Books, Reading, & Libraries

General

NovelList Readers Advisory NOVELIST PLUS - Have you found a book you like, and want to read other books like it? Do you enjoy international spy thrillers, romances set during the Renaissance, or mysteries with a food theme? NoveList Plus helps you find new books to read based on books you've already read or topics in which you are interested. NOTE: You'll need to enter your South Plainfield Public Library card barcode number to start.

Author Yellow Pages - A directory of hundreds of author websites (paid listings), browsable by author name or genre. The Authors Guild also has links to hundreds of its member authors' websites. Visit the Book Tour website to find out about upcoming author appearances in your area, or track your favorite authors on tour.

Book Arts Web - Extensive links to material on bookbinding, conservation, repair, printmaking, and other book-related arts. The American Bookbinder Museum provides online resources on the history of bookbinding, with historical images, documents, manuals, periodicals, links, and more. Another good resource on book arts is the Guild of Book Workers new (non-profit organization).

Book Browse - Book reviews and recommendations, excerpts, interviews, reading guides, book club info, and discussion. Offers a free 'best books' e-newsletter. SOME FEATURES ARE AVAILABLE ONLY TO PAID MEMBERS. (NOTE: 'Showcase' listings are paid advertisements.)

Book Burning - A history of attempts around the world to censor books by burning them, from 200 B.C.E. to the present. See also Banned and Challenged Books. (American Library Association)

Book Fairs and Other Literary Events [UPDATED LINK!] - A selected list of events held across the U.S. and around the world, including antiquarian book fairs, book festivals, storytelling festivals, poetry festivals, and more. (Library of Congress)

Book Muse - This site, aimed at book club groups, offers book reviews, discussion questions, author interviews, literary prize lists, book club tips, and more. FREE REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Book Page - Book reviews, author interviews, feature articles and seasonal themes.

Book Repair Manual - An online manual on how to do simple book repairs. Written for librarians, but useful for anyone wanting to repair an injured book. Includes a related page of Book Preservation FAQ. (Dartmouth College)

Book Reporter - Book reviews, features, author profiles and interviews, excerpts of hot new releases, literary games and contests, and more every week.

Book Spot - Well-organized site offering links to bestseller lists, genres, book reviews, electronic texts, book news and more. (Commercial site: StartSpot Mediaworks, Inc.)

Book Studio - Author interviews, book reviews, and more; replaces Author Author (WETA-TV). See also Barnes & Noble Media Podcasts for interviews with popular authors and other book-related audio and video. More author interviews are available on Powells' Author Interviews.

Book TV - C-Span2's Book TV features 48 hours of nonfiction books every weekend. This web site provides additional information on those books and an opportunity to watch or listen online to programs you might have missed.

Books Into Movies - Is your favorite book is going to come out as a movie? Check out this site from BookReporter.com for more info.

BookWire - Book industry news, features, reviews, guides to literary events, author interviews, and thousands of annotated links to book-related sites, including author and publisher websites. (RR Bowker)

Center for the Book - The Center for the Book at the Library of Congress was established in 1977, 'to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries and to encourage the study of books and print culture.' Now part of Read.gov new , which includes contests, calendar of events, links to related groups, and author webcast videos. SITE MAY FREEZE UP IN INTERNET EXPLORER 6. See also New Jersey Center for the Book.

Donation Programs - Do you have books and other materials the South Plainfield Library can't use, but which you would like to donate for a good cause? This site lists international programs for donations of books, journals, and media. Emphasis is on textbooks and academic journals (University of Buffalo). For more book donations sites, see Book Donations Fact Sheet (American Library Association). Friends of the Library U.S.A. also accepts book donations for resale online.

Interlibrary Loans - If you want a book, DVD, or other material which the South Plainfield Public Library doesn't own, you can request it from another library through our Interlibrary Loan service.

