A weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, we answer the weekly prompt then visit others who have as well. Come have fun with us, meet new friends and discover new-to-you blogs and books!
Today we are featuring our Top Ten Things that Make Your Life as a Reader/Blogger Easier. I have to say I am really looking forward to reading all the posts I can this week (as I do every week) because I am sure there are things out there that I am not using that might be handy. :-)
Without a doubt, I favorite Reader/Blogger "thing" is GoodReads. I am sure I will be one of many that mention it today. If you are not familiar with GoodReads, be sure to check it out--there is a whole new world waiting to be explored.
Other things that are favorites of mine:
--My Library for many reasons:
- I am tween and teen librarian so I am surrounding by books all the time. So it is a very rare day that I do not leave with a new book to try for myself or someone in my family. Libraries are an amazing place to get materials--be sure to check out your local one. Support Your Library!
- Inter Library Loan: for those not familiar with this service, most libraries have some sort of service in place to get materials that they do not own or are currently checked out brought into your local library so you do not need to drive to get it. It is a luxury!!
- Overdrive Media Console: an online eBook database offered available at 1000s of libraries, you can download eBooks for a temporary loan period for free with your library card. If you have not checked into it, visit your local library's website or branch to see if it is available for you to use. There are other similar services, so do not despair if your library does not have this specific one.
--iPad/Nook: I love my eReader devices as it makes it easy to carry a multitude of books with me at any given time without the bulk. I still LOVE and use traditional books, but when traveling I rely primarily on my eReader. I also find it nice to have it because if I am not jelling with a book, there is another one I can turn to even if I am the doctor's office.
--QuickDrafts (iPad App): I use this to write down my thoughts about the latest book I am reading and sometimes even begin my rough draft of my review. There are many others out there that are similar, so find the one that works best for you and that is compatible with your device of choice.
--Audacity (downloadable recording software): I am debating on posting audio clips and videos of booktalks or reviews and this software is great to use for recording. For videos, I use my webcam or iPhone camera.
--Excel: how I keep track of my ARCs to allow me to manipulate and search for specific titles easily.
--Word: where I tweak my reviews--I find it easier to edit them in Word than I do directly in my post body.
--Dropbox: How I love this online cloud storage. The days of not being able to work on something because I left my darn USB drive at work or at home, have been erased with using this. Similar to Google Drive, I find this easier and more friendly to use.
--Page Darts: good old fashion page flags/pointers are what I use to keep track of favorite passages or if I am working on an article or research paper, how I mark potential passages to could be used. I linked to my favorite kind. :)
--My favorite bookmarks: I do not dog ear my books and since I use my library (see above), I definitely do not want to dog ear them. I use bookmarks and lately I realize just have great of a collection I have going of them. :) I use some but most I have not and probably will not. I know, I am a bit geeky and insane but in my defense--they do not take up a lot of space.
One one bonus--a reading buddy: I love curling up to read and having a reading buddy, whether it is a furry friend or my daughter, is a bonus. On that note, we have a new member of our family--Cash (short for cashmere) my daughter's kitten. Here is a snapshot of Cash curled up with me last night while I was reading:
.JPG)
What item(s) did I leave off my list that is something I am missing out on by not using? Be sure to leave me a link to your post so I can pop over to your spot!
OverDrive Media Console, I totally forgot about that! Great list!
ReplyDeleteTTT
Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know
I love your list :-) I've got a new rabbit and I'm training him to be my reading buddy. It's going well so far.
ReplyDeleteWhat an adorable reading friend!! I used to love when my kitty would curl up with me and my book.
ReplyDeleteTTT @ Krista's Dust Jacket
Oh gosh... interlibrary loans are FANTASTIC. While my county doesn't have a lot of branches, my hometown county has like 10 libraries and it's awesome being able to request books from wherever and having it sent to the one closest to my parents' house (for when I'm visiting). Even where I live now, while I go to the main branch, a lot of times books I really want are at others. This is a great service to us patrons! :)
ReplyDeleteGoodreads and the library are great, for sure! Awesome list. :)
ReplyDeleteMy TTT:
http://qaisracetusbookblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/top-ten-tuesday-82013.html
Aww, I love your reading buddy! I have one too, though he certainly does find the most awkward positions that don't actually help with the reading... almost like he wants me to pay attention to him instead. ;)
ReplyDelete