Just like writing, reading can feel like a very solitary experience. If you are anything like me, when you get to the end of a book, you probably have all sorts of thoughts and feelings that you want to discuss with someone. Short of persuading all of your friends to read the book where do you go? 
Online of course

Today I am Talbot Health School in Bournemouth talking at their Spellbound Literature Convention about the online book community. 

Book Blogging – WordPress, Blogger

Book Vlogging – YouTube

Bookish Images – Instagram using the #bookstagram 

Book Reviews – Goodreads and Litsy

Chats and Groups – Twitter and Facebook and Goodreads 
A few examples of teen bloggers 

I curated a small list of YA bloggers who are teens that you can follow on twitter. https://mobile.twitter.com/kirstyes/lists/uk-teen-book-bloggers

The Mile Long Bookshelf aka Amber Kirk-Ford is a book blogger and vlogger who has written for the Guardian and Penguin Books Blog. 

https://youtu.be/OSpWiBrMj9E
Queen of Contemporary/@LucyTheReader AKA Lucy Powrie is also a book blogger and vlogger who set up the hugely successful twitter chat using the hashtag #ukyachat 

http://queenofcontemporary.com/ukyachat
How to be a good blogger by Jenny in Neverland. This popped up on my twitter timeline this morning and I had to share because it just says what I wanted to say. 

https://t.co/LwDRphtYl4?amp=1
How to review 
Goodreads Reviews

https://www.goodreads.com/review/guidelines
Uses a 5 star rating system

1 star – didn’t like it 

2 stars – it was ok

3 stars – liked it

4 stars – really liked it 

5 stars – it was amazing 
But. Everyone uses it differently and you can create your own rating system on your blog. Or you don’t have to rate at all. I use half stars and I generally round down not up.

Find your own style
Activity – post it note review 

Activity – Instagram pictures 

Activity – Features and Challenges 

Side note about safety

Note most online forums require you to be 13 to use. 

Remember that anything you say online can always be found. 

Be cautious – occasionally people aren’t who they say they are. If you ever arrange to meet with someone who you have met online don’t go alone and tell someone. 
Side note about your TBR and budget

Joining the online book community will exponentially increase the size of your TBR piles and see you wanting to spend more money than you have. Join a library. Budget. Ask for Bookish goodies for gifts. 
If you do prefer to meet up with people in real life make sure to follow your favourite bookshops and check out events they might host. Waterstones will be hosting a whole range of YA author events over the summer. 
Every summer there is now a Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC) as part of London Film and Comic Con (LFCC). This year it runs from Friday 28th – Sunday 30th July and there will be around 90 authors in attendance. There are author panels, signings, workshops, stands, cosplay and just generally hanging around with fellow book worms. 
Activity – Q&A e.g. Picking a platform, setting up a blog, interacting with authors and others, ARCs etc.