Top Ten Things That Make Your Life as a Reader/Book Blogger Easier

This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish asks Top Ten Things that make your Life as a Reader/Book Blogger Easier. Here are a few of my favorites!

1) LibraryThing.com – Oh how I love thee! I joined in 2006 and have catalogued and reviewed my books on LT ever since. I keep track of what I own, what’s recommended, what’s loaned and what I’ve read each year.

2) Paperbackswap.com – As soon as I hear about a new book I want to read I add it to my wish list on PBS. Sometimes I cave and buy it before it’s available or get it from the library, but other times I’m willing to wait until a copy is up. I couldn’t afford half the books I own if it wasn’t for PBS.

3) Indy Reads Books – This incredible bookstore has only been around for a year, but I am so in love with it. All the proceeds (100%) support literacy in Indianapolis. They host community events all the time and have a great used book selection.

4) Voice Memos app – I have this on my iPhone and I love using it to record quotes from my audiobooks.

5) My Library – I have a list of 50 books (the limit) on constant rotation at my library. I always have a stack of audiobooks at home and use my library for a lot of new books and eBooks.  

6) Half Priced Books – There are 3 in my state and I am a frequent visitor, both buying and selling books. This is also the one place everyone knows I love getting gift cards to!

7) Audiobooks – I always have at least two audiobooks going at a time; one in my car and one in my house. In the past 10 years I think my reading has become about 50% audio and 50% print. They give me the chance to read so many books I never would have gotten to.

8) Wikipedia – I use it for a quick fact check for nonfiction or historical fiction books when I’m writing reviews.

9) My kindle – It took me a LONG time to actually use my kindle regularly. Now I still tend to reach for a hardcopy first, but I use it a lot when I’m traveling and when I’m reading a huge chunkster.

10) My Clippings (option on my kindle) – I love that you can highlight lines that you read on your kindle and it saves them in a single document. I use this whenever I read an eBook to remember lines I want to include in my reviews.

Photo by moi of my library.

Where in the World Are You Reading: Libraries

This month's Where in the World Are You Reading, hosted by Kailana, Lisa, and Trish is Libraries! The above photo was taken inside my favorite local library, the Central Library in downtown Indianapolis. It is a combination of an old library (completed in 1917) and a new addition (completed just a couple years ago). The result is glorious.

This is the view looking down on the main lobby from the fifth floor. There was actually a wedding reception set up (see the white tables) on the day I took this.

On the left you can see a great view of downtown Indy from the sixth (top) floor of the library.

On the right is a view of the escalators leading all the way up to the top of the library, which take you one floor above the Rivendell-style arches you see in the photo.

On the left you can see the outside of the library. The old half of the library is connected to the new half (on the left), which is six floors high with huge glass walls.

On the right you can see the beautiful older section. There are names of famous authors engraved in the walls.

This library is my happy place. It's my favorite place in the whole city!

Photos by moi.