Starting+Points

This is the place to be when you are deciding on an author. Remember, you want to choose an author that will keep you interested for the next two months!

The best place to start is to talk to teachers, librarians, and other esteemed loved ones. You might also want to think about which authors you loved reading in previous English classes and why. You should also check out this page, an electronic version of the Author Idea handout that the librarians created. Then, browse through some actual works by authors that seem appealing.
 * "I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO BEGIN."**

Once you have a few names of potential authors, check out the sites below to see what they have to offer you as a reader. These sites will help you get a sense of the author and his or her works.

Novelist Use this database to search for Authors, Books, Themes, Genres, and anything and everything lit-related. Use the MICDS library name and password to enter.

Amazon.com Search for your author and take a look at the brief book reviews Amazon offers to get a sense of your author's style and content.

MICDS Library Catalog Browse thousands of potential authors right at your very own library.

Goodreads "Goodreads is the largest social network for readers in the world. We have more than 4,300,000 members who have added more than 120,000,000 books to their shelves. A place for casual readers and bona-fide bookworms alike, Goodreads members recommend books, compare what they are reading, keep track of what they've read and would like to read, form book clubs and much more. Goodreads was launched in December 2006."

Shelfari "Based in Seattle, Shelfari introduces readers to our global community of book lovers and encourages them to share their literary inclinations and passions with peers, friends, and total strangers (for now). Shelfari is a gathering place for authors, aspiring authors, publishers, and readers, and has many tools and features to help these groups connect with each other in a fun and engaging way. Our mission is to enhance the experience of reading by connecting readers in meaningful conversations about the published word."


 * "I THINK I HAVE AN AUTHOR. OR TWO. OR THREE. I CAN'T MAKE UP MY MIND!"**

Literature Resource Center Once you've decided on a few author possibilities, search for your choices in this database. If you only get a handful of results, or if you do not see any results under the Literature Criticism or Topic Overview tab, you might want to go with another author.

JStor A powerhouse of scholarly material. Try doing an advanced search for your author's name within "title" for narrowed results.

Granger's World of Poetry If you choose a poet, this is a great place to go to see if there is literary criticism available on your poet.

Author No-Gos:
Even though these authors are a lot of fun to read, they have been deemed "No-Gos" due to the lack of literary criticism available on their works. Believe me, it will be easier for you to choose a Jane Austen to research rather than a Jodi Picoult.

Dan Brown Tom Clancy Suzanne Collins John Grisham Dean Koontz Steig Larssen Stephenie Meyer James Patterson Jodi Picoult Rick Reilly J.K. Rowling