One of the things you're bound to see this time of year as we come to a close is "Best Of" lists. And books are no exception of course. I'm participating in the Cybils again this year, which is sort of a cross between the Newberrys and the Webby Awards (popularity meets literary merit).
One of the things I look forward to every year is voting on the Goodreads Choice Awards. Now, these are pure popularity. The winners were recently announced and it's made me realize something: I really don't like most popular books. Sure, I enjoyed Twilight and Hunger Games, and Harry Potter are some of my favorites, but beyond that, the books that seem to be popular are not the one I'm drawn to. Interesting.
In some ways, I'm not really sure why I look forward to the Goodreads Choice Awards, because the books I pick almost never win. Okay, one did this year, the Jim Henson book in History. Which I actually haven't even read, but just picked because I love Jim Henson. And come to think of it, if lots of other people do the same thing I do (just pick books they recognize) then perhaps that's why the popular books are the ones that always win. Hmmmm...
Anyway, if you'd like to see the books Goodreads members chose as the best books for 2013, head over to the awards page on the Goodreads site. You can also look at past year winners too.
Showing posts with label book site. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book site. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Goodreads
Okay, okay, I finally did it. After being a firm LibraryThing user since September 2006, I have broken down and joined Goodreads. It was the same thing for me with Facebook actually. I resisted for years, but finally joined because I wanted to find some information the required you to be a member to access. Oh, well. The damage is done.
Now that I'm a member, I'm a little lost as to what to do. So for you veteran members out there, what are your suggestions? What do you find most helpful/least helpful? Any features I shouldn't miss? Any of you who are also LibraryThing users who have suggestions for me? Please leave in the comments below!
And if anyone is interested, here's my profile. As you can see, I've done absolutely nothing with it yet. I'm a brand new clean slate, so I'm totally open to suggestions!
Now that I'm a member, I'm a little lost as to what to do. So for you veteran members out there, what are your suggestions? What do you find most helpful/least helpful? Any features I shouldn't miss? Any of you who are also LibraryThing users who have suggestions for me? Please leave in the comments below!
And if anyone is interested, here's my profile. As you can see, I've done absolutely nothing with it yet. I'm a brand new clean slate, so I'm totally open to suggestions!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Book Website: Bookmooch.com
I know it's been awhile since I've done one of these, but I love this site so much I just had to share. Bookmooch is my new favorite way to swap books, and it is absolutely amazing! Get ready to trade your old, used, and neglected books for books you haven't read. And best of all, the service is absolutely, 100%, totally and completely FREE! Here's how it works:
1. Go to www.bookmooch.com and sign up for an account.
2. List any books you have lying around that you've read and/or ready to get rid of. (You recieve 1/10 of a point for every book you list.)
3. Get points when another member requests one of your books. (You do have to pay postage to send out the book.)
4. Use your points to request the books you want from other members. (When you mark the book recieved, you get another 1/10 of a point.)
5. Repeat and enjoy!
For example, here's a small amount of what I currently have listed to give away right now:
Swap your books at BookMooch.com
Since there are a LOT of trading sites popping up nowadays, let me explain exactly why I love Bookmooch so much.
1. Points are very easy to get- You get points for requests, and fractions of points every time you list a book to giveaway or mark a book recieved. Potentially you could get tons of free points without having any of your books requested. This is a great feature to get points when a book on your wishlist has been listed and you're out of points.
2. Wishlist options- You can list books you want on your wishlist, and Bookmooch will send you an email when that book is listed in the system. These are first-come, first-serve though, so make sure you request the book you want right away!
3. Selection- I was (and still am) a member of paperbackswap.com for a year before joining Bookmooch, and I've used Bookmooch 10 times more often. They have many more books that I'm looking for, and my books get requested much faster too. Which is great for me, so I can go order more books. :-)
Just look at the neat stuff I've gotten recently from other Bookmooch members:
Get a book from BookMooch.com
4. Save-for-later list- If a book you want is available, but you don't have any points, you can save it on this list so you'll remember to request it later.
