Anything which has pictures of bunnies involved is going to get me interested, but there's a lot more to BookRabbit than a couple of cute images. The site has just moved from its beta stage into fully fledged functionality and offers fellow book lovers a way to network with each other (oh, and buy books as well). How it works is you upload a photo of your bookshelf (or windowsill, in my case) tag your books, and then 'connect' to others who own the same titles. From this you can get from Terry Pratchett to obscure Wiccan texts in just a few clicks. It appeals to the basic nosiness of people, and is a great way to discover unknown authors.
Unlike other book websites, the nooks displayed on the main page aren't the bestsellers, they're the ones which are most discussed or most popular amongst the users. You can also recategorise books, as there's no need to stick to stringent genre modes.
Kieron Smith, the MD of BookRabbit says, 'Our passion is about returning the power to find, share and buy the books they love, to the people. BookRabbit allows people to share, recommend and buy books that are not necessarily the most promoted by the traditional industry'.
BookRabbit have a catalogue of over 4.2 million books, and even managed to match some of the more obscure titles I own. I quite liked browsing through peoples bookcases, and was excited when I made connections with other readers. Book lovers tend to be slightly neglected in the online sphere, so it's nice to have something primarily for them. Facebook may have a 'what you're reading application', but hey, this has a LIBRARY!
There are possible plans for incorporating book groups into the site, as the social network grows. The site also supports video and has a number of interviews with prominent authors, from Terry Pratchett to Carl Honore.
A nice aspect about the site is that it supports independent bookshops- click on a book you desire and the multimap will bring up a selection of retailers in your local area. Problem is they might not stock the book you want (yet!) but they do give you a number so you can call and check.
If you're against signing up to another site and having to remember interminable passwords, you can either transport your Facebook or Gmail to BookRabbit, or alternatively browse anonymously. You'll have to sign up of you want to comment but NOT if you just want to buy a book, and with all books priced reasonably with FREE postage, it's looking quite attractive.
So, what do you think of my bookshelf?
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