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Download Audiobooks
How to Browse Catalog for Audiobooks
New Fiction and Audiobook Titles
Oak Park Authors
Reading Maps
Kids Books
Teen Books
Internet Sites
Reading
Maps Each map starts with the most appealing elements of a title or
subject and then leads to other books you may want to read. Some of these reading
destinations are straightforward - others take a more serendipitous route that
include all forms of media - music, film, even websites. Because you never really
know where reading will lead you. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to
view these PDF files. If you do not already have Acrobat Reader, visit Adobe's
website where you can download and install the Reader for free. Printed
maps are available at Service Desks on the Second and Third Floors of the Main
Library. The 910s (PDF file,
283KB) Anti Pop-Culture
(PDF file, 126KB) Blues Music
(PDF file, 249KB) Contemporary
India (PDF file, 164KB) Graphic
Nonfiction (PDF, 354KB) India
(PDF file, 335KB) Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis (PDF file, 541KB) The
Killer Angels (PDF file, 772KB) Kitchen
to the Grave (PDF file, 152KB) Lady
Caroline Blackwood (PDF file, 205KB) Library
Listening (PDF file, 331KB)
titles by your favorite NPR personalities Lost
(PDF file, 52KB) Malevolent
Mystery Tour (PDF file, 182KB) Musical
(PDF file, 1008KB) New York, NY
(PDF file, 452KB) Time and
Place (PDF file, 304KB) Today's
China (PDF file, 266KB) Truth
and Beauty (PDF file, 236KB) Women
on the Road (PDF file, 198KB)
How
to Browse Catalog for Audiobooks
The Library Catalog contains information
about all types of materials at the Main Library and both branch libraries and
gives you real-time status about an item, for example, whether or not it's checked
out. The Library Catalog is inaccessible Monday mornings from 12:45 a.m. to 4:30
a.m. due to routine system maintenance. 1. Access
the Library Catalog and click on the "Search" tab at the top of
the screen.
2. Click on "Advanced" under the "Search"
tab.
3. Click on the empty box next to "General Keyword" and type
in "fiction."
4. Scroll down the page to the "Limits"
box.
5. In the "Limits" box click on "Coll: Books on CD"
to limit your search to the audiobooks on CD collection.
6. Scroll to the
top of the screen and click on the red arrow button next to the "General
Keyword" box.
7. You might also repeat these instructions using these
General Keyword search terms: Mystery, Science Fiction, or Comedy.
8. For
more extensive search instructions click on the red "Help" button at
the top right of the screen. Internet
Sites These Internet sites are not connected with the Oak Park Public
Library but are recommended by Adult and
Teen Services as useful in finding reading materials of interest. Author
Pseudonyms
Bestseller Lists
Book
Discussion Groups
Book Lists
Book
Reviews
Books In A Series
Online
Tools
General Tools
Genres
Mystery | African-American
| Romance | Science Fiction/Fantasy
| Christian
Miscellaneous
What Do I Read Next
Book
Reviews / Bestseller Lists Bestseller
Lists 1900-1998
This site provides a list of the top ten bestselling fiction
and nonfiction titles for each year from 1900-1998. Chicago
Tribune New York Times
The New York Times requires you to register for free before you can access their
bestsellers lists and book reviews.
Online Tools
These online tools are remotely available to patrons
with Oak Park Public Library cards. Gale
Literature Resource Center
Gale Literature is an excellent resource for
finding out more about a particular author or popular title. You can find bibliographies,
literary criticism, articles, and reviews for thousands of authors. Also available
for use at the Oak Park Public Library. NoveList
Novelist is a very versatile and useful tool for Reader's Advisory. It can
be searched by author or title, by series, by plot elements, or other advanced
searches. There are also prepared book lists in various genres and lists of award
winners. Also available for use at the Oak Park Public Library.
General Tools Amazon.com Barnes
and Noble
Genres Genreflecting
The quintessential site for genre fiction information, including definitions,
must read authors, and print resources for a variety a genres.
Mystery Cluelass
Cluelass
is an online mystery newsletter that is packed with helpful information such as
a monthly list of forthcoming titles that you can have emailed to you, mystery
FAQ's with definitions of common mystery terminology, and a vast page of web links.
Stop, You're Killing Me!
For those mystery fans out there who can't get enough of a particular author or
character, this site provides alphabetical indexes to both, as well as chronological
lists of all the titles organized by author or character. This is the essential
website when you're looking to find the next book in a mystery, suspense, or thriller
series.
African-American African American
Literature Book Club
An extensive list of reviewed books, movies, and
articles by and about African-Americans. Also features a discussion board, writer's
resources, and information about African-American literary events and authors. Black
Issues
This is the online counterpart to the print publication that focuses
solely on books written by black authors. You can access full text of the current
issue and one previous issue.
