Resources for Readers: A PCL Pathfinder

This pathfinder includes print and online resources to help fiction readers of all ages find books they will enjoy. The terms and phrases listed in the subject headings below can be used to search for more materials in the librarys catalog and research databases. If you need further assistance, please ask a librarian.

Get a sneak peek at fiction titles due to be published within the next 6 months

Here's how to use our card catalog to view a list of all materials currently on order at the library. You can place a hold on any materials that are on order.

We have created special spine tags for our fiction books in series to make them easier for you to find. Here are lists of the series we have in our collection.

You use the card catalog to search for series by series name, author, title, or main character.

Use Novelist or Novelist K-8 [below] to find series by plot type, author, title, series, or main character.

Adult Fiction books in series

Teen Fiction books in series

Children's books in series

Are you looking for a few good books to read? Sign up for our e-newsletters and get great book suggestions by email. We'll deliver reading lists right to your inbox along with new gems, bestsellers, and related titles. You'll also be able to check immediately whether the items are available at the Parchment Community Library or whether they've been checked out. To get started, click HERE.

If you love to read, you'll love NoveList! With over 125,000 titles in the database, NoveList goes far beyond basic book reviews and bibliographies. You can search by author, title, character, setting, plot, and reading or grade level. You can look for "read-alikes;" books which are similar to those by your favorite author. You can browse hundreds of booklists on a wide range of topics. NoveList is one of the most powerful tools for readers available -- give it a try!

Click HERE to go to NoveList. If you're not using a library computer, you'll need a Parchment library card number in order to access NoveList from home or work.

Find books that younger readers will love -- search by author, title, character, setting, plot, and reading or grade level. Users can also browse hundreds of theme-oriented book lists for readers at all grade levels through Explore Fiction, and look for award-winning and recommended titles in Best Fiction. Great titles to read aloud can be found in the Browse Lists section. Many title records have direct links to Web sites with information about the author or with teacher resource materials.

Click HERE to go to NoveList K-8. You must have a Parchment Community Library card in order to access this database from home.

What Do I Read Next? is available via the Michigan E-library at www.mel.org.

Click HERE to go to the MeL Databases page.

Once you're on the MeL Databases page, click on the "What Do I Read Next?" link. If you're not using a library computer, you'll need to enter a Michigan drivers license number to access this database.

You may search for books by author, title and genre (mystery, sci fi, etc.). You may also search by character name, time or place, topic, plot type, award winners, and more!

Michigan Authors & Illustrators Database: Click HERE to go to the Michigan Authors & Illustrators (MIAI) web page (http://authors.libraryofmichigan.org/publicsearch.aspx)

Michigan Authors and Illustrators (MIAI) is a database of information on authors and illustrators born in Michigan, who live in Michigan, or who have written books about or set in Michigan. Each entry includes biographical information, lists of works by the person and lists of works about the person.

Michigan Children's & Young Adult Books & Authors: Click HERE to see a list of children's and young adult books set in Michigan or written by Michigan authors.

Michigan Children's Authors & Illustrators (Kidsbooklink): Click HERE to find links to lists of Michigan Children's authors and their bibliographies. (http://www.kidsbooklink.org/auill.html) KidsBookLink.org is the official website of the Michigan chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Library of Michigan Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17449_18641---,00.html

"The Michigan Network of Regional and Subregional Libraries  serving people with visual and physical handicaps offers best-sellers, mysteries, westerns, biographies, how-to books and other types of materials found in a public library. The only difference is that the books are recorded on cassette or printed in braille and will arrive at your door through the regular U.S. postal service. Just like standard print books, these publications are unabridged (not condensed) and contain all of the information found in the print version - right down to the book jacket. And best of all, this service is FREE, there is not even a charge to mail materials to or from the library.

You do not need to be legally blind to use our services - if standard print has become difficult for you, a friend, or a family member, please call

1-800-992-9012

Schools and facilities that have eligible clients or patients are also welcome! We do 99% of our business through the mail, so you need never leave the comfort of your own home. " --from the web site

Book Page (Monthly magazine)
Book Page is a monthly book review distributed nationwide by more than 2,000 bookstores and libraries, including the Parchment Community Library. An online version is also available (see in Web Sites below). Book Page is found in the literature rack near our New Books shelves.

Bookmarks : A Reader's Guide to the Best in Books (Monthly magazine)
Bookmarks is a colorful, smart, decidedly unstuffy guide to the best in new and classic books.

New York Times Bestsellers Lists (Weekly)
The New York Times publishes a weekly bestseller list for fiction and non-fiction titles. We have a copy of these lists at the New Books shelves in the library. An online version is also available (see below).

Genreflecting : a guide to reading interests in genre fiction / Diana Tixier Herald.-- 5th ed.-- Englewood, CO : Libraries Umlimited, 2000.
Shelved at our Reference Desk, Genreflecting lists new publications in genre fiction (mystery, western, romance, sci fi, etc.).
REF 016.8 HER

Teen genreflecting : a guide to reading interests / Diana Tixier Herald.-- 2nd ed.-- Westport, CT : Libraries Unlimited, 2003.
Lists new books of interest to teens, searchable by genre and subject, and is shelved at our Reference Desk.
REF 016.8130 HER

What do I read next : a reader's guide to current genre fiction; fantasy, popular fiction, romance, horror, mystery, science fiction, historical, inspirational, western : 2001 / edited by Neil Barron, et. al.-- 2 vols.-- Detroit, Mich : Gale Group, 2001.
Indexes recent fiction by genre, subject, character, etc., and suggests "read-alike" authors and titles. Shelved at our Reference Desk.
REF 016.8 WHA

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out-of-print and rare books

Advanced Book Exchange
Search the inventory of thousands of independent bookstores. (http://www.abebooks.com/)

Alibris
New, used, and rare books. (http://www.alibris.com/)

Amazon.com
Amazon merged with Bibliofind to provide a large database of used books from bookstores and independent sellers. (www.amazon.com)

Bookfinder
New, used, and rare books. (http://www.bookfinder.com/)

Booksense
Links to independent bookstores nationwide; searchable by zip code. (http://www.booksense.com/)

Powell's Bookstore
From humble storefront beginnings in 1971 on a derelict corner of northwest Portland, Powell's Books has grown into one of the world's great bookstores, with seven locations in the Portland metropolitan area, and one of the book world's most successful dot-coms, serving customers worldwide. (http://www.powells.com/ )

(author name)—Criticism
Bibliography--Best Books
Books and Reading
Fiction--Bibliography
Popular literature
Reading Interests

Biographies
Magazines