Literary Traveler - For those interested in exploring locales from the world of literature, this site offers informative and interesting articles about writers and creative artists, and the places they lived and traveled. Links and other resources are included. (Commercial site)

Lost Titles, Forgotten Rhymes: How to Find a Novel, Short Story, or Poem Without Knowing its Title or Author - 'Locating a novel, short story, or poem without knowing its title or author can be very difficult. This guide is intended to help readers identify a literary work when they know only its plot or subject, or other textual information such as a character's name, a line of poetry, or a unique word or phrase.' (Library of Congress)

Paris Review Interviews - Acclaimed contemporary authors such as Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, T.S. Eliot, William Faulkner, E.M. Forster, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Arthur Miller, and many others are interviewed about their careers, writing styles, and methods of work. Browse by period (beginning with the 1950s) or alphabetically; in PDF format, no audio. More interviews with a wide range of contemporary authors, originally from the Center for Book Culture, are now available from the Dalkey Archive Press (University of Illinois). For audio recordings of interviews with many great writers of the twentieth century, see Wired for Books (Ohio University). The Lannan Foundation also has an extensive online book-related audio archive. Connie Martinson Talks Books consists of more than 2,500 television interviews with prominent authors of fiction and nonfiction taped over the last 30 years. Included in the collection are interviews with Maya Angelou, Ray Bradbury, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gore Vidal, Barack Obama, Studs Terkel, and Joyce Carol Oates (Claremont College).

Rave Reviews: Bestselling Fiction in America - A history of the reading tastes & habits of Americans from colonial times to the present, with an overview of different types of bestsellers, how bestseller lists are compiled, publishing history, and more. Includes a wealth of book cover images from all eras. (University of Virginia)

Reader's Club - Over 2000 book reviews written mostly by library staff at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, plus a monthly audio podcast. Includes sections on fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels and books for teens, with each section sub-divided by subject or genre.

Reading Group Guides - Offers advice on starting and running a reading group, with book recommendations, reading guides, interviews, recipes, and more. Most of the reading group guides provided here are contributed by each book's publisher. (From BookReporter.com)

Webrary: Web Sites for Book Lovers - An extensive and well-organized collection of links, covering bestsellers and award-winning books, online books and magazines, genre fiction lists, online book discussion groups and more. (Morton Grove, IL, Public Library.)

World of Books - Annotated selections of 'noteworthy books from around the globe.' Includes nonfiction, fiction, and poetry; only covers books published through 2002. Searchable by country (Library of Congress). For more recent international literature, see Words Without Borders.

WorldCat® - Search for books, CDs, DVDs, and other materials in over 10,000 libraries worldwide. When you find the item you want, enter your zip code to find it in the libraries nearest to you. Now you can also register for a free account and create lists of favorites you find when searching (OCLC / WorldCat). If you want a book or other material which the South Plainfield Public Library doesn't own, you can request it using our Interlibrary Loan service.

AND SOME OTHER LITERARY SITES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

Book Reviews, Awards, & Genres

Booksellers

ABE Books - Use this site to search thousands of independent dealers selling used, secondhand, rare, and out-of-print books around the world. Searchable by author, title, keyword, or publisher.

Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America - Search for rare books or antiquarian booksellers (by geographic location or subject specialty).

Bookfinder - Search for a book by title, author, ISBN, or keyword, to compare prices at online bookstores. Other book search / price comparison sites include Book Butler, Deal Oz, Half.com (eBay) and Anybook (Amazon & ALibris).

Book Sale Finder - A directory of book sales at libraries, bookstores, non-profit organizations, and more, arranged by location; free e-mail alerts.

Fearless Independents - Independent Booksellers Online - Listing by state of online ordering services for more than a hundred independent bookstores. See also IndieBound, described below.

Goodwill Books - A division of Goodwill Industries in Portland, OR, Goodwill Books specializes in used textbooks and used/out-of-print and collectible books.

IndieBound.org: Independent Booksellers Online - Independent bookstore locator, indie bestseller lists, reviews & recommendations, and discussion boards. Formerly BookSense.com. Use the IndieBound Indie Store Finder to locate an independent bookseller (or other independent retailers) near you.

Montclair Book Center - One of the largest independent bookstores in New Jersey, the Montclair Book Center also offers new, used, and rare books for sale online.

Powell's Books - A large independent bookseller in Portland OR, offering new, used, and rare books for sale online.

Children's Books

Find new books based on books you like! NOVELIST K-8 PLUS is a great online resource for helping parents and kids find that next great fiction read. NoveList K-8 Plus also provides access to thousands of nonfiction titles designed to support the curriculum and kids' pleasure reading. Created especially for kids, it has a colorful, graphic-rich homepage and is very easy to use. Hundreds of hand-crafted Recommended Reads reading lists created for teens and kids will excite even the most reluctant of readers. NOTE: You'll need to enter your South Plainfield Public Library card barcode number to start.

