Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

My name is Karen and I am addicted to NetGalley.

I do try to be very, very good, but as soon as I'm down to just one on my shelf, I'm back in there trawling through my favourite publishers clicking that "request now" button!

So I'd love to use this thread for you to post the NetGalley books you have read and would recommend to others to download. When recommending, please include the link to the book and any regional restrictions there may be. Cheers!

--edit-- You can also use this thread to ask questions about NetGalley, tips and tricks etc. :)

reserved

This week I finished The Book of Lost and Found

which I would recommend to readers of historical fiction, and those who don't mind a "slow burn".
Link is here
But I just realised because it took me so long to read, it has now been archived - sorry folks!

Another is the sequel to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy.
.
You do need to read the first book to understand what is going on, and this is a lovely companion book to Harold. It is the same story, but told from Queenie's point of view and she is waiting for him to walk. It is a beautiful story.
Link is here

Lastly (for now), I'd recommend The Undertaker's Daughter.

This is a memoir and an interesting look into the "taboo" world of undertaking. It is only available until March 31
Link is here

Hi Karen! You passed your addiction on to me. I have 7 books to read for NetGalley. The latest one I was approved for was - the latest from Lisa Genova who wrote Still Alice.
link to NetGalley here

I currently have 7 Netgalleys. I'm such an addict, but I never seem to read them fast enough. I need to get to them sooner, so I can add to this thread! I'm reading a couple now, but I'm not sure how good they'll be or if they're still available. I'll look into it though and try to add as I go. Great thread idea!

I am also Netgalley addicted.
I have to say that my absolute favorite galley was The Winter Family.

It was amazing.

I probably have several more recommendations but I'm not sure if they've been archived. I'll take a look.

Oh I did look at that one Renee, but decided against it. I quite liked Still Alice, but I don't think I could do a similar book so soon.
Thanks Amanda! I'm not sure if I'm brave enough for that one :o

Looking forward to your recommendations Kristie! I have 7 on my shelf now, so as I read if any of them are good I'll post here

I just peeked at my list and the only two that I can recommend, that haven't been archived, are:



The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson
link: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/sho...

and


The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
link: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/sho...

Renee wrote: "Hi Karen! You passed your addiction on to me. I have 7 books to read for NetGalley. The latest one I was approved for was - the latest from Lisa Genova who ..."

That one was actually pretty good! Hard to digest but really good!

Karen wrote: "Oh I did look at that one Renee, but decided against it. I quite liked Still Alice, but I don't think I could do a similar book so soon.
Thanks Amanda! I'm not sure if I'm brave enough for that one..."

I admire your restraint. I have 40. Oops.

I just saw this thread! I am excited about NetGalley as well. I have 20 to read! I can't seem to stop requesting but they are not complaining. I can't wait to read it is on my list to read. Are there any other NG threads or GRs out there that I might not be aware of?

@Stacie - 40?! oh my. that would stress me out big time! I keep to less than 10 and then make myself stop looking at any more

Thanks Kristie! I can't request them, but I've hit the "tell the publisher you want this" (or whatever that button says), so I'll see what happens ;)

lol Margaret. You'll have to tell us what you think of all of those! There is a GR group called "making connections" where you can request books which are offered more by self publishers or small publishers

Karen, I know! It's a sickness! I'm still trying to clean up from when I was click crazy. I had a ton on there and said Stacie, get real you aren't reading these, stop requesting for the sake of requesting. Since then I've been slowly working on getting those 40 down and trying really really hard to not look for more!

Stacie - It's so hard not to request more all the time!

I even started a book blog purely to increase my chances of getting approved.

And since yesterday I requested another book. 2nd in The Mapmaker Chronicles series and I still haven't read the first one. Middle grade fiction.

lol!
Well I'm now almost at my (self imposed) limit as I have 9 downloaded and ready on my kindle... and I just picked up 4 books from the library today... *slaps face*

lol! Now you sound like me, Karen!

Renee wrote: "I even started a book blog purely to increase my chances of getting approved. ..."

Renee, I did the same thing. Despite having only two followers, I've gotten 4 approvals since I started it. I'm impressed with that, given that I've only reviewed 12 books so far.

I'm in the US. Some books I've read were not available outside US and some were.

My favorite books so far that aren't archived are:


The Girl at Midnight is the best of the bunch, a YA Fantasy similar to Daughter of Smoke & Bone but not exactly like it. I liked it just as well. It touts itself as similar to Shadow and Boneand City of Bones. I don't find strong similarities with Shadow & Bone, and I haven't read City of Bones.

