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This list is a work-in-progress. As I discover book-related podcasts and websites, I add to the list. If you have candidates, please drop me a line at Davka99 at gmail dot com.
Book festivals
Some interesting book festivals on the Web:
- Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival 2008, 2009 2010
- Edinburgh International Book Festival 2007 2008 2009
- National Book Festival 2009 website
- Jewish Book Week website
Book reviews & author interviews
BookTV – website-
This is a great source of news about nonfiction books and author interviews.
NPR: Books -Website-
This podcast is a grab bag. It includes interviews with authors, reviews and reading recommendations from celebrities, librarians and a very literate London taxicab driver named Will Grozier.
KCRW: Bookworm -Website- -iTunes-
Every week Michael Silverblatt conducts a searching and often illuminating conversation with an author of a new book. Recent guests have included Oliver Sacks, Russell Banks, and Ann Patchett.
Book Lust with Nancy Pearl -Website- -iTunes-
Librarian Nancy Pearl just loves books, and it shines through in her radio interview show Book Lust. Her guests include authors as well as enthusiastic readers who share their love of books with the host and her listeners.
C-SPAN Book TV -Website-
Here you can watch and listen to author interviews and book news. Here you can find novelist is like Stephen King as well as political figures and academics.
The Washington Post Book World -Website- -iTunes-
Editors of the Washington Post Book World chat about book news during the first five minutes of this podcast (I usually fast-forward through this part), and then conduct extended interviews with authors of recent books.
The New York Times Book Review -Website- -iTunes-
Each week Sam Tanenhaus, editor of the New York Times Book Review, highlights some of the books reviewed in that week’s paper. Sometimes he’ll chat directly with the author, and sometimes he will speak with the book reviewer.
Free Books
250+ Places for Free Books Online (website)
Gizmo compiled this great list of free online books.
LibriVox: free audiobooks (Website)
Volunteers record public domain books and make them available on the Internet. The quality is uneven, but hey, the price is right.
Project Gutenberg (website)
This is the granddaddy of the web’s public access book sites which has been digitizing public domain books since 1971.
Free Audio Books: Download Great Books for Free (website)
OpenCulture.com has a slew of great directories. This is one of them.
Libraries
The British Library -website-
This national library has an eye-popping addition to its website. Using animation software, you can virtually “turn the pages” on such rare, wonderful manuscripts as the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Sforza book of Hours and The Original Alice, hand printed and illustrated by Lewis Carroll. If you’re a book lover, give yourself an hour or two to explore this amazing resource.
Link Plus -Website-
One of the best tools around for the do-it-yourself scholar is a network of public and university libraries in California and Nevada called Link Plus, which I think of as interlibrary loans on steroids. If you live near one of the public libraries that are part of the Link Plus network (see list here) you can request a book using a computer browser either on your home computer or at the library. Even better, at many of the member public libraries, using the Link Plus system is free of charge.
Social Networks
Goodreads (website)
This is Facebook for book-lovers. You get started by adding books that you have read to your profile. Then you can explore the profiles of other people who like the same books, and get ideas for your next read. To check out what I’m reading, click here.
