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Books

Are computers replacing books??  Not according to these sites!  If you love to read, check these web sites for recommendations about what to read next!

Bartleby.com -- features the Harvard Classics (a 70 volume set of many great classic books), the Oxford Shakespeare, Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, children's fables, and many more books you can read for free online.

BookBrowse -- "Your guide to exceptional books."  Provides reviews, excerpts from the books, author bios, reading guides, and more to keep you reading!  Browse the site by genre, title, or author, or search for a specific author or title.

BookSpot -- book reviews, recommended reading lists, links to electronic books, etc.  Book clubs can also find discussion questions and other resources.

Hennepin County (MN) Library's "If You Like..." -- this site helps you find books that are similar to books or authors you know you like.  For instance, if you like Jodi Picoult's novels, IYL lists 24 books that are similar in subject or style.

Kent (Mi.) District Library's What's Next? -- use this site to find titles in a series; for example, you can find out the correct order of Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who..." series.

Locus Index to Science Fiction -- one of the best places to start when you want to know about books in the science fiction genre: who wrote what, when was a book published, etc.  Indexes are available for science fiction published from 1984 through 2006.

MGPL Webrary's Web Sites for Book Lovers -- a large collection of links to take you to book review sources, book sellers and publishers, genre lists, etc.

Online Books Page -- more than 35,000 fulltext books available for free from this site; one of the best combinations of old and new technologies!  Even includes prize winning books like Newbery Books and winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature or Pulitzer Prize in Letters; a section on books banned through the ages; and a celebration of women writers.

Overbooked: The site for ravenous readers -- with annotated lists of books that received starred reviews, themed lists and more, you won't run out of things to read when you use this site!

POWER LibraryPOWER Library's NoveList -- available to Pottsville Library members, this database offers a variety of ways to find something good to read; try out the "Describe a Plot" option for a new way to find books!  There's also NoveList K-8, with books and resources specifically for children and teenagers.  Or go into netLibrary to read books both new and old on your computer screen.  From the main POWER Library page, just click on the resource you want to use.  Home users should go to the POWER Library entry page, where you will need to type in your Pottsville library card number in order to use these databases.

Project Gutenberg -- 25,000 free books and counting from the first producer of free electronic books (ebooks).
 

Looking for what's hot?  Check out these bestseller lists:

ABA Indie Bestseller Lists -- the top-selling hardcover and paperback books at independent bookstores across the country, divided into national, regional, and specialty bestseller lists.
New York Times Bestseller Lists -- free registration is required to access one of the most widely used bestseller lists; there's also a link to the book review section
Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists -- what are the hottest audio and children's books?  Click on the "Bestsellers" tab at the top of the page, then scroll down to the "Bestsellers by Category" section (right side of page).  Choose from audio, hardcover fiction or nonfiction, etc.  A link at the bottom of each bestsellers list lets you view lists from previous months. 

Crafts

Annie's Attic Stitch Guides -- Videos and illustrations demonstrating different stitches set this site apart.  Select a technique from this page (crochet, cross stitch, knitting, plastic canvas or quilting), then click on "Stitch Guide" to see a list of available stitches.  This site also offers free patterns for a wide variety of crafts.

Art and Craft Shows -- Looking for inspiration, or want to find a craft show where you'll be vacationing? This site has listings for shows around the country, provided by Sunshine Artist magazine.  Search the database for a specific date, or browse through this week's shows by state.

Candle and Soap Making -- This page features a large collection of articles and illustrations, tips and troubleshooting, plus a newsletter archive.  

Counted Cross Stitch, Needlework, and Stitchery Page -- The star of this site is the Needlework FAQs section, complete with stitching tutorials, tips on creating charts, software reviews, stitching techniques, and fabric guides.  There are also links to free patterns and sources for supplies.

Index To How To Do It Information -- Who keeps track of all those projects published by magazines?  This site does!  Whether you want to learn how to make a wood shed for your back yard, how to use acrylic paint for the best effect, or how to make a tatted doily, this index can help you out.  The index provides citations for magazine articles from 1963-1999.  If the magazines aren't available at the Pottsville Library, talk to us about using Interlibrary Loan to get a copy of the article for you.

Knitty: little purls of wisdom -- This site has lots of free patterns contributed by a wide variety of designers, plus knitting-related articles.  Pattern difficulty is indicated by "mellow" (beginners), "tangy" (intermediate level), "piquant" (for seasoned knitters), and "extraspicy" (lots of experience and patience needed).

Scrapbooking -- This site is great for projects to do with the kids.

Scrapbooking.com Magazine -- The Features section contains articles on different techniques like chalk marbling or creating background papers.  The Newsletters are primarily lists of suppliers, but they also have a good Q & A section.  Scrapbooking basics can be found in the Archives.

Woodworker's Central -- Helpful sections on this site include what not to do with your woodworking tools, a large collection of tool reviews, pictures of wood samples, and woodworking plans.  You can also challenge yourself by entering the "Woodworker's Maze" and answering questions.

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Games and Trivia

Collection of Word Oddities and Trivia -- check out this list before your next Scrabble match, and knock out your competition!

Cool Quiz -- "Trivia, quizzes, puzzles, humor!"  Need we say more?

Food Reference Website -- puzzles, "Today's Events in Food History", food festival listings, quotes, recipes, humor, ... plenty of ways to have fun with food!

Geography Fun, Games and Humor -- a collection of links from About.com, where you can read geography jokes, test your knowledge with quizzes, and have fun with other games

How Stuff Works -- while this site focuses on how engines and computers work (check out the section on protecting your WiFi from other people), it also looks at other things like "How St. Patrick's Day Works", "How to Start a Community Garden" or "How Basketball Works." Look under "Toys" to learn how a yo-yo works or how See-and-Say can speak without batteries.

JigZone -- like to do jigsaw puzzles?  This site provides free puzzles to do online:  choose a picture and how many pieces you want to work with (from 6 to 247!).  Warning: this site might be addicting!

Oxymorons -- Has the phrase "jumbo shrimp" always bothered you?  Check out this site for hundreds of examples of contradictory statements.  Browse by subject, view newly-added oxymorons, or just look through the entire list.

Puzz.com -- a long list of links to various kinds of "IQ tests, puzzles, trivia, games & contests for entertainment & education"

Scribbler -- When you're feeling really bored, try playing with this site.  Start by drawing something using your mouse, then start the Scribbler and see what it adds to your drawing.  View the gallery (link is at the bottom of the page) to see what others have drawn.

Urban Legends Reference Pages -- A virus warning window pops up on your computer:  is it for real, or is it a hoax?  This site can clarify the issue, along with thousands of other questionable stories that have circulated by word of mouth or by email over the years.  Is it true?  Check here first!

Movies

Cranky Critic -- movie reviews (the reviewer states how much they'd be willing to pay for a movie ticket: the higher the price, the better the movie), interviews, rumors, and more.

Internet Movie Database -- information about movies currently in the theaters and at your local video store, as well as facts about the stars; even helps you find out what movies are playing where and at what times!
Rotten Tomatoes -- movie reviews and previews (movies are rated by tomatoes:  a red tomato means a movie is "fresh", a green splot means it's rotten); reviews are written by movie experts.
Yahoo! Movies -- showtimes, movie trailers, even short films are available at this site; also lists top box office hits.
 

Other Fun Stuff

Poetry

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  Updated and checked May 7, 2009.

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