need to sign up for a free membership to this book discussion group. Membership includes participation in book discussion (2 books per month) and nomination of reading titles. (books.rpmdp.com)

The Coffee Will Make You Black Reading Group
This online reading group is part of the African American Literature Book Club , a resource for aspiring authors and writers. Readers can participate in discussions and chats. (thumperscorner.com)

Table Talk Reading Group
This online discussion group is sponsored by Salon, the magazine published only on the Internet. In addition to discussions on chosen book titles, readers have the opportunity to discuss various topics in literature, publishing, and technology. (tabletalk.salon.com/webx?)

Authors on the Web
Specifically focused on authors, this website has articles about the book business, author interviews, bibliographies, links to author websites, and reading lists. (www.authorsontheweb.com)

Chicago Sun Times
The Chicago Sun Times features book reviews which are archived for 4 weeks in their Showcase Section . (www.suntimes.com/index/books.html)

Chicago Tribune
Read reviews and see what Chicagoans are currently reading. (www.chicagotribune.com/features/booksmags/)

January Magazine
A well-written and easily navigable site providing interviews, reviews, and contests. They feature books in all areas in addition to contemporary fiction: crime fiction, cookbooks, children's books, art & culture, and more. (www.JanuaryMagazine.com)

The New York Review of Books
If your looking for additional book reviews not found on their website, readers can subscribe to an enhanced electronic edition for unlimited access to virtually every piece published. (www.nybooks.com/nyrev/index.html)

The New York Times on the Web: Books
You'll need to register the first time you visit this site, but after that you'll have access to full text reviews back to 1980. Includes hundreds of first chapters of newly reviewed books! (www.nytimes.com/pages/books/)

Publishers Weekly
The online version of the book publishing and bookselling magazine includes weekly bestsellers lists, book reviews, and news about the corporate publishing industry. PW also has a bimonthly column on e-publishing. (publishersweekly.reviewsnews.com/)

Readerville
Readerville was created to provide a forum for all book lovers - writers, librarians, critics, publishers, and everyone else. Every other week, authors and industry insiders are invited to share in a week-long discussion and a daily digest of book-related articles is compiled. (www.readerville.com)

Written Voices
Written Voices brings together authors and readers. You can participate in live chats with authors, read exclusive interviews and book reviews, and download authors reading from their work. (www.writtenvoices.com)

Booklist Magazine
A great place to find reviews of new books, plus many reading lists, titles for teens, and Editor's Choices from the American Library Association. (www.ala.org/booklist)

Bookwire
Links to Publishers Weekly online and other literature and book-related journals, plus an extensive author tour schedule. (www.bookwire.com/)

Library Journal Digital
Articles, reviews, prepub information, plus previews of upcoming issues. (libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com)

 

 

 

 

 

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