Bibliophiles Unite!

I've found an incredible website for you bibliophiles out there. It's called Library Thing and it's a place where you can catalog all of your books, books your reading, books you want to read . . . Basically you can do whatever you like with it. You can then categorize them based upon subject, favorites, books to read, books to borrow, etc.

Now, when I first saw the sight listed on another blog I was intrigued, checked it out but wasn't really sure what the point was. But I kept going back and I am now proud to say that I've joined up and it's addictive! I spent 45 minutes last night cataloging about 80 or so books (with Howard Zinn's works listed in bulk, as they should be) and it's so fun!

I listed mostly favorites, authors and books, and then have a lot that are on my "To Read" list. I used to use my shopping cart at Amazon.com to keep track of those, but now I have them all in one place and can go to my own personal library before I go to my public library or before I make my next book purchase at the bookstore or whatever!

But that's only the beginning. The best part about the site, in my opinion, is that it links you up with other people who have catalogued the same books or have an interest in the same categories. You can simply click on a link to see who else has that book and then you can peruse their library! You can get ideas for other books you might like to read or share your comments or reviews about the book, message boards so you can find groups of people with similar interests - an online book community!

I don't know about you, but I've been waiting for something like this. Hey, I've had trouble finding people to talk about books with (except for Shannon! We're our own little book club these days), and I know it's yet another online "community" thing which is somewhat of an oxymoron for me because there is no physical interaction between people - we're all just inputting letters into a machine and calling it conversation. Six months ago I would have been "No way. Not interested." I had a bit of a phobia about getting too deep into this internet thing because I think for some it can cause isolation, withdrawal from real life and real things that you can touch, smell, taste . . . But, hell, if you can't beat 'em join 'em, right?

So if you're interested check it out. It really is a lot of fun. I haven't even gotten to check out too many other libraries on the site, but I'm having a blast just listing everything! (I have no idea why) The site is free (you can list up to 200 books before upgrading to a paid account), the registration was one step and you're ready to go! Be sure to check out my library while you're there - I've got a link under the "Websites I Like" section to your right.

Keep reading, Everybody!