Best of the Web

 

The best internet sources for news, audio & video, web tools, social interaction, education, shopping, home & family, games and the just plain quirky!

 

Time's 50 best websites of 2013

 

  

Roast Beast

 

Take a look at the library's cookbooks to satisfy the hungriest Grinch!

 

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Check out some festive materials this season!

 

Music    

 

Movies

 

 

NY Times Best Books of 2013

 

The editors of the NY Times Book Review have just released their top 10 books of 2013!

 

Click here for the article.

  

Click on the titles below to check the county catalog for availability. (books can be requested from other Allegheny County libraries and delivered to your local library  - FOR FREE!)

 

 

FICTION

 

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 

The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner

 

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Life after Life by Kate Atkinson

 

 Tenth of December by George Saunders

 

 

NON-FICTION

 

After the Music Stopped by Alan S. Blinder

 

Days of Fire by Peter Baker

 

Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink

 

The Sleepwalkers by Christopher Clark

 

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

 

Local Author

 

Join local author C D Humphreys for a book talk at the Bethel Park Public Library to discuss his new novel arti: Fear is the Root of All Evil. 

Humphreys lives by the immortal words of Ralph Waldo Emmerson: "Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail."
 

His fantasy adventure discusses the power of education, yet the lack of wisdom in conformity.

Read a synopsis of the book at cdhumphreysbooks.com.

 

Saturday, December 21st at 11am

Bethel Park Public Library

 

 

 

Please register at the front desk or call the Library at 412.835.2207.

 



U.S. History facts a few clicks away!

Use the U.S. History in Context library database to find all kinds of interesting and reliable historical information!

Including a photo of Underdog in the

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Access this database, plus many more, at the

Library's Database Search page.

Library Fundraiser

Literary Themed T-Shirts

Do you have a book lover in your life? Someone who enjoys clever sayings? Why not celebrate that person by buying them a Literary Themed T-Shirt?
Each of the three t-shirt designs come in a black or white t-shirt with bright green graphic and are available in S, M, L, XL.

 

 

Thank you for supporting the Library’s fundraising effort.

Fuzzy Searches?

 

Your library catalog has a number of advanced ways to search!
 

Try looking at the advanced searching and 
search operators help pages for some tips.
 

 



Thanksgiving

 

Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

 

Thanksgiving Cooking

 

Thanksgiving Fiction

 

Thanksgiving History

 

 



Reading Journal

Reading logs (or book journals) are a great way to assess what you have just read.  This article discusses how to keep a reading journal and dive deeper into your novel!

 

 

Horror Fiction

Horror Fiction Review offers reviews of horror fiction, occasional movie reviews and author interviews for the horror genre. 

 

Created by fans for fans, this website has been writing reviews since 2003. 

Ghosts & Hauntings

 

Check out a ghost story for a good scare!

If you dare!

 

 

 

Get in the Spirit

 

Take a look at some of our items for Halloween:

Crafts, recipes, music and more!

 



Banned Books Week

 

Banned Books Week is September 22nd-28th.

Check out these lists of books challenged, restricted, removed, or banned as reported in the Newsletter of Intellectual Freedom.
 

Celebrate your right to read!

 



Must Reads

 

Take a look at NPR's "You Must Read This" special series that presents conversations with writers about the books they love to read and recommend.

 

Villains

 

Who is your favorite villain?

Take a look at the lists below to find yours!

 

50 Greatest Villains in Literature

 

10 Greatest Villains

 

10 Vilest Villains

 



Fall Preview

 

Check out this fall preview by Publishers Weekly, showcasing the "Big Books" for Fall 2013.

Find Your Match

 

Booklamp.org will help you fall in love with a book!

Browse by "story DNA" or start with a book you know and like, this website will match you up with a read you are sure to enjoy!

 

 

New Library Database!

Selected by Forbes magazine as "Best of Web" for nine consecutive years, GymAmerica is a custom diet planner and fitness tracker.  This revolutionary online personal trainer/nutrition system creates exercise and diet plans based on your individual needs, goals, and schedules.

 · Goal Setting

· Personalized workouts

· Personalized diet plans

· Social Component (Optional)

· Go mobile

This is a FREE database!

Questions?  Please ask us!

New Catalog

 

First time using the Library's new catalog?

Maybe you just want to pick up some tips?

 

Try this slideshow tutorial!

 

 

 

If you have any questions locating an item, please give the Library a call at 412.835.2207.




Books & Reading Databases

 

Do you have a library card?

 

If you answered yes, you have access to the library's books and reading databases which includes:

 

NoveList: book reviews, discussion guides, author read-alikes and much more

 

Overdrive: thousands of downloadable ebooks, audiobooks and videos

 

 

Click here to access the database page.  Please give the library a call at 412.835.2207 if you have any questions.

Generators

 

Writer's block?
 

Try a generator!

Click here for plot, title, character and name generators!

 

What a Character!

 

Who is your favorite literary charater?

 

Check out these lists below to see if yours is mentioned!

 

100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900

Favorite Literary Characters

40 Coolest Characters in Literature
 

 



Attention Aspiring Novelists:

Need a few tips?
 

Check out this slideshow offering writing advice from famous authors!

 



Read, Learn, Think

Literature.org has the full and unabridged texts of classic works of English literature. 
Authors include Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin and Rene Descartes.



Do I Have a Rare Book?

Think that old book you have might be worth something?

 

Take a look at these sites below for some helpful information and don't forget to ask your librarian if you have any questions!

