Research > Topics > Books / Literature
Books / Literature
Databases
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| Remote access is available on this resource | |
| Access limited to some library locations |
| Book Review Digest |
| Books in Print |
| Essay And General Literature Index |
| Granger's World of Poetry |
| Humanities Abstracts |
| Library2Go |
| Literature Resource Center |
| LitFinder |
| MasterplotsMasterplots |
| MLA Bibliography |
| NetLibrary |
| New York Times (1999-present) |
| New York Times Historical (1851-1999) |
| New York Times Ondisc (1994-June 2002)New York Times Ondisc (1994-June 2002) |
| Novelist |
| Oxford English Dictionary |
| Papersfirst |
| ProceedingsFirst |
| Readers' Guide Retrospective |
| Short Story Index |
| WorldCat |
Awards
- Amazon.com Book Awards
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http://www.amazon.com/Awards-Books/b/ref=amb_link_1715572_4/105-9944697-5908435?ie=UTF8&node=542942Literary awards, from Pulitzer to picture books, Nobel to Nebula, and sample pages of many titles for browsing.
- International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
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http://www.impacdublinaward.ieThe largest international prize of its kind and open to books written in any language. Books are nominated by selected libraries from all over the world, including Multnomah County Library.
- Literary Arts
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http://www.literary-arts.org/awards/?PHPSESSID=76574211f98515357500e2db24923440Presents the annual Oregon Book Awards for the finest accomplishments by Oregon writers.
Best sellers
- Bookspot
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http://www.bookspot.com/bestsellers.htmLinks to over a dozen bestseller lists, including USA Today, Audio BookWorld, and the Bestseller Almanac of fiction and nonfiction from 1900-1998.
- New York Times Best Sellers
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http://www.nytimes.com/books/yr/mo/day/bsp/index.htmlCompilation based on weekly sales surveys of major booksellers. Titles are linked to Times reviews and users can link to the print version of the New York Times Book Review and sign up for a free subscription to access the list.
- Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association
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http://www.pnba.org/bestsellershome.htmA weekly list of the bestselling books in the independent bookstores of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
- Publishers Weekly
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http://www.publishersweekly.com/bestsellersindex.aspAn international news magazine of book publishing and book-selling that contains author interviews as well as early reviews of books for all ages.
Book groups
- Creating a Great Book Group
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http://www.multcolib.org/guides/bookgroup/index.htmlDesigned by Multnomah County librarians to provide step by step information on forming and tending a book group and tips on how to best use library resources to enhance your group.
- Online Book Clubs
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http://www.dearreader.com/library/multnomah/Join an online book club in one or more of several topic areas.
- Pageturners
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http://www.multcolib.org/books/groups/Join a book group at your library. View the current booklists and calendar; find resources for your group. Pageturners meet monthly at most libraries.
- Reader's Circle
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http://www.readerscircle.org/index.htmlAn online directory of book clubs and reading groups. Enter a zip code to search for a group.
- Reading Group Choices
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http://www.readinggroupchoices.comBook discussion group guides, new books for discussion, tips for starting a book group and expert advice on running a successful book group.
- ReadingGroupGuides.com
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http://www.readinggroupguides.com/Search hundreds of publishers' discussion guides by author, title and category. Includes author interviews, short biographies and ideas for book groups.
Everybody Reads projects
- The Center for the Book
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http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/one-book.htmlThe Library of Congress Center for the Book compiles this state-by-state listing of past and current "one book" reading promotion projects. Links to programs in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom are also available.
- Multnomah County Library Everybody Reads
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http://www.multcolib.org/reads/A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah was the 2008 selection. Visit Everybody Reads Selections to find a complete list of titles from previous years.
- Oregon Reads 2009
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http://www.oregon.gov/OSL/LD/aboutcenter.shtmlThe first statewide community reads coincides with the Oregon's sesquicentennial celebration in 2009. In order to include all Oregonians, three books were selected: Stubborn Twig by Lauren Kessler for general readers, Bat 6 by Virginia Euwer Wolff for upper elementary school students and Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson for younger readers.
- Seattle Reads
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http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=audience_current_seattlereadsLibrarian Nancy Pearl originated this popular program, formerly known as "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book", which has been emulated by other cities.
Genre fiction
- All About Romance
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http://www.likesbooks.com/home.htmlLovers of romance novels contribute reviews, write original commentary and use message boards to explore the genre. Special features include author readalikes, reader polls, Desert Island Keepers and topical lists, from Beta Heroes to Unrequited Love.
- ClueLass.com
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http://www.cluelass.com/index.lassoFind detailed information about mystery authors, bookstores, events and organizations. Special features include the Mysterious Home Page, with links to mystery, crime and suspense literature websites, and the Bloodstained Bookshelf, with lists of new and recent mystery releases.
