Category Archives: On the Web

Book Column, Book Talk, Media, On the Web

Podcasts for Bibliophiles

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There is a great thread, in the Books on the Nightstand group, over on Goodreads, where members are listing their favorite podcasts for bibliophiles and book lovers. Even if you’re not a member of GoodReads or prefer other sites (like LibraryThing!) this thread is worth checking out. There are quite a few podcasts mentioned that I’m going to have to check out at least once. Here is a list of the first five that I’m downloading now to see what they have to say:

Greater Boston Book Loft – sounds like this will be a nice shorter 10-15 minute podcast and includes author interviews.

Literary Disco – three friends who are self-professed booknerds

Authors on Tour – this podcast is produced by the good folks at Denver’s indie rockstar bookstore The Tattered Cover

KCRW’s Bookworm – a podcast about books and authors, based in L.A.

The Afterword – produced by Slate

Other than Books on the Nightstand and NPR’s offerings, what podcasts do you listen to? Let me know if I’m missing out.

Birmingham, Bookstores, On the Web

Alabama Booksmith Blogs

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I just ran across the Alabama Booksmith’s blog  and wanted to share with all the other bookish folks in Birmingham. Here the link to their blog. Looks like it’s been weekly since April 2013 and is being staffed by someone calling themselves Paige Turner. So far it’s been an even mix of honest book reviews, recommendations and pitches for Alabama Booksmith events/programs.

I can’t seem to find an RSS feed though. Would you share if you happen to figure out if there is a way to subscribe? Thanks!

Alabama Booksmith blog

Book Column, Book Talk, On the Web, Tools for Readers

The Game of Books

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Game of Books player card Game of Books has been fully funded via their Kickstarter campaign! Basically, it’s home library/book cataloging system where you earn points/skills/etc. based on the books you read… think Dungeons & Dragons meets LibraryThing. This could be a lot of fun.

You start off as an Apprentice and then level up as your reading progresses:

Character Titles:
Apprentice Reader = Level 0+
Journeyman Reader = Level 25+
Craftsman Reader = Level 50+
Master Reader = Level 75+
GrandMaster Reader = Level 100+

At the bottom of their site, there is also a “concept demo” that shows off what your Reader/Character card would look like. Some folks might think it’s hokey (which it may be, we’ll have to see) but many like all of their virtual badges and fake pats on the back for “leveling up” across hundreds of check-in apps. And I think competition can be fun. What I am anxious to see is how well this resonates with the two budding readers in my house… this seems to be the kind of thing that my son would dig.

What do you think? Would you give Game of Books a try?

Book Column, On the Web, Tools for Readers

Looking for a book…

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One of my favorite groups on LibraryThing is “Name That Book“. It falls squarely in the realm of “useful tools for readers”. Basically, they help you find books that you remember reading, but can’t remember the title, author, etc. The discussions are filled with hazy plots, fuzzy cover descriptions, names “that sounds like…”, etc. as people try and zero in on the elusive book title.

It’s amazing how fun the conversations can get when everyone is Googling, searching their shelves and racking their brains to help find the answer to a missing book query. Sort of like a bookish party game with 1,000 people playing.

So if you ever find yourself looking for a book from the mid-80’s about a time-travelling Congressional Page and his dog, give the helpful folks in the LT Name That Book group a chance. Many times the group-think carries the day and if you’re lucky you’ll bump into more books that you might enjoy.

If you’re not up for the discussions and want to cast a larger net, the Library of Congress also has a site set up to help people in their quest for Lost Novels. The page has links to many sites and groups all organized to help reconnect readers with forgotten books. Some of the sites are better than others, but the tips they offer are pretty universal and are worth reading no matter where you look for help.