Your Old Books from the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries

 

AddAll Book Search and Comparison

 

AbeBooks - Finding the Value of Old Books

 

 

 

One Sentence Book Reviews

Short on time and need a book?

Like a word challenge and want to condense your thoughts on a novel in one sentence?

Then check out One Sentence Book Reviews!

 

 



The American Novel Timeline

Browse through history with the Literature Timeline from PBS.

Use the drop down arrows to jump directly to authors, titles, or literary movements.

 

 



Pulitzer Prizes!

The Pulitzer Prize is awarded for accomplishments in newspaper and online journalism, literature, and musical composition.

 

Click here to check out past winners and finalists by category!

 



Fan Fiction

Fan fiction are stories written by fans of popular works using the characters and settings from said popular works. 

Fanfiction.net is the largest collection of this genre.  Share their passion and enjoy their homage to their favorite stories!

Google Search

Try browsing popular books by going to google.com and searching for your favorite genre.

 

Ex.  mystery books

 

 

Ex.  romance books

 

 

Google will generate a list of books popular on the web!

 



One Book, One Community

 

The 2013 One Book, One Community selection is:

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.

 

 

 

Ask your librarian for more information on the book and on

 One Book, One Community!

LitLovers

Love Literature?

 

Litlovers.com offers book club ideas, book reviews, reading guides and 10 FREE lit courses!

 



Adult Summer Reading Club

Read books and win prizes!

Register and submit entries online or at the Library.
 

Begins June 10th and runs to August 4th

Grand Prize -

Aussie Walk-A-Bout Portable Charcoal Grill

Great for vacations, tail-gaiting, and camping!

All entries received before Aug. 5th are eligible for the Grand Prize. 

Sign up at the Library or online here!

Questions? Ask us! 412.835.2207



Summer Books

View this slideshow for some summer reads!

 

 



Romance

Check out the

Romance Writers of America

for romance authors, award-winners, events, and more!

 

 



Author Quiz

 

Test your knowledge of literature and take a quiz!

 

 

 



Change a Life!

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Worldreader: books for all

 



Local Author

AUTHOR STEPHANIE KEYES

Saturday, May 11^th at 11 a.m.

Interested in writing a book, whether it be fiction, a memoir, or some other genre? Join Stephanie Keyes, local author of The Star Child and The Fallen Stars from Inkspell Publishing, as she walks through the process from Concept through Implementation. She'll provide you with the tips you need how to get started and include her personal take on outlining, character development, plot, and more! An open Q&A session will follow.

 

Famous Peoples Favorite Books

 

Check out this list by ShortList.com

 

40 FAVOURITE BOOKS OF FAMOUS PEOPLE

 

 



Author Interviews

Booknotes.org has 800 non-fiction author interviews collected over 16 years from C-SPAN. 

The collection is searchable or browsable by category. 

Categories include biographies, campaigns & political culture, government, history, military history & war, public policy, and science, health & technology.



"Extra! Extra! Read all about it!"

These online newspaper directories link you to news all over the world!

 Refdesk - Newspapers

Internet Public Library - Newspapers & Magazines

42,000 Free Ebooks

Project Gutenberg is the first and and largest single collection of free e-books!

This includes epub and kindle books that can be downloaded or read online.

 

Book categories include Animal, Crime, Fine Arts, Health, History, Literature, Music, Psychology, Science, Technology and more!

 

Click here for the "TOP 100".

 

 

FREE CREATIVE WRITING CLASSES!

It's not too late to sign-up!

8 two-hour sessions on Saturdays from 10am to 12pm starting March 16th and ending May 4th.
 

 Learn and discuss the basics of creative fiction writing in a casual and fun environment. A quick writing prompt and brief 45 minute or so lecture will then be followed by a group discussion of various aspects of writing craft such as structure, setting, point of view, characterization etc. Examples of great pieces of fiction will be provided. Workshopping your own creative fiction a possibility if there are enough returning participants on a weekly basis.  Regular attendance not required but encouraged. 

Created by current graduate student and published author Kenny Tomasits. 

Please register!

Articles Club

 

No time to read a whole book but still want to engage in meaningful conversation around reading?
Come to the Articles Club!

We read 2-3 articles a month from various publications and come together to discuss them.  We will meet on Thursday, March 28th and April 25th from 7-8 PM. Stop into the library for copies of the articles each month or check the Bethel Park Public library Book Club blog for article links:

http://bethelparklibrarybookclubs.blogspot.com/

Please register at the library or give us a call at 412.835.2207.



EBSCO eBooks

Try the EBSCO eBooks database!

 

Find fiction and non-fiction to download to your computer for FREE!

 

1. Go to the Bethel Park Library website: www.bethelparklibrary.org

2. Scroll over E-Resources at the top of webpage

3. Click Database Search

4. Click on the Books & Reading category

 

5. Click on EBSCO eBooks (enter your Allegheny County Library Card #)

 

 

 

EBSCO eBooks are compatible with for the following eBook Readers:

• Apple (iOS) Devices such as iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
• Sony eReader Touch Edition
• Barnes & Noble Nook
• All eBook Readers supporting the Adobe eBook DRM

EBSCO eBooks are compatible with the following mobile apps:

• Bluefire Reader apps for iOS and Android devices
• Aldiko app for Android devices
• Txtr app for iPhone and Android devices
• All apps supporting the Adobe eBook DRM

Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month!

 

Womenshistorymonth.gov

 

Women in History

Women in U.S. History

 

 

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Oprah 2.0

Check out Oprah's Book Club 2.0!
 

Discuss the book online with others, get reading guides, and more.
 

 

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