It’s no secret that book lovers love social media. I’m a little late to the blogging party myself, but I’ve been following a few great blogs and podcasts for quite some time now.  Add to that the BookTube community, and social media has everything that a book lover needs. There are some wonderful people out there that pull these things together for our enjoyment – and all for FREE. It’s hard work, and takes a lot of dedication, so I’d thought I’d share some of my favorites. Let’s show them some love.

In no particular order:

Book Riot – They seem to do it all.  I found the podcast first, and now follow their site. They’ve got a team of contributors that write funny, smart and thought provoking bookish and book related articles. The podcast talks about current book, author and publishing news, and they don’t shy away from telling it like it is. I like how they make you think and maybe even re-evaluate your ideas about diversity in reading, book banning, trigger warnings, etc. – they are not afraid to share their opinions and insights.  They can be found at: http://bookriot.com

Savidge Reads – A blogger, a podcaster, and a book prize judge, Simon Savidge is all over the book world. Whether blogging or podcasting, his style makes you feel like he’s chatting directly with you. I like his comfortable, easy style, and his ability to sometimes even poke fun at himself – and his Twitter feed cracks me up. You can find Simon’s blog at: https://savidgereads.wordpress.com/

The Readers – This is a podcast hosted by Simon Savidge and Thomas Otto. It’s one of my favorites, and what makes it so great is the easy going conversation between Simon and Thomas. I have to admit, when Simon’s original co-host Gavin Pugh left I was worried. I really liked the dynamic of Simon & Gav, but Thomas won me over very quickly. I love their quirky sense of humor, and they always make me look like an idiot as I laugh to myself while driving to work. What’s really cool is that Simon is in the UK and Thomas is in the U.S., but you never get the sense that they are so far apart. You can find their podcast at: http://bookbasedbanter.co.uk/thereaders/

Adventures with Words – A podcast and a blog, Kate Neilan and Rob Chilvers cover just about every genre.  I really like the little bit of teasing that Kate gives to Rob every now and then, and I love that they’re a couple who share their love of reading. From time to time they’ll go to a book event and will have some fun and interesting author interviews to share. Again, the reason that this is one of my favorites is the easy conversation between the two, and how it feels like you’re sitting in their living room with them just chatting about books. Kate is the resident YA expert and also has her own podcast where she talks about YA books. Oh, and I almost forgot – if you listen to the podcast around the Christmas holidays they may even sing! You can find Kate and Rob at: http://www.adventureswithwords.com

Hear Read This – This is a fun one. Hosted by Kate, Rob, Simon (see I told you he is all over the book world) and Gavin (I didn’t have to miss him for long), this podcast is all about 2 book picks. On a rotating basis, two of the hosts will choose separate books, which they all read and discuss. It can get very lively! They can be found at: http://hearreadthis.com

Books on the Nightstand – Hosted by two individuals who have worked for a number of years in the book industry, Ann Kingman and Michael Kindness were my very first introduction to book podcasts. In fact, it was because of this podcast that I found some of the others that I listen to now.  I like this podcast because they will also highlight books that haven’t hit the shelves yet, but give you a heads up on what’s coming out.  I hear about books that I’m interested in, and make sure that I look out for them when they’re in the book shops (or, let’s face it, Amazon). They can be found at: http://booksonthenightstand.com

Now lets talk about BookTube.  I learned about this community not too long ago, and I’m so impressed with how well these book lovers produce their videos. They’re smart, articulate and fun. It’s the perfect new medium for book reviews. Here are my favorites, again in no particular order.

Jean Bookishthoughts
https://www.youtube.com/user/BookishThoughts

Books and Quills
https://www.youtube.com/user/booksandquills

Little Book Owl
https://www.youtube.com/user/LittleBookOwl

Sarah Churchill
https://www.youtube.com/user/ClumsinessisaCurse

Ramblings of An Elfpire
https://www.youtube.com/user/RamblingsOfAnElfpire

Sues Book Nook
https://www.youtube.com/user/suemoro

Jen Campbell
https://www.youtube.com/user/jenvcampbell