Reintroducing BookLetters

BookLetters is a service that provides libraries with newsletters tailored to every age and taste and up-to-date lists of bestselling and award winning books. You can access all BookLetters lists and newsletters through the new links on the right side of the page. Check out some of our favorites:

Book Sizzle: Books in the news.

BookPage Daily: A new book review every morning.

Books on the Air: Books featured on television and public radio during the past week.

Past and Present: Recommended reading about history and current events.

Meet the Author: A new author interview every week.

Science and Nature: New books about science, medicine, and the great outdoors.

Want to see more? View all newsletters and lists, or sign up to receive email newsletters or RSS feeds.

Master the Art of Reading

Summer reading isn't just for kids. Adults who read or listen to four qualifying books and fill out an entry form will receive a packet of prizes and coupons from local businesses and the Friends of the Library. You can download an entry form or stop by the library to pick one up.

A qualifying book should either be about or include some kind of art or artist. Visual arts, decorative arts, architecture, music, dance, drama, film, literature, and everything in between. This year's theme is broad enough that nearly any book could fit, but here are some book lists for anyone needing a little extra inspiration.

On Exhibit: Great Reads About Art
Recommended nonfiction about historical art and artists from Library Journal.

overbooked.org: Art Booklist
Books about art and artists that received a starred reviews in one of the four major review publications.

Artful Reads
Recommended historical fiction about art and artists from NoveList. (library card needed for access)

Artistic Death
Recommended mysteries from NoveList involving art and the art world. (library card needed for access)

Every Picture Tells a Story: Novels on Historical Artists
More recommended historical fiction about art and artists from NoveList. (library card needed for access)

librarybooklists.org: The Arts and Entertainment
Almost thirty additional lists from libraries across the country.

The library is hosting several programs that tie into the adult summer reading program, including author talks, a poetry workshop, and a film series. Visit the library's website to learn more about these events and the summer reading programs for children and teens.

Links: Nonfiction

Business
New and popular business titles. Updated monthly.

Lifestyles
Books for active lifestyles. Updated monthly.

Nonfiction Preview
Upcoming nonfiction releases. Updated monthly.

Past and Present
Recent books on current and historical events. Updated monthly.

Science and Nature
Recent books on science and nature. Updated monthly.

The Great Books

We were recently asked if the library had a list of the greatest books ever written—a recommended reading list spanning all of human history. The short answer was “No”.

Such a list would be difficult to compile. No one person could really have the knowledge to compile an authoritative list, and no two people could completely agree on what to include. This has not stopped people from trying. Robert Teeter, a librarian by trade, has collected many such efforts. His personal home page features a fairly comprehensive and well annotated list of lists of great books.

A Time Magazine article, written in 1946 about a Great Books course offered by the University of Chicago, ends with one of the instructors stating, “The Great Books program ends only in desertion or death." Though the comment makes perfect sense—one could spend a lifetime reading—it hardly sounds like an invitation to get started.

Thankfully, there are a few best-of-the-best lists out there that are not quite as intimidating. Most of them concentrate on the last 100 years.

Time Magazine’s All-Time 100 Best Novels
Despite its title, this list only covers novels published after 1923, the year Time was first published.

The Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century
Compiled in 1998 by the Modern Library’s editorial board, this list is limited English-language books. A list of non-fiction is also available, as well as a rival list compiled by the Radcliffe Publishing Course (now the Columbia Publishing Course).

BBC’s Big Read – 100 Favorite Books
A list of Britain’s favorite books based on a nation-wide survey conducted in 2003

The Guardian’s 100 Greatest Novels of All Time
Another British offering, this one published just before the BBC’s Big Read. The newspaper also published a defense of their choices.

New York Public Library’s Books of the Century
A list of titles included in the book of the same name. Published in 1996.

A Unified List of the Best 100 Novels
Some of the lists mentioned above, plus several more, merged into one.

Links: Genre Fiction

Historical

HistFiction.net
Information on books, authors, bestselling historical fiction, and more.

HistoricalNovels.info
Large database of titles divided by time period. Features annotations and links to reviews.

Horror

Dark Echo Horror
Includes features, book reviews and author interviews, with links to other web sites and publishers.

Horror Writers Association
Home of the Bram Stoker Award for Horror, with lists of nominees and winners, as well as a "“best of” list featuring many classic titles.

Inspirational

Christian Fiction Review
Large collection of reviews that can be browsed by author and title.

The Christy Awards
Awarded for the best in Christian fiction, in various categories.

Library Journal – Christin Fiction Reviews
Short reviews of new and upcoming titles.

Mystery

Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind
A giant and well-respected blog featuring mystery reviews and other resources.

Library Journal – Mystery Reviews
Short reviews of new and upcoming titles.

Mystery
A new list of mystery reccomendations every month.

The Mystery Reader
Mystery news and book reviews for a variety of sub-genres.

Stop, You’re Killing Me!
An award-winning, cross-referenced bibliography of mystery fiction. Includes over 30,000 titles.

Romance

All About Romance
For those who read and love romance novels, featuring news, reviews and many theme and author read-alike lists.

