Hello my wonderfully patient readers!
I am pleased to announce that I am working on some new developments for the website that I hope to incorporate very soon! I am constantly brainstorming new ways to share my love of books, and I'm looking forward to seeing some of these ideas become reality.
In the meantime, I have discovered a new app that is quickly becoming one of my favorite things on my phone. As an avid collector of books, my desire is to own all of the books I possibly can. Like everyone else, I have limited space and financial resources. (But oh, if I won the lottery, there'd be no stopping me!) As such, I have to be careful that I'm not wasting the resources that I do have. Recently, as I'm sure many of you who have a significant collection know, I have discovered that I have bought doubles of books I already own, due to the fact that I can't remember what is on my shelves, especially if I haven't read my copy yet. Seeing as it's a frustrating waste of money, I've been looking for solutions to this problem. And as of a week or so ago, I found my answer.
That answer is an app called BookBuddy. It is a great little organizational tool that I have been utilizing constantly, and it has many great features that help me manage my library. Developed by Kimico, BookBuddy keeps track of books you own, along with what you've lent out to other people, what you've borrowed, and even allows you to make a wish list for what you want to own. And did I mention it has the convenience of being available everywhere you go? I know very few people who go anywhere without their phones nowadays, and that means you have access to your bookshelves with the press of a button.
I am pleased to announce that I am working on some new developments for the website that I hope to incorporate very soon! I am constantly brainstorming new ways to share my love of books, and I'm looking forward to seeing some of these ideas become reality.
In the meantime, I have discovered a new app that is quickly becoming one of my favorite things on my phone. As an avid collector of books, my desire is to own all of the books I possibly can. Like everyone else, I have limited space and financial resources. (But oh, if I won the lottery, there'd be no stopping me!) As such, I have to be careful that I'm not wasting the resources that I do have. Recently, as I'm sure many of you who have a significant collection know, I have discovered that I have bought doubles of books I already own, due to the fact that I can't remember what is on my shelves, especially if I haven't read my copy yet. Seeing as it's a frustrating waste of money, I've been looking for solutions to this problem. And as of a week or so ago, I found my answer.
That answer is an app called BookBuddy. It is a great little organizational tool that I have been utilizing constantly, and it has many great features that help me manage my library. Developed by Kimico, BookBuddy keeps track of books you own, along with what you've lent out to other people, what you've borrowed, and even allows you to make a wish list for what you want to own. And did I mention it has the convenience of being available everywhere you go? I know very few people who go anywhere without their phones nowadays, and that means you have access to your bookshelves with the press of a button.
The unsung hero of book lovers everywhere
While initially free for the first 50 books, it does ask you to upgrade to the Pro version for a one-time fee of $4.99. As someone who saw the potential for managing my vast number of books, it seemed like a more than reasonable price to be able to have unlimited virtual storage capacity. I could even say it might be the best $4.99 I've ever spent. But in order to explain why, I want to mention some of the cool features that make this app so amazing. But then again, if you can't tell by the existence of this website, I tend to geek out about anything book-related.
The initial sorting of your library can be set up in multiple ways, which works for different personality types. When it comes to my books, I'm definitely OCD, so I go by author's last name. Other options are by author's first name, title, genre, your rating, and when it was published, purchased, read, or added to the app. A plethora of options are available! A lot of information about each title can be stored, including the publisher, when it was published, how many pages, the condition the book is in, and all sorts of other information. It's like having a mini librarian with you in your pocket!
The initial sorting of your library can be set up in multiple ways, which works for different personality types. When it comes to my books, I'm definitely OCD, so I go by author's last name. Other options are by author's first name, title, genre, your rating, and when it was published, purchased, read, or added to the app. A plethora of options are available! A lot of information about each title can be stored, including the publisher, when it was published, how many pages, the condition the book is in, and all sorts of other information. It's like having a mini librarian with you in your pocket!
I especially wouldn't mind if he were my mini librarian :)
One of my favorites ideas is the series feature. You can easily see which books are in a specific series, look at what gaps may be missing, and arrange them in chronological order. Never read a series out of sequence ever again. Speaking from experience, it's like seeing the ending of a movie first, and therefore finding the rest of the movie somewhat disappointing in comparison. It's something I try to avoid in order to stop myself from being discouraged from finishing a set of otherwise great stories.
There's also the status feature. Like GoodReads, it can keep track of when you begin and end a book, although it does not allow you to provide status updates like GoodReads does. It's now fairly easy for me to review what I have and have not read, even without an internet connection. (BookBuddy is in no way a replacement for GoodReads for me. Each have their own merits, and I utilize both of them fully.)
And for those of you who like to share their love of books with people they care about, the Loan feature is a brilliant addition. Although I like to think of it as pushing people to expand their horizons when I recommend a book, but I digress. This can be useful for those of us who are constantly busy or just plain forgetful. *Raises hand* I can't tell you how many times I've had to play detective in order to find out where a missing book has gone, leading to cycles of frustration and frantic searching, only to finally recall who was in possession of it. That won't happen anymore, for this feature even includes the option of putting in the lender's contact information. No more calling in the hounds to find a beloved novel!
There's also the status feature. Like GoodReads, it can keep track of when you begin and end a book, although it does not allow you to provide status updates like GoodReads does. It's now fairly easy for me to review what I have and have not read, even without an internet connection. (BookBuddy is in no way a replacement for GoodReads for me. Each have their own merits, and I utilize both of them fully.)
And for those of you who like to share their love of books with people they care about, the Loan feature is a brilliant addition. Although I like to think of it as pushing people to expand their horizons when I recommend a book, but I digress. This can be useful for those of us who are constantly busy or just plain forgetful. *Raises hand* I can't tell you how many times I've had to play detective in order to find out where a missing book has gone, leading to cycles of frustration and frantic searching, only to finally recall who was in possession of it. That won't happen anymore, for this feature even includes the option of putting in the lender's contact information. No more calling in the hounds to find a beloved novel!
RELEASE THE HOUNDS!!! PUSH THE BUTTON MAX!!!
In the same token, there is also the Borrowed feature, which for me is especially useful, considering that anything I borrow could easily be swallowed by my packed bookshelves. After I read a borrowed book, if I don't get it back to the person right away, it will eventually meander its way over to my own archives, where it could very likely not be found until much later. Consider my library the Mary Poppins' bag of books, if you will. It is never ending, and contains much more that you believe possible. Believe me, if I can judge anything from the reactions of people who have seen my collection, it would be that. And it is constantly growing . . . like a weed, my mom would say.
I am still exploring other options that are available on BookBuddy as I continue to add the rest of my library into the app. I'd say I'm 80% done, but that could totally be inaccurate. I am loving finally being able to keep everything cataloged and organized, and it even makes my books physically easier to find. In short, if you love books on any level, (which I would think you do, considering you're reading a blog about books right now), this app is worth the time and money. I hope you, my fellow readers, might take advantage of it. It's free to try, so why not? I'm off to head between the pages. Sleep well, and happy reading!
~Angie~
I am still exploring other options that are available on BookBuddy as I continue to add the rest of my library into the app. I'd say I'm 80% done, but that could totally be inaccurate. I am loving finally being able to keep everything cataloged and organized, and it even makes my books physically easier to find. In short, if you love books on any level, (which I would think you do, considering you're reading a blog about books right now), this app is worth the time and money. I hope you, my fellow readers, might take advantage of it. It's free to try, so why not? I'm off to head between the pages. Sleep well, and happy reading!
~Angie~