My Favorite Book Sites and Features

I use this site religiously – I’m on it at least once a day. I catalog ALL of my books on this site. If a book comes into my house, I log it on this site. I make sure that I log in each book using its ISBN so as to make sure I’ve got the correct edition and format (hardcover, mass market paperback, Kindle, etc.) of the book. I use the ‘private notes’ field like crazy to make note of where I got the book (review copy, bought, library, swap, won, free Kindle read, etc.). I also use the ‘private notes’ field for books in a series to remind myself of anything I need to know for when I pick up the next book in the series. These ‘private notes’ are only viewable to myself so I can put spoilers in that field.

I love being able to create shelves to organize my books. Some shelves that I have added:

• Did Not Finish (by year)
• Kindle Books to Lend
• Shelves specific to Reading Challenges I’m participating in (really helps me keep track on my progress)
• Books I’ve read each year
• Signed books
• TBR pile (so I can see at a quick glance how many books – both on my shelf and on my Kindle – I have waiting for me to read)
• To Be Reviewed (I got this idea from Melina over at Reading Vacation)
• Wishlist (books I want but don’t own and my library doesn’t have either)

Speaking of my wishlist shelf, I love Goodreads’ book swap program. I get email alerts letting me know when someone has a book I have on my wishlist shelf. No credits needed; you just pay shipping and the book is yours. UPDATE: The book swap program is going bye-bye. *cries*

I also like the new Recommendations feature. I’m always on the look out for new books to read and new authors to try out so this is a very handy tool for me. Goodreads gives you recommendations based on books you have on your different shelves. You can also search for recommendations by genre.

I love how my Goodreads updates feeds into my Twitter stream. It lets me share what books I’m reading, adding to my TBR list, and reviewing with others. I also enjoy seeing what books other people are reading and adding to their TBR lists. I get a lot of book recommendations from people on Twitter.

And I love that Goodreads keeps track of progress to read 100 books this year. They even tell me how awesome I am.

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A great resource for book bloggers and publishers. It’s the place for eARCs. You do have to register (and get approved) before you are able to request titles. More and more publishers are joining forces with NetGalley so be sure to check the site often. From NetGalley’s site:

What is NetGalley, and how does it work?

NetGalley is a service for people who read and recommend books. Publishers upload their galleys, plus any marketing and promotional information; then invite contacts to view their title on NetGalley. Readers can also find new titles through NetGalley's Public Catalog, and request to review those titles from the publisher.

Who can use NetGalley?

Any professional reader: book reviewers, journalists, librarians, professors, booksellers, bloggers, etc. Anyone who reads and recommend books can use NetGalley for free. You can register here.

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Not only do I love swapping books on this site but I like the forums on there too. There are all kinds of hidden treasures to be found in the forums. To see what kind of forums they have, go to Community > Discussion Forums. The Book Bazaar has lots of forums for deals, multiple orders and ARCs.

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Amazon’s Best Sellers in the Kindle Store

I am constantly checking out the Top 100 Paid and Top 100 Free Kindle Reads. I am always on the look out for Kindle deals and freebies. I can’t justify paying $9.99 for a Kindle book. Why would I pay the same price (or more) as a physical copy for a digital copy that I can’t even lend out, swap or sell? But that’s another discussion for another day. I usually buy ebooks that are <$3.00 and this site is where I find most of those deals.

What are some your favorite book sites?