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Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Top Ten Tuesday: RECreational Readng
7:42 AM
Some Top Ten Tuesday topics are really tough for my aging memory to handle! Today's is one of them. We're supposed to list the Top Ten Most Recent Books I've Read Because Someone Recommended Them. Here's the thing—most of the books I read have been recommended to me by someone somewhere. Can I remember those details? No, no I cannot. I need to be better about recording where recs come from. After all, there's no better feeling for a book reviewer or a reader in general than knowing someone has enjoyed a book you recommended to them. In order not to overtax my elderly brain, I'm going to tweak the topic just a little and chat about my top ten go-to places for reading suggestions.
Want to join in the TTT fun? Of course you do! Hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.
My Top Ten Go-To Places for Book Recommendations
1. Book Blogs—No surprise here! I read tons of book blogs and am always on the lookout for new ones to enjoy. Book bloggers are the best with reading recs. With all the blogs on my roll, I'm guaranteed to find a variety of recommended reads. Hands down, this is my number one source for
recs.
2. BookPage—This is a great monthly magazine that my library offers for free. It has reviews, author interviews, giveaways, and more. If your library does not provide copies, you can have BookPage delivered to your home for $30 a year.
3. Bookmarks Magazine—If you like a meatier book magazine, you can't go wrong with this one. It also features reviews, author interviews, and giveaways—it just offers more of them in a glossier format. You can buy issues (they come out every two months) at your local Barnes & Noble or subscribe for $34.95/year.
4. Goodreads—It's no secret that I adore this most popular of bookish sites. I love that I can keep track of what my friends are reading, see their reviews, and get recommendations straight from them. Goodreads also has a "Recommendations" feature (under the "Browse" tab) which suggests books you might like based on your shelves. The more you rate the books you read, the better it works. When you review a book on Goodreads, there is now an option where you can record who recommended the book to you. Note to self: Use this feature!
5. Book Riot—I don't know about you, but I'm on a lot of bookish mailing lists. I tend to ignore most of these emails, but I look forward to the ones from Book Riot. They're fun and informative. My favorite are their book lists, which have titles like "5 Books Where Women Take Charge" and "Prank Your Significant Other in 7 Fun Romance Books." Check it out for lists, reviews, book buying deals, and more.
6. The Library—Because of dang COVID-19, I haven't done any physical browsing of the library shelves for quite some time. Back in the olden days, however, I enjoyed roaming the aisles to find great new books. My library always had fun seasonal/themed displays, fliers with themed book lists, recommended books on display, even a short-lived blog. Although I still browse the library's online catalog, it's just not the same as looking in person!
7. Bookstores—I visited my local Barnes & Noble last week, which marks the first time since COVID started that I've been inside a physical bookstore. Whether it's a chain like B&N, a local indie, or just a small section of a larger store like Costco, I dig browsing for books. I love checking out displays at bookstores, overhearing readers discussing their picks, and even getting recs from random shoppers (which has happened to me numerous times, both at B&N and Changing Hands).
8. Family and Friends—My book addiction is no secret. Maybe it's my READ3R license plate or the book that is always in my hand or the fact that there are more tomes in my home than in a lot of bookstores ... whatever clue gives it away, my bibliophilia is widely known. Friends and family members are always recommending books to me.
9. Review Requests—Most book bloggers get tons of queries in their inboxes every day asking them to check out an author/publisher/publicist's latest and greatest. Although I decline a lot more of these than I used to, this is still a big source of reading recommendations and material for me.
10. NetGalley and Edelweiss+—Both of these sites, which offer e-ARCs to professional readers, are like literary blackholes. I can—and often do—spend hours scouring through their many offerings. My feedback ratio on NetGalley currently sits at a shameful 2% because the site makes me so click-happy that I request a lot more books on there than I actually get read. Oops.
There you go, ten places I turn to when I'm looking for a new book to read. How about you? Who or what are your go-to sources? Where do you go for awesome reading recs? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
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Book Riot sounds great.
ReplyDeleteMy post.
It's a fun website. You should definitely check it out.
DeleteThanks for coming by, Lydia!