- Comic Book Resources
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http://www.comicbookresources.com/News and information about the comic business and links to companies and series.
- Detectives, By Profession
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http://www.wright.edu/~martin.kich/DetbyProf/IndexDbP.htmThis site offers a listing of fictional, professional and amateur detectives by profession, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity and physical disability, as well as animal detectives and their creators.
- HistFiction.net
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http://www.histfiction.net/Browse new and old historical novels, search for authors and link to historical fiction Web sites. Find prehistoric fiction, medieval romances, historical mysteries and nautical adventures.
- Horror World
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http://www.horrorworld.org/Read reviews of the latest horror releases, use message boards to get in touch with authors and find links to more horror websites.
- SF Site
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http://www.sfsite.com/Science fiction and fantasy book reviews, author interviews, publisher reading lists, links to magazines and fan tribute sites.
- Stop, You're Killing Me!
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http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/index.htmlLovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy and suspense books can browse authors' works by date and series. Find read-alikes for favorite authors, select a character by job or location, and scan the new hardback and paperback releases.
Online book-sellers
- Alibris
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http://www.alibris.com/Inventory includes selected titles from the library's Title Wave Used Bookstore.
- Amazon
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http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/283155/ref%3Dtab%5Fgw%5Fb%5F3/104-4193457-7716749Search millions of titles including best sellers, award winners, books by subject, and book club suggestions. Explore the International Sites links and view what's popular in the UK and selected countries around the world.
- Barnes & Noble
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http://www.barnesandnoble.com/index.aspSign up for Writers Alerts to be notified when your favorite author publishes a new book. Browse Coming Soon to scan titles by release date and subject. Join Book Clubs to chat with writers and other readers.
- Best Web Buys
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http://Bestwebbuys.com/Searches online book stores to find the best price for new and used titles.
- BookFinder
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http://www.bookfinder.com/Scans thousands of book-seller databases to find new, used, rare, and out of print books. Searches run in real time on the collections of the top book vendors and sites online, including Powells, Bibliofind, Amazon.com and Bibliocity.
- Books and Book Collecting
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http://www.trussel.com/f_books.htmFor book collectors searching for rare, out of print books, or volumes to complete sets. Includes a list of author pseudonyms, dealers' price guides, and information on specialty collecting and preservation of fine books.
- BookSense
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http://www.booksense.com/Shop online or find out what titles your favorite independent bookstore recommends. Staff members from independent bookstores throughout the United States contribute their book sense and comments to the site.
- FetchBook.Info
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http://www.fetchbook.info/Scans 125 bookstores to compare prices of new and used books. A quick way to search by title, author and subject.
- Powell's Books
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http://www.powells.com/Search Portland's largest new/used bookstore in the world. Features local best sellers, international award winners, and author interviews.
Online texts
- Bartleby.com
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http://www.bartleby.com/Offers fully searchable full-text editions of reference titles and classic works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
- Bibliomania
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http://www.bibliomania.com/Offers fully searchable full-text editions of classic works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and some reference titles. Includes the complete plays of Shakespeare and major titles from Austen, Dickens, Twain, Freud, Benjamin Franklin and host of other English language authors.
- ChapterOne
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/books/chapterone.htmProvides first chapters from current popular fiction and non-fiction. The full text of these chapters can be searched by keyword, title or author's surname.
- Daily Lit
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http://www.dailylit.com/Too busy for books? Sign up for this free daily e-mail service that delivers under-five-minute bites of the classics.
- Electronic Literature Directory
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http://directory.eliterature.org/A comprehensive directory of electronic literature including experimental Internet novels and animated poems.
- Google Book Search
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http://books.google.com/Use a keyword or phrase to browse books online. Results are displayed with a preview, full text or content within the book. Reference pages link to reviews, web references, maps and more. Books in the public domain can be downloaded as PDF files.
- Internet Archive Text Archive
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http://www.archive.org/details/textsIn partnership with the Open Content Alliance, the Internet Archive Text Archive offers free access to over 350,000 books out of copyright, out-of-print books and orphan works. Formats include PDF, text and DjVu.
- National Archives
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http://www.archives.gov/The National Archives is the U.S. government’s collection of documents that records important events in American history. Over 95 percent of the records are declassified available to all researchers and include census records, land records, military records, immigration and nationalization records, maps, motion pictures and sound recordings.
- The Online Books Page
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http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/Lists over 25,000 online books that can be searched by title, author or subject. Site includes the full text of many literary award winners and banned books and provides links to electronic (ebook) sites.
