The literary world is so full of loyal fans because once you become aware of how magical books can be (no matter if they are fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc.) it’s hard to stop reading them. In fact, reading will become an addiction that is both good and bad. It’s good because books allow you to escape when real life is stressing you out, but it’s bad because you may find yourself reading instead of completing your homework, and you may find yourself spending your grocery money at your local bookstore instead. #booknerdproblems. But let’s focus on the good—specifically, let’s take a look at four of the best websites for readers.
1. Penguin Group’s First to Read
According to Penguin Group, “First to Read is a destination for readers and those who love to talk about and discover new books. First to Read provides members with the chance to be the first to read the best new books from Penguin, before they hit the shelves.” So this program gives you access to advance galleys and excerpts, opportunities to participate in sweepstakes, and more. It’s also all about points and participation. You can earn points by visiting the site, requesting galleys, writing reviews, or sharing content about the featured books on social media.
2. Book Riot
Book Riot is awesome because it’s a community of readers and writers just nerding out over everything and anything book related. They also avoid labels and instead, they embrace the diversity of the literary world.
“So sometimes we are serious and sometimes silly,” says Book Riot. “Some of our writers are pros. Many of them aren’t. We like a good list just as much as we like a good review. We think you can like both J.K. Rowling and J.M. Coetzee and that there are smart, funny, and informative things to say about both and that you shouldn’t have to choose.”
You should definitely look at their fun about page, podcasts, and columns.
3. BookBub
BookBub is a website where you enter information such as your genre preferences, and the website then proceeds to send you daily email alerts about free and discounted ebooks that are available for a limited time. So it is a website that is geared towards e-readers specifically, and it is one of those brilliant ideas to save the book obsessed a lot of money.
“I now have more books than I can read in a lifetime,” said Suzie Miller of Auburn, Wash.
According to The Book Insider (another great website you should check out), Miller has downloaded more than 350 free books using BookBub’s service, and they are very reliable for providing high-quality ebooks. So you don’t have to worry about it being a whole list of books with no plot or character development! The Fussy Librarian is a similar service that you may want to check out, too.
4. Page Turner
This may be a no-brainer, but Page Turner is The New Yorker’s book blog, so it’s a must-read for all of the literary lovers out there. They post captivating monthly podcasts, daily news roundups (to stay up-to-date with the latest in the publishing industry), and great essays. You should definitely follow Page Turner on Twitter!
Of course these aren’t the only websites out there for literary lovers to enjoy, as there are hundreds and thousands of blogs dedicated to every type of literature out there, but these four are perfect for almost any type of reader!