Hhere are some words to avoid when writing. I don’t agree with all of them, mostly because I enjoy being labeled disagreeable, but Words to Kill is a great starting point for improving your writing skills. After you check that page out, continue to poke around the site, because there is a plethora of good stuff here.

This is a neat site for readers. That’s you, right? You can find the books alphabetically by title or click on an author name to see the the available books. There are also biographies and link to sites they recommend, for further information. Bibliomania: Free Online Literature will thrill the bibliophile in you! It’s also a partial answer to my summer reading dilemma.

This website contains games and more, all based on the great Dr. Suess books. Your preschooler will have tons of fun here, and so will you. Dr. Suess is still among my favorite reads, even today, and I enjoy sharing these books over and over with my little ones. Welcome To Seussville! brings that same fun to the internet.

You can read classic books and poetry on-line for free at Online Books, Poems, Short Stories - Read Print. This is an excellent rainy afternoon site. There’s an author index to help you find just what you are looking for. Go get a beverage, and come back. Click first, and it will be waiting for you before you can get back to the computer.

Virtual Home of Sherlock Holmes. Links to the stories, and more. I really enjoyed this site, and I think you will time. If you are a Holmes fan, get a cup of tea and settle in for a nice virtual visit at 221B Baker Street. Don’t forget to scroll down under the story links to check out the pictures.

Here you will find poems nicely divided by subject. The Poetry Archive is a delightful way to spend enough time to drink a cup of hot tea. Or perhaps a little longer if you have the leisure to do so. From Sarah F. Adams to Claire Zu Bard, the selection is extensive.

The anthology is on the web! Start with the page linked to hear some audios, but click around to get more eras/features. I used the Norton Anthology in college back in the day, and I still think it’s great. Oh, this was back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and the internet was just a gleam in Al Gore’s eye. I actually had to read it myself, on actual pages, printed with actual ink.

The last neat thing for tonight is AuthorHouse. This is a publishing company that will help you self-publish your book. Over 25,000 people have already taken advantage of their author advocates, gaining valuable advice while maintaining control of what happens to their work. Once your book is published by AuthorHouse, it can be ordered at retail outlets, as well as Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and the AuthorHouse.com site itself. So, get writing already!

When I say Stop,You’re Killing Me, I’m not talking about humor. This site is, instead, a resource for mystery lovers. Over 2100 authors are listed, along with their books (over 23,000 of them!!). There’s also an alphabetical index of characters! They are fine with you printing pages out for your personal use, too.

This would be a neat site to bookmark, so you can refer to it as you are reading. So much literature referances mythology that I know you will find Mythography a handy resource. You will find Greek, Roman and Celtic myths and legends here. There are lexicons for words you may not know, and a forum to ask questions and share your views.

This is a good site to spur your writing. You get OneWord for inspiration and 60 seconds to type. Use this one for when you are stricken with writer’s block. You just have to be committed to actually do it! This would also be a great tool for teaching creative writing. “Don’t think, just write.”

This site is searchable, and contains the plays, poems and sonnets of Shakespeare . The plays include a character list with explanations. The sonnets options are cool, allowing you to compare 2 side by side, read a range of them, or just go to individual ones. I was really surprised to note that aside from the sonnets there are only 5 extant Shakespearian poems. I guess it’s totally true that you learn something every day!