1.I have led book discussions of several different books with a group of ladies and enjoyed the discussion as well as the fellowship time together. A couple of years ago I tried to put together a Google discussion group but the people I wanted to include couldn’t seem to figure out how to do it online. Someday I will try to put together another online book discussion. However, I really like the instant interaction and being able to see and feel the emotions of the others involved in the discussion.
2.An online book club would work best for our staff members. Due to time and scheduling concerns we could post our thoughts when time allowed rather than try to set a time when we can all get together. We have a great monthly Friday Staff Book Club that meets but not all staff can be here and some have other duties that take priority and they cannot attend.
3.Using the title Island of Ghosts by Ellis Dillon I found that ‘Good reads’ gave it a rating of 5 while ‘Library Thing’ gave it a rating of 3. As we all know 'good' or 'not so good' books are in the eye and mind of the reader.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
IHCPL #53 Finding Books Online
Exercise One – 3 Stores near Freeman Branch Library
Half Price Books: Clearlake: 961 NASA Parkway. They have an online presence that is user friendly but no title, author searching is available which is important to me.
Barnes & Noble: 1029 W Bay Area Blvd Webster, TX 77598. They have an online presence that is user friendly and searchable by author, title, format and ISBN number.
Borders: 19419 Gulf Fwy. Webster, TX 77598. They also have an online presence that is user friendly and searchable by author, title, format and ISBN number.
Exercise Two
I searched for “At Bertram’s Hotel” by Agatha Christie. It is available online from Borders for $6.99 paperback and $12.00 hardcover. From Barnes & Noble for $9.60 or $6.99 paperback. If I want to use Half Price Books I could call them or go to the store and search for myself.
Exercise Three
I chose to download “The Woman in White” by Willkie Collins. It is an adobe file digitized by Google. I had to continually scroll down to read the book and found it similar to reading from a microfilm. It might be easier on laptop where I could adjust my posture a little more than sitting at the desk in front of the monitor. I still prefer to use traditional print material, it is easier to move around and relax while reading.
The electronic books are good because of the access allowed by everyone with internet access. The traditional print is easier to carry with you when traveling or waiting in for appointments etc. The down side of the electronic access is that unless you have it downloaded on a handheld machine you can’t take it with you unless you take your pc and then not every place allows you to plug in so the battery will die. The downside of the traditional material is that it might be difficult to carry in a bag or get lost if you get distracted during your appointment or while traveling.
Half Price Books: Clearlake: 961 NASA Parkway. They have an online presence that is user friendly but no title, author searching is available which is important to me.
Barnes & Noble: 1029 W Bay Area Blvd Webster, TX 77598. They have an online presence that is user friendly and searchable by author, title, format and ISBN number.
Borders: 19419 Gulf Fwy. Webster, TX 77598. They also have an online presence that is user friendly and searchable by author, title, format and ISBN number.
Exercise Two
I searched for “At Bertram’s Hotel” by Agatha Christie. It is available online from Borders for $6.99 paperback and $12.00 hardcover. From Barnes & Noble for $9.60 or $6.99 paperback. If I want to use Half Price Books I could call them or go to the store and search for myself.
Exercise Three
I chose to download “The Woman in White” by Willkie Collins. It is an adobe file digitized by Google. I had to continually scroll down to read the book and found it similar to reading from a microfilm. It might be easier on laptop where I could adjust my posture a little more than sitting at the desk in front of the monitor. I still prefer to use traditional print material, it is easier to move around and relax while reading.
The electronic books are good because of the access allowed by everyone with internet access. The traditional print is easier to carry with you when traveling or waiting in for appointments etc. The down side of the electronic access is that unless you have it downloaded on a handheld machine you can’t take it with you unless you take your pc and then not every place allows you to plug in so the battery will die. The downside of the traditional material is that it might be difficult to carry in a bag or get lost if you get distracted during your appointment or while traveling.
Monday, February 9, 2009
#52 - Book Readers and Beyond -What to Read
One of the reasons I became a librarian was my lifelong love of books. I love the way new books smell, I love being able to carry them with me whether I’m on the beach, in the mountains or my back yard. If I have a book I am immediately transported to wherever the character in my book is. On top of all of that is the pleasure I get when I help someone find a new book, series or help them with material for their research paper when they had given up hope of finding anything.