5. Member status and feedback- Each member's profile shows when they were last logged into Bookmooch, so you can see how fast you're likely to get your books. Plus a feedback system allows you to check their trading history before you request books.
6. Condition notes- Most books have condition notes so you know exactly what condition it is in before you get the book.
7. ARCs- Unlike most trading sites, Bookmooch allows you the option of listing ARCs, which means when you're done with those excellent books, someone else can enjoy them. I've also gotten tons of books before they were released to the public this way, which is always a perk!
So I still haven't convinced you that this site is great, you should go check it out for yourself. And if anyone decides to join, leave me a comment or send me an email. I'd love to add you to my Bookmooch Friends list. :-)
1. Go to www.bookmooch.com and sign up for an account.
2. List any books you have lying around that you've read and/or ready to get rid of. (You recieve 1/10 of a point for every book you list.)
3. Get points when another member requests one of your books. (You do have to pay postage to send out the book.)
4. Use your points to request the books you want from other members. (When you mark the book recieved, you get another 1/10 of a point.)
5. Repeat and enjoy!
For example, here's a small amount of what I currently have listed to give away right now:
Swap your books at BookMooch.com
Since there are a LOT of trading sites popping up nowadays, let me explain exactly why I love Bookmooch so much.
1. Points are very easy to get- You get points for requests, and fractions of points every time you list a book to giveaway or mark a book recieved. Potentially you could get tons of free points without having any of your books requested. This is a great feature to get points when a book on your wishlist has been listed and you're out of points.
2. Wishlist options- You can list books you want on your wishlist, and Bookmooch will send you an email when that book is listed in the system. These are first-come, first-serve though, so make sure you request the book you want right away!
3. Selection- I was (and still am) a member of paperbackswap.com for a year before joining Bookmooch, and I've used Bookmooch 10 times more often. They have many more books that I'm looking for, and my books get requested much faster too. Which is great for me, so I can go order more books. :-)
Just look at the neat stuff I've gotten recently from other Bookmooch members:
Get a book from BookMooch.com
4. Save-for-later list- If a book you want is available, but you don't have any points, you can save it on this list so you'll remember to request it later.
5. Member status and feedback- Each member's profile shows when they were last logged into Bookmooch, so you can see how fast you're likely to get your books. Plus a feedback system allows you to check their trading history before you request books.
6. Condition notes- Most books have condition notes so you know exactly what condition it is in before you get the book.
7. ARCs- Unlike most trading sites, Bookmooch allows you the option of listing ARCs, which means when you're done with those excellent books, someone else can enjoy them. I've also gotten tons of books before they were released to the public this way, which is always a perk!
So I still haven't convinced you that this site is great, you should go check it out for yourself. And if anyone decides to join, leave me a comment or send me an email. I'd love to add you to my Bookmooch Friends list. :-)
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Book Web Site Review: Veronika Asks
Veronika Asks is the newest book website for author interviews! With new offers added all the time, this is one you will definitely want to check on often! Check out these neat features:
Interviews: Each week or so, a new author interview is added. Find out what your favorite authors are up to! Plus, you can also submit your own questions!
Reviews: What’s the latest and greatest in the world of books? Veronika tells all.
Special: Check every month for special contests and giveaways. Win signed copies, gift baskets and more!
A really neat site created by an extremely talented teenager. The interviews alone are worth looking over, so make sure you head over there and check it out!
Shady Glade Rating: 10/10
Interviews: Each week or so, a new author interview is added. Find out what your favorite authors are up to! Plus, you can also submit your own questions!
Reviews: What’s the latest and greatest in the world of books? Veronika tells all.
Special: Check every month for special contests and giveaways. Win signed copies, gift baskets and more!
A really neat site created by an extremely talented teenager. The interviews alone are worth looking over, so make sure you head over there and check it out!
Shady Glade Rating: 10/10
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Book Web Site Review: Harper Teen
Next on our list of book site to review is http://www.harperteen.com/ , the teen imprint of Harper Collins.
