Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Things That Make Your Life As A Reader/Book Blogger Easier

In which Sam rants about law school, raves about some nifty reading/blogging aids, and gives new meaning to the term "Throwback Thursday". 

As always, this feature brought to you by the fabulous Broke and Bookish Blog!

So as you may have guessed, I am back for my second-to-last semester of law school and already behind at posting my Top Ten Tuesday Thursday list. I'll be working out the kinks of my new schedule, but for now, please enjoy a belated throwback Thursday to this week's super-practical TTT :)

10. Lending Library Shelf

Notably, I have yet to make any significant headway in The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy

There's nothing better than lending books from friends. You'll get reads you never would have picked up yourself, and in lean times it's a great way to keep yourself awash in fresh stories without much cash! Just remember that you also have to be willing to lend out your books, too :)


9. Roomy Purse

I went nearly 25 years without consistently carrying a purse, always stuffing my wallet and keys (and eventually phone) into the pockets and purses of my friends and family. Interestingly, this habit was apparently an irritating one, and I also discovered that books I carried about were much more likely to get lost without the security of my more responsible friends' handbags. So, alas, the time came for adulthood, and a real, roomy bag. Now, I can carry BOOKS! And, you know, my own keys and stuff.

Anyone who has encountered me in real life in the last month is shaking their head knowingly and thinking "She cannot stop talking about that purse"

8. Keeping a Camera Handy

This is for the stealthy book seekers among you - sometimes a scrap of paper and a pen isn't handy, and if I see a title/cover/author that intrigues me, wherever I am I surreptitiously snap a photo and it's much faster and sneaker than any other way. Later, I can scroll through my pictures and see all the books I want to check out.

This habit did not seem as creepy in my head as it does aloud.

7. Tea, Hot Chocolate, and Various Snacks

Reading requires stamina! If I don't have a hot beverage or hot soup or snack crackers or something, I could become fatigued and faint mid-narrative.

Image credit to Rae at The Keep Calm-O-Matic

6. Google Calendar

For us bloggers, keeping organized - who has a post due, whose social media promotion is coming up - is a matter of synchronizing calendars, and no joke, Google Calendar does it best.

Pictured: Google, according to my imagination slash the Internet

5. Hosted Features

As newbie bloggers, we wanted to become part of the YA blogging community, and the biggest welcome and warmest reception we got was from participating in hosted features (like this TTT!) We love seeing other bloggers' takes on the topics at hand, and it's been a lot of fun getting to know other writers!

4. Milk Crates

Bookshelves make great display cases for a book collection, but they are not particularly mobile, as I discovered this summer while travelling for two months to Georgia. A milk crate, on the other hand, can be stacked like a shelf and also be instantaneously converted into an easy-to-carry box. Multifunctional!

Also does triple-duty as lighting!

3. Post-It Notes

Sometimes I get aggressively passionate about books. Post-Its are a gentle way of marking up all the passages that make me swoon and stare and shout out, without completely destroying the book (although, admittedly...I do that anyway.) Anyone who has seen my law school textbooks will agree that my "tabbing" habit may be out of control...

Post-It graveyard.

2. Fluffy Pets

Sometimes a book gives you too many feels. Too many feels to speak. That's when you need a hug, specifically a hug from a fluffy friend, who passes no judgment but will probably get fur on your clothing.

LOOK AT MY DOG. LOOK AT HER FLUFF.

1. Goodreads

I know, I know...It's not super fun and wild. It's sort of an anticlimatic end to the list. But it's dead useful. And I've never been able to see at once all the books I've read. I wish I had used this forever! I've been resisting the temptation to add all the books I remember reading and only add the ones I've read after I started using the app. It's an excuse to re-read my favorites :)

Did you have some items in common with us? We'd love to see your lists!

Cheers,

sam