Wednesday Tech Tips: Booksharing with Riffle

I joined Goodreads for a nanosecond before I realized it was way too much to deal with.  But I still needed some way to keep track of all the stuff I want to read and recommend.*

Hunting around for a service that would not require me to rate and/or review all my books and would also not flood my inbox with crap, I found Riffle.  I've been using if for about a week now, and there are pros and cons.  Since it's a fairly new site, here's hoping they get around to ironing the bugs out.

The Good
Riffle is like Pinterest for books.  You sign up with your Facebook or Twitter account, and start listing favorites and making lists.  Your profile features questions which also allow you to list books, i.e. "Favorite books you read in high school" or "Books you'd like your soulmate to have read."

You can elect to follow other Rifflers based on the genres they're interested in, so I'm following the YA/SciFi/Graphic Novel types.

It is all very clean and simple and review-drama-free.

The Bad
THERE ISN'T A RECORD FOR EVERY BOOK.  Sometimes there is a listing but no jacket art.  Sometimes there is a listing AND jacket art, but it for the Spanish translation.  And sometimes, if it's a book that gone through several printings, the jacket art choice is just f...atrocious.  Yes, that's what I want to say.

There is a forum for posting your grievances and upvoting common complaints.  Hopefully someone on the other end is listening.

You can only sign up with your Facebook or Twitter account.  And as best I can tell, you can only comment with a Facebook account.  And I can't determine if you can message your fellow Rifflers.  So the social side of things is lacking a bit.  You can elect to tweet every list and recommendation you make, but frankly I find enabling the autopilot tweet obnoxious.  Do it with intent or shut up already.

The Verdict
I'm sticking with it, if only so's I can have a place to keep track of my must-reads.  Provided they have record I can tag.  I like the simplicity that allows me to get back to what I really want to do: read them books.



*(You can use your Minuteman library account to keep track of everything you've ever read and to create lists of what you'd like to read, about which, more later.  But it is an imperfect method -- about which, more later.)

Maureen Johnson sparks cover redesign

Yesterday Maureen Johnson tweeted how often male readers wish her books had less girly covers so they could read them without embarrassment.  The response?  Her followers redesigned popular book jackets, flipping masculine for feminine and vice versa.



Coincidentally, one of the Teen Board bloggers over at Teen Reads has also posted about "girly" books.  This is a topic that has got readers talking!

Have you ever turned down a book because of its cover? Or been surprised when the story was nothing like what the cover led you to believe?

If this is wrong, I don't want to be right. Oh wait, yes I do.

A frequent topic of discussion for librarians and other book lovers is why for the love of Pete do people sign off on hideous or ridiculous book covers.  Lousy Book Covers doesn't have the answer, but it does showcase the best of the worst.

Enjoy!

Celebrity book covers

Here's a career path for you: book cover model.  Just take a look at who's graced the book jacket of a well-known or...interesting book.


Thanks HuffPo, for the find!

Excerpt from The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

It won't be on shelves till June, but you can see the cover and read an excerpt now.

NEW BOOKS ARE EVERYWHERE!

There are new books on every surface of the Teen Room! You've got a week before school starts, friends, to read whatever you want and we have whatever you're looking for. We even have TWO books that feature the fabulous sunglasses I was sporting at the beach this summer! I'm telling you, WE HAVE IT ALL!

Oh, heart-shaped sunglasses. I'll miss you the most. Until next summer...

Book recommendations for May

Happy May Day, y'all! We've got a super-exciting month ahead with author visits and our end-of-school par-tay, to say nothing of our usual round of awesome programs.  But let's take a moment to recognize two very special May events.

PROM

Our prom display this year is all about the jackets.  Book jackets, that is.  You may already have your dress picked out, but if you're still undecided then you may find inspiration on the cover of a YA novel.

It's much harder to find book covers with dudes in formal wear. Sadly, guys don't seem to get as excited about classing it up as the ladies. If you find that Duckie, don't let him get away.*

Anyhoo, we had to improvise...

MOM

Don't forget! Mother's Day is May 13.  We've put out a whole slew of books about that special lady.

Uh, if you could help us think of some where Mom hasn't died or done something awful, thanks so much!  But you know, you could still read one of these other books and appreciate your own Mom.**  Yeah, that's it.



*I promise, that will be my last Pretty in Pink reference.  Seriously though, if you haven't seen it, it is the best prom movie!  Well, except for Carrie.

