Great Online Resource: NoveList Plus

Here on the blog, we use the NoveList Plus database to pull annotations for book descriptions, but there is more to NP than that. If you are a reader, a site like NP can really enhance your experience. Need to know what’s next in a series? Or, want some suggestions for readalikes? Or, maybe you’d like to read what the critics had to say about a book you want to read? Well, NoveList Plus is a good resource for all of this and more.

You’ll find discussion guides and other articles on featured books and authors – all for a range of interests and ages; kids, teens, and adults are all covered by NoveList Plus. Fiction and narrative nonfiction are also both included, so whatever topic you’re interested in, you’ll be able to find a book that will entertain and/or inform. Plus, since they have that great collection of plot synopses, you’re able to search for the book you can’t completely remember the title or author of.

So, give NoveList Plus a try next time you have a question about a good book. It’s almost like talking to your Librarian!

Take Ten: A “Gem” of a Read

Gems are plentiful here in the Gem State, but what about in the land of literature? Of course, some of the better-known rocks (rubies, anyone?) may be used in titles or even in plotlines, but the majority of these hard working gemstones are somewhat ignored. Until today, that is! The following are all books with the name of a more obscure gem in their titles. Give one a chance to prove it’s a “diamond” in the rough…

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The Amber Room by Steve Berry

• When her father dies under suspicious circumstances, Rachel Cutler finds everything she loves threatened by the rival quests of two art collectors who seek one of the world’s greatest treasures, lost after the Second World War.

Citrine by Kathryn Quick

• Ali Archer is the last one standing. One by one she has watched her siblings fall in love after getting one of their grandmother’s rings from their mother. She is determined not to let the last ring get her (Summary from the TFPL catalog.)

The Finding of Jasper Holt by Grace Livingston Hill

•  Is Jasper Holt the nice young man Jean Grayson met on the train on the way to Hawk Valley, or is he the rough, irresponsible cowboy Jean’s brother-in-law claims him to be?

Garnet by Carolyn Brown

• Garnet Dulan, a saloon piano player, is wrongly accused for a bank robbery and murder, and finds herself attracted to the sheriff who arrested her. (This is the fourth in Brown’s Promised Land series.)

Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle

• A rune’s mysterious power puts prospector Lyra Dore and cutthroat businessman Cruz Sweetwater in danger, and only by trusting their psychic instincts will Cruz and Lyra survive–and surrender to the desire that binds them. (This book is the seventh in the Planet Harmony series.)

On Agate Hill by Lee Smith

• Discovered in the ruins of a North Carolina plantation, an old box of mementos brings to life the world of young Molly Petree, an orphan growing up in the smoldering remains of the post-Civil War American South.

Orc’s Opal by Piers Anthony

• In the kingdom of Rud, Charles, Merlain, and their brother, Dragon Horace, are in the center of a plot against Kelvin as they seek to steal the treasure of the Orc Kingdom. (This is the fourth book of the Dragon’s Gold series.)

Red Jade by Henry Chang

• NYPD Detective Jack Yu’s investigation of a possible murder-suicide at a historical Tong battleground leads him to Seattle’s Chinatown, where he tracks a Chinese-American gangster and a mysterious Hong Kong femme fatale. (This is the third entry in the Detective Jack Yu mysteries.)

Topaz by Leon Uris

• A Russian defector tries to get the French to believe that a Soviet espionage network called Topaz has infiltrated their government.

Tourmaline by Joanna Scott

• A family heads for an island off the coast of Italy hoping to make a fortune in jewels, but instead is embroiled in a mystery surrounding the disappearance of a local girl.

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Annotations are courtesy of NoveList Plus. Log in to NoveList Plus, for more book recommendations, using your TFPL card.

Freegal Music Playlists – “Dream”y Songs

If you’re dreaming of spring, here’s a way to help you pass the time until it arrives (which is March 20 this year). The following songs all incorporate the word “dream” in their titles. From little dreams to sweet dreams, they are all sure to inspire you in some way to let your imagination run free – that is until the alarm wakes you up!

Remember, all of the music – now 5 downloads each week – is free with your TFPL card. Just start from our homepage and then click on “Get E-Audio” to pull up the link for Freegal.

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All I Have To Do Is Dream by The Everly Brothers (Album: Greatest Hits – Original Recordings)

Dream A Little Dream by Pink Martini (Album: Dream a Little Dream)

Dream On by Aerosmith (Album: Aerosmith)

Dreamin’ Blues by John Lee Hooker (Album: Burnin’ + Plays and Sings the Blues)

Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car by Billy Ocean (Album: Greatest Hits)

Just a Dream by Carrie Underwood (Album: Carnival Ride)

A Kiss To Build A Dream On by Tony Bennett and k.d. lang (Album: A Wonderful World)

The River Of Dreams by Billy Joel (Album: The Essential Billy Joel)

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) by Eurythmics (Album: Ultimate Collection)

Teenage Dream by Katy Perry (Album: Ultra Dance 12)