- Project Gutenberg
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http://www.gutenberg.net/Fine literature digitally re-published: from Alice in Wonderland to the Bible to Shakespeare. Full-text literary works online to read, use and search.
- Read Print
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http://www.readprint.com/Designed for students and teachers, Read Print is a free online library with thousands of classics such as Animal Farm, Paradise Lost and Pride and Prejudice, and author biographies.
- University of Texas at Austin
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http://www.lib.utexas.edu/books/etext.html#booksUT Austin's exhaustive list of e-text sites includes links to free and fee-based services. Find world literatures, computer and medical books, manuscripts, poetry and banned books.
Poetry
- About.com Poetry Page
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http://poetry.about.com/arts/poetry/mbody.htmProvides the latest information about the poetry scene. Updated daily.
- American Verse Project
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http://www.hti.umich.edu/a/amverse/An electronic archive of volumes of American poetry prior to 1920.
- Academy of American Poets
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http://www.poets.org/The sponsor of National Poetry Month, their site describes programs, awards and exhibits, includes a calendar of national events, and provides extensive links to literary sites.
- The Poetry Archive
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http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/home.doListen to recordings of poets reading their work. Download Real Player and hear the voices of Alfred Tennyson, Allen Ginsberg, Margaret Atwood, Adrienne Rich and other English-language poets.
- Poetry Society of America
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http://www.poetrysociety.org/The sponsor of Poetry in Motion, this site includes award-winning poems and a directory of over 200 poetry-related sites.
Readers advisory
- AllReaders.com
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http://www.allreaders.com/A book review search engine designed to help you find the kind of book you're looking for.
- Bookreporter.com
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http://bookreporter.com/This lively, comprehensive, up to date site contains information on contemporary fiction and nonfiction.
- Fiction Connection
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http://www.fictionconnection.com/Use the title or author of a favorite book to find your next great read. Search novels and biographies by genre, topic, setting, location, time frame and location.
- Good Reads
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http://www.goodreads.com/See what your friends are reading, keep track of what you've read and what you'd like to read, get recommendations from people you know. Email and password required.
- LibraryThing
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http://www.librarything.com/Join the tagging revolution and use this service to catalog your book collection. Create a virtual card catalog, share your favorite reads and meet like-minded book lovers.
- Native American Authors
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http://www.ipl.org/div/natam/Provides information on Native North American authors with bibliographies of their published works, biographical information, and links to online resources including interviews, online texts and tribal Web sites.
- Northwest Books
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http://www.northwest-books.com/index.htmlRecent books by Northwest authors and titles about the Pacific Northwest region, both fiction and non-fiction. The site also includes the region's weekly bestsellers.
- The Online Literary Criticism Collection
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http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/Over 2500 critical and biographical websites about authors and their works that can be browsed by author, title, nationality and literary period.
- Overbooked
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http://www.overbooked.org/A site for ravenous readers interested in literary and genre fiction.
- Readers
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http://www.multcolib.org/books/Created by Multnomah County librarians to highlight good books, introduce new authors and explore reading trends.
- Waterboro Public Library
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http://www.waterborolibrary.org/oldsite/bklista.htmThe busy librarians of the Waterboro Public Library collect booklists from all over the U.S., with topics that range from adventure and animal stories to sports fiction and travel books.
- What's Next
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http://ww2.kdl.org/libcat/WhatsNextNEW.aspSearch adult fiction in series.
- Whichbook.net
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http://www.whichbook.net/index.jspUnique software gives readers a way to find books to match their mood. Search for books by genre, type and types of characters, plots and settings. The UK's Society of Chief Librarians manages the database developed for library staff.
- Words Without Borders
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http://www.wordswithoutborders.org/Browse this online magazine of international literature and enjoy writing in translation from around the world. Articles are searchable by language, country, time period, genre, title, author or translator.
Reviews
- ACQWEB's Directory of Book Reviews on the Web
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http://www.acqweb.org/bookrev.htmlProvides links to actively maintained sites done by experienced reviewers or subject experts. Access reviews of audio visual materials and books on special interest topics as well as general and academic reviews.
- Fiction Review Source
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http://employees.oneonta.edu/coanj/top.htmlLinks to reviews of current fiction in newspapers on the web, arranged by date. Some links go directly to the review, others to a search page. Some sites require registration.
- Midwest Book Review
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http://www.midwestbookreview.com/Volunteers read and review over 400 books each month, giving preference to small press publishers. Extensive links to other book reviewers.
- Reviews of Books.com
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http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/Displays full-length reviews of recently released books, including bestsellers, nonfiction, mysteries and thrillers, UK releases and select award winners.
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