Goodreads

Shelfari – hosted by Amazon.com – And All That Other Social Media

Angela2 Comments

I was kind of surprised that I stumbled upon this new book recommending site while reading someone else’s blog, seeing as how I have been using Amazon a few times a week to update book reviews.

It states it is a “community-powered encyclopedia for book lovers.”

Well; that certainly applies to me. And yet; it reminds me a bit of Goodreads.com. So I have to say that I did not register with this site yet. I may, or may not. I have no shame in saying I have enough electronic sites that I struggle to keep up with as it is, so I certainly do not need to add another one right now. If this is a site that takes over the internet and becomes a platform for authors, I will then be left no choice but to sign myself up.

Right now I am going to continue trying to keep my blog(s) alive and thriving, keep better track of my about.me account, finish my profile for my brandyourself.com account, make sure my Google+ account is current, and while I am at it, I may even learn to use my Twitter account so that it is actually an effective tool for me. I have not been on my Pinterest account in who knows how long; my Instagram account has one picture on it after being live for months, and I am pretty sure I created a Flickr.com account for my photography, but as I have not checked back in since I did create it, I am thinking a month or two ago, I hope I remember my log in name.

So how do you handle the Social Media overload? Do you control it, or does it control you?

Did Any Of Your Favorites Win A Goodreads Award?

Angela1 Comment

I know I am a few days late, but I have been incredibly busy and just now had a chance to go see who the winners were in the Goodreads Best Books of 2014 contest.

There were a total of 3,317,504 votes placed. 6 of the books I chose won. There were a couple categories I did not vote on because I had no interest in them and had not heard of or read any of the books.

How did your favorites fare? Do you know someone who was a winner this year? I know I have read some great stories this year by new authors who I have no doubt will one day have their books being voted on as well.

I do have more book reviews coming, as well as more author features. My 13 year-old homeschooler has fallen off the wagon on staying on task, so I have been getting up at 4am, going to work for 9 hours a day, and then coming straight home and spending 5 to 6 hours every night helping her get back on track. I could of sworn I successfully made it through the 8th grade, about 30 years ago; it sure feels like I am going through it all over again!

Goodreads Choice Awards 2014

Angela6 Comments

I received my annual email recently that Goodreads was opening up their voting for the 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards. I like to go through all of the books and see if there are ones I have read, any of my new favorite authors, or something that catches my eye that I may want to read.

Goodreads Choice 2014 Logo

So I was curious as to how many of you do the same thing. Do you actively use Goodreads? I have been much better about logging in on a regular basis, and need to get to the point that I am checking in every day; which as of late, I have been.

The voting tends to be a long, tedious process, at least with my internet connection. Lately everything is long and tedious and I do not know if it is the 2 laptops we use in my house or the internet service. When I am trying to do my MBA homework, help my daughter with her homeschooling, write book reviews, update my blogs, check email…you get the picture…I have been wanting to chuck my laptop right in the garbage.

Sorry; I got off track.

So the voting has everything in their own categories, so it does keep it nice and organized. You also have the option of writing in a book, and I honestly have a couple books in mind that I may do this for, because I read them this year and they were fantastic, and deserve to be in this competition.

Do you vote? Have you written in a book you loved and wanted it recognized? Have you ever known one of the authors on the list? Have you been on the list?

What do you do for the categories that you do not read, such as if you do not read science fiction, or romance? Do you just pick one that you like the looks of the cover or the title? Do you think that is fair to the authors? (I am just curious, I have no hard-and-fast rules or feelings about this platform of voting for books).

I think Goodreads is a great resource for readers and writers alike, and will likely be adding some books I come across to my bookshelf.

Silence

AngelaLeave a comment

Silence-Natasha Preston

Image

I put a large number of books on my Nook yesterday, and Silence is one I had read within a day. Yeah, I will regret it later when I am trying to get my homework done that should have been finished already.

I really liked this story, and will definitely get the 2nd book, Broken Silence, even though Goodreads had spoilers all over the place that I couldn’t have missed if I tried (good going, jerks!). Maybe I will get the 2nd book; the 1st reviewer on Goodreads told the whole story of the 2nd book, so I may just save my money.

Anyhow, stay off Goodreads, and find this book. It is a YA story, but it is good. The writing isn’t fantastic, and you need to look past the grammatical errors (hire an editor people, hire your neighbor, hire your cat, but PLEASE, let someone read your story before you print 1000 copies of it).

Oakley is the main character, and has been silent for 11 years. She manages to get by, her family and friends concerned of course but with no idea what to do. I will not say any more, because you can get the idea of this story right from the first few chapters.

It’s a quick read, and one I think you will enjoy. Mild cussing, no graphic sex, no gore.

I’ve got about 12 more books to get through, so I will be starting the next one as soon as I get my homework done today!