Babies & Books - This site suggest activities to help you share the joy of books and reading with your child during the early stages of growing (newborn through toddler). (Mid-Hudson Library System)

Best Books for Young Adults - Yearly recommendations of the best fiction and nonfiction for young adults from the American Library Association.

Book Adventure - Using quizzes, and the chance to earn prizes for reading and understanding books, Book Adventure helps motivate young readers (K-8) to read more. (Sylvan Learning)

Book Hive - A web site designed for children through age twelve, and their parents, teachers, or anyone interested in reading about children's books. This site contains hundreds of recommended book reviews in a variety of reading levels and interest areas. (Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County)

Children's Bookfinder - Select an age (babies through third graders) and a book theme from the dropdown menus, and you'll get a list of recommended children's books for reading aloud and/or reading to self. (PBS Parents)

Children's Classics Online - The Baldwin Project offers an extensive online collection of children's literature texts for works in the public domain in the United States (first published before 1923). Browsable by author, title, genre, or subgenre.

Children's Lit Themes - Dozens of free themed reviews of children's books on subjects such as ballet, Ellis Island, Russia, space exploration, and many others; also covers holidays and celebrations. Other parts of the site are available only to paid subscribers.

Choices Booklists - Annual lists of favorite recent books chosen by children, young adults, teachers, and librarians. (International Reading Association)

Funny Prize [UPDATED!] - Lists the winners of the annual Roald Dahl Funny Prize for the best humorous books for kids aged 6 and under, and for kids aged 7 to 14. (UK non-profit organization: Booktrust)

Get Ready to Read new - Free online materials for parents and educators to help preschoolers get ready to learn to read. Includes a screening tool, activities, checklists, video, advocacy guides, and related resources. (National Center for Learning Disabilities et al.)

Horn Book - Articles, reviews, and editorials on children's literature.

International Children's Digital Library - 'A digital library of outstanding children's books from all over the world... that help children to understand the world around them and the global society in which they live. The materials... reflect similarities and differences in cultures, societies, interests, and lifestyles of peoples around the world.' Books are presented in the original languages in which they were published; for children ages 3-13. (University of Maryland, Internet Archive, et al.)

Juvenile Series & Sequels - A database containing thousands of books in series titles, for elementary through high school students. Indexed by series title, series subject, book title, and author. Just lists, no descriptions (Mid-Continent Public Library). Another extensive database of series and sequels is Young Adult Books in Series & Sequels [UPDATED LINK!] (Bettendorf Public Library).

KidsReads - Book reviews and author interviews, book club ideas, quizzes and games, and other features. Covers books for ages 4 through teen. (From BookReporter.com)

Learn to Read - Free materials designed to inspire a love of reading and writing. Useful for pre-k through second grade; suitable for home-schooling. Best viewed with a broadband (cable or DSL) internet connection. (Starfall.com)

Loganberry Books Stumpers - 'Have you forgotten the title of your favorite children's book? ...Submit your memory here, and see if anyone else remembers your book, or better yet, knows the title and author!' NOTE: There is now a fee of $2 to submit a question.

NEA Kids' Top 100 Books - 100 favorite books chosen by kids in a 1999 online survey. The NEA Teachers' Top 100 Books lists 100 children's books recommended by teachers, from a 2007 survey. See also NEA's other booklists — scroll down the page to the 'Booklists' heading for links to NEA's Asian-American Booklist, Spanish/English Bilingual Booklist, 50 Multicultural Books Every Child Should Read, Celebrity Book Pics, 50 State Booklist, Youth Leaders for Literacy Booklist, Native American Booklist, and African American Booklist. See also Additional Reading Tips & Booklists for parents and teachers of young children; scroll down to Between the Lions heading (PBS's & National Education Association)

Parents' Choice Award-Winning Books - Quarterly lists of the best kids' books in fiction, non-fiction, 'learning & doing', picture books, and poetry; most with brief reviews. Searchable by age group, keywords, product type, and more. Also includes Tips for Teaching Kids to Enjoy Reading.

Picturing Books - Explores various aspects of picture books, including design & history, plus picture book reviews and more. REGISTRATION REQUIRED (By librarian Denise I. Matulka). See also Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art new , including Recommended Picture Books.

Reading is Fundamental (RIF) - Provides lists of recommended books for reading aloud to children, arranged by age group, plus additional resources for parents.

Reading Planet - Another site from RIF helps kids and families explore the world of books.

