Being Bookish

Having had a wonderful time at Back to Booktown 2009 yesterday, I have spent part of today indulging my inner bibloholic online.

I took readily to tracking my readership/ownership on the internet as soon as I came across the opportunity, as it was not unknown for me to um, ... lose track of what I did or didn't have by an author (which leads to the soul-destroying experience of doubling up). At first, it was really only Bookcrossing that allowed you to catalogue your books online and that served me well for some time. Then I stumbled across Shelfari in a Good Reading magazine article. Then (probably as a result of another article!) I found LibraryThing and it was good - but different again.

Recently I got set up with Visual Bookshelf on Facebook and it had features I liked too. then Good Reads got mentioned one too many times, so I had to check it out too! My serial book cataloguing was made easy by the ability to export/import lists from one site to another and so  it was no time at all before I had active shelves and profiles on them all.

But like the addict I am, they still aren't enough. Google supports my habit by enticing me with even more possibilities -  I signed up with Book Blogs and I don't even know why! Where is it all to end? aNobii ? Bookpedia? Delicious Library ?

Of course, now I proudly own a Blackberry, the quest has one vital feature: can I access the list when I am standing in the second-hand book shop with a title in hand that may - or may not - be the very one missing from my collection?