Fw: [ncte-talk] search engine for novels

[Vicki Sherouse <sherouse@MARSWEB.COM>]

I thought this might be of interest.

Vicki Sherouse, Librarian
Sentinel High School
Missoula, Montana
sherouse@marsweb.com

----- Original Message -----

> To: <ncte-talk@serv1.ncte.org>
> Sent: Monday, November 27, 2000 2:06 PM
> Subject: [ncte-talk] search engine for novels
>
>
> > FYI--from another list:
> >
> > TODAY'S TIP: SEARCH ENGINE USES PLOT, CHARACTER, PLACE
> >
> >  by Sarah Coleman
> >
> >  If you have a particular novel in mind but can't remember its title or
> >  the name of the author, you might want to check out a new site called
> >  AllReaders.com. The site allows you to search for a book based on
> >  characteristics that include plot, theme, character, and location. But
> >  how well does it work? To give the search engine a workout, I decided
> >  to pretend I didn't know the title "London Fields," or the book's
> >  author, Martin Amis.
> >
> >  AllReaders.com proved user-friendly and quite entertaining in its own
> >  right. First, I selected from plot points ranging from "Learning a
> >  secret about someone" to "Taboo sex." Then, I picked traits for the
> >  main character and main adversary. Next, under "Structural Options," I
> >  chose "humor" as one of the book's defining traits. A follow-up menu
> >  popped up offering me different types of humor, from "dry/cynical" to
> >  "surreal." Even more impressive was the "Theme" section, where, when I
> >  chose "Materialism," a follow-up menu offered me a list, including
> >  "evils of shady deals" and "fun of having a lot of $$$."
> >
> >  All the same, and despite this high level of detail, I was skeptical.
> >  But I'm happy to report that AllReaders.com delivered. "London Fields"
> >  came up as number 11 on a list of 20 books that matched my criteria.
> >  Each book was rated by its number of matches with my selected items
> >  (at the top of the list was "The Picture of Dorian Gray" with 19
> >  matches; at the bottom was "The Good Soldier" with 13). I'm impressed.
> >  I can imagine AllReaders.com being useful to teachers, journalists,
> >  and memory-challenged readers alike. I'd use it again.
> >
> >  AllReaders.com
> >  http://www.allreaders.com/
> >
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