Ten Online Resources for Book Lovers

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week's topic ought to be useful for all of us! We're sharing websites, podcasts, apps, and other online resources that our fellow book lovers may find useful. Most of these are ones I've talked about before, but here they all are together!

1. Book Series in Order
This site has been super helpful in my quest to read all of Agatha's Christie's books, since I like to read each sleuth's books in order of publication. It's also come in handy for series I read with my son, so I know the next book to request from the library!

2. For Real podcast
This is a biweekly podcast focused on nonfiction reads. Each week the hosts profile some of the most interesting new releases, then dive into a specific topic with related recommendations. My TBR gets longer every single time I listen to this one!

3. Get Booked podcast
I love the broad range of books that get discussed on this show! Listeners write in with requests for specific recommendations (e.g., books set in a specific small country, books that will teach them more about a specific historical event, books that are readalikes for their favorites) and then the two hosts each recommend a book they think would fit the request. If they're stumped, they'll ask their colleagues at Book Riot for suggestions, so it's not always limited to just what the hosts have personally had the chance to read.

4. Goodreads
Obviously I love Goodreads for tracking my own reading and sharing my ratings and reviews, but it's also a great source of book recommendations. I like finding new people to follow who have similar literary tastes, and I've filtered my home feed to only show updates that include reviews, so I don't have the frustration of wondering, "But why did you give it 3 stars?" I also like looking through the lists to find books that are highly rated or very popular that I haven't read or books that fit a particular category I want to know more about.

5. Kindle app
I like reading on my Kindle Voyage, but it stays on my nightstand unless I'm going on vacation. With the app, I can read my current book wherever I am, and it syncs to the spot where I left off on another device. I am definitely one of those people who will get five minutes of reading in while waiting in line at the grocery store.

6. My TBR
I got a Recommendations subscription for Christmas last year, and it's been so fun to have a "bibliologist" picking out three books specifically for me and my reading preferences once a quarter. I can provide feedback on the recommendations and choose how far outside my comfort zone I want to go. For the most part, they've found ones I hadn't heard of but enjoyed reading!

7. OverDrive
OverDrive is the primary reason I'm able to read so many books in a year. Anytime I finish a book, I can immediately send a new one to my Kindle or download a new audiobook for my phone. No waiting! And the wish list feature keeps track of the books I want to read, so I can filter by books on my wish list that are available immediately for download. It's amazing.

8. Overdue podcast
This isn't one I subscribe to, but when I finish a book I enjoy listening to an episode about it if there is one in the extensive archives. One host will read the book and then attempt to summarize the plot to the other one, who will ask clarifying questions that generally make the book's plot sound nonsensical and hilarious when it's picked apart like that. The one who didn't read the book will do background research on the author, which can be quite interesting to hear.

9. PaperBackSwap
When I can't find a book at the library, or when I love a book and decide I want to own a hard copy, it goes on my PaperBackSwap wish list. When I'm next in line and someone posts a used copy, then I can use one of my credits to have it shipped to me! The books are almost always in good condition, and all I have to do to get another credit is pay Media Mail rates to have one of my old books sent to someone. It's only like $20 a year for a membership, which is totally worth it!

10. What Should I Read Next? podcast
Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy (a great resource unto itself!) uses the clear structure of "Tell me three books you love, one book you don't, and what you're reading now" to recommend to her guest three (or more) books she thinks they'd like. The format is helpful for letting me know whether I'd also like the books she's recommending or if the guest has different taste than me. She's also great at interviewing the guests to draw out the interesting details of their lives or work.

What resources do you recommend?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: The Vanishing Half and Sabriel
Five years ago I was reading: A Little Life, Adoption Parenting, La traduction est une histoire d'amour, and On the Road
Ten years ago I was reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Eight Bookish Podcasts I Enjoy

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week's topic is an audio freebie! I've previously shared books best experienced on audio and what makes a good or bad audiobook so I decided to go a slightly different route this time and share some bookish podcasts that I have enjoyed.

1. Audio Book Club (Slate)
This one is unfortunately on an indefinite hiatus, but that's OK; it falls into the category for me of podcasts that I keep in my library so that when I finish a book I can see if any of them have covered that title before. There are a lot of bad book discussions out there, but this one is truly like a book club of very smart people who all have insightful things to say and often bring in references to scholarly articles or other authors' works. It's not always the same people each week, either, and when relevant they try to bring in voices that matched the lived experiences of race, gender, or whatever other topic is central to the book under discussion.

2. For Real
This podcast just hit its one-year anniversary! It's a biweekly podcast focused on nonfiction reads. Each week the hosts profile some of the most interesting new releases, then dive into a specific topic with related recommendations. My TBR gets longer every single time I listen to this one.

3. Get Booked
I love the broad range of books that get discussed on this show! Listeners write in with requests for specific recommendations (e.g., books set in a specific small country, books that will teach them more about a specific historical event, books that are readalikes for their favorites) and then the two hosts each recommend a book they think would fit the request. If they're stumped, they'll ask their colleagues at Book Riot for suggestions, so it's not always limited to just what the hosts have personally had the chance to read.

4. Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
So far this year I've been successful at my goal to read a chapter of Harry Potter in French and then listen to that chapter's episode of this podcast. The hosts are delightful, have great stories and insights, and bring another level of engagement to the text that I appreciate.

5. Overdue
This is another one that I keep in my library of podcasts so I can be sure to listen to the corresponding episode any time I finish a book that Andrew and Craig have covered previously. Originally the podcast's format wasn't my favorite because it didn't provide a lot of deep insight, but now I genuinely enjoy it. One host will read the book and then attempt to summarize the plot to the other one, who will ask clarifying questions that generally make the book's plot sound nonsensical and hilarious when it's picked apart like that. The one who didn't read the book will do background research on the author, which can be quite interesting to hear.

6. Throwback Bookstack
I just listened to my first episode of this one but I plan to keep it in my library to search. The hosts read children's literature (including middle grade and young adult) that they read growing up and now are rereading as 30-something women. A lot of the podcasts I've tried that are in the vein of "friends or siblings read books and then discuss together" are poorly edited and include a lot of giggling and tangential conversations or in-jokes, but this one is much more straightforward, with continuous dialogue and good sound quality.

7. What Should I Read Next?
I've been reading Anne Bogel since Modern Mrs. Darcy was in its infancy, but for some reason I didn't listen to her podcast when she first started it — I think I was afraid it would overwhelm my TBR list! Now that I have a looser framework for tracking books I might be interested in, I'm glad I've started listening to this podcast, in which Anne uses the clear structure of "Tell me three books you love, one book you don't, and what you're reading now" to recommend to her guest three (or more) books she thinks they'd like. She's also great at interviewing the guests to draw out the interesting details of their lives or work.

8. World Book Club (BBC)
This podcast has a different format than most of the ones I listen to since the BBC is enough of a big deal to actually get famous authors on their show. Each author is there to talk about their most well-known work (so it's another one I keep in the library for when I've finished a specific book), and they field questions that are sent in from readers literally all over the world. Even when I did not like the book, it's interesting to hear authors talk about their books, and since it's taped with a live audience who can also jump in with questions, sometimes you can get real wildcard topics!

What are your favorite bookish podcasts?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Watership Down, The Thorn Birds, and America's Public Schools
Five years ago I was reading: Persuasion, The Body & Society, and War and Peace
Ten years ago I was reading: The Glass Castle