Reading Rockets - 'A wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better.' Includes Reading Tips for Parents of babies through third graders, available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Korean, Navajo, Russian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese (U.S. Department of Education et al.).

Rosetta Project - A large collection of antique children's books reproduced online, complete with original illustrations. Arranged alphabetically or by age group.

Storybook Corner new - Information for parents and teachers on using children's storybooks to engage families in their children's education and encourage family-school-community partnerships. Provides a list of storybooks with family involvement themes, tools for using the storybooks, and an original bilingual online storybook. (Harvard Family Research Project)

Teenzone Library - Selected teen reading links. (South Plainfield Public Library)

What Book Got You Hooked? [UPDATED LINK!] - Lists favorite childhood books of ordinary people as well as celebrities, with comments from readers about the books that got them hooked on reading. (FirstBook.org, a non-profit organization which gives new books to needy children)

Libraries & Literacy

Adult Education & Literacy Links - A list of organizations and resources for providers of adult literacy services. (US Dept. of Education)

American Library Association - National association dealing with library and library-related issues. Includes Booklist Online (book reviews & related content).

Friends of Libraries U.S.A. - Resources, services, and networking opportunities for library Friends, Trustees, and Foundations across the country to increase and enhance their efforts on behalf of libraries of all types. Friends of Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA) and the Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA) have now joined forces to become Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF), part of the American Library Association. To support the South Plainfield Public Library, please consider joining Friends of the South Plainfield Public Library.

Library Journal - News, features, and reviews from the library world. (Commercial site)

Library of Congress Online Catalog - The Library of Congress Online Catalog contains approximately 12 million records representing books, serials, computer files, manuscripts, cartographic materials, music, sound recordings, and visual materials. Search the catalog by keyword, subject, title, author, ISBN.

Library Gateway - Links to hundreds of public and academic library catalogs throughout the U.S. and around the world.

Literacy Link - Lessons, practice tests and related activities to teach adults basic learning and literacy skills; including GED and workplace preparation. Free registration will provide full access to all features. (PBS)

Literacy Volunteers of New Jersey - A nonprofit educational organization which provides training, technical assistance, communications, and program support to adult literacy organizations in New Jersey. Website includes contact information for local / county literacy groups. Literacy Programs of New Jersey also provides information about local and county literacy programs throughout the state. Literacy Volunteers of Plainfield is a local group providing instruction for adults in Basic English, Basic Math, ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) and Conversational English, as well as Life Skills. Middlesex County Literacy Services offers an online directory of literacy programs in Middlesex County. Printed brochures are also available in Spanish, Russian, Gujarat, Korean, Chinese, Arabic and Vietnamese; please call 732-745-3970 to obtain copies. Use the ProLiteracy Locator to search for literacy programs and related organizations anywhere in the US.

NJ Libraries - Websites, Online Catalogs - A comprehensive set of links to NJ libraries, including both college and public libraries. From the NJ State Library. For links and phone numbers of public libraries in Central New Jersey, see MURAL.

NJ Library Association - State association dealing with library and library-related issues.

Public Attitudes About Libraries in the 21st Century - This survey found that Americans prize public library service and see libraries as potential solutions to many communities' most pressing problems. Forty-five percent rate their local libraries far ahead of any other community institutions, including schools, parks and police, but few are aware of the increasingly tenuous financial picture faced by many libraries. Full report is a PDF document. (Public Agenda). Libraries: How they Stack Up examines the economic impact of libraries worldwide, with comparisons of library economics and activies to other sectors of the global economy (OCLC).

School Library Journal - Book reviews, articles, and other resources on school libraries. You can use the site to search for articles, but to view most articles you must subscribe.

Superpatron - A blog written for 'library patrons who love their libraries, who take advantage of everything they have to offer, and are always on the lookout for great ideas from libraries around the world.' (Personal site: Edward Vielmetti)

US Government Libraries - Links to dozens of specialized libraries at federal agencies, departments, and research centers.

Literature

FREE AUDIOBOOK DOWNLOADS from LISTEN NJ - Download free audiobooks to transfer to your MP3 player or burn to a CD! Choose from a great collection of bestsellers, mysteries, classics, biographies, history, and lots more! Listen NJ now includes OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks which can be transferred to a wide range of devices, including iPod®, iPhone™, and iPod Touch! NOTE: You'll need a valid South Plainfield Library Card to download audiobooks.

