100 Places to Connect With Other Bibliophiles Online

Let’s call it like it is — the Internet made life easier for nerds to connect with other nerds. And that is awesome. Book lovers especially flock to forums, websites, blogs, social media sites, and other digital resources to help them feed their habits. It certainly acts as an enabler when they need outlets for finding more and more reads and sharing what they love and don’t love about them. The following websites work just fine in doing that.

Book Collecting, Trading, and Selling

1. AbeBooks: Thousands of bookstores and individual sellers gather here to sell or simply talk about their favorite reads, which range from bestsellers to textbooks to rarities.
2. The Book Collector: Available in both print and online form, The Book Collector is the only journal dedicated exclusively to the very hobby mentioned in the title.
3. Meetup.com Book Swaps: Use Meetup.com to connect with nearby bibliophiles for book trades – maybe even clubs and other delightful literary events.
4. Books at Collector Network: Pay a visit to this directory and explore the listings, which cover a few different types of book collecting.
5. Biblio.com: One of the few remaining independent booksellers left offers up deals on millions of rare books, textbooks, and other reads – many with free shipping!
6. Instappraisal: Like the name implies, collectors of all sorts flock here to have their items appraised. And this includes books and other literary works.
7. AE Books: Book collectors looking to either bid on rarities or auction off bits of their shelves take advantage of AE Books to spread the love.
8. Bookfinder.com: Before jumping in on a purchase or posting a book to sell, check out what prices the title is going for first.
9. Better World Books: Every purchase made through Better World Books comes with free shipping and benefits charities around the world. Libraries and other organizations sell their wares here, with rarities, antiques, and textbooks sometimes slipping into the mix.
10. Used Book Central: Search for used books, textbooks, and other literary works for sale around the Internet, but mostly Amazon.
11. ZVAB.com: Book buyers and sellers gather here to trade in rare and antique literature as well as literary curiosities like autographs.
12. Stump the Bookseller: Loganberry Books turns the frequently frustrating quest to find an children’s book title into a quiz game requiring a $2 entry fee. The surrounding site itself boasts a treasure trove of buys across genres.
13. BookMooch: Despite the site’s name, users here give away just as many books as they share! Be prepared to share with others – don’t hoard something another reader may adore.
14. Paperback Swap: Another resource for bibliophiles hoping to trade their books with others and discover brand new reads they might not otherwise know about.
15. Collector’s Quest: Even though it targets collectors of almost everything, this buy-and-sell site doesn’t hurt for bookish finds.
16. SwitchPlanet: Bibliophiles hoping to unload a few nonessentials from their shelves might want to check SwitchPlanet and see if other big readers might be interested in trading.
17. Title Trader: Yet another swap site for book lovers who just can’t get enough and want to find their fix through as many venues as possible.
18. viaLibri: One of the Internet’s largest gathering places for book lovers who enjoy collecting, selling, and chatting about rare and antique finds.
19. Bookride: Bookride functions as both a blog and a more than decent guide to tracking down the world’s rarest reads.
20. Book Free Swap: Meet up with other bibliophiles online and organize safe swaps for free, though some shipping charges apply.

Blogs

21. BibliOdyssey: For fans of curious and classic illustrations alike, the BibliOdyssey blog should be considered an essential bookmark.
22. Book Patrol: Its mission is to serve and protect literary love around the world, with plenty of art, culture, and other bits keeping readers tantalized.
23. Bookslut: Read reviews and regular columns about a wide range of bookish subjects at one of the blogosphere’s most beloved literature-related reads.
24. Booklist Online: Follow thousands of book reviews contributed by bibliophiles, librarians, book club members, and others who want to learn what to read and what to avoid.
25. Readers Read: Keep up with the latest publishing and book news, with commentary about current trends within the industry.
26. Galleycat: Mediabistro’s Galleycat makes for one of the internet’s most authoritative resources on what’s happening in the publishing world.
27. Shelfari: Run by Amazon, Shelfari provides a blog overrun with reviews and literary insights as well as some active forums to chat with fellow book lovers.
28. Self-Publishing Review: Like it says right there in the title, this blog focuses on reviewing the best and worst books bypassing the major publishing system.
29. Books Blog: The Guardian’s official book blog makes literature fun and accessible to a wide variety of audiences.
30. NPR Books: An essential bookmark for all lit lovers, with vibrant author talks, reviews, lists of currently trending books, and more.
31. The Book Cover Archive: Paying homage to all things drool-worthy in the area of graphic design – show those hardworking artists some love and judge their covers to be winners!
32. Bibliophile Adventures: Bibliophiles who love traveling should head to this blog for a glimpse at libraries, bookstores, and other literary reasons to see the world.
33. The Rumpus: Head to The Rumpus when seeking top-notch book reviews, edgy comics, literary events, and even an online book club.
34. The Nervous Breakdown: Essential for both writers as well as readers, The Nervous Breakdown dishes out some of the internet’s best media commentary.
35. Omnivoracious: Amazon.com’s official book blog covers (pun intended) the latest and greatest reads – and sometimes unearths some hidden delights.

