Book Riot Love

I tend to hunker down with my books and writing like it’s winter and everyone else is hibernating. If I have a few extra minutes somewhere, somehow, instead of playing on the internet, I sneak out my latest hardcover book and read a chapter or two. Even when it comes to Twitter, where I love the writing community and author tweets, sometimes I’d rather work on my latest manuscript.

So months ago when my best book friend began talking about this thing called Book Riot, I kind of ignored her. Or, I listened, but not with the intention of checking it out for myself. Finally, in late January, she convinced me to give the thing I try.

Now, I’m addicted. Obsessed. Giddy.

If you don’t know what Book Riot is but if you love books, go here now. Seriously, now. This blog post will still be here in an hour or two when you’ve finally pulled yourself away from Book Riot’s awesomeness. (I even got distracted just opening the site to hyperlink it to this post.)

What’s so great about Book Riot? In general, they talk about books, nerdy book stuff, publishing and writing. In other words, it’s the perfect website for me. But more specifically, what is it about Book Riot that sucked me in like a beautiful black hole? These things:

What Rioters Are Reading posts get me more than almost anything else. The site’s contributors tell you not only what they’re reading, but why they picked it and what they think of it. It’s a dream (nightmare?) for a girl (or boy) with a perpetually growing reading wish list.

Book Fetish posts show pictures of all kinds of book related t-shirts, mugs, posters, jewelry, etc. Not that I’m running out to buy all of it, but I still love looking at it longingly. Or giggling about it. Or scoffing. (Because no way would I ever buy that, otherwise I’d be proclaiming to the world that I’m a book nerd.)

Random posts that catch your attention and lead to random articles you love. Like the one called Give Me Some Money So I Can Open My Dream Bookstore, which is totally a dream for me and my best book friend. Or the one called Read This, Then That: MY HEART AND OTHER BLACK HOLES and Other YA Books That Love Physics, which led me to not only the book in the title (a great book, one whose author, Jasmine Warga, will be at Joseph-Beth here in Cincinnati on Monday evening for a signing), but to several other books. Or this one called Genre Kryptonite: Unreliable Narrators, which is about one of my genre kryptonites and is full of books I haven’t read. (Let’s not get me started on all the YA novels with unreliable narrators that I love.)

The Book Riot Podcast may be the best thing to happen to my ninety minute per day commute for work. Rebecca Schinsky and Jeff O’Neal are like my new book best friends…whom I’ve never met. (Plus, you know, they have no idea who I am.) I’ve learned so much about new books, book tech, and the publishing industry. And that’s not to mention all the books I’ve added to my to-read list. Some of them I’ve already devoured – Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, Dare Me by Megan Abbott, The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri—and there’s a whole lot more I have to stop myself from buying when I walk into a bookstore.

The Quarterly Box speaks for itself. Or, if you’re not familiar with Book Riot, maybe not. BUT, I just got my first box yesterday and it’s awesome, perfect in all its book nerdiness. Click here if you want to know more details. But for now, here’s a picture of my first box. (You know you want one, too.)