**Or Grandma, or Auntie, or Big Sis.  They all get props on Mother's Day.

A plea to book jacket designers everywhere

Enough.  ENOUGH.

Y'all are a bunch of lazy, unimaginative, stock-photo abusing hacks.  Can't you even be bothered to send an intern into Barnes & Noble to see which photos are already being used?  Do you know how many kids ask for books and don't know the author or the title and are trying to track down a book with a description of the cover?  "Girl in a floofy dress" is not going to get anyone very far...

There have been a zillion blog posts about this already, but COME ON.  It was funny for a while, and was the inspiration for many a book display*, but it's getting to the point where one can't even tell what the freaking heck a book is about anymore, they all look like paranormal romances.  Or America's Next Top Model rejects.

I'm calling you out, book designers, because the intelligent discourse clearly hasn't worked.  Quit your jobs and step aside for designers with actual talent.

Or else someone come forth and 'splain it if you can.

gah!!


*Books About Guys Even Though There's a Girl on the Cover and Same Photo, Different Book, to name a couple.

The Joy of Books: Or, What Your E-Reader Still Cannot Do

Four Books for Readers Who Feel They Were Born in the Wrong Era

Sometimes it's annoying when all the book covers start to look the same.











































Sometimes, though, it totally works.

All four of these: SWOON.

FELL

My two reading goals for the summer:

-Read more mysteries.
-Read as many books by fabulous teen fiction pioneer M.E. Kerr as I possibly can. *

The book Fell** (which is the first in a series) seemed to fit in both categories, so I picked it up. Holy crab apple! I had no idea! It was so good! I can't wait to read more! Stop this train! Goodness gracious! I'm ready for bed! Give me more!

The first book in the Fell series introduces you to the character of John Fell, and you settle in for one of M.E. Kerr's amazing stories about level-headed characters dealing with chaotic relationships. He's given a sketchy offer by a wealthy neighbor that he can't refuse. He's involved in a love triangle, and starts a new school with intense new rules. I was enjoying myself so much I didn't realize until about 2/3 of the way through the book that there was no real mystery involved. I thought this was a mystery. Where is the mystery?

Then BAM, all at once you're in the mystery! The mystery has been around the whole time! You just couldn't see it. I don't want to give too much away, but Fell is an incredibly smart young man and even he didn't see it coming. The book ends on a second-layer surprise mystery that sets you up for the second book, which I am rushing to read.

It's short, has incredibly complex and likable characters, and had me saying "OH NO!" out loud at the beach. Summer mystery WIN.

*Ask me more about her! ASK ME!
**Why did I include a picture of books covered in paper instead of the actual book? Because the cover is SO INTENSELY UGLY. I was written long ago, but that's not even an excuse. I couldn't even find a picture of it online, apparently its ridiculousness can't be photographed. This story is worth carrying around an ugly book, though. Trust.

My fondest dream

is that someone will enter this contest and also let me be in their trailer.  Seriously, I'll play a yeti or anything.  You could win $1000! plus books for your school!

Maybe I should start a book trailer club, 'cause all I want to do is make book trailers all day.  And redesign crappy book covers.

 
So, you love the series, and I respect that, I do! and you know not having read the books, maybe there's some context that would make this more -- MY GOD PEOPLE! it's a crazy angel in the ocean like some sort of deranged perfume ad!  What exactly is he trying to do here, keep her feet dry?  What what was the marketing department smoking the day they signed off on this?  I ask you.

Do you not LOVE this cover?

Creepy creepy awesome! I've been reading about all the new books coming our way this fall. I'm sure this one will inevitably be the first of a series (*world-weary sigh*) but let us hope it's a good one.

Read more about The Replacement at good ol' Amazon (I'm sorry, Razorbill, I tried to use your site, but you give me NOTHING, nothing I tell you!)

Different book, same cover

It is always entertaining to observe trends in book cover design. Twilight brought on a flood of stark, black backgrounds. Gossip Girl introduced designer style (right down to crediting clothing and cosmetics brands on the inside page). Then there are the covers I really wish would go away: fashion-model-with-head-cut-off.

Can you tell by looking at a book cover what the book is going to be about, or are we so overrun with cloned covers that a high school romance story looks the same as a sci-fi thriller? Do you like magazine-model-style photographs, or would you rather picture the characters inside your head?

Check out our display of lookalike book covers -- then read the books!