Discovery of the Week: Goodreads

I finally have an account on Goodreads, this week’s Discovery of the Week!

I know I’m really behind the times on this week’s topic but hey, it’s better to show up to the party late rather than never, right? Goodreads has been around for seven years and I’ve been seeing Facebook notifications pretty much ever since. For any who don’t know, Goodreads is a social network for readers. I’m kind of on a books kick right now, actually, I’m always on one. You can review things you’ve already read, select books you want to read, and even highlight what you’re currently reading.

You can also “friend” people on the site, just like Facebook, and read their reviews on things they’ve read. It’s a really cool way to keep all of your reading lists together in one place, and it’s great that you can suggest things to people you know, or get suggestions from them on what to read.

This is another great source of information on new books to discover and I can easily see this being very dangerous. I already have a reading pile at least 50 books high at home, a Pinterest board of things I want to read that has around 85 titles on it, and no time in my schedule to read any of them. Still, I’m excited to explore Goodreads and see what books other people are talking about.

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Discovery of the Week: Problems of a Book Nerd

Last week I mentioned how great Tumblr is for new discoveries. Well Buzzfeed is another great source for finding cool new corners of the internet.

This week’s discovery actually involves both of those sites. I’d like to introduce you to Problems of a Book Nerd.

Thanks to this Buzzfeed post, I learned about Problems of a Book Nerd, a tumblr devoted to posts about issues book lovers face.

People submit “book nerd problems” and the creator of the blog goes through them and decides which ones to share, then numbers them, and posts them (at the time of this post there were over 650 “problems).

This is an example of some of the many posts. They’re funny little situations that many readers have either experienced, or heard stories of. I’ve seen a lot of these pinned on Pinterest and posted on Facebook. I never knew where they came from and I’m so glad I found this tumblr. I’m currently working my throw the archives. My favorite so far is this one below.

I love the note at the bottom. I think that’s a beautiful thought.

In addition to these posts, the girl who runs the blog answers questions her followers have messaged her. Most of them have to do with favorite books and book experiences but occasionally there are some other, non-book related questions topics.

I’m still figuring out this whole Tumblr thing and I like that I’m finding new blogs to follow. I love reading and I never have enough time in my schedule to do so as much as I’d like. So, I have to live vicariously through Pinterest book boards and now Tumblr blogs like this one.

Discovery of the Week: Missdemeanor on RedBubble

After missing last week, I’m back with a discovery that is very near and dear to my heart. I’m talking about my sister’s RedBubble account.

Photo courtesy of http://8tracks.com

For those of you who don’t know, RedBubble is a website where people can upload their own designs for t-shirts, hoodies and an assortment of other accessories. It’s really cool because it provides artsy people, like my sister, an easy way to create products to sell.

After a friend of mine told her about the site, and her success, my sister created her own account and immediately got started on some awesome designs.

I love my sister and she is extremely talented. I’m so happy she’s found an outlet for this creativity and I am happy to promote her awesomeness.

You can find her designs under the username “missdemeanor,” and all of her items are very adorably geeky (much like the creator herself), centering around subjects like Harry Potter characters and Doctor Who.

Discovery of the Week: Polyvore

Hello again!

Welcome back to all two of you reading this 🙂

I have another website to share with you today. I know I promised to branch out more off the web but hey, this is my blog and I’ll do what I want to (seriously though, I am keeping an eye/hear open for any cool discoveries in the real world).

I can tell this new site is going to be very addicting. It’s like Pinterest met InDesign and had a baby they shared with us.

I introduce you to Polyvore!

Okay, so I know it’s been around for a bit (I’ve been seeing Polyvore sets on Pinterest since I joined two years ago) but I’ve only just recently become curious as to what it is exactly. I finally followed that curiosity to the site, where I soon discovered an amazing world of fashion splendor.

So here’s how it works:

Polyvore acts as kind of an interactive shopping experience. You can create “sets” of things (clothes, makeup, furniture, perfume, etc.) that you like. You select each item and then arrange them in a InDesign-esq program (it is simpler than that but hopefully that gives you an idea of how to make a set). For example, here is a set I created:

I went through a list of tops, bottoms, shoes, and accessories to complete this look. Each time you click on something you’re given the option of “liking” the item, viewing more details about it, or adding it to your set. “Liking” it adds it to your profile so you can come back to view it later. “More details” leads to the site where the item is sold (it is all about what makes money, right?), which I absolutely love and loathe. I love it because I can easily find these items if I choose to purchase them and I hate it for the same reason. My bank account is going to suffer greatly with this discovery.

This is another set I created. There are all kinds of choices when forming one. There are endless colors you can filter by, as well as type of clothing, furniture, etc. and even by brand. I find it all very fascinating from a consumer standpoint. I know I’m being sold to and that I am in part selling to others (other users can follow you and view your items, sets and collections). I personally don’t mind being used for such a purpose (hello, have you seen my username?) and I like that I’m able to see things arranged as outfits before I seriously consider purchasing them. It makes it interesting and doesn’t just give you an idea of how something might look with another piece but actually puts them side by side so you can compare colors and style.

It really is a dangerous rabbit hole that I have fallen into and I love it!

Thanks again for stopping by and I’ll see you next time!