After looking at the eight websites I have to admit that I prefer Novelist Plus and Fiction_L Booklists over the others.
#1 For Read Alikes -Using Novelist and the author Agatha Christie I found John Dickson Carr’s Gideon Fell Stories, Margery Allinghams’ Albert Campion Series, M.C. Beatons’s “Agatha Raisin Series, Carolyn Hart’s Henrie O. Series, and Michael Piearce’s Mamur Zapt Series. In my opinion this one provided the best resources.
When I used Fiction-L I went to Genre listings-Cosy mysteries and found Agatha Christie along with many other authors of the same genre but without links to titles or series. I did not see a way to search by specific author or title you had to go with what they offered. It seemed very limited in what I could do in my searching.
Using “What Should I Read Next” I found that it requires a title before you can search and lists read alike titles without an author listing. The link to Amazon is nice since you can read the reviews before deciding whether or not to look for the title.
#2a Find two books suitable for a fourth grade girl interested in animals:
Using Novelist Plus and Advanced Search I found “Newbery Zoo: A Dozen Stories By Award Winning Authors” with a reading level of ‘older kids’ and “Tough Beginnings How Baby Animals Survive” by Marilyn Singer with a reading level of older kids.
#2b Find two ghost stories for a 14 year old boy: Using Novelist Plus I found “Ghost Hunt” volume 1 by Fuyumi Ono reading level – teen and “Island of Ghosts” by Ellis Dillon for grades 5-8.
3. Find Dean Koonz Read a-likes:
Using Novelist Plus
Greg Bear- ‘Darwin’s Bear’
Dan Simmons – ‘Summer of Night’
John Saul – ‘Manhattan Hunt Club’
Using What Should I Read Next?
Stuart Woods - Heat
Carol Saunders - The Grim Shadow: A Modern-Day Fable
Madeleine Brent- The Long Masquerade
#4. Series For title Alanna - Using NoveList Plus
#1 Alanna: The First Adventure
#2 Hand of the Goddess
#3 Woman Who Rides Like A Man
#4 Lioness Rampant
After looking at the eight websites I have to admit that I prefer Novelist Plus and Fiction_L Booklists over the others.
#1 For Read Alikes -Using Novelist and the author Agatha Christie I found John Dickson Carr’s Gideon Fell Stories, Margery Allinghams’ Albert Campion Series, M.C. Beatons’s “Agatha Raisin Series, Carolyn Hart’s Henrie O. Series, and Michael Piearce’s Mamur Zapt Series. In my opinion this one provided the best resources.
When I used Fiction-L I went to Genre listings-Cosy mysteries and found Agatha Christie along with many other authors of the same genre but without links to titles or series. I did not see a way to search by specific author or title you had to go with what they offered. It seemed very limited in what I could do in my searching.
Using “What Should I Read Next” I found that it requires a title before you can search and lists read alike titles without an author listing. The link to Amazon is nice since you can read the reviews before deciding whether or not to look for the title.
#2a Find two books suitable for a fourth grade girl interested in animals:
Using Novelist Plus and Advanced Search I found “Newbery Zoo: A Dozen Stories By Award Winning Authors” with a reading level of ‘older kids’ and “Tough Beginnings How Baby Animals Survive” by Marilyn Singer with a reading level of older kids.
#2b Find two ghost stories for a 14 year old boy: Using Novelist Plus I found “Ghost Hunt” volume 1 by Fuyumi Ono reading level – teen and “Island of Ghosts” by Ellis Dillon for grades 5-8.
3. Find Dean Koonz Read a-likes:
Using Novelist Plus
Greg Bear- ‘Darwin’s Bear’
Dan Simmons – ‘Summer of Night’
John Saul – ‘Manhattan Hunt Club’
Using What Should I Read Next?
Stuart Woods - Heat
Carol Saunders - The Grim Shadow: A Modern-Day Fable
Madeleine Brent- The Long Masquerade
#4. Series For title Alanna - Using NoveList Plus
#1 Alanna: The First Adventure
#2 Hand of the Goddess
#3 Woman Who Rides Like A Man
#4 Lioness Rampant
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