Where to discuss and review books: SMASHBOMB.

Hey, everyone! I often get asked where I talk about books, or where I find books to read, so I thought I'd write a few entries to answer those questions. This entry is the first in that series.

So I'm always looking for places to chat about books or discover new book recommendations. I'm also a fan of discovering new websites. Smashbomb is a newer site that allows me to do all these things. I love joining an up and coming site because you get a lot of interested people who are invested in the site's success. You can provide actual input into how the site is run, laid out, and more. And you get to interact with a bunch of people who are interested in the same things as you. While some sites--think Goodreads--are dedicated to one topic, Smashbomb is a fun place to discuss apps, books, movies, music, tv, games, and more. Of course, since it's me, my favorite part is their book reviews section. You can upload reviews, comment on others' reviews, create book lists, and recommend books to others. What's not to love, right? It's a great way to learn about new books and to share your reviews with a new audience.

One of my favorite things about Smashbombs is, well, the badges. I love to collect badges, I won't lie. At Smashbomb, you can collect "kudos points" for a whole range of things--everything from signing in (hey, I can do that!), posting a review, getting likes for a review, leaving others' kudos, and more. The more kudos points you earn, the more badges you get. Maybe it's just me, but there's just a sweet satisfaction in leveling up and earning a badge. I'm a simple soul. Plus, the Smashbomb folks have set it up so that the more kudos points you have, the more likes (kudos) you can dole out to other reviewers.


And... the more kudos points you have, besides badges, the more you are eligible to enter Giveaways. There's a whole host of cool items eligible for giveaways at Smashbomb. Like books? They are giving some away! Like technology? Enter for an Amazon Echo Dot or a Tile Pro. The more kudos points you have, the more contests you can enter. You just have to review what you win (and thereby earn more points - I love it)!

You can also enter groups (called Orbs) on Smashbomb, where you can discuss books (or anything else). You can even create your own Orb, which is really cool. Users can create polls, lists, and more on Smashbomb, thanks to its user-friendly interface. It's one of my favorite things about the site: how much the users are involved and how easy it is to use. You can scroll down your feed to spot recommendations and reviews from your friends--spanning a variety of topics. Depending on who you follow (book lovers, movie lovers, etc.), you'll see items that trend in a particular way. But I've found some great book reviews this way!

So, there you have it. Entry #1 in covering places where I discuss books and find new book recommendations. More to come & happy reading!

If you're interested in checking out Smashbomb, head to Smashbomb here. And if you join, please don't forget to follow me, here.

Let's write a story of a title wave: An ode to our local libraries.

I have no new ARC publications to advertise this week, but I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of both Jane Green's FALLING and Ruth Ware's THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 from my local library. Both are out in publication today!

I read an article recently -- Why Don't Any Experts Recommend This Place? -- about our local libraries. And it's so true. I'm constantly amazed by how many people overlook their local library. People are often shocked at how many books I read, and while I read a lot more books now via ARC, I've been a big library fan for many years. I probably log into my account and stalk my hold list a couple of times a week (OK, maybe every day). And great libraries aren't just for the big city. I live in a small, rural town, but our library offers a great collection of both "actual" books and ebooks. And, as the referenced article from The Writing Cooperative points out, if they don't have what I want, most times, I can either get it transferred from another branch, or they order it! What an awesome (and completely overlooked) idea. And, best of all, it's free!

Even better, our local library offers programs for adults and kids alike. My four-year-old daughters have literally grown up with our local library, and our lovely librarians know them by name (and they know the librarians). They've been going to the storytime programs at our local branch since before they could walk. We rely on their large supply of children's books to augment our collection--and when we find a book we really love (which happens a lot), we know to track it down and add it to the kids' bookshelves. Our library offers fun summer reading programs with incentives for the kids to keep reading, and across our system, there are a ton of other fun programs for both kids and adults all year. We are even luckier, that despite living in a town of a population of less than 500 people, our library is less than 2 miles away. And every time we go, there are people inside - adults perusing magazines and books, teens using the computers and Internet, kids looking at books. Honestly, it does my heart good.

So, in case you can't tell, I'm a huge library fan. I guess my point is: why isn't everyone? Libraries are an excellent resource for us all, but more importantly, our communities need them. We need to remember that not everyone is as lucky, as, for instance, my family, where we can use the library to supplement our own large book collection and as a way to find books to add to this ever-growing collection. I put books on hold using our home Internet collection. My kids are growing up in a house filled with reading and learning. Not every kid is so lucky. There are still many youth who need our libraries and what they offer.

Plus, libraries represent more than learning: they represent community. They bring people together. At my daughters' fourth birthday party, all the kids who attended were friends they met through the library's storytime program. Some of these kids they've known for years. That's a pretty neat concept.

If you aren't using your local library, give it a try. Like every other local institution, most libraries could use our help. Volunteer, make a donation, or just stop by. I can guarantee you'll be glad you did.

It's okay if you don't know everything.

In this digital day and age, it seems like we can all stay connected in a multitude of ways. So, in case you want to hear about blog posts in various ways, I offer you all these awesome options:

*Just A Cat And a Book's Page on Facebook - Join in the Conversation!

*Basically one of my favorite book-related sites of all times, Goodreads, which I use for tracking books and checking out other people's reviews

*The Twitter page for the blog - never miss a review, plus check out what other authors are up to!

*And if you really want to go crazy, feel free to follow my personal Twitter account, which talks about books, kids, sports, and a lot of other crazy stuff!


If you have a Twitter or Goodreads account I should follow, let me know!