Libraries and Librarians

36. Progressive Librarians Guild: Librarians meet up here to discuss “radical” ideas about how to push their institutions to their limits in the best possible way.
37. American Library Association: The ultimate resource on all things related to the library industry in the United States, and an absolute necessity for all bibliophiles.
38. Library of Congress: Beyond browsing the world’s largest library’s extensive online collections, bibliophiles can also download podcasts and other resources for sharing on the go.
39. School Library Journal: Librarians for the K-through-12 set check on the book and technology news impacting their careers through a variety of different media.
40. Publiclibraries.com: Although the blog isn’t the best-updated resource, the true gem here is the search engine helping users find a library or archive (not just public) in their area.
41. D-Lib Magazine: Readers who love following digital humanities and libraries should consider this online magazine an essential bookmark.
42. Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki: Teach and learn the newest strategies in keeping libraries afloat by collaborating with fellow pros in the industry.
43. Open Library: Hack this wiki to tiny bits in the service of spreading, sharing, and talking about public domain ebooks. They want that!

Social Media and Forums

44. Bookreporter.com: Stay on top of the latest publishing industry news, read reviews, participate in contests, and plenty more lovely bookish things.
45. Bookandreader.com: This active community is perfect for readers and writers alike hoping to talk about their favorite reads and learn a little something about lit.
46. Booktalk.org: Participate in a vibrant, active forum that covers a diverse array of literary topics, suitable for all tastes and levels of interest.
47. GetGlue: Fans of those ubiquitous check-in applications might like this one, where they can share their recent reads and earn stickers for their progress.
48. BookJetty: BookJetty’s discussion forums might be on the more sluggish side these days, but the site still makes it easy for lit lovers to curate digital shelves.
49. MysteryNet.com: Bibliophiles who love curling up with Christie or decompressing with Doyle have been meeting up on MysteryNet.com to indulge their love of the titular genre.
50. Comic Book Resources: Comics are literature, too, you know! Stop here for the latest industry news and argue on the forums, where top creators often drop by to answer questions.
51. Sffworld.com: Forums, blogs, games, and more bring science fiction and fantasy book buffs together in the warm glow of the Internet.
52. Book and Reading Discussion Forums for Readers: No matter one’s literary preferences, this motley collection of forums makes for an excellent stop for digital denizens looking for some stimulating book talk.
53. Pinterest: It may not be dedicated exclusively to books, but plenty of big readers flock here to share their favorite reads, cover designs, dream libraries, and image memes all the same.
54. LibriVox: Volunteers with LibriVox hope to eventually create an generously large, completely free audiobook library from public domain works.
55. Book Crossing: Place a numbered label inside a book and track its progress around the world. Anyone who finds the new read is encouraged to log into Book Crossing, write their thoughts, and pass it on someone else – who hopefully keeps the process moving.
56. Reader’s Paradise Forum: The title isn’t kidding! Readers of all types cover all topics here, making these forums a veritable heaven on earth.
57. #Fridayreads: Probably the most popular book chat on Twitter, where bibliophiles talk about what they’re currently reading every Friday (bet you didn’t see that coming).

Recommendations

58. Flashlight Worthy: Book lovers create and share lists stuffed with recommended reads based around different (and eclectic!) themes.
59. Listal: Keep lists of favorite media – including books – and earn some recommendations courtesy of other users.
60. Bookbrowsr: Rather than automated recommendations, Bookbrowsr participants receive them from their fellow bibliophiles.
61. What Should I Read Next?: Type in a beloved book or author and immediately receive back a detailed list of similar titles, generated by eager participants.
62. Whichbook: Discover potentially lovable new reads by a series of sliding scales describing different qualities, like “Happy-Sad,” “Funny-Serious,” and even “No Sex-Lots of Sex.”
63. Book Buzzes: Book Buzzes provides a valuable service to the time-crunched – it allows its users to sign up for alerts when favorite authors release new books, delivered right to their inboxes. They also boast a feature where you plug in a favored author and similar recommendations pop out.
64. YourNextRead: All it takes to get started is searching for a title or author, and from there users generate lists of their favorites and biggest must-reads.

