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MKE READS


Read @ MPL: A reading blog from Milwaukee Public Library. Enter Blog and Start Reading!

Book Awards

Book Club Resources

Booklists and Reviews

Genre Fiction

Downloadable Audio &
Electronic Books

Urban Fiction Authors
& Publishers

READ @ MPL is a reading blog developed by staff from the Milwaukee Public Library. Read reviews of a wide variety of books and submit your own thoughts and recommendations by clicking on the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.

Book Awards

RR Donnelley Literary Award Winners
The Literary Awards Committee of the Readers’ Section has chosen The Ghost Mountain Boys: their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea—the Forgotten War of the South Pacific by James Campbell as the winner of the RR Donnelley Literary Award, given for the highest literary achievement by a Wisconsin author in 2007. 

Two authors were chosen for their body of work as Notable Wisconsin Authors.  Larry Watson is the author of multiple fiction titles, including White Crosses, Montana 1948, and Orchard.  Also honored is Edward Heth, whose best known works include My Life on Earth and Wisconsin Country Cookbook and Journal.

2008 Outstanding Achievement awards for 2007 titles include the following ten titles by Wisconsin authors.  They are: Cream City Chronicles: Stories of Milwaukee's Past by John Gurda, Night of Flames by Douglas Jacobson, The Alice Stories by Jesse Lee Kercheval, Ivy Briefs: True Tales of a Neurotic Law Student by Martha Kimes, The Night Birds by Thomas Maltman, Breathing Space: How Allergies Shape our Lives and Landscapes by Gregg Mitman, Refresh, Refresh: Stories by Benjamin Percy, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill, Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland and Sundown, Yellow Moon by Larry Watson.

Book Awards Online
Frequently-updated, all-encompassing website for book award winners from all across the globe.  Assembled from a vast array of both internet and print sources.

Powell’s Books
An elegant listing of major book award winners as maintained by Portland, Oregon’s world-renowned bookstore Powell’s.

Book Club Resources

Adult Book Club Kits
Adult Book Club Kits are available for checkout through the library's online catalog. Each kit contains paperback copies of the chosen title, a discussion guide, author information, suggestions for discussion questions, and ideas for starting a book club.

Book Clubs for Adults
View schedules of neighborhood library locations offering book clubs for adults.

Dear Reader.com
Join this on-line book club to receive chapters from popular books in your daily e-mail.

Children's Book Club Kits
Children's Book Club Kits are for home, classroom, or library book discussion groups. They may be reserved for pick up at any public library in Milwaukee County. Each kit contains paperback copies of the chosen title, a discussion guide, author information and discussion questions. Some kits include a DVD movie version of the book.

Reading Group Choices
Reading Group Choices provides tips for the new book group leader as well as hundreds of selections for book group discussions.

Reading Group Guides
ReadingGroupGuides.com provides comprehensive guides for hundreds of books including bestsellers, romance, spirtuality, civil war, or literary fiction.

Booklists and Reviews

BookBrowse
A collection of fiction reading lists created to help readers find books and authors.

BookSpot
Reviews of current popular books by the American Library Association, New York Times, Washington Post, etc. together with suggestions on what to read next.

Literary Reference CenterMPL
The Literary Reference Center is a comprehensive database which provides users with a broad spectrum of information on literature from antiquity to the present day. LRC contains detailed information on the most studied authors and their works. In addition, it includes reference books such as the Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature, hundreds of literary journals, author interviews, a timeline of literature, a literary glossary, and guide to various citation formats, such as MLA, APA and Chicago. This EBSCO database can be searched by author or title, and some works, such as The Canterbury Tales, Hamlet and approximately 1,000 others are conveniently contained in full here as e-books. Provided as part of Wisconsin's BadgerLink program.
Library subscription. Available for use within City of Milwaukee libraries and by remote access to City of Milwaukee library cardholders.

NoveList
An entire suite of readers' advisory products, NoveList contains not only a core of 150,000 fiction titles, but 4,000 articles and lists, book talks, and book discussion guides (great for book groups!). Many genres, from graphic novels to Christian fiction are included here. An EBSCO product, NoveList also offers avid booklovers author read-alikes, readers' advisory training content and a variety of other reader and staff materials. With books for all ages, lists of award winning titles, a guide to books in series, attractive cover images, and a colorful design, NoveList has something to appeal to every reader! Provided as part of Wisconsin's BadgerLink program.
Library subscription. Available for use within City of Milwaukee libraries and by remote access to City of Milwaukee library cardholders.

Overbooked.org
Provides timely information about all fiction genres and readable nonfiction in the form of lists of titles that received starred reviews from major review sources, hot new titles (based on reviews), themed booklists and more.

ReviewsOfBooks.com
Recent book reviews by professional writers and critics. It includes both popular and literary titles (fiction and nonfiction) and first chapters or excerpts from the books.

Genre Fiction

Graphic Novels and Comics
No Flying, No Tights
Graphic novel and comic reviews including superheroes, fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, crime, suspense, and just plain realism.

Historical Fiction
Historical Fiction Network
Offers a database of historical fiction authors, resources for writers, selected archives from the newsgroup, and more.

Horror
Necropsy
A quarterly, online journal, The Necropsy reviews novels, films, anthologies and plays in the horror genre.

Mystery
The Mystery Reader
Meet new authors, learn about small presses that are publishing mysteries, and read book reviews of forthcoming mystery novels.

Romance
The Romance Reader
Hundreds of reviews of current romantic fiction, divided into categories: historical, contemporary, time travel, fantasy and others. Enter contests and meet new romance authors in the New Faces column.

Science Fiction
Locus Online
The venerable, award-winning journal of science fiction and fantasy has interviews, reviews and recommended reading lists.

Street Fiction
Street Fiction
This site is dedicated to reviewing street fiction, also known as urban fiction, street lit, or gangsta fiction. Search by author, publisher, setting or theme.

Downloadable Audio & Electronic Books

Downloadable Audio Books
Downloadable audio books are digital books made available through OverDrive. These talking books are available via a computer to those with home computers, MP3 players and laptops.

netLibrary
This permanent collection of over 8,000 netLibrary titles is available on-line to City of Milwaukee residents with their Milwaukee Public Library card, or by accessing the netLibrary site from a computer within any Milwaukee Public Library. The Milwaukee County Federated Library System pays for this subscription.

Urban Fiction Authors & Publishers

Hot Pick: "Eat the Damn Cake Emma May" by Teresa Rae Butler - When Ana May Charles, a 45 year old African American woman, loses her job and her apartment, she is forced to move into a  homeless shelter with her ex-boyfriend. Can a chance opportunity in an eco-friendly camp be the change she needs?

Search by Author:
T. N. Baker
Treasure E. Blue
Tracy Brown
Teresa Rae Butler
Quentin Carter
Chunichi
Wahida Clark
Keisha Ervin
Nina Foxx
Roy Glenn
Shannon Holmes
La Jill Hunt
Angel M. Hunter
Anna J.
Ashley JaQuarvis


Jihad
Keith Lee Johnson
Deja King
K'wan
Victor L. Martin
Noire
Vickie M. Stringer
T. Styles
Kiki Swinson
Nikki Turner
Omar Tyree
Kashamba Williams
Teri Woods
Zane

Keyword search by publisher:

Triple Crown Publications

Urban Books

Q-Boro Books

 
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