Reading is becoming more and more under appreciated as we plough full-steam ahead on our technological road, filled with video billboards and holographic traffic conductors. As television, YouTube, Netflix, and other sources of visual media, dominate our daily lives, good ol’ books have taken a backseat. Although we must not forget our stained pages and leather-bound roots, I will admit that reading on a tablet has its perks. Today, I’m going to share two websites that have made my technological reading experience very enjoyable.
After reading hundreds of books, it’s hard to keep track of how you feel or what you think about each and every one. Over the years, I’ve collected numerous books, but looking back at it, I can’t honestly say that I remember how I felt at the exact moment after reading each of my precious novels. Goodreads allows you to do all of these things by keeping track of your progress on current book, ranking and writing reviews for finished books, and archiving all of these thoughts on your personal profile. You can set a reading challenge for yourself each year (my personal is 50 and so far I have only finished three…) and see your friends’ challenges. It allows you to connect with readers from across the world, as well, and you can read detailed reviews from hardcore book lovers before or after you’ve finished a novel.
The online version is a bit confusing to use, I’ll admit, and it’s not very visually appealing either. I prefer the mobile app, myself, but I’m sure that everyone will be able to navigate the site just fine. (It’s only when you start going into the depths of the settings that things can get a little bit tricky.)
The best part is that there is a Goodreads app on Google Play and the Apple App Store so you can bring your digital bookkeeper on-the-go with you. I love being able to see all of the books my friends have read or are planning to read. I’ve found many novels that have the potential to become my next favourite through my friends as well as the suggestions that Goodreads generates. If you are someone who is blessed with a wonderful memory then I congratulate you, but I am not one of those people. It’s comforting for me to know that if in 10 years I want to know what I thought about a book I read 10 years previous, I have the resources to do so.
{BookBub}
If this website was founded a few years ago, I think it would be way more popular today than it currently is. Although, BookBub was developed in 2012 and has only recently been gaining traction. It’s a wonder that not everybody who has a tablet knows about this website because it is gold. Once you make an account (there is the option to sign up with Facebook), you tell the site what your favourite categories are and it will personalize a homepage for you. BookBub is one of the only websites that I will tolerate daily emails from. It’s understandable that these mega-cheap books will only be available for a limited amount of time. When the daily email comes out, I scan it for books that are of interest to me and download them right away. Even if you don’t end up reading the book right away, what does it matter? You have it downloaded and ready to go right on your device for whenever you decide to pick up that book again.
I have downloaded way more books than I will actually read within the next few years (as I still enjoy getting most of my books in hard copies) but it’s nice to know that they will be there when the day does eventually come. For those of you who are a bit skeptical about this whole business, don’t be. The website redirects you to your respective reading device and, for example, if you want to download a book for an Apple device it will open up iBooks. It is completely safe to use and you probably won’t even need to spend any money with all of the free books that they have available.
Lastly, I will leave you with a reading challenge. The photo quality isn’t amazing, so if you click on the link and open it on a mobile device, the resolution will be much clearer. Don’t get me wrong, I will always be a paperback book girl. Nothing beats the smell of books and the feel of turning the pages, but it’s undoubtable that there are benefits to reading on a tablet or any other e-reader. No matter how you like to read, what matters is that you are taking these adventures and expanding your knowledge of the world.
FTC: This is not a sponsored post, and all opinions are completely genuine. ♥