Amazon.com pioneered book selecting and reviewing on the web, but more recently several other sites have been created to help people find, enjoy and share books. On one level, time spent reading about books is time that could be spent reading books. But on another level, it can be hard to find the best of all possible books to read. Here are three reading sites worth a look.

GoodReads.com promises to “Get great book recommendations from people you know, keep track of what you’ve read and what you’d like to read, form a book club, answer book trivia, and collect your favorite quotes.” Think of it as a sort of Facebook for readers.

LibraryThing.com invites you to catalog your home library, and then share your recommendations with people with similar reading tastes. Several features are free, but there are nominal fees associated with more advanced services.

Overbooked.org is the brainchild of Chesterfield County Library staff member Ann Theis. Overbooked provides a valuable service to readers by summarizing which books, both fiction and nonfiction, receive starred reviews in Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. As such, the goal of Overbooked is to help readers find the highest quality reading experience.

Chris’ Corner

Did you know that Librarian, Chris Wiegard, is a frequent contributor of book reviews to the Richmond Times-Dispatch? Take some time to read his current and time-tested reviews in the café display at the Hopewell Library, then take one of his recommended books home to read for yourself!