August 20, 2013

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

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the bloggers of  The Broke and the Bookish. This week we're discussing ten things that make our lives easier as readers and as book bloggers.

Goodreads: I've read so many books over the years that it's hard to keep track of them all. I love that Goodreads now can keep track of books for me! I especially love the different tracking stats it has, such as how long it takes me to read a book, page lengths, types of genres I typically read, how many books I read in a year, etc.Also I love reading others' reviews of books I'm considering reading. No more going in blind! I only wish that I had learned of this site sooner.
My Kindle: 
For the first year after I received my Kindle, I barely touched it. I got a few classics for free on it, but really had no desire to read them. Book blogging has definitely made me realize just how convenient it is to have access to Kindle's store and my library's collection as long as I have a WiFi connection. I do not think that ebooks will cause physical books to become obsolete in the near future, but it is pretty nice to have so many reading options.
Kindle Deals: To be quite honest, if Kindle deals weren't so frequent and covered such a vast array of books, then I probably still wouldn't be using my Kindle quite as much. But they do and they're glorious (well, if I can ignore the whole DRM issue, which I have been able to thus far). Publishers and the U.S. legal system, please please do something about DRM. It's not helping anyone. Because of DRM, I don't want to spend more than $3-$4 on an ebook, but those cheap deals are fortunately plentiful enough.
My library system: I can list on one hand the amount of times that my library system has failed to provide me with access to a certain book. I know I've mentioned this before on the blog, but I'm very fortunate to belong to a library that's part of an amazing consortium and offers so many physical books, ebooks, and other forms of media. I actually even attended a class on blogging back before I started this blog. 
Twitter: Now, I'm still one of the worst tweeters ever, and I'll allow days to go past without tweeting anything. I'm also still super hesitant about reaching out to others via Twitter (although I think I'm gradually starting to get more comfortable with it). Nevertheless, I can totally see the appeal of Twitter. By following other book bloggers, publishers, and authors, I'm much more in the know about book events, contests, book deals, and more.

Well, that's all I can think of for now. I don't use Pinterest, I don't use any RSS subscribers (just receive normal email subscriptions), I don't use any fancy editorial calendars...the list goes on and on of what I don't use, primarily because I just don't have the time or motivation to do so. Link me up to your lists - I'm anxious to see what other sources are out there that could help make my life as a blogger easier!
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Amanda

Amanda loves few things better than sitting down with a cup of tea and a book. She frequently stays up far too late, telling herself she just needs to finish one more page. When she's not wrapped up in the stories of others, Amanda works as a children's librarian in a public library.

8 comments:

  1. I agree that a Kindle can make a blogger's life much easier. I loved my Kindle the moment I got it. I have more books than I could ever read on it, and I can never help hitting "buy with one click" when I see a free book on Amazon. And the fact that ebooks are cheaper made me save money over the past 2 years. It's also great because I can send NetGalley ARCs to it and start reading them right away.

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  2. Goodreads and my kindle would both definitely make my list too. I have no idea how I ever kept track of release dates and new books before I stumbled across Goodreads! I can't imagine living without it now. Great list, Amanda. :)

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  3. I agree with each of these that you mention. I think everyone has said Goodreads! I also made out my list as a reader, so I included things like my glasses, etc. (:

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  4. Goodreads and Ferguson, my Kindle, would definitely make my list, but also Netgalley and Edelweiss and Google Calendar, which is so important to me. I would never be able to keep up with all my arcs and release dates without a color-coded reading schedule! Life is so much easier this way.
    Thanks for sharing your list, Amanda!

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  5. I'm a big fan of my library and the collection of libraries it's part of. They're such a great resource, and really valuable for people who don't have easy access to books for whatever reason.

    Here's my TTT.

    Sarah

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  6. I visit my library weekly or more sometimes! And I do not know what I'd do without my kindle. I agree, those deals are great, but they add up if you get to click happy :). YES to DRM being a problem. FUn list.

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  7. Yup, you nailed it - I don't know what I'd do without these, especially my library, and I doubt I'd discover half the good books in the world without GR. Wonderful list, Amanda!(:

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  8. I try to use twitter... I probably should use it more then I do. But I do reach out to authors with it!

    Angie
    My Top Ten Tuesday

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