Don't let the title fool you. I am not trashing Goodreads. In fact, I have a Goodreads account and use it practically every day. It is a great social network for book lovers, a perfect place to pick and discuss your favorite passion. But did you know you can get all that and much, much more with just your library card?

Let me introduce you to Books & Authors, a great database for book lovers that gives you a chance to discover your next great read! And with Christmas break coming up , now  is a perfect time to gather a list of great reads that will give you some well-deserved relaxation.

You get all this access simply entering your library barcode and your pin number.

Of course the books are broken down in the customary genres but if you take a closer look at the screencapture below, Books & Authors takes the classification of genres so much further. For example, if you are looking for fantasy fiction, it doesn't just give you a book list classified in that genre but also allows you to filter your results. You won't just find fantasy fiction. You'll find fantasy books that have amateur detectives or fantasy fiction that deals with an "ancient evil unleashed." The possibilities are endless. Looking for books in a specific age group? You can refine your results to the specific age group of your choosing.

The next feature is most probably my favorite part of Books and Authors. This feature takes "readlikes" to a whole 'nother level. The Who , What, Where, When allows you to find that perfect next read. Just take a look at the search I did on the screencap below.

I did a search saying I was looking for a books that a 16-year-old fictional character, who was African-American, and lives in the United States. The database was able to find at least 20 books that matched my book type. I love this feature because it allows you to search a variety of character types, ranging from 16-year-olds to a rebel, even has a giraffe character type. It is perfect for readers who just having a hard time looking for that right book. It gives you way more than what both Goodreads and even Amazon can offer.

Like books that have been nominated or have won awards?  Then head on over to the "Award Winners" tab where you can choose from past and current book awards and view the list of books that won the award for each year. It also gives you the current bestseller list, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Still want that social interaction like Goodreads provides? Books and Authors provides that with "My Reading Room," an option where you can create your own profile, create themed reading and author lists, mark which books you would like to read, and review and rate your favorite books. Isn't amazing how much you get out of a simple library card?

And this is how an individual book search looks like, including detailed summary and description  and source citation at the end of the page.

Now that I told you all about the interesting and great things about this database, why don't you check it out today? All that winter reading is not going to start itself and Books & Authors is a great way for you to get ahead of the game.