It's A Library Thing

It’s a haven for book nerds everywhere. Here they not only can catalog the books that they’ve read, but they can also keep track of how many books they read per month, join groups that suit their tastes to get recommendations for further reading, and they greatest part of all: they get to communicate with people all over the world who also share a passion for books.

It’s an online book community called LibraryThing. (www.librarything.com) It’s a fantastic web site dedicated to the readers of the world. I personally have an account there and love it. I’ve befriended a woman, roughly 52 in age, that lives in England. Now if I’ve never mentioned, I live in Ohio. It’s amazing to talk to someone in another country about things that we both love. She’s in a sense become my pen pal. We both are huge historical fiction fans and recommend books to each other. It’s wonderful to have a connection with someone who is only interested in one of your passions.

Sloth and I (I call her Sloth because it is a shortened version of her handle) belong to a book club called “Book of the Month Club.” At the first of every month, we all list every book we read the previous month and choose a favorite out of all of them. At the end of the year, we compile the list of all of the nominated books of the months and will then choose the absolute best in that group as our book of the year. This group is on the small side. Its small size adds to its charm because all of the members have gotten to know each other almost as friends.

All of this sounds so incredibly nerdy, and maybe it is. But for the users of LibraryThing, it’s truly special. On a personal level, I’ve gained more respect for books and the authors who put their blood, sweat, and tears into creating these works. It also makes you want to read faster so that you can keep adding books to your shelf. At the end of the month, it’s embarrassing to only have four books to report. Granted my college life does not allow for much more than that, I’m hoping to have more time to dedicate to reading upon graduation.

So to all of the book nerds reading this — definitely check out LibraryThing, and go ahead and look me up. I’m Hollister5320. Happy reading!