| Vol.
I, No. 2 | Thanksgiving | Nov.
17th, 2000 |
Links
to Books & Lit On-Line The
amount of info on the web is enormous, as anyone who's ever tried to run a
search can attest to. And, to put it all in context, best estimates say
that only a fraction, maybe 20 - 40 % of what's out there is actually making its
way to the search engines.
Well ...
Here at DownStreet, we'd like to try to help. So each issue, we
post a few links in Books & Lit to sites that might interest you.
Sometimes the links will be related to one another ... sometimes
we'll just offer up a somewhat random sampling. In either case, we think
we might be able to help you find the kind of site you've been looking for.
Of course, while we can't vouch for the fact that every link we provide will be
of interest to everyone, we do our best to filter out the noise and the
bustle. ... On-Line
Book Clubs ... There are tons of sites out there for
there books and reading, including Book Club sites for just about every genre
and specialty you can think of. In fact, there's one devoted entirely to
the work of Stephen King. And just about every major publisher has delved
into the world of on-line Book Clubs. What follows here are just a few of
our picks, including two of the best for the fiction Book Club crowd, plus one
for links to retail Clubs for just about any genre you can imagine. Oprah.com
Book Club
Ok. You may not agree with all the books that show up
on Oprah's list. Heck. You may not agree with any of them.
But given her popularity and her ability to 'make' a book overnight, how can
we not start out with Oprah? Once you're at Oprah's Book
Club site, which is pretty fast, you'll find links for the Latest Selection,
Past Selections, a Kids' Reading List, and Oprah's Favorite
Books. There's also a Build Your Own Book Club link, where Oprah will
walk you through the steps necessary to starting your own Club, and discuss
Running Your Book Club Meetings and Handling Difficult Situations. You
can also log in to Oprah's Book Club Community, a message board/chat room,
with live chats every Wednesday night at 10 p.m. EST. There's also an
archive of chats with authors who've participated in Oprah's Book Club.
Ok.
So you think an on-line Book Club actually goes against the grain of Book
Clubs and what they're meant to be. Well, that may be true. But
for those who don't have the time, or for those whose travel options are
limited, or simply for those who love Oprah, Oprah's Book Club may suit you
just fine. And besides, how you can argue with anyone or anything that
promotes reading!?!
Rating: **** [4 stars]
Books
We Have Read and Loved: ReadingWoman.com
This site's uppermost
text reads: From the Book Club that Started When Oprah was only
16. And let's face it, at the risk of sounding politically
incorrect: Outside of all-male schools, guys are just nowhere near as
likely to get together on a regular basis to talk about books. So ...
The
Reading Woman site advertises itself as "a place for readers and book
discussion groups looking beyond the bestseller lists for their reading
selections." Here, you'll find links to sections on Short
Stories, Writers of the Harlem Renaissance, Great Reads, Science Fiction by
Women Authors, and Mysteries. Each of the lists is short and to the
point, with publisher and author info, as well as a brief excerpt.
{They also promise in the future to be adding Nature and Landscape, and
Essays.} In addition to the genre sections, there are also a couple of
wonderfully curious sections called The Best Book You Never Heard Of and
Opening Line Game. Finally, Reading Woman also offers up some Thoughts
on Reading, as well as Book Links, a select listing of eight sites they
consider worthwhile visits for book lovers.
There's no question about
it. The Reading Woman site is worth the tour ... even if you're a
guy. Check it out.
Rating: ****1/2 [4-1/2 stars]
Book-Clubs.com
Book-Clubs.com
is a clearinghouse site that povides links to all sorts of commercial Book
Clubs. Here, you'll find links to nearly 80 different
Book Clubs, ranging, in no particular order {which is how the listing seems
to be set up} including: Science Fiction; Fiction & Literature; Audio
Books; Mystery & Horror; Love & Romance; Cultural, Ethnic &
Religious; Children's; Sports & Fitness; Special Needs; Hobbies &
Recreation; Political; Computer & Internet; History; Business &
Professional; Health Professionals; Science & Nature; and
Education. {Did they miss anything?} There's also a link to
Descriptive Listings, which provides a brief summary of the Club, including
special offers.
Don't get us wrong. We prefer to shop locally
whenever possible. But some quick tours through these sites may well
turn you on to titles you'd never heard of.
Rating: ***1/2 [3-1/2
stars]
*******
******* If you know of any
links that you think are worthwhile, why not send them along to ...
links@downstreetmagazine.com
... If we agree, we'll be happy to include
them in an upcoming issue to pass the word along. ...
Thanks. *******
******* .
|
