Monday, December 26, 2011

Year in Review Post #1: NetGalley

This week, instead of taking a holiday break, I'm taking a look back at 2011, my first year as a blogger, to review some of the things that have made the year such a success that I want to continue blogging in 2012. Today's post is all about one of my favorite websites, NetGalley.

It wasn't long after I started blogging that I first discovered NetGalley, and I have to say, it has become one of my most frequently visited websites throughout this year. Librarians, booksellers, bloggers, and other folks who work with books can sign up for an account, request advanced copies of books they like, and submit their reviews using NetGalley's interface. Not only is it easy to use, but there are a fair number of titles on the site, and I learned about books I never would have otherwise heard about just from browsing the catalog. NetGalley is also on Twitter, and they send out a really useful and informative email whenever a new publisher joins the site, or when something new is happening.

I feel very fortunate to have read and reviewed 30 titles from NetGalley this year.Here they are, in what I think is pretty close to the order in which I read them. Click an image to view the book's Goodreads page. Click the title to read my review.

Just Grace and the Double Surprise (The Just Grace Series)Just Grace and the Double Surprise
by Charise Mericle Harper
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) 
Pearl Verses the WorldPearl Verses the World
by Sally Murphy
(Candlewick Press)
ShineShine
by Lauren Myracle
(Abrams Books)
Blueberry Queen (Kylie Jean)Blueberry Queen
by Marci Peschke
(Capstone)
Invisible InklingInvisible Inkling
by Emily Jenkins
(HarperCollins)
The Rise of the DorkasaurusNerd Girls
by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
(Disney-Hyperion)
#15 Mallory's Guide to Boys, Brothers, Dads, and DogsMallory's Guide to Boys, Brothers, Dads and Dogs
by Laurie Friedman
(Lerner Publishing Group)
The Last Little Blue Envelope (Little Blue Envelope, #2)The Last Little Blue Envelope
by Maureen Johnson
(HarperCollins)
Mission (Un)PopularMission (Un)Popular
by Anna Humphrey
(Disney-Hyperion)
The Magnolia League (Magnolia League, #1)The Magnolia League
by Katie Crouch
(Hachette Book Group)
My Misadventures as a Teenage Rock StarMy Misadventures as a Teenage Rock Star
by Joyce Raskin
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Turkey Monster ThanksgivingTurkey Monster Thanksgiving
by Anne Warren Smith
(Albert Whitman & Company)
Clementine and the Family MeetingClementine and the Family Meeting
by Sara Pennypacker
(Disney-Hyperion)
Alexis and the Lake Tahoe Tumult (Camp Club Girls)Alexis and the Lake Tahoe Tumult
by Erica Rodgers
(Barbour Publishing, Inc.)
Elizabeth's Amarillo Adventure (Camp Club Girls)Elizabeth's Amarillo Adventure
by Renae Brumbaugh
(Barbour Publishing, Inc.)
Sydney's Outer Banks Blast (Camp Club Girls)Sydney's Outer Banks Blast
by Jean Fischer
(Barbour Publishing, Inc.)
Alexis and the Arizona Escapade (Camp Club Girls)Alexis and the Arizona Escapade
by Erica Rodgers
(Barbour Publishing, Inc.)
FetchingFetching
by Kiera Stewart
(Disney-Hyperion)
Faith and the Camp Snob (Team Cheer, #1)Faith and the Camp Snob
by Jen Jones
(Capstone)
Fashion Kitty and the B.O.Y.S.Fashion Kitty and the B.O.Y.S.
by Charise Mericle Harper
(Disney-Hyperion)
The Mystery of the Blue Ring (Polka Dot Private Eye)The Mystery of the Blue Ring
by Patricia Reilly Giff
(Open Road Media)
Ditched: A Love StoryDitched
by Robin Mellom
(Disney-Hyperion)
The Summer I Lost ItThe Summer I Lost It
by Natalie Kath
(Capstone)
Mallory's Super SleepoverMallory's Super Sleepover
by Laurie Friedman
(Lerner Publishing Group)
Agent Amelia: Zombie Cows (Agent Amelia)Zombie Cows
Michael Broad
(Lerner Publishing Group)
Reel Life Starring UsReel Life Starring Us
Lisa Greenwald
(ABRAMS)
The Darlings in LoveThe Darlings In Love
by Melissa Kantor
(Disney-Hyperion)
Little Wings #1: Willa Bean's Cloud Dreams (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))Willa Bean's Cloud Dreams
by Cecilia Galante
(Random House)

Visit NetGalley to learn more! Tomorrow: Reading Challenges-Round Up.

2 comments :

  1. Hi Katie,

    It was great meeting you through the Cybils this year. I signed up for NetGalley back in the summer, at the time I wasn't interested in many of the titles. Any secrets to finding which books are worth checking out? I must admit I have only checked out the site a few times so far.

    Happy Holidays
    Darshana

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, Darshana,

    I enjoyed working with you on Cybils as well. I think it helps to check NetGalley regularly, as there are a lot of publishers on there, and they don't all update their catalogs at the same time. I usually browse the site in two ways - I either click on "browse by recent" or "browse by genre" and then select children's.

    The site provides details about each title, which sometimes helps me, but generally, I stick to authors I know, series I'm already hooked on, and new books that seem similar to ones I've liked in the past. My favorite publisher on there is probably Disney-Hyperion, since they had a lot of tween fiction this year. I also like Lerner and Random House a lot.

    It can be hit or miss. I haven't requested any titles in a month or so, probably, but there will be months where five or six books will catch my eye and I'll have to decide how many I can reasonably tackle.

    Happy Holidays to you, too!
    Katie

    ReplyDelete

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