Top Ten Things That Make My Life As A Reader/Book Blogger Easier

Labels: , · Posted by Lisa ::

I can't say that I've been doing a whole lot of book blogging lately but I have been thinking about it a lot and doing an astronomical amount of reading so here it goes, then things that make my life as a blogger/reader easier:

  • Goodreads:  They track the books I read, keep basic stats and allow me to stay organized, quickly in between the times I update my reading spreadsheet.  I also store notes on books or brief summaries to remind myself what I liked (or didn't) about a book.  The summaries, book covers, and author information provided by the site are also really helpful when posting book reviews.
  • Excel: I track all of my reading in one big spreadsheet.  In years past I only had a list, but this year as I've joined more bookclubs I've switched over to a spreadsheet as it makes it easier to sort by any number of factors including dates and genres.
  • My local library: Free books both in print and as ebooks and audiobooks.  Access to more books in various formats mean more reading, particularly on new topics or in new genres.
  • Youtube:  This doesn't seem directly related to reading I know, but there's a great community of readers on Youtube that inspire me to keep reading and keep me up to date on current bookish news. 
  • My Friends: Even my friends who aren't so bookishly inclined will talk to me about my/their reading.  It keeps me interested.  I love discussing character development, plot structure, and themes as much as I love squealing with delight over how something is written or how geeky a character is. 
  • Bookclubs and Readathons: Most of my bookclubs and readathons take place either on Youtube or Goodreads, but I'm looking to expand this a bit for next year.  Both of these are great ways to meet new book nerds and have great discussions.
  • Charity Book Sales: Cheap books being sold for a good cause = buying lots of books without going broke or feeling guilty. Much like the library charity sales introduce me to a wide range of new books and often prompt me to try something new.
  • My Phone: I don't have an e-reader, so having books on my phone allows me to squeeze reading in one page at a time, particularly in locations where reading a hard copy book would be difficult i.e. standing up with only one free hand.
  • Blogger: I use the app to save notes on books and drafts of posts I would like to make.  This saves me a lot of time hunting for the notes I left on the receipt I was using as a bookmark meaning that whenever I stop blabbing about my summer vacation I can go back to posting (lots of) reviews.
  • My Books: There's something about owning books that makes me want to own read more books.
What about you, is there something that makes your life as a reader or book blogger easier that I'm missing out on?  Please let me know.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Broke and the Bookish.  Click the link to join the discussion or check out future questions.

1 comment:

  1. Sara (Page Sage)August 20, 2013 at 1:02 PM

    Spreadsheets are so incredibly helpful. I must have at least 20 of them for blogging purposes.

    My TTT

    ReplyDelete

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