My local library offers Book Page and I always pick up a copy. I get so many great books to add to my TBR from there, and you’ve hit the nail on the head with a lot of these. Great list, and I love how to thought out of the box this week!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great little magazine, isn't it? I always get good recs from it. I've been missing it over the course of the pandemic, so I was super excited when I went to the library the other day and they had both the current issue and several months' worth of back issues. I was so happy :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Leah!
Book bloggers are definitely on the top of my list as well!
ReplyDeleteBook bloggers are the best :)
DeleteThanks for coming by, NickiMags!
I am like you and usually cannot remember which person pushed me over the top to read a certain book. As far as new releases, I am normally on top of them, because of many of the things you mentioned above. Combing EW, NG, and GR has my TBR exploding.
ReplyDeleteI should probably just stay away from Edelweiss and NetGalley altogether, but combing through them is SOOOO addicting! It's just fun to see what's up and coming, you know?
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Sam!
When I had your van at the Wal Mart by GCU, it was really easy to find because of that license plate!
ReplyDeleteHa ha. You wouldn't believe how many strangers' vehicles I tried to get into when I first got that van! It's a VERY popular model around here :) Now, I check the license plate before I try the door. LOL.
DeleteLove you, Pee Wee!
Book blogs are a great source of recommendations!
ReplyDeleteI used to use Goodreads a lot, too. Lately, though, it seems they have more sponsored "recommendations" than they used to, so it doesn't help me as much. I've moved over to The StoryGraph to fill my former-Goodreads needs, and I love it.
Ooooh, what's The StoryGraph? I've never heard of it before. Heading over there now ...
DeleteTHanks for coming by, Nicole!
I miss the library too. 😢
ReplyDeleteRight? Mine just barely opened up for "Pop In Pick-Up" where you can go inside the library to get your holds and browse a small selection of books. It was nice to be back inside the library, even if it wasn't the same as having it fully opened. One of these days ...
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Cindy!
BookPage sounds like a brilliant thing to read. I wish we got it over here, or anything like it!
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of content on their website. I don't know if everything that is in the magazine is on there or not, though ... you should check it out!
DeleteThanks for coming by!
All great resources! My branch library just opened for curbside pick-up -- I do miss being able to just wander and pick up whatever catches my eye!
ReplyDeleteOh, really? Just now? Our library has been doing curbside pickup since May or so. Pop-in pick-up is in addition to curbside. They're saying they will be able to fully open in November. We'll see.
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Lisa!
I love picking up BookPage at the library. It makes me nostalgic for circling books in the scholastic book fair ads when I was in grade school. 😆
ReplyDeleteYES! I circle books I want to read in both BookPage and Bookmarks. Until now, I hadn't made the connection between doing this and circling in the Scholastic ads when I was younger. So nostalgic!
DeleteThanks for coming by, Resa!
Reading book blogs is dangerous to your wallet's health, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteHow was your B&N in-store experience? I haven't made that particular leap of faith yet, but I find myself missing it more and more...and then I find myself going two weeks and not even thinking about a bookstore visit. Weird.
2% Feedback ratio on NetGalley? LOL That must be some kind of a record.
Ha! That is for sure. I've been really trying not to buy more books, but then I just can't help myself ... I have no shelf-control :)
DeleteB&N was fine. There weren't many people there when I went and those who were there were all wearing masks and keeping their distance from each other. My next venture will be to my indie bookstore, but since it's about a 30 minute drive, I'm waiting until December when I get my birthday discount. That will help my wallet a *little* bit.
And, yes, I am a NetGalley failure. Ha ha.
Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Sam!
I can never remember who recommended what book to me either. (Which is why I didn't do this TTT.) But I do add a lot of books to my TBR list because of lovely blogs like yours, and from Goodreads. :)
ReplyDeleteSame. I get SO many recs from book blogs. That's why I enjoy visiting them so much :)
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lark!
These are all great places to get book recommendations! My favorite is bloggers.
ReplyDeleteFor sure! I enjoy all the blogs that I read - it's fun to see the different personalities, reading preferences, creative posts, etc. Book bloggers are the best :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Deanna!
Clever title! 😁 I like discovering new books from book blogs. Great spin on this week's TTT prompt. Here is my TTT list.
