Sharing My Bookmarks

We've reached the time of year when I pretty much just hole up in my house with whichever book(s) I'm reading or writing and wait for fall to come. That means I'm doing my book exploring mostly online. I've been in a fantasy mood lately, and fantasy novels tend not to get a lot of publicity outside genre publications (unless they're huge bestsellers about boy wizards or teen vampires). Fortunately, the Internet more than makes up for that, with a lot of good review sites and blogs to alert me to fantasy novels I might enjoy. I thought I'd share some of my bookmarks.

Fantasy Literature has an extensive database of authors, with their books organized by series, information about the books and reviews (although there is a certain author I might mention who seems to have been missed, hmmm ...). They also maintain a blog (that lets you know when a new review has been posted (you can get the same news in their Twitter feed).

The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent isn't strictly a book blog. This publishing insider does do extensive reviews, but what I like is his regular Monday "Reviewing the Mail" feature, where he lists and tells a little about all the books he received for review that week. It's a great way to stay on top of what's coming up in fantasy, science fiction and graphic novels, without having to worry about spoilers.

Pat's Fantasy Hotlist includes reviews, genre news and excerpts. It's a good place to get a good sneak peak or teaser of an upcoming book. There are also regular book giveaways.

NextRead takes a more British slant to the genre, though US releases are also covered. There are reviews and the occasional interview.

Fantasy/SciFi Lovin' News & Reviews is another site for fantasy reviews, author interviews and genre news, with some giveaways, and it also covers genre artists.

Fantasy Book Critic offers very in-depth reviews and author interviews, taking a slightly more literary approach to the genre with some probing analysis.

A Dribble of Ink is another place to get an idea of what books are on the horizon because the blog shares cover art for books as soon as it's made public. Then there are the usual reviews, interviews and book giveaways.

Getting a little more focused on a subgenre, Urban Fantasy Land has news, guest blogs, discussion and reviews for urban fantasy books.

Thanks to these sites, my little "Books to Look For" notebook is filling up. I should have enough reading material to last me until it's cool enough to leave the house without melting.