Library Journal – Romance Reviews
Short reviews of new and upcoming titles.

Romance
A new list of romance reccomendations every month.

The Romance Reader
Recent news, book reviews and author interviews, as well as features and book lists.

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Center for the Study of Science Fiction - University of Kansas
Affiliated with the KU English Department. Provides SF news, reviews, commentary, links to area sci-fi author homepages and much more. Click on “A Basic SF Library” for core reading; scroll down for links to more recommended book lists.

Library Journal – Science Fiction and Fantasy Reviews
Short reviews of new and upcoming titles.

Locus Online
Includes book news and reviews, the Locus Index to Science Fiction and extensive links.

Science Fiction and Fantasy
A new list of science fiction reccomendations every month.

Western

Saddlebums Western Review
Book reviews and author interviews.

Western Writers Association
Home of the Spur Award for writing about the West, with lists of Western authors and titles.

Links: Databases

Databases available through the library. You will be prompted to enter a card number before you can enter these sites.

Gale Virtual Reference Library
Includes Contemporary Novelists, Contemporary Poets, Drama for Students, and Nonfiction Classics for Students.

NoveList
Search for series information, author information, suggestions for more books like the ones you enjoy, and more.

Literature Resource Center
Biographies, bibliographies, & critical analyses of authors from every age and literary form including fiction, poetry, drama, and journalism.

Links: If You Like...

Lists of authors and titles similar to your favorites.

NoveList
Click on the "Author Read-alikes" link on the left. (You'll need a current library card for access.)

All Together Now

Fiction_L Booklists: Author-Based Lists

Multnomah County Library

Overbooked: A Resource for Omnivorous Readers

Rolling Meadows Library

Links: eBooks

Audiobooks, Music & More
Check out eBooks like you check out regular library books. A service of LPL and the State Library of Kansas.

Online Books Page
A directory of free books on the web, hosted by the libraries at the University of Pennsylvania.

Project Gutenberg
Free access to more than 33,00 ebooks.

Links: Recommended Reads

Oprah's Book Club
Summaries, discussion questions, author interviews and more for Oprah's picks.

NPR's You Must Read This
Book recommendations from authors.

Life-Changing Lit: Celebs Fave Books
Book recommendations from celebrities presented by the Today Show.

The Buzz Board
Book recommendations from "smart people"--authors, journalists, politicians, and experts of all stripes.

Life Changing Reads
Books that had a profound impact on "the most eminent achievers of our times."

Links: Book Reviews

BookPage
The online version of the monthly publication BookPage, also available in print at Lawrence Public Library.

BookReporter
Book industry news, reviews and articles.

BookWire
Book industry news, reviews and articles.

National Public Radio
Expanded book coverage from NPR.

New York Review of Books
Selected articles and reviews, and podcasts.

New York Times
News, reviews, interviews, features, bestseller lists, and podcasts

Overbooked
A “web site for ravenous readers”, specializing in literary and genre fiction book lists and information.

Powell's Books Daily Dose
Daily reviews by Powell's customers.

Salon Books
Lengthy reviews and author interviews.

USA Today Books News, reviews, interviews, features, and bestseller lists.

Links: Award Winners

ALA Notable Fiction
ALA Notable Nonfiction
Additional information can be found on the American Library Association's site.

ALA Black Caucus Literary Awards
For books written by African American Authors.

Audie Awards
For audiobooks. Find more information and past winners at the Audio Publishers Association site.

Bram Stoker Awards
For the best horror fiction.

John W. Campbell Award
For best science fiction novel.

Christy Awards
For Christian fiction. Find more information and past winners at the Christy Awards site.

Edgar Awards
For the best mystery fiction. Find more information and past winners at the Mystery Writers Association Site.

Hugo Awards
For the best science fiction. Find more information and past winners at the Hugo Awards site.

The James Beard KitchenAid Book Awards
For the best cookbooks and food writing. Find more information and past winners at the James Beard Foundation site.

Kansas Notable Books
For books about Kansas or written by Kansans.

Man Booker Prize
For best novel of the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland.

National Book Awards for Fiction
National Book Awards For Nonfiction
National Book Awards for Poetry
For books written by American citizens. Find more information and past winners at the National Book Award site.

Nebula Awards
For science fiction and fantasy. Find more information and past winners at the Nebula Awards site.

PEN/Faulkner Awards
For fiction written by an American Citizen. Find more information and past winners at the Pen/Faulkner Foundation site.

Pulitzer Prize for Biography
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Pulitzer Prize for History
Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Find additional information and awards at the Pulitzer Prizes site.

RITA Awards
For romance fiction. Find more information and past awards at the Romance Writers of America site.

Spur Awards
For western fiction.

Stonewall Book Awards
For books related to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered experience.

For more award winning books, visit NoveList and click on the "Award Winners" link in the left column.

Links: Bestsellers

New York Times Lists:
Fiction Hardcover
Fiction Paperback
Nonfiction Hardcover
Nonfiction Paperback
Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous Hardcover
Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous Paperback

Publisher's Weekly

USA Today's Top 150 Bestsellers

American Booksellers Association