Two years ago, I began sharing my 3 Favorite Reads each November—prompted by the tech-elves at Shepherd.com, a book discovery site. Thanks to a yearly email prompt, it’s easy for authors to create an annual list of favorites— and my choices will hardly be much of a surprise to you all. (Click on the image for more details.)
Shepherd continues to improve and grow, while providing regular (and honest) updates to its authors and supporters. They are currently working on adding functionality that will make it easy to track both completed books and wishlists, and I’m already looking forward to the day when I can transfer my data over from Storygraph (which years ago replaced Goodreads as my reading record-keeper of choice).
Along the way, Shepherd’s choices have forced me to consider my own reading and logging habits in the greater context of the reading community. I like keeping track of how many books I read each year, but I’m not interested in daily logs of how many pages I read last night. Similarly, I like posting a one-word impression but won’t bother to post a full review of a book I didn’t really enjoy.
Reading is definitely easier than writing, but in our age of short attention spans it has its own challenges. I look forward to increased visibility for lesser-known authors like me, as well as the chance to discover fresh voices in our crowded book world.
Got a favorite way to discover new books and track your reading? Share your preferences in the comments below, or send me an email. I read every single one, with gratitude.
Thanks for being here, and see you next Thursday.
Really enjoyed West with Giraffes. Have not read the other two.