Organizing and Sharing

65. LibraryThing: Providing both free and paid services, LibraryThing is a digital bookshelf where users share and discuss what they own, what they want to own, and what they might want to trade with one another.
66. Goodreads: Another social media site allowing participants to “shelve” their books, track what they’re currently reading, keep quick lists of must-reads, post on forums, and maybe even chat with a favorite author or two.
67. aNobii: While lesser-known than LibraryThing and Goodreads, aNobii offers up an excellent social network for enthusiastic readers to organize and share their collections.
68. ShelfCentered: It was Pinterest before Pinterest. ShelfCentered makes it easy to create and organize wishlists based on data from Amazon, the Library of Congress, and plenty of other sites.
69. bookhitch.com: Rather than digital shelving services, bookhitch.com functions as a search engine to kickstart literary memories and maybe even help you form some new ones.
70. Project Gutenberg: Project Gutenberg might be better known as the generous ebook library containing public domain classics and not-so-classics, but provides a few options for more sociable types looking to connect. They always accept volunteers to assist with translations, digitizing, and creating audiobooks.
71. Booktagger: Before picking up a book, this social media site lets readers ask questions of others who came before, and encourages them to spread the love by answering in kind.
72. BookBump: Ideal for serious collectors, BookBump combines organization software with social media facilitating recommendations.

Writers

73. Newpages.com: Perfect for writers as well as indie literature buffs, Newpages.com lists literary magazines from around the United States and the sort of content they prefer publishing.
74. Publishers Weekly: Want to publish that novel you’ve been prattling on about for years? This is where you need to go to find out everything happening in the industry.
75. Writer’s Digest: Everything we just said about Publisher’s Weekly happens to be exactly what we have to say about Writer’s Digest as well.
76. WritersNet: Authors, editors, publishers, and other literary pros gather here to network and comment upon the latest industry news.
77. National Novel Writing Month: Every November, aspiring (and some established!) novelists challenge themselves to write an entire book in the span of one month.
78. FictionAddiction.net: Consistently named one of the best online resources for writers, FictionAddiction.net focuses on authors hoping to work within the genre, listing workshops and other events of interest.
79. Poets.org: Meet with fellow poets and read the works and biographies of some legendary names in the medium.
80. Pathetic.org: Users upload their poems and rank their favorites, hoping to compete for Poem of the Day honors and other lauds.
81. FictionPress: For aspiring authors, FictionPress is a reasonable resource to share their works and receive immediate feedback and critique from the community.
82. The Book Marketing Network: Stop over at these here forums for advice on publishing and self-publishing straight from publishers and self-publishers.
83. AgentQuery.com: Writers needing a literary agent to represent their works should head towards this database to find the right fit and get advice from fellow creatives.
84. The Writer’s Trust of Canada: Co-founded by Margaret Atwood herself, The Writer’s Trust of Canada invests in the nation’s promising authors through events, grants, and other supportive efforts.

Kids and Teens

85. BookDivas: Just for young women! And older women who enjoy books written for young women. This online club brings in authors, posts reviews, and offers up a great community to encourage teen girls to get reading.
86. Book Bites for Kids: Check out this podcast for in-depth talks about the children’s literature industry, suitable for young listeners.
87. Children’s Book Council: Publishers, authors, and consumers of children’s literature converge here to indulge their love of the genre and pick up advice on which new reads to explore.
88. The Rosetta Project: While not as “interactive” as some of the websites listed here, The Rosetta Project (thinks) it holds the largest collection of online antique children’s literature.
89. Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Fans of Meg Cabot’s young adult series gather here to play games and talk about subjects most impacting girls today.
90. Reading is Fundamental: Targeting parents and educators looking to inspire kids to read, the Reading is Fundamental project provides beaucoup resources covering all the best books getting the job done.
91. Reading Rainbow: The venerable children’s literacy program lives on as a website where kids play games and watch old episodes, publishers learn what their audiences want, and parents and teachers know which reads to encourage.
92. The Stacks Message Boards: Presented by Scholastic, this for-kids-only forum offers up a safe, heavily-moderated environment where the younger crowd meets and enthusiastically discusses the books they love most.
93. Random Buzzers: Random House’s official teen book forum offers up “Buzz Bucks” for participating in various literary and creative pursuits, which users exchange for nifty prizes.
94. Children’s Book of the Month Club: Sign up to receive bestselling and beloved children’s literature every month, based on stated preferences.

Book Clubs

95. Meetup.com Book Clubs: For the bibliophile who prefers talking lit offline, Meetup.com makes it easy for them to search for nearby book clubs who might pique interest.
96. Reader’s Circle: Over 90,000 users hit this site to check for book clubs in their areas, search literary events, and meet authors.
97. ReadingGroupGuides.com: Book club leaders and members take advantage of this valuable resource when looking for writers with whom to rub elbows as well as discussion-starting questions.
98. Oprah’s Book Club: With author videos, Twitter chats, articles, and moderated discussions, Oprah’s Book Club provides social reading options for those who can’t find a fitting one in their area.
99. BookClubIt.com: Create and promote online book clubs based around themes narrow and broad alike, luring in readers with similar literary inclinations.
100. BookGlutton: Download public domain classics and participate in ongoing digital book groups at this thoroughly satisfying site.