Thing 59: Authors On the Web

One final day of the month, one final post. Don't worry, it's a quick one.

I highly recommend AuthorsOnTheWeb.com - It's one of the first book sites I found and I refer to it daily. It has something for everyone. I recommend this site for people looking for the next book by their favorite author or someone looking for new authors. It has a “Coming Attractions” feature that lists the new and upcoming books by month, and dates of paperback publication. You can also link to the AuthorYellowPages to get the web address of almost any author you can think of.

AuthorsOnTheWeb.com and AuthorYellowPages are put together by TheBookReportNetwork.com, which also created ReadingGroupGuides.com, an online community for reading groups, and Bookreporter.com, a great place to get to know more about your favorite authors, as well as several other reading-related sites.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Visit AuthorsOnTheWeb.com and some of the other TheBookReportNetwork sites.
2. Blog about your visit. (Told you it would be quick this time!)

- Jamie, posting for Sandra Nicholls

Thing 53. LitLovers - a well read online community

One of the hardest parts of being involved in a book club is deciding what books to read and finding the resources to back up the choices.

Well, Litlovers makes those decisions a bit easier.

Litlovers is an online community dedicated to books and book clubs.

Here’s how they describe themselves:

"An online community dedicated to books and book clubs—because both enrich our lives. We've got great resources to enhance your book club experience. Whether you're selecting books, or thinking & talking about them, LitLovers is the place to come.What can you do on LitLovers? What can't you do! Find a book. Find a review. Find a discussion guide. Take a course. Whip up a recipe (to match your book, of course)! There's so much to do—and so much fun—you won't want to leave"

The site is divided into four main areas:

LitClub

LitCourse

LitShop

LitFun

and there is also an online forum, LitTalk, where you can discuss all things book related.

Discovery exercise

1. Explore the Litlovers site.

2. Think of a book that would be a good one to discuss in a book club. Check out the litlovers site for resources about the title.

3. Check out LitCourses and enrol in one that appeals to you.

4. Blog about how you and/or your library could use Litlovers.