I can also recommend , which I haven't finished yet. I am a big fan of the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series so I feel comfortable recommending it if you're a fan of Victorian era detective fiction.

I have 8 books on my NG reading list, but I've read one of them and just need to write the review. My ratio was almost 80%, but now it's dropped to 62% with the newest approvals. I want that dang badge!!!!

Thanks Cynthia! I had a look at The Girl at Midnight, I probably won't be approved due to regional restrictions. For anyone else interested here are the links:

UK: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/sho...
US: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/sho...

Oh man...this thread is going to cause me to be even more behind in my reading. lol

me too ;)

@ Cynthia and anyone else who is blogging to improve NetGalley approvals, we have a Blog Promotion folder where you can start a thread about your own blog to let people know what you are doing.

@ Cynthia - I started following your blog (and Stacie's, Margaret's and Amanda's) via Bloglovin. More page views = more free books!

Kristie wrote: "Oh man...this thread is going to cause me to be even more behind in my reading. lol"

This recommendation thread is starting to feel like a support group full of enablers!

I have already been approved for the book I requested 12 hour ago. I'm exactly on 80% now, so I won't let myself request any more......

**Blocking thread until I have read at least one NetGalley book**

I've only recently discovered NetGalley and am quickly getting obsessed.
I need to start a blog to up my acceptance rates - that has become apparent! but I'm not sure what to do.

And I have 5 books set to read. It does stress me out! But it's so much fun.

Renee wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Oh man...this thread is going to cause me to be even more behind in my reading. lol"

This recommendation thread is starting to feel like a support group full of enablers!

I have ..."

I'm at exactly 80% as well! It was my purpose to get there.

~Leslie~ wrote: "I've only recently discovered NetGalley and am quickly getting obsessed.
I need to start a blog to up my acceptance rates - that has become apparent! but I'm not sure what to do.

And I have 5 book..."

I started one with Blogger, free and it pretty much spoon feeds you to set it up. https://www.blogger.com

Have a look at a few of ours, like mine, Stacie's, Amanda's and Margaret's for ideas.

Stacie D-Struction wrote: "Renee wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Oh man...this thread is going to cause me to be even more behind in my reading. lol"

I'm at exactly 80% as well! It was my purpose to get there. "

Ooops....I requested another one.....
NetGalley link (Australia)

Those all look awesome! Now I have blog envy!

Renee wrote: "~Leslie~ wrote: "I've only recently discovered NetGalley and am quickly getting obsessed.
I need to start a blog to up my acceptance rates - that has become apparent! but I'm not sure what to do.

..."

Thanks for the links!

Renee wrote: "@ Cynthia and anyone else who is blogging to improve NetGalley approvals, we have a Blog Promotion folder where you can start a thread about your own blog to let people know what you are doing.

@ ..."

@Renee....so Bloglovin is similar to Pinterest? but for bloggers and blogging? wow! if that is true, I will be easily hooked! So, our blogs showed up on this? I am intrigued. So, that means that our blogs will get more hits or followers?

@Leslie....don't stress at 5 because now I am racked up to 22! You know when I first joined which by the way Amanda is the instigator of my getting hooked lol....and she happens to be my daughter. I told her with pride that I will only keep it to a good manageable number of 10 and once I drop below that, request more. lol....that didn't last long! And...I am still trolling for more! It is great fun and very addicting and a little stressful.

~Leslie~ wrote: "I've only recently discovered NetGalley and am quickly getting obsessed.
I need to start a blog to up my acceptance rates - that has become apparent! but I'm not sure what to do...."


I found that Blogger was super simple with a lot of options. The difficult part for me was the content.

I like the way the mobile version of my blog shows up. It's just the reviews I've posted and doesn't have all the space fillers. I haven't checked anyone else's blogspot out on mobile, but on mine I don't see a way to join. That's the big issue with NetGalley - how many followers you have.

Did anyone else see the article on NG written by the publishing intern? It's called 'The Ins and Outs of NetGalley', although she wrote In's and Out's. That's a pet peeve of mine. Anyway she states:

"2. Goodreads does not count as a platform.
Do not link your Goodreads account. People with only a Goodreads account linked are more likely to get denied. If you have a blog and a Goodreads you can link both, but the blog is more important!"

I was surprised, because I Goodreads review has the potential to reach more readers than any blog. I don't care how many followers, Goodreads can reach any person checking out reviews for a given book. If I Google a book, Goodreads always pops up first. I don't understand the disrespect for GR.

