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I am Lover of romance, who indulges in the romantic adventures of literature

My name is Renee, and I am the host of this site. I am a 34 year old woman, on the prowl for her mate, searching out the best of books, exploring the wilds of the imagination and delving into the heart of a beautiful love story.

 

Tea & Biscuits Book Discussion: Finding Those Books!!

by | Aug 17, 2015 | Uncategorized | 10 comments

Tea & BiscuitsBook Discussion

 

Over the years finding books and new authors has definitely changed. When I first started reading romance, my library was my source of reading. I was just 16, so I didn’t have money to go buy a ton of books. But I had the local library and it wasn’t easy finding the romance. The way the library was organized, it was going through each shelf and trying to find the romance—which wasn’t too difficult and the spine of romances back then were very obvious (one clue was the publisher in most cases it was Avon so I just looked for their imprint on the spine and voila a romance). For quite a few years the library was my main source of book reading, since right after high school I went to a junior college, that was in a small town, and there wasn’t any Barnes and Noble or Borders back then hehe…just the library and they actually had a decent romance collection. And for many years I relied on the library quite often, until I moved to where I am now. The romance selection that they have is pretty amazing, and I am one lucky gal. There is probably at least three long aisles of romance, its a newer library so that may be the reason. But its only been around for about five years ever since I started the blog. Every now and then I would buy some books, but mostly I relied on the library for finding those new authors and getting recommendations. Then Goodreads came along–and yes I was reading long before Goodreads and I have no idea how I survived before to be honest.

Now, what is the best way to find book recommendations? There are many available book platforms out there. Now the most popular is very obvious Goodreads….I think all of us use Goodreads. But ever since I started a blog I use two platforms that I rely on the most. Goodreads and LibraryThing. Now those who don’t know what LibraryThing is or don’t know much about it here is some info.

LibraryThing is more of a database to build a book library on. It has more emphasis on the details of a book than the social atmosphere. Now they have groups and a community but its smaller than Goodreads, but other than Goodreads this is the other platform I use the most often to place my reviews and my wishlist of reads on. I don’t use it as much as I used to but I actually like it in some ways. For instance, if I want to know the specific sub-genres (best when reading historical romance) this is a great place to see all those sub genres that aren’t obvious in the blurb or synopsis. Its not for everyone, but I tend to really like it if I want more details on a book I have interests in reading.

Now let us talk about one of my favorite ways to find new authors and recommendations: book blogs!! I love browsing through my favorite blogs and seeing what my friends are reading and what they are loving and in most cases I have loved every one of those books that they have recommended. I read most reviews through those book blogs I follow on a daily and weekly basis. Its also a great way to build personal connections and seeing that reviewer’s personality come through. Now don’t get me wrong, I still read reviews on Goodreads but its so much more fun through a book blog. Because each blog is so unique and different. Its such fun to see how we set up reviews different and all the fun stuff we add into it as well. There are some other resources available such as Heroes and Heartbreakers, RT Book Reviews and Fantastic Fiction and many others. Here is a full list if you want more here

So is that it or is there more for us? Well yes, there is quite more. There are many other platforms such as Shelfari, Book likes and such. But another way I like to find new books is heading over to my local Barnes & Noble. Now I am a huge fan of B&N, its really the only actual bookstore we have around where I live. And I love going in there with the scent of coffee beans plus the hint of books—I would love it if they had a candle with that scent!! Its always fun to head to the cafe they have, drink a latte and read my current read. But many times I will browse the bookshelves since I do like to purchase paperbacks especially if they are the same price as an ebook.

I have found that through the years, with technology advancing as it has, that we have so much available to us for finding new books. So I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue.

 

Questions For My Readers? 

How did you find those books before Goodreads and Librarything? 

What is your favorite bookish platform to use? 

Do you prefer reading reviews via Blogs, Goodreads, or other platforms? 

Do you go through online revenues or do you prefer to be old fashioned and find books through a book club or your local bookstore? 

