Discover beyond the bestseller list
Explore books, emerging authors, reviews, and ideas selected for relevance—not simply popularity.
A BETTER WAY TO DISCOVER BOOKS
Discover remarkable books. Help new authors be discovered.
WebToTell brings readers and authors together through in-depth book reviews, original articles, and thoughtful discussion — helping readers discover books that match their interests while giving promising authors a fair chance to be seen.
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Articles, reviews, and conversations help you explore your interests and find books you might otherwise miss.
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New in-depth book guides
See all booksSummaries, themes, historical context and discussion questions for books recently added to WebToTell.
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Shogun
Shōgun is James Clavell's 1975 epic of Japan in the year 1600. John Blackthorne, an English pilot, is shipwrecked on a coast he does not understand. He is pulled into the struggle between Lord Toranaga, a cunning regent…
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Roots: The Saga of an American Family
Alex Haley's Roots follows one family across roughly seven generations. It begins with Kunta Kinte, a young Mandinka man from the Gambian village of Juffure who is seized in 1767 and shipped to the Americas. It then…
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Salem's Lot
'Salem's Lot is Stephen King's second published novel, a vampire story set in the fictional Maine town of Jerusalem's Lot. Writer Ben Mears returns to the hometown he left as a boy, hoping to finish a book about the…
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The Lorax
The Lorax is Dr. Seuss's 1971 rhymed picture book about what happens when a business grows faster than the living world can bear. A boy visits the reclusive Once-ler, who recalls how he found a valley of colorful…
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Watership Down
After the visionary Fiver foresees the destruction of Sandleford Warren, his brother Hazel leads a small band of rabbits into the dangerous English countryside. Their search for a secure home becomes an epic of…
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The Stand
After a lethal, laboratory-created influenza escapes military containment, the United States collapses with terrifying speed. The scattered survivors must first endure bereavement, isolation, and the hazards of an…
Latest articles
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Your Librarian Is the Best Source for Personal Book Recommendations
A skilled librarian can turn your tastes, dislikes, mood, and practical limits into useful reading choices. Digital tools work best as supporting sources, not automatic authorities.
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The Unreliable Editor: What Framed Manuscripts and Fictional Footnotes Do to a Story
Learn to recognize fictional editors, translators, archives, and annotations—and to judge how each intervening voice changes the apparent source, credibility, and meaning of a story.
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Parallel Text, Prose Translation, or Verse Translation: Which Edition of a Classic Poem Should You Choose?
Choose according to what you most want to access: the original language, the narrative and ideas, or the poem’s patterned movement. This guide compares the formats and the compromises each requires.
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