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| Literary Resources |
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Boston Public Library Literary Resources for Readers and Students Reader and Information Services |
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 Adult Book Discussion Groups Booklists General Print Resources General Resources Literary Reference Collection Databases Print Resources for Book Discussion Groups Internet Resources for Book Discussion Groups |
Adult Book Discussion Groups at the Boston Public Library Informal and lively book discussion groups meet every month at the Central Library. Ask for copies of the books at the Circulation Desk and for meeting times at the Johnson Information Desk or check the "News, Events and Exhibits" web link for dates of book discussion groups meeting at Copley and the branches. Books for the Chinese language book group are available at the Johnson Information Desk on the first floor. General Print Resources Reference books include:
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| General
Resources: A Selection |
Anderson, Sarah. Anderson's Travel
Companion: A Guide to the Best Nonfiction and Fiction for Traveling. 1995. Z6004 .T6
A53 1995x (Second Floor Reference Desk)
Arranged by continent and their regions, the book offers maps, as well as titles organized by such subjects as anthropology, art, biography, food, history, natural history and travel literature. Bauermeister, Erica, Jesse Larson, and Holly Smith. 500 Great Books by Women: A Reader's Guide. 1994. HQ1150 .B35 1994x (Second Floor Reference Desk) Brief descriptions of books and their authors. Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia. 1987. PN41 .B4 1987 (Second Floor Reference Desk; circulating copy) Characters, plots, genres, authors, literary terms, synopses, award winners, and movements. Books of the Century: A Hundred Years of Authors, Ideas and Literature: From The New York Times, edited by Charles McGrath and the Staff of the Book review. 1998. Z1003.2 .C46 1998 (Second Floor Reference Desk; circulating copy) Offers famous book reviews from 1897-1997. 50 Years of Notable Books, edited by the Reference and Adult Services Division, American Library Association. 1996. Z1035 .F58 1996x (Second Floor Reference Desk; circulating copy) Arranged by decade, with sub-headings for each year. Includes author and title indexes. Masterpieces of Women's Literature, edited by Frank N. Magill. 1999. PS147 .M37 1996 "Descriptions, analyses, characters, plots, themes, critical evaluations." |
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| Literary
Reference Collection |
Stack Location: Left side of the
Reference Desk on the second floor. Here you can find standard reference tools: Book Review Digest, Reader's Guide to Periodicals (annual subject index of magazine articles). Arranged by subjects: American literature, English literature, World and Ethnic Literatures, Drama, Poetry, the Contemporary Authors series, Popular Genre Literature, and Shakespeare. Reference books such as the Twayne and Chelsea series featuring critical essays and biographical sketches on specific authors can be found here and often have circulating copies, as well. Stack Location: Right side of Reference Desk on the second floor. Within the call number range of PN 6080-6405 are books of quotations, proverbs, speeches, and toasts. The PQ call number range offers brief histories of national literatures, American nature writers, women writers, drama, humorists, and resources on poetry and Shakespeare. |
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| Databases |
There are several literary databases to choose from, see the Literature group of databases from the Electronic Resources page. Two databases from the GaleNet company, Contemporary Literary Criticism and Dictionary of Literary Biography, include personal information regarding the author, highlights of the author's career, writings, works in progress, and a bibliography of primary and secondary works. GaleNet provides a cross-database search by any combination of author, title, birth and death dates, as well as pull-down menus for nationalities and subjects/genres. Novelist: Look for books to read by entering descriptive terms that appear in subject headings, reviews, and other fields in the title records. Use a favorite author or title as a template to locate other authors and titles of interest. Updated monthly. |
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| Print Resources for Book Discussion Groups |
The Book Group Book: A Thoughtful
Guide to Forming and Enjoying a Stimulating Book Discussion Group, edited by Ellen
Slezak. 1995. LC6651 .B66 1995 (Second Floor Reference Desk; circulating copies)
Greenwood, Monique. The Go on Girl! Book Club Guide for Reading Groups. 1999. LC6651 .G74 1999 (Second Floor Reference Desk; circulating copies) The sub-title offers: "Tips for starting and sustaining a literary circle, works worth reading, chats with our favorite authors, questions and topics to get you talking." It is primarily directed towards African-American books and reading issues. Jacobsohn, Rachel W. The Reading Group Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Own Book Club. 1998. LC6619 .J33 1998 (Second Floor Reference Desk; circulating copies) Laskin, David, and Holly Hughes. The Reading Group Book: The Complete Guide to Starting and Sustaining a Reading Group, with Annotated Lists of 250 Titles for Provocative Discussion. 1995. LC6615 .L37 1995 (Second Floor Reference Desk; circulating copies) |
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| Internet Resources for Book Discussion Groups | The Academy of American Poets http://www.poets.org/index.htm The Academy offers brief biographies of poets, a listening booth that features recordings of poets reading from their work, events, online and site exhibits, online poems from contemporary poets, and excellent organizational and literary links. The American Library Association's
Booklist Magazine Reviews include the categories: children, adult, reference, youth, media, editors' choices and the American Library Association's annual awards. A search engine is also available. Book Club How To's From the Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library, this guide provides advice for organizing and maintaining a book club. Books of South Asian Writers Writing
in English Bibliographies include name, dates, and country of origin, country of current residence, and names of translators. Other topics involve general books, literature with a theme on South Asia, children's books with South Asian themes, and voices of South Asian Women. Related links highlight journals, book stores, the Asian Studies Information Network Information Center (great resources for teachers), discussion forums, and information that "focuses on literary works of South Asian Diaspora in the USA." The Children's Literature Web Guide Furnishes resources for storytellers and teachers, booklists and bestsellers, discussion boards, resource lists of publishers, organizations, and awards, as well as reviews and web stories. Literary Prizes
and Awards Links to lists of American and international award winners. The Poems for
Every Occasion link A wonderful resource for life's many events, school work, poetry group discussions, and personal reflection. SAWNET: The South
Asian Women's NETwork SAWNET is a forum for and about women from Bangladesh, Butan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The Bookshelf link provides annotated descriptions of new books and covers many resources including: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, cookbooks, feminist issues, reviews, book clubs, magazines, and book store links. The Kids Books link highlights fiction and nonfiction by age appropriate levels, bookstores and vendors for books and multi-media materials and includes reviews. The 100 Best Lesbian and Gay
Novels (selected by The Publishing Triangle)
To broaden the appreciation of lesbian
and gay literature and to promote discussion between all readers gay
and straight, the Publishing Triangle offers its picks for the 100
best lesbian and gay novels. Compiled by Publishing Triangle,
"The association of lesbians and gay men in publishing".
Compiled and annotated by Serena Enger, General Library, Reader and Information Services, Boston Public Library. Updated August 2005.
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