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10 Comments

  1. Camille

    Before Goodreads and all that, my source for books was basically the local book stores. I did enjoy going to the library during my elementary school days and I too had to find the romance books in the shelves because there weren’t a lot. We didn’t have a lot of local libraries too so yeah, book stores it was. But then goodreads came and I used that a lot, mainly to track which books I’ve already read and which are coming out soon. And like you, I do read Goodreads review but I do enjoy reading reviews from book blogs as well. They’re fun to read and get insights from. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Red Iza

    When I started reading romances in English, I didn’t have many references, so I was saved by Goodreads ! What would I do without the internet ? On GR, I found advice, groups, shelves with plenty of ideas, but discovering other bloggers was another experiences. Like you, I like visiting them, seeing the different personalities shine through, they make me read books I would never have thought about, I discover not only books, but also the humans behind them 🙂

    Reply
  3. Quinn's Book Nook

    When I first got into romance, it was definitely before Goodreads. I also didn’t know anyone else who did read romance, so I couldn’t get personal recommendations. I definitely relied on my library, which was a huge help. But I also relied heavily on Amazon Customer Reviews and how Amazon will recommend books based on the ones you’re looking for.

    I actually have been feeling really nostalgic about that time in my reading life. It was filled with so much discovery because my romance was a completely new genre to me.

    Today I rely firstly on book blogs. Actually, it is because of book blogs that I got back into romance. Forawhile I was reading mostly YA and kids books. Which are great, but I’m so happy exploring this genre again.

    I do love Goodreads, though, too.

    Reply
  4. Sophia Rose

    I feel spoiled b/c even before the internet, I had several places to go to get books. I hit the library, frequently. Ours was small and didn’t have much so it didn’t have many of the books and authors I was interested in. Then we had two bookstores within a half hour- one chain and one indie. I actually rarely bought there. I would just look to see what out there and available. I made lists and then I headed to the used bookstore, the rummage sales and second hand shops. I knew where the bookswap places were and used them.

    But then I moved across country and had to start all over. There were no close bookstores and no close library either. Fortunately, the internet age hit and I had Amazon and BN.com to peruse. My friend opened her used book store in ’99 and she carried lots of authors I loved and many that were new to me. Ten years ago, we got a library in our part of the county, but there still isn’t much romance and you have to order it from another branch.

    But in the last five years, it has been Amazon, GoodReads, and blog frenzied. I, too, have no clue how I survived without GoodReads and fun book review blogs to visit. 🙂 I know longer take my lists when out and about, but haul out my phone to check my GR wish list shelves.

    Fun romp down memory lane, Renee. I enjoyed getting your book hunting background, too.

    Reply
  5. Carol Cork

    Living in the UK, the library only offered Mills and Boon romances . It wasn’t until Borders opened here that I had access to a full range of romances from other publishers. I used to buy my books based on the cover blurb alone as, at that time, I didn’t know there were such resources as Goodreads. Once, I discovered Goodreads, friends would recommend books which I probably would never have read otherwise. I still read reviews on Goodreads but, these days, I also follow several book blogs.

    Reply
  6. Jennifer_FairyTales

    When I first discovered romance, I relied on the library romance racks. Then I started using the Internet, relying mostly on reviews that I found at All About Romance, Dear Author, SBTB, and the dearly departed Romance Reader. I did Shelfari for awhile, but had a hard time organizing my books the way I wanted. Now I am a Goodreads addict! I don’t do the Groups very often, but I love the organizational options and seeing which of my friends have read/reviewed a book that I hear about. Of course, I still love my fellow bloggers!

    Reply
  7. kimbacaffeinate

    My library was the greatest source, then B&N had book club forums and I discovered books there. Eventually I made it to Goodreads. I look at blog reviews, Goodreads and Amazon if I am undecided. Usually though the cover/synopsis make my decision.

    Reply
  8. Sharonda

    I havent been on LibraryThing in ages or the Library for that matter. Great post! I usually find my recs through blogs 🙂

    Reply
  9. Lexxie

    Before Goodreads, I got my book recommendations through amazon… I have been buying my books from them since the very beginning, waiting for over a month to receive the precious books I had ordered. And before that, I was a member of a book of the month club. There were also a lot more book stores around before, so it was possible to browse and pick up books and read a few pages to see if I thought I’d enjoy it or not.
    Now, it’s blogs all the way, though! I use Goodreads to keep track of my books, even if I should really try to have an offline list as well, as I own so many books. But recommendations nowadays are 95% from other bloggers, whose reviews make me see fairly quickly if I would enjoy a book or not.

    Reply
  10. AJ Sterkel

    Before I got involved in book blogging, I used to wander the shelves at B&N for hours, searching for something to read. Book Blogging and watching BookTube changed all that. Now my TBR list is massive. Instead of wondering what I’m going to read next, I’m wondering how I’m possibly going to read all this stuff.

    Reply

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