Barmy for books

This week I joined another social networking site and yet again I am becoming a tad hooked.

However rather than appealing for the nosey element of Facebook or the learning-more aspect of Twitter, this one pulls on my love of literature. Goodreads.com

This site - if you've not checked it out already - is brilliant for us bookworms. You can review items you've read, rate them, search the site's extensive list of books, make friends with others and see what they like to read and receive recommendations of your own on what to try next.

Whilst on Facebook you check in and update your status (usually of how drunk you are!) on GoodReads you update that you've started a new book, track your progress of reading and announce when you're finished and what you thought. You can even find information on related events and set yourself challenges.

I was only talking to a colleague recently about our love for books and reading. The way a good cover can grab me first before I'll check out the blurb on the back. How I tend to read on my commute into and back from work and often at night before I go to sleep.

It's amazing how a block of paper pages can make you feel - emotional at a sad story, satisfied on completing a chunky paperback, motivated after an inspiring item, excited about starting a book you've wanted to read for ages.

I'm still waiting to get back on my poor Kindle though. The mountain of books I was working through - lent to me by my Mum - had one item remaining. That is until I visited her last week and got given 3 or 4 more!

I'm pleased to be lent books and enjoy sharing but I've noticed the last few I've read I haven't exactly loved and they've not been ones I've picked.

However I'm hoping to break this patten with my newest addition SJ Watson's Before I Go To Sleep. I've been waiting to read this for a while so hopefully it's going to be a good one - I'll let you know.

Before I start it though I'm off to log my new book on the GoodReads App! Who knows whatever things I'll find you can do on there... We're due to go to the marathon expo today ready for marathon number two - London - tomorrow, but how I'm going to fit in going out after updating Facebook, Twitter and now GoodReads I don't know!