Romance All About Romance
The sensuality rating scale on this site is more thorough than The Romance Reader
(below) and reviewed books are given a grade as well. Other features include "If
You Like" lists and an annual readers' poll with categories like "Most-Hanky
Read" and "Most Tortured Hero." The
Romance Reader
This site offers extensive book reviews, which are organized
by category (contemporary, regency, etc.) and provides a rating of one to five
hearts as well as a sensuality rating for each reviewed title. The Romance Reader
also includes author interviews, access to their newsletter, and lists of top
romance reads.
Science Fiction / Fantasy Fantastic
Fiction
Bibliographies for over 7,000 authors are provided here along
with pictures of each title, which is a helpful feature. For more prolific authors
there is usually a short biography as well. Locus
Magazine
This online companion to the print version of Locus Magazine
includes timely author obituaries, samples from the current issue, as well as
reviews of movies, books, and other material not appearing in the magazine.
Christian Fiction Faithful
Reader
Faithful Reader offers reviews, lists of future releases, discussion
guides, and a "Word of Mouth" feature where readers' review what they
are currently reading.
Book Discussion Groups Ballantine
Reader's Circle
This is an excellent resource for those involved in book
discussion groups. It provides tips for how to start and run a book group, suggested
reads, and reading guides. They also offer more than 95 authors available for
telephone chats with book groups. Being Read
by Local Book Groups BookMovement
Once you sign up for BookMovement's free membership, this online book club planner
offers book discussion groups the ability to organize their group online. Membership
perks include event email reminders with meeting information, reading guides for
your group's selection, discounts on books, and much more. There is even a monthly
drawing for free books and the chance to actually talk to authors. The site also
offers a list of the current National Book Club choices, such as Oprah's Book
Club or the Today Show, as well as reading guides, excerpts, and links to other
information for these titles. Reading
Group Guides
If your book group is stumped for a book to read, this is
the website to check out. There are reading group guides for over 1500 titles,
including both fiction and nonfiction. This site also offers contests for book
discussion groups, recipes to make for your meetings, and discussion ideas for
times when no reading guide is available for a title.
What Do I Read Next? DearReader
Don't have time to read? Not any more! Sign up for one of DearReader's various
book clubs and you will receive a 5-minute sample of a book. By the end of the
week you will have read several chapters and can decide if you want to continue
reading in print. Overbooked
Overbooked is packed with tons of helpful tools for finding your next read, including
starred reviews and theme lists for fiction and nonfiction. StoryCode
StoryCode offers a more detailed approach to getting personally tailored reading
recommendations. You are asked to fill out a five-minute questionnaire about a
book you really like. Based on your answers the website generates a list of other
titles you might enjoy. Whichbook
Whichbook generates a list of recommended books for you by allowing you to specify
the type of book you want to read. A list of contrasting elements, such as happy-sad
or conventional-unusual, are listed with a slide bar between them. You can slide
the bar on as many as four of these elements to indicate the type of book you
are looking for. It also allows you to search by plot elements, character traits,
and setting.
Book Lists Oak Park Public Library Book
Lists BiblioTravel
A website created by two librarians that allows you to search for books based
on where the stories take place. You can also search by author or title to see
the locations featured in a particular book. Currently the site covers less than
2,000 titles but it is still a useful tool to consult. The
Booklist Center
Over 340 fiction and nonfiction book lists in 82 categories,
more than any that can collectively be found on any other website, are organized
here. The lists mostly consist of award winning and "Best of" titles. Fiction_L
booklists
Fiction_L is a listserv devoted to reader's advisory topics.
It is hosted by Morton Grove Public Library and has the participation of many
active librarians. The book lists featured here have been compiled by members
of the listserv over the years and encompass a vast array of subjects.
Reader's Advice
Reader's Advice
is another great book list site that includes detailed breakdowns of genres and
book lists featuring more unusual topics, such as "Animal Whisperers"
and "Urban Professionals." Especially good for those looking for historical
fiction of a particular time period or multicultural literature from a specific
country. Reader's Club
Several
librarians from the Public Library of Charlotte and Meckelnburg County started
the Reader's Club website in 1998 out of their love of books. It now contains
over 2,000 annotated reviews, both fiction and nonfiction, written by librarians
and a short list of celebrities.
Books In A Series / Author Pseudonyms
A.K.A.
Author Pseudonyms
An alphabetized list of over 11,000 author pseudonyms,
nicknames, and other aliases.
Novels
in Sequence
A searchable series database, although not quite as reliable
as the What's Next Database (below).
What's
Next Database
Looking for the next title in a series? Look no further!
This site allows you to search by author, title, or series and gives the list
of titles in order of publication.
Miscellaneous
Arts & Letters
Daily
Compiled by the "Chronicle of Higher Education," this
remarkable site offers an eclectic survey of book reviews, essays, and articles.
Updated six days a week with links to newspapers, magazines, wire services, and
more. | 
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