The New York Times Book Review "Widget"

Starting today, The Senior Surfer will feature The New York Times Book Review "widget". You can find this over on the left sidebar just under Google Book Search.

Simply click on the headlines and you'll be brought directly to the Web site of The New York Times where you can read the book reviews in full.

Think of it as your "little window" into the New York Times Book Review, right here at The Senior Surfer!

5 Social Networking Sites Especially For Book Lovers

Think social networking sites are the exclusive domain of pimply-faced teenagers? Think again. As proof, consider all the social networking sites that are popping up for book lovers. After all, do teenagers read books?

If you're passionate about books and looking to meet like-minded people online, check out these sites:

• LibraryThing

• Shelfari

• GuruLib

• aNobii

• Revish

Finding people with similar literary interests just got a little easier!

A Treasure For Non-Fiction Book Lovers

If you're a fan of non-fiction literature, there's a site on the Web you simply don't want to miss-especially if you'd like to learn more about the authors who pen these fascinating works. It's called Booknotes.org and is really one big archive of about 800 interviews with notable 20th century non-fiction authors that originally aired on Booknotes (a television program of the C-SPAN network), that ran from 1989 to 2004.

The site's highlights include:

• complete written transcripts of every one of the 800 programs

• streaming video of hundreds of the original 800 shows

• the ability to search the archive by keywords

Though not an online book club in the strict sense of the category the site nonetheless is a valuable resource for book club members and book lovers everywhere.

Experience TODAY'S Book Club Online

Did you know that the highly acclaimed TODAY Show Book Club maintains a presence on the Web too? TODAY's Book Club, the online companion to the popular segment of The TODAY Show includes extras you won't find on television, to boot.

Here's what the site offers:

• Author interviews, including many from previous shows
• Excerpts from featured books
• Interactive content like online quizzes
• The latest book news

Highlighting an eclectic mix of both fiction and non-fiction titles, TODAY's Book Club might be just the tool you need to help you find that new and exciting read!

Find New Books To Read With The Help Of E-mail Book Clubs

Do you ever have trouble deciding what to read? With so many choices and so little time it can be hard. Maybe a site like DearReader.com can help. They offer the opportunity to sample the opening chapters of several different books conveniently by e-mail!

It works like this: You sign up for one of their e-mail book clubs and every day for a week a 5 minute excerpt from the book club selection will be delivered directly to your e-mail inbox. If you like the book, go down to your local library, check it out and finish reading it at home.

Here are just some of the e-mail book clubs you can sign up for at DearReader.com:

• Nonfiction
• Fiction
• Business
• Classics

With e-mail books clubs like the ones offered by DearReader.com you don't have to invest a lot of time and trouble to discover interesting books to read!

Discover Borders Book Club Resources

Are you passionate about books? You'll be equally passionate about Borders Book Club Resources.

Here are some of the highlights from the site:

• You can watch The Borders Book Club Show, featuring interviews with bestselling authors and round table discussions about their books.
• See what made the list of current and past Borders Book Club Selections.
• Get helpful advice on how to start your own book club.

If you're a big fan of books, this is one site you'll be visiting often!

Oprah's Book Club Is Online Too

Unless you've been living under a rock and especially if you love books, you're no doubt aware of Oprah Winfrey's popular book club. But, if you're relatively new to the Web what you might not realize is that The Oprah Winfrey Book Club maintains an active online presence as well.

Here are just a few of the features you'll enjoy online:

• A searchable archive of all the book club selections dating back to 1996
• Message boards where you can interact with other readers
• Read an excerpt from the current book club selection

And much more! You should know that to post a message on the message board feature of Oprah's Book Club Online you'll have to register first as a member of Oprah.com, but registration is quick and best of all free!

SeniorNet.org: Computer Help And A Whole Lot More

If you're relatively new to the web and not already familiar with SeniorNet.org, do yourself a big favor and visit the site as soon as you can. It's a "senior friendly" resource for learning about computer and Internet related information-and that's not all!

Some of the other features you'll find there that are worth noting include:

• Online Book Clubs
• Chat & Discussion Forums on a variety of topics
• Online Courses covering many diverse subjects-not just technology
• SeniorNet articles & guides on important health related issues

And much more! A true community on the web for the 50+ crowd SeniorNet.org is likely to be one of your favorite stops on the information superhighway!

How To Meet Bestselling Authors Online

How many times have you read a wonderful book and wondered what it would be like to discuss it with its author? In the past that meant going to a book signing, but if there wasn't one near you, well, you were out of luck. Now, thanks to the power of the web you have another option!

Barnes & Noble.com has recently introduced Barnes & Noble Book Clubs, which include message boards where, you'll not only be able to discuss bestselling books with other readers, but, in many cases with the actual authors themselves!

To join the book clubs just follow these easy steps:

1. Go to Barnes & Noble Book Clubs.
2. Click on register at the top of the page.
3. Follow the instructions on the registration page - include a username, password and valid e-mail address. Read the terms of use and accept them by checking the appropriate box. Then click Register Now.
4. You'll receive a confirmation e-mail with simple instructions for you to follow to complete the registration process.

That's all there is to it. Now go mingle with those bestselling authors!