I’m constantly trying to figure out the best way to get my reading done and share the wealth across all of my various platforms and devices. I’ve talked a lot about how I plan my reading and TBRs (and occasionally throw that out the window), as well as the different reading devices I have (primarily Kindle and Boox Palma) and subscriptions I use (Everand, Spotify, etc.). I thought I’d update some of my general reading preferences, book buying habits, reading and listening formats, and more.
Reading Formats – When & Why
Audiobooks everywhere
Audiobooks are my favorite and I do supplement the VAST majority of my reading with them. Spotify’s audiobooks have made this work sooo seamlessly and I’m truly obsessed with the fact that I can access almost any book there and listen to bits and pieces of it. 15 hours is plenty of listening time for me when I only use them in addition to whatever I’m reading physically or digitally. I always check Everand, Libby, and Hoopla for audiobooks though – listening on one of those services/apps is my priority since those don’t count hours like Spotify.
Kindle Oasis for egalleys and already-purchased ebooks
Like many people, I’m not interested in supporting Amazon any more than I have to. I’ll get into that a little more when I talk about my Boox Palma. I have a Kindle Oasis that I am obsessed with (sorry to my neglected Paperwhite) but I won’t be buying new ebooks from Amazon. I use my Oasis for already-purchased ebooks that are on there and all of my egalleys. I plan to buy a Kobo ereader once this one dies because I really love having the page-turning buttons on the Oasis and don’t want to buy another Kindle.
Boox Palma for purchased ebooks and app reading
I bought this last year and really enjoy it still! The small size is really appealing for bringing on the go when I have a small purse. Since bookshop.org started selling ebooks (and their discounted ebooks are usually the same as Amazon’s!), I’ve been only buying my ebooks from there. I can read them in their app on the Boox Palma. I also still use it when there are books to read on Everand, Hoopla, and Libby. I love the fact that it has apps and all of my first thoughts on it are still true. Check out my post linked in the intro for more.
Kindle Paperwhite for travel/on the go
Because the Paperwhite is smaller and less ~special~ than the Oasis, this is going to be the Kindle that is allowed to leave the house. The Oasis stays home where it can last forever and never die.
Reading Trackers & Websites
Google Sheets: 2025 reading and egalley trackers
I am still using my same spreadsheets from year’s past! I keep copying over the same ones or building off old ones. I have a spreadsheet for my 2025 reads that automatically calculates different stats and creates graphs so I’ll probably use that forever lol. I also have a database for my review copy tracking. I mark when something is read or up next on my radar to read. I keep one tab for the current year and then move all of them into the master tab once the year ends.
Websites: Goodreads and Storygraph
I unfortunately don’t think I could ever quit Goodreads because the community aspect is still there for me. I get to see my friends’ book updates and new additions to TBRs through the main feed. I use Goodreads for marking books as started and finished, special shelves for tracking things, and reviews as well. I have really loved Storygraph for other purposes. I still mark books as current reads and finished reads as well as my reviews, but I also update my progress on there as well. I like that I can see graphs at the end of the month based on my updates, formats, etc. and have started using them in my BL Bulletins here too. It’s good for automated charts and tracking things, much like my spreadsheet. I also participate in reading challenges that I can track there too.
Book Buying & Preorders
Preordering new releases at B&N
I have a Barnes & Noble membership because as much as I love indie bookstores, I do think there’s still a market and a need for bookstores like B&N! I miss Borders so much, I can’t live in a world without B&N too. Anyways! I preorder a lot of books from Barnes so they can come release week but honestly they are usually a few days later than I’d hope. I’ve started to preorder books I don’t *need* on release day via Barnes & Noble.
Release day pickups at indies
We have a new local indie bookstore currently 20 minutes from me (sadly when I move it’ll be 40 minutes) that I’ve done some release day preorders / pickups from. I love being able to pop into a local bookstore and grab a new release right away!
Ebooks from Bookshop.org
I mentioned this earlier but I don’t plan on buying Kindle books anymore. I’ll use my Kindle for my review copies and already-owned ebooks but any NEW ebooks I buy will be on my Boox Palma. There’s a new Bookshop.org app that allows for you to read ebooks and buy them in support of indie bookstores, which is my preference!
TBR Planning
I still follow a similar process for my monthly TBRs – nothing crazy. I track which review copies are due soon or overdue (whoops) and feature those to read in the month. I also look at what my mystery book club is reading for the month. The past two months I’ve been so bad about reading them early enough and jam them in. And finally, I’ll feature any new books I have – this could be new releases I plan on acquiring, library books, preorders, etc. Sometimes I just throw the plans away and do whatever I want (*cough* May so far)
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