Books Make a Home

Whenever I'm feeling bummed out (as I have been lately), I like to return to comfort books.  For me, one of those is called Books Make a Home.  This book is full of creative ways people have incorporated books into the designs of their homes.

Similar in theme, the website Bookshelf porn provides lots of images of creative ways people store their books.  (By the way, if you are on Pinterest, this site provides a lot of material for repinning!!!!)

Perhaps, this is the inspiration for my own reuse of my broken bookcase:

Here, I rewrapped old diaper boxes to create "shelving" where the previous shelves broke.   Below is a "dresser" I created out of old boxes, wrapping paper, and tape, for my baby when she was born:

Websites for the Book Lover, Part 3

Hello all! After a round of sickness at my house, I hope to be back at it! :)

Today I discovered a new website and app, called Pocket.  By creating a free account, you can add this tool to your browser (or install the app on your mobile device), and save things to read later.  To me, it sort of acts like Pinterest, except whereas Pinterest focuses on images, Pocket allows you to save images, videos, articles, etc.

I have not played around with it that much, but I plan to get started.  If you use Pocket, let me know how it works for you!

Websites for the Book Lover, Part 2

I do apologize for the delay in posts -- due to inclement weather I had no internet or tv at home.

In case you are one who likes to get others' opinions on the next books you read, it may be helpful to know about different review resources.  The resources listed below provide reviews for all genres and formats for adults (and some for children).

• Library Journal
• Scroll over "Reviews" in the menu bar and choose your genre.  This is a trusted source for Librarians.
• Booklist
• Another great source for Librarians.  The website has a lot of free material.
• New York Times Book Review
• Publishers Weekly
• Amazon
• This is a great place to get customer reviews.  Sometimes it even provides professional comments from the above-listed sources.

In later posts, I will cover the world of Children's books, which has many unique sources of information.  There are many sources for reviews, which ones do you use?

Websites for the Book Lover, Part 1

In the next several posts, I will offer helpful online tools for finding new books to read, getting reviews, and keeping a track record of what you've read.

First up: Read-a-Likes.  The following list of websites will all help you find books based on authors and genres you already adore.

• Fantastic Fiction 
• This website is absolutely amazing.  By searching for an author, you can find out all the books that have been published for him/her, the order of series, new books expected to be published, and a linked list of related authors.
• Whichbook
• This website lets you combine different factors to create a suggested reading list.  You slide the scale according to different ranges (beautiful/disgusting, funny/serious).  You can browse their pre-chosen categories, and even create lists by signing in.  The site also links to Facebook.
• whatshouldireadnext.com
• This site suggests your next book based on an author or title you enter into their search engine.

• Your local libraries' online resources.  Many public libraries subscribe to an online database, such as Novelist or Books and Authors, that will help you explore new authors.  In addition, librarians love to put together read-a-like lists based on their patrons' most popular requests.

I know there are countless online tools to help you decide what to read next.  What tools do you use?