1. Book tracking apps
The StoryGraph has been my go to app/site for tracking the books that I’ve been reading the last couple of years (along with my handy dandy Google Sheets document that was based on this template – I’ve made some changes to make it more usable for me). Here is a link to all the reasons I’ve been loving using StoryGraph. I love the sleek look and the portability of all the stats.
I recently starting tracking in Goodreads again mainly for the Widgets feature that I can embed to show my current and recent reads at the bottom of my page.
2. Book Gadgets
I saw this holder being used while I was sitting in a coffee shop. Of course, I had to buy it. It’s super handy for holding onto my Kindle when I want to lay in random positions while reading. I wish it were a little tighter to the device, but I have liked it a lot so far.
Still loving this clicker! It allows me to be super lazy while reading and not take my hands out of the blankies or get uncomfortable to shift to try to turn pages.
3. The Library and NetGalley
I mean… look at this! Over 90% of the books that I’ve read this year are from either the Library or from NetGalley. How cool is it that the hobby that I love is free (minus the gadgets that I buy to support my hobby!). That’s 45 books that I have gotten to read at no cost to me. If you assume each book is ~$12 a book, that’s $540 I have saved.
4. The Libby App
Speaking of the library – the Libby App! I love that I can get ebooks from the Libby app and have them sent to my Kindle
I have also gotten into audiobooks more this year, and the Libby app works great for that!
5. Book Recommendations
I love book recommendations from people. It’s an awesome way to understand what other people like and most of the time, they turn out to be very enjoyable reads! It’s always a treat when you find something you enjoy in a genre you don’t usually dabble in.
Last year I asked friends to send me book recommendations and I read quite a few of the books from their list. I did it again this year and am keeping track via StoryGraph, trying to check off all of the books that have been suggested. I had 17 recommend and have made it through 4 so far. I loved one, liked 2, and didn’t care for the last one.
One of my coworkers published a book. He mentioned it in a meeting and I’m excited to read it – it’s cool to have the personal connection! I’m looking forward to reading this book.
Here is the Amazon link if anyone wants to buddy read!
Book Summary:
Mercer Evans found himself waking from a fitful sleep in a cold sweat for the past few nights. It was not the lucidity of his conversations nor the striking realism of his dreams that shook him, but rather the horrifyingly gruesome deaths that ended each nightmare. Were these dreams the product of the empty bottles on Mercer’s nightstand and the creeping solitude of his studio apartment, or was there something more to the terrors that plagued him?
Leaf Runner follows Mercer as he transcends time and experiences the potential dangers of changing his past and the intertwining histories of the many lives that went before him. The result is a relentlessly suspenseful pursuit played out during pivotal historical moments as Mercer and a collection of time travelers called Leaf Runners attempt to prevent a group of zealots from changing the world as we know it.