Joining bookstagram can be such a rewarding experience. You meet fellow book lovers, can share all your book photography in abundance and discover lots of new books. Amidst all the excitement, there is one thing I’ve found is often overlooked: bookstagram safety. Its so important to remember that bookstagram is a sub-community on Instagram. Since Instagram is a social networking site, the rules of staying safe on the Internet apply as well.

Earlier this week I discovered that amongst its e-resources, my library also offers digital magazines via Zinio. I knew all along about ebook loans via Overdrive and access to journals via JSTOR etc but somehow Zinio passed me by. With library subscriptions to selected digital magazines, library members can access the most recent issues. The best part is, unlike for ebooks on Overdrive, there’s no waiting time on Zinio. Pick a magazine and read it instantly.

As much as I prefer ordering books online for the price and convenience, the waiting time does bother me. It’s been taking longer and longer for shipments to be dispatched, which doesn’t coincide with the estimated delivery times listed on Book Depository. I find this rather problematic when it comes to pre-orders that I want to read before all the spoilers emerge. Though for the most part the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Email replies to blog comments are a great way to keep conversations going. When we comment on a blog, we seldom check back to see if we received any comment replies. Yet comment replies tend to encourage us to return to a blog. It’s nice knowing the blogger cares about our opinions. This is where Postmatic comes in. It’s a WordPress plugin aimed at keeping the conversation going by setting up an email commenting system.

A little over a year ago, I took the plunge and ordered a first generation Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon. I first read about the impending emergence of electronic reading devices in 1999. Back then, I already knew that I wanted one and looked forward to the day I would own one. Then when Amazon introduced the Kindle in 2007, I was excited. But I decided against obtaining one then because I weighed the benefits and decided I would wait.