Sorry to get off topic, but I'm very bothered by that. Goodreads is where I come to get honest opinions on books or book recommendations. It not only IS a platform, it's a strong one.

I agree that they should put more emphasis on Goodreads. It's pretty much the only place I go to get book recommendations.
I linked both Goodreads and my blog. I don't have very many visitors to my blog but I usually get approved, and I think a lot of that has to do with Goodreads.

Perhaps they (NetGalley) need some feedback about Goodreads and how it does promote books. Perhaps they see it more as a social network rather than something important for their needs? It would be interesting to see their viewpoint to understand.

It is a strong platform because for one thing, Goodreads does link you up with the links to go buy these books! Hello!

Absolutely, Margaret! I find GR far superior to Amazon for genuine, thoughtful book reviews. I like getting recommendations from people with similar interests, and the ability to compare books with other readers. It's far more useful than any single blog.

I'm hoping that this intern's opinion isn't representative of all publishers. Goodreads is an excellent way to get a book promoted. Imagine the sales that result when a book is voted BOTM, or even nominated! I've picked up more than one book from the nominations.

@Renee - re: The Last Swimmer. I have that one too :)

@Cynthia - well that's interesting and I completely agree with you that GR reaches much more people. I don't have a blog, but I don't seem to have a big issue getting approved (the last 9 I've requested were all approved), although I find with the REALLY popular ones (like Mime Order) I didn't get approved whereas Renee did, so maybe that is about the blog

How do you all get your blog more followers? Mine is fairly new, probably about a month or more. I would like more exposure....any ideas?

Margaret wrote: "How do you all get your blog more followers? Mine is fairly new, probably about a month or more. I would like more exposure....any ideas?"

I have about 17 whole followers. I created a Facebook page for it and have invited some authors to be friends with me so I'm getting some views that way. I'm happy to friend your blog and talk about it on my blog if you'd like.

Stacie D-Struction wrote: "Margaret wrote: "How do you all get your blog more followers? Mine is fairly new, probably about a month or more. I would like more exposure....any ideas?"

I have about 17 whole followers. I crea..."

Sure....it will get me starting and figure it out as I go....

Margaret, have you been to Book Blogs yet? It's a NetGalley forum that has a lot of great options.

There's a thread for people with under 200 followers, and also a 'Post your latest review' thread. I checked out quite a few of the reviews and found some blogs I liked a lot.

It's not a GR replacement, but it is a great meeting place for reviewers and authors. I think if you're serious about blogging, and really want to get followers then you can find them there.

I'm not really serious about blogging and chasing down members yet. My daughter is in her first trimester and trying to get together a DIY move from Texas to Louisiana. We're a little preoccupied with all of that. This is a good outlet from real life, though!

Cynthia....I love the interface on Book Blogs! So...only thing is how many blogs can a person have and maintain! I have a blog going (BlogSpot) but really like the look of Book Blog.

Margaret wrote: "How do you all get your blog more followers? Mine is fairly new, probably about a month or more. I would like more exposure....any ideas?"

If you comment on other peoples blogs, they will often come back and comment on yours. I share some of my blog posts to my personal Facebook page if I thin kmy friends will like it. I share all the images I post to Pinterest. I'll never be as popular as the big blogs, but good enough to get some more free books :)

I'm about a third through

and I'm really enjoying it. Really dark humour, but it is extremely funny and engaging.
On NetGalley here

Renee wrote: "Margaret wrote: "How do you all get your blog more followers? Mine is fairly new, probably about a month or more. I would like more exposure....any ideas?"

If you comment on other peoples blogs, t..."

I think that I might put my blog on facebook. I haven't been promoting my book blog lately I need to do that. :)

I read this week and loved it! Aussie chick lit - a few raunchy scenes but not erotica. It was an adultery story, which I usually don't like - but it went in a direction I wasn't expecting and I really loved it.

I think it is available to most countries, and not archived until 1 May.
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/sho...

I started using twitter to share my blog this week and it seems to have increased the number of blog views.

I just finished

Church Of Marvels by Leslie Parry.

Set in late 19th century it follows three storylines through an alternative New York (slums, opium dens, lunatic asylums...). One for those who enjoy historical fiction and available on NetGalley until 11 th May
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/sho...

Karen, that looks so good! The UK and Australia publishers made it available on NG, but it looks like Hachette isn't going to. I checked Amazon and it comes out in the US May 5.

Don't you just hate those regional restrictions?! Usually doesn't work in my favour ;)

I can't complain. There are a lot of US books. Of course, my favorite subgenre is British crime novels, so I do click on a lot of books that aren't available.

I have 130 to read!