2019 - it’s a wrap! - December news from Bookship

As it’s the end of 2019, I wanted to first take a moment and thank each of you for signing up for Bookship. It means a lot to me, and I hope you are getting value out of it. Reading really is better with friends. In case you are curious, there’s close to three thousand of you that joined up this year!

Our most recent release is out and it has some fun new stuff. Our favorite is Shareable readings. On a reading page, hit Share and you can share to your favorite social media platform like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and have anyone join in your reading. Great if you’re looking for people to read with. Or you can just get a link and post it on your website. Maybe you’re a Bookstore and want to use Bookship as part of your bookclub. Just post the link on your website and people can join in. Readings in Bookship have always been private before, and they will remain private unless you Share the reading.

Picking books for your book club is a big part of the fun! As a reminder from last month, you can build a collaborative list for your group inside Bookship. Just create a Group, then whenever you save / bookmark a book, you can add it to the group’s list so everyone can see it, and who added it. (The help section in the app has details and a video on this).

Lastly, you can now text-message your invites instead of emailing them. Just use a phone number instead of an email in your invite. (Oh - we fixed a bunch of display bugs in the built-in eReader as well. Please do email me if you’re having problems.)

Usually in the monthly newsletter, we highlight the popular books on Bookship that month. Since it’s the end of the year, here’s the top 3 for the year! (BTW: you can always see what books people are reading on Bookship (but the people themselves!). Go to Browse Books, there’s a Channel called Recent Bookship Readings.

Frankenstein I'm guessing you know Frankenstein by reputation, even if you've never read it. Good news: with the Bookship eReader, you can read Frankenstein for free, right in the browser (and do it with your friends). This year Frankenstein was our #1 book - bit of a surprise to me, but I guess there's a reason it's a classic. Where the Crawdads Sing Wildlife scientist and first time author Delia Owens has a smash hit on her hands and it's Bookship's second most popular book this year (Reese Witherspoon is making the movie!). Kya Clark has survived for years alone in the marshes of North Carolina, only to be suspected in a murder. An ode to nature and a unique coming of age story, Where the Crawdads Sing is, as the New York Times says, "a painfully beautiful first novel." Becoming The former First Lady's memoirs were a consistent read on Bookship all year long. In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address.

Hope you had a great 2019, and that 2020 is even better! Happy Reading!