The biggest disappointment for this site is that because it is created by a publisher, you will only find books that they publish here. Despite this slight drawback, there are tons of great features. In addition to news, polls, and spotlights on the latest books to be published you will also find:
Author Tracker: Be notified by email at what your favorite authors are up to. Every time they have a new book due out, you will get an email telling you the details
HipLit Newsletter: Sign up for the site newsletter and be entered each month for a book giveaway.
First Look: Sign up to review the latest books on the teen scene. Every month has new giveaways of ARCs. All you have to do is tell them what you think when you finish the book. How easy is that?
There’s a lot of stuff I didn’t mention, so make sure you head over there and check it out!
The biggest disappointment for this site is that because it is created by a publisher, you will only find books that they publish here. Despite this slight drawback, there are tons of great features. In addition to news, polls, and spotlights on the latest books to be published you will also find:
Author Tracker: Be notified by email at what your favorite authors are up to. Every time they have a new book due out, you will get an email telling you the details
HipLit Newsletter: Sign up for the site newsletter and be entered each month for a book giveaway.
First Look: Sign up to review the latest books on the teen scene. Every month has new giveaways of ARCs. All you have to do is tell them what you think when you finish the book. How easy is that?
There’s a lot of stuff I didn’t mention, so make sure you head over there and check it out!
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Book Web Site Review: Teenreads.com
Here is the first of our book site reviews. First on the list is www.teenreads.com, a member of the bookreporter.com network.
Teenreads.com is run with all you YA book lovers out there in mind. The site is chock full of all sorts of goodies, including reviews, author interviews, and contests. Look out for these special goodies:
Series Books: Check out new editions to your favorite series, and keep ahead of what’s coming out.
Cool New Books: Interested to know what’s new in the world of YA? Look here to find out.
New in Paperback: Find out if your favorite books are published in paperback. After all, they’re cheaper that way!
Reviews: New reviews are added each month, or you can choose to search alphabetically by title to see what the review panel thought of your favorites.
Word of Mouth: Share what books you’ve been reading and get automatically entered into a monthly giveaway. Also allows you to see what you’re peers thing is the latest and greatest. (I’ve found some great books this way)
Manga Reviews: For those of you who are addicted to all things Japanese, here’s the place you don’t want to miss.
Christian Reviews: A special section to review the latest Christian books.
There’s tons of other stuff that I didn’t even mention, so make sure you take the time to look around a bit. Overall, a great book site, although not the absolute best I’ve ever seen. Definitely worth taking the time to browse. The best thing you can do is subscribe to their newsletter, it will keep you informed of updates to the site, which happen only about once a month (or so).
Shady Glade Rating: 8/10
Teenreads.com is run with all you YA book lovers out there in mind. The site is chock full of all sorts of goodies, including reviews, author interviews, and contests. Look out for these special goodies:
Series Books: Check out new editions to your favorite series, and keep ahead of what’s coming out.
Cool New Books: Interested to know what’s new in the world of YA? Look here to find out.
New in Paperback: Find out if your favorite books are published in paperback. After all, they’re cheaper that way!
Reviews: New reviews are added each month, or you can choose to search alphabetically by title to see what the review panel thought of your favorites.
Word of Mouth: Share what books you’ve been reading and get automatically entered into a monthly giveaway. Also allows you to see what you’re peers thing is the latest and greatest. (I’ve found some great books this way)
Manga Reviews: For those of you who are addicted to all things Japanese, here’s the place you don’t want to miss.
Christian Reviews: A special section to review the latest Christian books.
There’s tons of other stuff that I didn’t even mention, so make sure you take the time to look around a bit. Overall, a great book site, although not the absolute best I’ve ever seen. Definitely worth taking the time to browse. The best thing you can do is subscribe to their newsletter, it will keep you informed of updates to the site, which happen only about once a month (or so).
Shady Glade Rating: 8/10
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