The Book Review Digest (Bowker) and Book Review Index (Thomson/Gale) each summarize and organize book reviews by topic. They are a good way to get citations and also to get a general sense of how a book was received. They are available in print and online at many public libraries. The online editions, known as Book Review Digest Plus and Book Review Index Online, include the full text of many reviews.
Some respected sources for reviews of current fiction and nonfiction book include Choice, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Kirkus Review, Library Journal, the New York Review of Books, the New York Times Book Review, and Publisher's Weekly. Several of these are included in a CD-ROM version of Books in Print that is available at many public library (and sometimes available through public library Web sites).
Bookmarks Magazine posts reviews on a broad range of general interest topics. You can search the online archives of the New York Times and, if you subscribe, the Wall Street Journal to find more book reviews. Also, Amazon.com posts selected reviews and edited reader-feedback. You can search for reviews in the news databases on Lexis, Westlaw, ProQuest Newsstand Professional on ProQuest Dialog, etc.
For more sources, see Acweb's Directory of Book Reviews on the Web.
Law Books: You can find reviews of law books and other law-related publications in:
- The Legal Information Buyer's Guide & Reference Manual
(New England LawPress);
- The AALL Spectrum Blog; and
- Law Library Journal;
- Back issues of Legal Information Alert, for books published before 2012; available on HeinOnline (subscription).