ReplyDeleteThanks :) I try to be creative, but the juices aren't always flowing from week to week. LOL.
DeleteThanks for coming by, Lectrice!
Nice list! I should definitely get into Book Riot more. And reads are always worth it when a friend or family member likes them too.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://steppingstonesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2020/10/top-ten-tuesdays-recommended-books.html
I just love Book Riot's booklists. They're so fun and I've found some great recs from them.
DeleteThanks for stopping by, JadeSky!
For some reason I didn't realize Book Page was still around!? I used to get it, but stopped for a while and apparently thought that they had cancelled it, I loved BookPage! Goodreads and NetGalley are also both great places to find new books.
ReplyDeleteI've been getting it from my county library for years. My city library, however, does not have it so it definitely depends on your library.
DeleteThanks for coming by, Jordan!
Nice twist on the topic and such great places/people to get recommendations from.
ReplyDeleteThanks! There are a couple places I didn't mention, but these are the main sources of my book recs - your blog being one of them, of course :)
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Helen!
But NetGalley is a fun black hole!
ReplyDeleteSO fun! I could spend all day on NetGalley - and sometimes do :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Lauren!
I love your license plate! I use a lot of these resources too. Love your spin on this week's topic!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I used to hate vanity license plates, but I've had fun coming up with bookish ones. READ3R is the one I like best, so I've just kept it. It's a conversation starter for sure :)
DeleteThanks for coming by, Brooke!
I've gotten some of the best book recommendations from bloggers too!
ReplyDeleteSame. WE are my favorite resource :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Greg!
Checking out Book Riot right now thanks to this post. Might also subscribe to their newsletter. They've got some pretty fun posts. Thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun site! I get a lot of emails from them, but I think that's something that can be adjusted. Enjoy!
DeleteThanks for coming by, Cherry!
Very creative wordplay. Love it.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we can't have those kind of licence plates but I think the book that is always in my hand is also a good hint that I love reading.
I think your #1 is also my #1.
Thanks for visiting my TTT earlier.
An ever-present book in hand should definitely be a big clue!
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Marianne!
Always happy to read your posts.
DeleteI'm exactly the same on Net Galley! I also like the book mags you mentioned and Book Riot. I have too many good bookbloggers I read all the time so my TBR is never to end which is fine with me!
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely worse problems to have than a never-ending TBR list :)
DeleteThanks for coming by, Lisa!
Your title is brilliant! I also love the Goodreads rec feature - and I really need to get into netgalley, thanks for reminding me!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks! Sometimes great titles come to me, other times ... NOTHING :) I'm glad you love GR too and NG is a great site. I love it.
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
I'm a big fan of Bookmarks magazine and Goodreads and, of course, bloggers. Great list.
ReplyDeleteBook blogging people are the best people :)
DeleteThanks for coming by, Deb!
I used to track recommendations on GoodReads but I fell out of the habit. I need to start doing that again. I find a lot of my books by just browsing the Overdrive app. My husband and I are traveling with his job so probably 98% of my books come through Overdrive.
ReplyDeleteMy husband usually buys a copy of BookMarks magazine for my Christmas stocking every year. I always want to add all the books to my TBR!
Good point! I actually find a fair number on Overdrive as well. I still prefer paper books, but I'm happy to have access to a huge e-library as well.
DeleteBookmarks is a great magazine. I always find great new book recommendations in it.
Thanks for stopping by, Jen!
I love the license plate! That's fantastic! Bloggers are probably my number 1 source but NetGalley is a very close 2nd. I'm trying to behave myself these days with mixed results!
ReplyDeleteHa ha. I can't be trusted on NetGalley. Or in a bookstore. Or in a library ...
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Katherine!
I love Book Riot!! I haven't tried any other site for ARCs except Netgalley.
ReplyDeleteBook Riot is super fun, isn't it? Edelweiss is a great site, too, although it's not as user-friendly as NetGalley and I feel like fewer of my requests get approved on EW than NG.
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Abigail!
i am with you on Goodreads! Netgalley is not something i have tried yet. :) awesome thoughts you shared here. :)
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Bookmarks Magazine or BookPage. Will have to check those out!
ReplyDelete