Friday, November 2, 2007

Finding Something Fridays Finds Goodreads (and a Widget)

Today I found a nice little widget.

That is not a widget. That's spaghetti sauce on a white t-shirt (which, by the way, was ruined in the cause of the science fair project). But a widget sounds like somebody's science fair project, doesn't it?

I'm not really sure what a widget is. But I thought Cathy C.'s Hall of Fame could use a little "blog bling". If you look at the right column, under "DETOUR" you'll find the Goodreads widget. If you want any more specifics about widgets, you'll have to ask someone else. Like a ten-year-old kid. Or your annoying neighbor who knows everything.

All I know is that whenever I see something I want on my blog, I say the magic words: "Somebody put this thing-a-mabob on my blog!" (Sometimes I have to say the magic words more than once, at increasingly louder decibels). And presto! A thing-a-mabob shows up on my blog!

This particular thing-a-mabob, the Goodreads widget, is all about books. Goodreads is an online bookshelf that will list the books you've read (or are reading, or hope to read). It will include your review of the book, too, if you choose to write one. Maybe you're wondering whether you'd like to read the latest Harry Potter book? Then you could read all the reviews on Goodreads. Or you can recommend a book like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to anyone who likes whiny teenagers who constantly do what they're specifically told not to do. And, of course, you can show the world your own bookshelf of Fame.

I think you get the idea. It's a fun way to explore books. And next to writing books, there's nothing I like better than reading books.

On the other hand, there's nothing I dislike more than finding not-so-nice rejection emails in my inbox on Friday morning. But nobody likes a whiner (unless his name is Harry Potter), so I'll just say what I always say:

"Mister (Fill-in-the-Market I submitted to), you will rue the day you rejected Cathy C. Hall." I don't know exactly how the day will be rued. I just love that expression. I read it once in a book.

I bet somebody over at Goodreads knows the book I'm talking about. Check 'em out by clicking on my widget. (Um, I mean that in a nice way.)