Arcamax Classics Book Club - Sign up to get full text of classics by e-mail, one chapter per day; free. Choose from a large collection of classic works, including fiction, nonfiction, short stories, poetry, plays, biography, philosophy, and religion. (Commercial site)

Bartleby.com: Great Books Online - Online text of some of the great works of western literature, essay, and poetry, including the complete works of Shakespeare and the complete Harvard Classics & Harvard Shelf of Fiction, as well as selected reference books. You can search the entire database of texts for a specific word or phrase. (Commercial site)

Classic Short Stories - E-texts of classic short stories by dozens of writers including Wharton, Twain, Hawthorne, Poe, Mansfield, de Maupassant, Kipling, Saki, Garcia Marquez, Chekhov and others. (Commercial site)

FeedBooks - Free downloads of thousands of public domain and original e-books in multiple formats/platforms, including EPUB, Mobipocket/Kindle, and PDF.

IPL Online Literary Criticism Collection - Links to thousands of critical and biographical websites about authors and their works that can be browsed by author, by title, or by nationality and literary period.

LibriVox Classic Audio Books - Free recordings of classic books, to download in mp3 or ogg format. Books are recorded by volunteer readers, so the quality of readings will vary. If you like audio books, don't forget to check out South Plainfield Public Library's free audiobook downloads. We offer a wide variety of commercially recorded audiobooks including both classics & recent bestsellers, fiction & nonfiction.

Literary Encyclopedia - 'An expanding global literary reference work written by over 1400 specialists from universities around the world... currently provides over 3700 authoritative profiles of authors, works and literary and historical topics.' Major entries are around 2-2500 words but only the first 150 words or so can be read by non-members. There is a small annual fee for membership.

Literary Resources on the Net - Extensive listing of literary links, grouped by period or ethnicity; also searchable by keyword. Last updated January 2006, so expect some broken links. (Rutgers University)

Poetry Foundation - Poetry news, poet profiles, reviews, and other articles on poetry and culture, plus a collection of more than 3,000 contemporary and classic poems in English by more than 250 poets. You can search for poems by keyword, or use the Poetry Tool to find poems by category, occasion, title, or first line. See also Poetry Archive , Academy of American Poets , Poetry at the Library of Congress, PennSound , and Poetry Everywhere (PBS).

Project Gutenberg: Classics Online - 'The oldest producer of free electronic books on the Internet'; contains e-texts of over 28,000 classic titles produced by tens of thousands of volunteers. Project Gutenberg is part of the Internet Text Archive which includes more than a million other open-access texts. See also Online Books Page (University of Pennsylvania).

Rare Book Room - Offers book lovers a chance to look through some of the world's rarest books, each page digitally photographed in high resolution. A line of arrow icons runs above the top of each page image; click on the icon on the farthest left to zoom in for a closer view. If you've ever longed for a glimpse of the original 1455 Gutenberg Bible, here's your chance!

Publishers

Small & Independent Presses

Council of Literary Magazines and Presses - Includes a searchable directory of member publishers.

New Pages - 'News, information and guides to independent bookstores, independent publishers, literary periodicals, alternative periodicals, independent record labels, alternative newsweeklies and more.'

Small Press Center for Independent Publishing - Member directory accessible by subject or alphabetical index. Includes articles for writers and publishers, and other information.

Special Needs

Assistive Media - 'Audio access to reading materials for anyone with a reading access barrier. Talented volunteers record magazine articles and other short works which are then available for download or podcast'; non-profit organization. For free downloads of audiobooks, see South Plainfield Public Library's audiobook downloads page.

Bookmark - Information, book reviews, and advice on all aspects of children's books, reading and disability issues, for parents, teachers, librarians and others. (Non-profit organization, UK: Booktrust)

Described & Captioned Media Catalog (DCMP) - The DCMP media library has over 4,000 free-loan described and captioned media titles; members can watch media online or order a DVD copy to be shipped to them. Individuals must be deaf or hard of hearing (or the parent of a deaf or hard of hearing child) to register for service.

Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped - A national network of cooperating libraries lending braille and audio materials, by postage-free mail, to eligible visually or physically handicapped borrowers in the United States. Includes books and magazines. Find audio, braille, and print/braille books for preschool through grade 8 from the NLS Kid Zone. Locally, the South Plainfield Public Library offers audio books, large print books, and homebound delivery. Call us at (908) 754-7885 for more information.